Rabbits can make great pets, but they require a gentle touch, good knowledge of proper care and plenty of attention. Here’s what to consider before adopting a rabbit.
- Lifespan: Healthy rabbits can live for more than 10 years, so a rabbit may be with your family for as long as a dog would and could require a similar amount of care and attention.
- Handling: Rabbits require safe, gentle handling and a quiet environment. As prey animals, they can be easily startled and stressed by loud noises and fast movements. Rough handling can lead to serious injuries like spinal fractures, and scared rabbits can deliver painful bites.
- Housing: Rabbits need room for exercise and play. You’ll need at least an 8-square-foot pen area that serves as the rabbit’s “home base” plus at least one bunny-proofed room for them to access when not in their pen. Outdoor hutches aren’t appropriate because they can expose rabbits to predators and deadly diseases.
- Care and feeding: The care and feeding of rabbits can be complex. We encourage you to consult resources like the House Rabbit Society or ask your veterinarian or local animal shelter or rescue for more information.
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Life with rabbits
If you’re a bunny novice, you’re likely wondering what sharing your home with a rabbit will be like. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll need to do to keep your new friend happy and healthy:
- Tidy your rabbit’s enclosure every day—and clean it thoroughly once a week. Many rabbits can be litter trained, but they produce a lot of waste.
- Provide safe toys, hay and cardboard for your rabbit to chew. Rabbits have continuously growing teeth they need to wear down. If they aren’t provided things to munch on, they’ll turn to your baseboard, books and other belongings.
- Provide fresh vegetables, which are part of a healthy rabbit diet, and an unlimited supply of hay. Learn which veggies are good for rabbits since some, like iceberg lettuce and onions, can cause health issues.
- Give your rabbit space and time for exercise. If you keep your rabbit in a pen, they should have at least a few hours a day outside the enclosure.
- Interact with your bunny regularly so they stay socialized and happy. (Note that rabbits generally sleep during the day and night and are most active at dusk and dawn.)
- Rabbits are a social species so consider adopting multiple rabbits. Shelters and rabbit rescues can help with matchmaking to make sure rabbit companions get along.
- Find a rabbit-savvy veterinarian for annual checkups and emergencies.
You’ll want the following items in your rabbit starter kit:
- Large pen or habitat, or supplies to build your own (the House Rabbit Society recommends at least 8 square feet, with more for exercising); wire floors on caging are not appropriate—they can injure a rabbit’s sensitive feet
- Water bowl or bottle
- Litter boxes and litter
- Chew toys
- Timothy hay (or other grass hay) for adults; alfalfa hay if under 1 year of age
- Vegetables
- Timothy hay pellets
- Occasional fruit/treats
Where to get a bunny
So you’ve decided a rabbit is the right pet for you—congratulations! But where should you get your new companion?
Just like dogs in puppy mills, rabbits are often kept in deplorable conditions when they’re bred for pet stores to sell. Instead of buying a bunny, why not adopt?
To find rabbits at a local animal shelter or rescue, search online (try Petfinder.com). To locate a rescue group that specializes in rabbits, ask your animal shelter for recommendations or search online through the House Rabbit Society.
Benefits of adopting a bunny
Staff and volunteers at shelters and rescues keep bunnies socialized and healthy. Their hands-on experience will enable them to help you choose the right rabbit for your family. They can also provide detailed information on bunny care and behavior and answer your questions.
If you already have a rabbit and are looking for a companion, some rescues will let them meet before adoption to ensure a good match and can provide helpful rabbit introduction tips.
Another benefit of adoption: Your new companion will likely already be spayed or neutered and vaccinated against rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHDV2), which can be a major cost-saver.
Bringing your bunny home
Animals like routines, and changing environments can be stressful for them. By preparing everything ahead of time, you can help ease the homecoming process for your new rabbit. Here’s a quick checklist for what to do before you bring home your bunny:
- Set up a “rabbitat” in a quiet, out-of-the-way area. Provide one or more litter boxes, rabbit-safe litter, water bowl or bottle and safe chew toys.
- Rabbit-proof any areas of your home that your rabbit will have access to (and always supervise them when they’re not contained). You might want to use a metal puppy pen to create a safe and contained area.
- Tuck wires and cords out of sight.
- Remove toxic plants.
- Swap out things you don’t want your bunny to chew for rabbit-safe toys (such as grass mats or pieces of cardboard).
- Make sure other household pets cannot get into the rabbit area. Dogs and cats may not mix well with rabbits, especially at first! If you intend to introduce your resident animals to your rabbit, do so slowly. Remember, rabbits are a prey species, which can encourage different behaviors from your dog and cat than how they react to others of their own species.
- Ensure that outdoor areas your rabbit may visit aren’t treated with pesticides.
- Check with the shelter, rescue or foster home ahead of time to find out which types of hay and vegetables your rabbit prefers and have them on hand.
- Monitor your new rabbit companion closely for the quantity and character of stool production and appetite. A rabbit who isn’t eating is a medical emergency. Note that rabbits produce soft stools in the middle of the night that they ingest for nutrients. If you’re seeing these stools on their fur and in their cage, it’s abnormal, but don’t be alarmed if you see them eating them.
Try not to handle your rabbit too much during the first few days. Start by sitting on the floor and letting them come to you. If you have other pets, let the newcomer get used to their new home before introducing everyone.
- Keep the environment as quiet as possible and make sure your rabbits have a place that’s their sanctuary.
- If you already have one or more resident rabbits, keep your new rabbit separate from them until you can do introductions in a neutral location. You can also slowly bring their rabbit enclosures closer together so they can get to know each other through the barrier.
- If you’re adopting multiple rabbits at once, keep an extra close eye on them. The stress from a change of venue can result in fights, even with rabbits who have been bonded for years.
- Spay or neuter your rabbit. Rabbits who are sterilized live longer, make better companions, get along with others better, are less likely to develop certain cancers, and won’t produce unwanted litters.
LEARN MORE Visit House Rabbit Society and Los Angeles Rabbit Foundation for expert advice on rabbit care and behavior information.