Rabbits are extremely loving animals, however, shelters are never short of these cute little pets. This got me wondering, why is giving up pet rabbits to shelters a thing? Researching this issue I found that one reason is that new rabbit owners don’t always understand the duration of the commitment they have just taken on. With this in mind, I thought I’d write this post to clear up any confusion. So first things first, how long does a pet rabbit live for?
Provided they are given a healthy diet, enjoy plenty of exercise, and suffer no serious illness or injury the average pet rabbit can be expected to live between 8 and 12 years although this will vary slightly between breeds.
This is just a short summary of my findings and I’ve gone into a bit more detail below. I also found some interesting information about some of the factors that can impact a rabbit’s life expectancy, I thought these were important to know so I’ve summarised them for you below.
Wild vs. Domestic Rabbit Life Expectancy
Unlike our pet rabbits, wild rabbits have very short life expectancies of just a couple of years, after all, they lead a fairly stressful existence. Not only are they at threat from predators, but they also suffer at the hands of environmental factors like starvation and disease, most commonly Myxymatosis (a big killer of wild rabbits).
These factors are less of a problem for domesticated pet rabbits and so providing they receive adequate love and care, its not unusual for them to live for four or five times longer than their wild counterparts.
That said, both wild and domestic rabbits are fairly fragile animals. They are prone to injury and a number of serious health issues. This means that a life expectancy of 8-12 years is by no means set in stone. Unfortunately, pet rabbits often pass away prematurely with no real explanation.
Although rabbits can live for many years, anything over 6 years old is considered a good age for a rabbit.
Life Expectancy – 16 Common Rabbit Breeds
We’ve put together a simple chart that shows the minimum to maximum life expectancy of 16 common rabbit breeds.
Despite these variants, a rabbit’s lifespan is more closely linked to its health and wellbeing which means that aside from those unfortunate unexplained deaths, rabbit owners are ultimately responsible for how long a rabbit will survive in captivity.
American Sable  | 5 – 8 Years | Giant Angora  | 7 -12 Years |
Angora  | 7 – 12 Years | Holland Lop | 7 – 12 Years |
Britannia Petite  | 5 – 8 Years | Lionhead | 7 – 10 Years |
Californian | 5 – 10 Years | lop | 8 -12 Years |
Chequered Giant | 5 – 8 Years | Mini Lop | 7 -14 Years |
Dutch  | 5 – 8 Years | Netherland Dwarf  | 10 – 12 Years |
English Lop | 5 – 7 Years | Polish | 5 – 6 Years |
Flemish Giant  | 5 – 7 Years | Rex | 5 – 6 Years |
Factors That Impact the Rabbit Lifespan
Providing that your rabbit does not come down with any health issues which prematurely shorten its life, the factors that determine lifespan are simple. As previously mentioned, for the most part, these come down to health and wellbeing.
Here are the main things to keep in mind when trying to ensure your rabbit lives to a ripe old age!
1. Nutrition and Rabbit Life Expectancy
Rabbits have very delicate digestive systems and the food it eats has a direct impact on life expectancy. A rabbits diet should be largely based around fiber as it is this that keeps the rabbits gut moving and prevents the very serious gut stasis, a common killer of pet rabbits.
Timothy hay should make up the majority of your rabbit’s diet, aside from its high fiber content it also helps to keep the rabbit’s teeth short and prevent dental issues.
As well as an unlimited supply of hay, fresh vegetables, and the occasional small piece of any one of a large number of different fruits and vegetables (such as apple or banana and of course carrot in small pieces) can be given to a rabbit as an occasional treat.
Good quality pellets can also be fed in moderation but large quantities may cause obesity which again will have a negative effect on a rabbits health.
For an extensive look at what you should be feeding your pet rabbit, you can find our detailed feeding guide here.
2. Exercise and Rabbit Life Expectancy
Rabbits seem to enjoy physical activity especially during the hours of dawn or dusk. The enjoyment they get from leaping around or suddenly bursting across the lawn at speed is a joy to see.
Aside from leaping (more commonly known as binkying) they also display other behavior which will depend on the amount of space they are given. One such example is known as ‘telegraphing’ (standing upright to look around for predators, much like a meerkat) which can be seen often provided the rabbit has ample headroom.
Natural behaviors like these and many others will only be witnessed providing a rabbit has space and freedom to behave naturally.
Remember, rabbits do not respond well to being cooped up in tiny hutches for prolonged periods of time. Although you can use a hutch or a cage for a rabbit for short periods, hutches and cages should be opened up to a larger run as much as possible (a tiny hutch is like a prison to a rabbit!).
Like any animal in captivity, a rabbit that spends too long in a hutch may become sad, depressed, or even aggressive. It will likely display symptoms of mental trauma and will likely die a premature death.
3. Illness and Rabbit Life Expectancy
In order to help them live a long life, you will need to invest some money every year for vaccinations and subsequent vaccine boosters for your rabbit.
Rabbits also suffer from all manner of different illnesses including cancers, namely testicular and uterine, both of which can be fatal.
The chances of a rabbit developing either of these conditions can be reduced by spaying and neutering procedures so booking your rabbit in as soon as it reaches sexual maturity or a safe operating size will (while being tough on the animal for a couple of days) ensure your pet has a better chance at a long and happy life.
4. Cleanliness and Rabbit Life Expectancy
A clean living area will also minimize the risk of disease or illness.
Rabbit cages should be cleaned regularly with a rabbit-safe anti-bacterial spray. If your rabbit spends time in an outside hutch, take care and inspect the hutch to ensure that mold or damp has not become a problem. Spores from mold may get onto a rabbit’s lungs and cause sickness or even death.
Inspect your rabbit often and look out for things that may have a detrimental effect on his overall health and happiness. If he’s a long-haired breed groom his hair and ensure it is not matted, even something seemingly insignificant such as this may be causing annoyance or stress.
Cut the rabbit’s nails and check the length of the teeth. Give the rabbit a look over at least once a week as this will help you identify any problems (and seek help if required) before it’s too late to do anything about them.
5. Enrichment and Rabbit Life Expectancy
As well as space, a rabbit will also need mental stimulation. Rabbits that don’t have enough to occupy their minds will likely become very bored, unhappy, and consequently unhealthy.
You’ll need to provide your rabbit with a mix of rabbit safe toys and things to chew on. This need not be expensive, tunnels used for cats are great but even simple cardboard boxes (unlaminated) can provide hours of entertainment for a rabbit.
6. Companionship and Rabbit Life Expectancy
Finally, this leads us to probably the most important thing you can do to keep your rabbit happy and of course, increase its lifespan. Get a companion!
Rabbits are very social animals and although they can be territorial, they love the company of other rabbits, especially one of the opposite sex. A loving companion will not only make your rabbit happy, they will assist with the grooming and good hygiene you yourself may feel a little squeamish about getting involved in.
Perhaps you spend a lot of time with your rabbit and think of yourself as a good companion? This may be true but do you really understand his body language? A bonded companion will.
When choosing a companion consider a rescue rabbit of a similar age to your own. The advantage of rescues is that the shelter will be able to give you a good indication of personality and or issues so you know what you are getting before you commit.
Another advantage of adoption is that rescue rabbits are often already neutered or spayed – saving you the financial cost of these procedures.
However, the best thing about adoption (coming from someone who has adopted several rabbits) is that you are likely giving a loving home to a rabbit that, for whatever reason, has had a bad start in life (and for this you deserve a pat on the back!).
Oldest Rabbit on Record
According to the Guinness book of records the oldest rabbit ever was a wild rabbit named Flopsy, she was captured on 6 August 1964 and died 18 years and 10.75 months later at the home of L.B. Walker of Longford, Tasmania, Australia.
While not strictly a domestic rabbit in the true sense of the word we think this is pretty impressive going, especially taking into account the usual shorter lifespan of wild rabbits.
Related Questions
What do rabbits usually die from?
Although rabbits are prone to multiple health issues which may cause death, a 2019 study of 6349 pet rabbits attending 107 Veterinary Clinics across the United Kingdom found the most common causes of death were flystrike (10.9% of pet rabbits), anorexia (4.9%), collapse (4.9%) and gut stasis (4.3%).
Do rabbits live longer than dogs?
Some rabbits will indeed live longer and have a life expectancy in excess of some dog breeds, however, both dogs and rabbits are susceptible to illnesses which can significantly shorten their expected lifespan.
Further Reading
How Long Do Rabbits Live? pets.webmd.com / thesprucepets.com / timeforpaws.co.uk
