My 11-year-old sister has been obsessed with bunnies since she was little. Her begging finally annoyed my parents enough that they are now considering letting her get one. They asked for my opinion, and I'm not quite sure what to think.
She would be the only one taking care of the animal. My parents want nothing to do with it, and I won't be able to help since I spend most of the year away at college. She's a pretty responsible kid, but 11 seems pretty young to be the sole caretaker of an animal. Bunnies aren't like hamsters or fish. I've only done a little bit of research, but it looks like you have to know a lot to be able to properly take care of them. What do you guys think?
8 weeks is fine, younger than that is too young. With proper cleaning and feeding, I wouldn't worry, I would just teach your sister how to clean it's cage (easier with a litter box), hold it, and what to feed it. Two bunnies would be better but it's just fine alone, btw.
I think that 11 would be fine, but only if your parents or you helped her out. I got a bunny when I was the same age, but my mom was helping me take care of it. I was quite a serious child, and I took utmost care when holding my pet.
If you're unable to help her, she should wait a year or two with getting her own pet. You wouldn't let her take care of a newborn, and bunnies are exactly as vulnerable. They're complicated creatures that easily get sick. They can even develop depression if their needs are not met.
03-16-2016, 07:03 AM, (This post was last modified: 03-16-2016, 07:05 AM by heavymetalkilos.)
Pets teach you how to take responsibility and in that age it's just perfect to start learning. That's why I'd say that it's completely okay for her to try out her little wings in the world, to see how she can keep an animal alive. Of course there has to be someone to check up on the bunny occasionally just in case, since little kids tend to forget to feed their animals and clean up their cages and such. Bunnies are hard to take care of but if your sister gets the proper guidance, I think she'd get used to it and learn. Just try to make sure she doesn't abandon the rabbit after a while because sometimes kids get tired of the same "toys". My cousins had that problem - couldn't even stand handling a hamster for more than few months. They had to give it away because they didn't want to take care of it anymore.
