re: My 6 year old daughter wants a rabbit for a pet.

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Not living inside. We have room outside for a cage/fence setup.

What are the dos and don’t’s here?

I remember having one outside as a kid and that thing eventually got feral and mean.

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I think it is less than ideal to have one rabbit and to have it outside... there are a couple of other posts that mention this starting on pg 3. I don't think it's an accident that your experience with one outdoor rabbit resulted in it eventually becoming mean. Rabbits do better when they have a companion. They also do better when they feel safe. However caring your daughter is, I don't think an hour of attention will offset the other 23 hours per day of solitary confinement in a yard with the occasional predator trying to break in. The odds of it being nervous, depressed, and reactive (kicking & biting) go up. And as another poster said, some breeds of rabbits may not fare well in Louisiana weather. So, you'd have to research that as well. To be clear, I'm not saying it WILL turn out badly, just that those circumstances are less than ideal and thus may contribute to an undesirable outcome.

If you're sticking to a single rabbit, you'll have a higher probability of it maintaining a pleasant temperament if it stays indoors. That way your daughter can pet it while she's doing homework or watching TV instead of going outside to feed and pet it before coming back in to ignore it. And the rabbit will feel closer to her. Look up "small breeds of rabbits that are good as first pets for a child" or something like that. I think some breeds are only 2-3 pounds on average, so only a hare (pun intended) larger than a guinea pig. A rabbit that small shouldn't be too impactful as an indoor animal. Of course, having it limited to one room or floor-- preferably without too many things it might damage (wires) would be something that should be considered, as well as providing it with things to chew on (I believe their teeth never stop growing, thus an instinct to chew.)

I did notice the definitive "not living inside" comment you made, as well as the "My wife is the absolute no on the puppy" comment further down the page. Why is that? (fwiw, I'm asking that rhetorically... it's between you, your wife, and daughter. I don't need to know.) My point is that if you're going to commit to a pet, I would think you should commit to giving the pet a good home... having one rabbit outside (to avoid getting a dog) seems like a halfhearted measure you really don't want to do.

If an inside rabbit is really a hard no, and if a puppy is a hard no, then I'd consider researching other options for easy to care for types of first pets for a kid... lizards, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc.

Personally, I'd go with something like a Persian cat, which tend to be sweet lap cats and great indoor cats (and not the sort of athletic, pyscho cats that wreck shite and scratch people up). My wife and I have gone through 2-3 generations of Himalayan & Persian cats since we've been together, and pretty much everyone who visits ends up liking them-- even those who are generally anti-cat. And although I'm allergic to most cats, these don't bother me. The only small annoyance is fur on clothing, but it is a small annoyance, and the benefits of enjoying the cats far outweigh this. They also-- after getting spayed/neutered and initial shots-- never need to go to the vet... a big advantage for indoor animals. (And I think rabbits need to go to more specialized exotic pet vets.)

We (our two daughters) also went through a hamster phase when they were about 4-8 years old. Good as a low commitment pet as they only live about 2 years. If you go this route, I'd advise picking a male. Female hamsters tend to put off a little more musk / can make a room smell bad. I think this might be true of rabbits as well if they aren't fixed.

Lastly, if you do consider something like a cat, now (your daughter being 6 yrs old) is a pretty good time for this type decision. Barring a significant health issue, a cat should last her through high school and maybe through college-- roughly until she's at a point where she's ready to live on her own.

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I’m hiding behind that because I don’t want the additional responsibility either.

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Raised rabbits growing up. 10x more of a pain in the arse than a dog IMO. Plus, at least the dog is a real companion at the end of the day. Rabbits just kind of sit there.

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My wife is the absolute no on the puppy.

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1. Get new wife.

2. Get puppy.

He killed many many rabbits for sport and food and thought they did not make good pets

I have one. I hate it!

No. I really don't remember what I did. It hurt but I don't think I cried because my brother used to tell me "Only girls cry. Are you acting like a girl?" so its likely it hurt and I wanted to cry, but didn't want him to find out and tease me more.