They're cute, they're sweet, but they die if you just look at them wrong
Yup. Loved my rabbits, but they never lasted very long.
Not at all true in my experience. I've had pet rabbits for most of my life. They live about ten years on average. So, in ten years, I pay about $30/month on average, for a lifetime cost of $3,600 or so. Depends on the rabbit, of course, but here's the average breakdown in my household:
Adoption fee (one-time), from shelter or House Rabbit Society: $40, includes spay/neuter
Housing (one-time): giant dog crate on Craigslist for $20. Your bunny needs a *lot* of space, way more than you think, they have those big legs for running around and they need to use them. They don't live in the crate 24/7, they get let out in the apartment when I'm home and can keep an eye on them. Being cooped up will turn them into aggressive little monsters, but letting them roam free will do a number on your house, so you need a good compromise. I've also seen some very nice homes made out of those wire storage cubes they sell at Target.
Vet bills (for yearly check-up only): $150/year. You'll need to see someone with specialization in small mammals and exotic pets, which in my area is common, but yours might be different.
Hay: $5/bale from a local farm, and a 5 lb rabbit can eat about 1-2 bales in a year. I have three rabbits so I buy about 4 bales a year.
Kibbles: I buy Oxbow brand, because it doesn't have any junk food ingredients and the bunnies like it, and I usually buy it when the 25lb bags go on sale for $20-$25. They shouldn't eat much of this stuff, it should be a supplement to hay and green food, mine get about 1/4 cup a day and eat a few bags a year. The local pet food store also has it in bulk bins but it's more expensive that way.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16618Green food: this is a little hard to estimate because they eat free green things like grass and dandelions in the summer and I feed them scraps and stuff from the compost at Whole Foods in the winter. Generally I don't spend money on this part of their diet but it is like 40% of what they eat (50% being hay, and 10% being kibbles).
DIY: almost everything else. Don't buy toys, a paper towel tube or a cardboard box is pretty much the best thing ever to them and free. They also like towels for digging. And old phone books and newspapers. And those jingly ball things cats like.
Petsitters: I guess if you don't have friends who will watch them when you go away? They are not the kind of pets you leave alone for the weekend.
Honestly, they are not generally expensive pets, except in two situations:
1) Expensive vet care. This has happened to me only once, and in my experience it's usually the result of inappropriate care or supervision. Don't feed them junk food. Make sure they exercise. Don't let them chew on power cords or eat poisonous house plants. If they have long fur, brush daily. Etc. Although I did have a bunny who had serious dental problems which was genetic and that did need some ongoing professional care.
2) They destroy something in your apartment and you are out a security deposit. This is way more common and happens in the same way as it does when dogs eat stuff and cats pee on stuff. (In my case, the bunny thought pulling up the linoleum flooring was a fun game). Rabbits are persistent, obsessive diggers and chewers so you had better be prepared for that. It will influence your entire style of interior decorating. This is a pain but it goes with the package deal, just like if you have a dog you have to take them out for a walk in the worst weather and pick up their crap and carry it around. There may be some fringe costs associated with these decorating decisions but I don't track those in the pet category.
I'm planning to get a Holland lop (or a mix that is mostly Holland lop) - they stay small and have great personalities, it seems.
Like dogs, generalizing by breed can be misleading. I have a purebred Holland lop, the aforementioned linoleum chewer, and she is very, very high-strung--very affectionate and sweet, but incredibly needy. She does have a "great" personality but she's way more work than some of my other bunnies. I would encourage you to talk with people who foster rabbits in your area through the House Rabbit Society and ask them for a recommendation for a specific rabbit to adopt who has a personality compatible with your desires. If I had to generalize, I would say that larger breeds tend to be mellower, and smaller breeds less so, but there are always exceptions, and just like dogs, mutts are just as good.
Feel free to PM me. I have a lot of rabbit experience.
