I don’t think it’s surprising or controversial to say it, but people really don’t think long enough or hard enough about whether they should get a pet or not. There has been a big campaign about making sure people don’t buy dogs without considering the consequences, but there needs to be more done for all types of animals.
There is definitely a misconception that smaller animals like rabbits are cheap and easy to keep. I don’t argue that rabbits are less difficult than bigger animals such as dogs, but they still need to be fed twice a day, given fresh vegetables daily, cleaned out once a week, let into a run every day and cleaned regularly. People who think they can just get a rabbit hutch and put some food in once a day don’t know what they’re getting themselves into.
Something that I believe most people forget is how much of a problem a pet can be if you want to go away. Yes, there are places that will look after small animals for a fee, but it’s difficult to know which of these will handle your pet regularly. If you go away for much longer than a week then no handling can have a permanent effect on your pet.
Bottom line is – don’t buy a pet, no matter how small, without first considering ALL the consequences.