Bunnies as Pets

Rabbits make excellent pets, but remember they are "prey" and are apt to be nervous at times if they feel threatened. There are many different breeds of rabbits, from dwarf rabbits, to the massive Flemish Giant. Some rabbits are kept as pets, some for fiber (such as the Angora) and others are kept primarily for meat. If you are interested in showing your rabbit you will want to get one that is a registered purebred.

Rabbits are often over looked by children who are more attracted to the smaller more cuddly looking animals like hamsters, but hamsters are nocturnal (they will keep you awake at night), and are more likely to bite than a Rabbit is.

Selecting your Rabbit:

You should look for a Rabbit that is used to being handled. Often those sold in pet stores are not as tame as ones you can find from a private seller, a person whose pet Rabbit has had babies. You can usually find them for adoption from animal shelters, generally at a lower price than you would get from a pet store, possibly with their cage and supplies.

How long to you want your pet for? If you are not prepared for a 7-10 year commitment, then perhaps you should consider getting an adult Rabbit rather than a baby, or not getting a rabbit at all.

Breed is an important consideration. How big do you want your Rabbit to grow? Are you prepared for a lot of grooming, or would you be better off with a short haired rabbit?

Housing and Care:

Inside or out? That is the big question. While it is true that many people do keep rabbits in outdoor cages, called rabbit hutches, not all breeds of rabbits can tolerate temperature extremes. Many of the smaller rabbits must be kept indoors in colder winter months. A rabbit who is kept outside may also be considered as a meal for a coyote, owl, or hawk. As such, if you intend to keep your pet outdoors you must make sure the hutch is secure, and has shelter from the elements (rain, wind, sun).

Rabbits cannot climb so they need a fairly large horizontal surface to hop around. A short cage is acceptable, it should be at least 3 feet long, and 1.5 feet wide, (depending on the breed of rabbit) but as with most pets, a bigger cage is always better. Some cages have multiple levels, and ramps.

It is possible to keep two rabbits together if they are siblings or were raised together. Introducing two adult rabbits is also possible and more successful if both are spayed or neutered, otherwise can be a risky procedure. The biggest risk being an unwanted litter. Rabbits are very difficult to sex by a novice, mistakes can result in more rabbits than you are prepared for Breeding rabbits is not recommended, simply because shelters often find more are being bred every year, than there are homes for, and you may find the only market for your baby bunnies is to be research animals.

Rabbits can be litter trained, if you place a litter box in their cage they are very likely to use it, especially if you pick up some rabbit poop and put it in the box. Absorbent litter, like newspaper made into pellets, is best for bunnies. Once your rabbit is using its litter box successfully, you might even have it run loose in a room of your house. If you do turn a rabbit loose in a room, make sure ALL cords are out of reach as they will chew them. Also shut any doors to places where a rabbit could fall down the stairs. Rabbits should get plenty of time out of their cage or they will become bored and depressed.

You will also need to provide them with a house, it can either be a plastic one you purchase or a cardboard box with an entry cut into it. The bedding should be pine shavings, never use cedar. If you have not provided a litter box, you will need to clean the corners of the cage pretty much every day and dump the entire cage out once every week - 10 days or so depending on how large the cage is and how many animals you have in it.

If you find your Rabbits nails are growing long they may need a trim or will eventually curl under causing it great pain and distress. If you are not familiar with how to do this, have an experienced person show you how, even a dog groomer can do it.

Feeding:

Rabbits are herbivores, you can find prepared rabbit ration sold in pelleted form. It is cheaper to buy this in large bags from livestock feed stores rather than in the small bags sold at pet shops. They should be given timothy (grass) hay every few days, and fresh fruit or vegetables as well. Carrots, peas, apples, and broccoli stems being some of their favorites. They can also have dandelion greens and flowers, but only if you know they have not be sprayed with pesticide or herbicide. Wash all fruit and vegetables from the store. Do not offer potatoes or rhubarb to your pet bunny. You will want to make sure they have pellets all the time.

They can be given water in a bowl or from a water bottle. If you are going to put the water in a bowl try to select a heavy ceramic or non-spill one, even a stainless steel bird bowl which will clip on the sides of the cage may work well for you.

They need to chew things to keep their teeth worn down, the carrots and broccoli stems will help this, but you can even give them a branch from an apple tree, or willow. Stores usually sell chew items for rodents. Try to avoid the ones with color dyes. Keep an eye on your rabbits teeth, some suffer from improper alignment of teeth which results in a problem where the teeth will not wear down and will require trimming, (you can actually do this with nail clippers).

Other Info:

How you handle your pet Rabbit is every important. They need to be supported from underneath and should be held with two hands, never squeezed around the middle. Because they have rather sharp nails it may be easier to put a towel underneath them, when they are on your lap. Also this is good if they happen to urinate. Some rabbits really are not fond of being held, they are often scared when being picked up or put down so make sure you do this carefully in case they try to jump.

Rabbits do not enjoy being bathed, and the stress could kill them, use caution if you must wash your bunny.

You can brush your Rabbit with a cat brush. They generally do not require bathing but if you must, use baby shampoo or preferably gentle pet shampoo, and make sure they are thoroughly dried before returning them to their cage.

Male rabbits have been known to spray, or mark their territory, it is a good idea to neuter a male rabbit, and to make a female more friendly you may want to spay her as well. This will also reduce the smelly nature of their urine.

Rabbits, and all pets, should never be a childs pet. All animals require a commitment, and a child cannot understand or accept a "lifetime" commitment. It is okay to have it be a "family" pet, with the child allowed to help, but make sure it is YOU, the adult, who will be willing to provide the on going care should the child get bored. If for some reason you are unable to care for your rabbit, do not release it into the wild, not only is this cruel but also often it is illegal.

If your bunny is going to live outside, it is very important its bottom and hutch be kept clean, Fly Strike is a deadly problem when flies lay their eggs on a rabbits dirty bottom, and the maggots eat the rabbit from inside.

A good alternative pet to a rabbit is a Guinea Pig, the main differences (other than the obvious appearance) are that Guinea Pigs require the addition of Vitamin C in their food, cannot be easily litter trained, and are known to "talk".