It's all too easy to give in and purchase a rabbit for a child who asks for one. People quickly discover this rarely ends well and a few months later, these rabbits end up neglected or rehomed.
Reasons it doesn't work out
1. Physical Touch
Rabbits look cute and fluffy, which can be tempting to touch - but rabbits often do not like being touched. As a prey animal, they can be skittish and do not like loud noises, busy environments and they especially do not like being picked up.
2. Boredom
Children get bored quickly especially when rabbits do not want to engage with them. Rabbits prefer the company of their own kind than human company, this can disappoint children as they may not get a lot of interaction from them.
3. Fear
Rabbits nip hard with their front teeth to communicate, this can frighten children. Rabbits who become teenagers are often labelled "aggressive" due to their hormonal behaviours. They also naturally kick out when unhappy which results in children being scratched and injured.
4. Allergies
Many children are allergic to hay. Having rabbits in the home results in hay everywhere and anyone with hay fever will struggle with the pollen reactions. Children often come out in hives and can struggle to breathe with exposure to hay pollens.
Please consider these points carefully before rushing into bringing rabbits home. Instead, why not consider a trial to see if rabbits could fit in well with your home and family?