How Much Does a Rabbit Cost? (Purchase Price & Long Term Cost)

On the surface, a rabbit would appear to be the perfect pet. They are cute, affectionate, have adorable personalities, and are relatively cheap to buy. However, a rabbit’s small price tag is also hugely deceptive. If you are mulling over a rabbit as a good low-cost fluffy companion, first you need to consider both the short and long-term costs.

In the UK, a rabbit will cost you anywhere between £25 and £50 with smaller breeds such as Netherland Dwarf rabbits at the lower end of this scale and larger continental giants at the higher end, UK adoption center fees usually fall between £25 and £60.

In the US a rabbit will cost you anywhere between $25 and $40 for small breeds and quality giant breeds costing between $50 and $100. Rabbits with champion bloodlines may cost several times more. US adoption center fees are usually anywhere between $25 and $70

Of course, the real cost of a rabbit goes far beyond buying price. but most of us jump into ownership without thinking (blinded by cuteness!).

Far from being inexpensive, rabbits often require constant upkeep, and keeping them happy, well-fed, clean, and, in the best of health throughout their entire lifetime (which can often be upwards of 10 years) is a real challenge.

Rabbit Cost Approximation Over a 10 Year Lifespan

It’s almost impossible to determine how much a pet rabbit may cost you over the course of its lifetime as there are so many variables, however, we’ve put together an approximation in the table below. The takeaway from this should be that rabbits are far from cheap pets!

Description	Approximate Cost (USD)	Approximate Cost (GBP)
Buying a rabbit	$25 – $40 one-off cost	£25 – £50 one-off cost
Adopting a rabbit	$25 – $70 one-off cost	£25 – £60 one-off cost
Housing	$200 one-off cost	£150 one-off cost
Vaccines	$20 – $40 annual cost	£30 – £60 annual cost
Garden Safety (e.g. Escape Proofing)	$50 upwards one-off cost	£50 upwards one-off cost
Food Bowls/Water Bottles	$30 one-off cost	£30 one-off cost
Spaying/Neutering	$50 – $75 one-off cost	£80 – £100 one-off cost
Insurance	$10 per month	£10 per month
Microchipping	$50 one-off cost	£50 one-off cost
Pet Carriers	$15 one-off cost	£20 one-off cost
Maintenance (e.g. nail clippers/brushes)	£15 one-off cost	£15 one-off cost
Hay	£5 per week	$5 per week
Veggies	£5 per week	$5 per week
Cleaning (e.g. litters and sprays)	£10 per month	$10 per month
Treats	£5 – £10 per month	$5 – $10 per month
Toys	£0- £10 per month	$0 – $10 per month
Estimated Total over 10 year lifetime	£9250	$9130

The One-Off Costs

Hutches

While our preferred option is to keep our bunnies as house rabbits, we also understand that some bunny lovers just don’t have the required space (or approval from family members) to be able to do the same.

Some advantages of keeping your rabbit indoors will include getting to enjoy their company 24/7 (and forming a better bond), a greater life expectancy for the rabbit, and the added peace of mind knowing your rabbit is safe from the elements or predators.

Regardless of whether you intend to keep your rabbit indoors or outdoors, it will certainly need a space to call its own..

Owning and looking after a rabbit is a continuous learning experience and making mistakes is normal. One thing that we wish we had known a little sooner is that a lot of rabbit hutches, particularly those sold in large pet store chains are unsuitable for rabbits.

The Animal Welfare Act states that minimum living space for a single rabbit should be at least 6 feet (length) by 2 feet (wide) and 2 feet (height), with an even larger run area of at least 8 feet by 4 feet (wide) by 4 feet (high) attached.

This larger space allows the rabbit to exercise and to telegraph (stand upright). Ideally, a rabbit will have 24-hour access to this safe and secure exercise area.

For indoor rabbit homes, hutches made of hard-wearing plastics that are left open to allow your rabbit free roam of your home (or a bunny-proofed room) are a great choice and allow you to get away with a much smaller cage.

For outside hutches, your rabbit’s environment needs to be dry in all weathers and cool enough during the hotter months.

Cheap woods and manufacturing techniques mean that bought hutches are often susceptible to damp and rot which may be detrimental to your rabbit’s health over the long term.

Prolonging the life using tarpaulin during wet weather conditions can help but remember to always ensure the rabbit has sufficient ventilation.

When just starting out our recommended course of action is to start with the largest hutch you can find (this might cost you upwards of £150 in the United Kingdom or a few hundred dollars in the US).

If you are handy, you may even try designing and building a hutch that suits your own individual requirements.

While costly, a custom hutch will save you money in the long run. As an example, we made the hutch below at a cost of approximately £450 ($205).

Escape Proofing

Rabbits will naturally be happier the more freedom you are able to provide to them.

A great way to do this is to ensure that your garden is escape-proof and simply give the rabbit access for several hours per day.

As mentioned the last thing we want is an escaped bunny so rabbit proofing your garden is essential if you intend to give your rabbit access.

Rabbits are inquisitive and can squeeze through small gaps so rabbit proofing will require some planning, creativity, and possibly DIY skills depending on how big the task is.

Unfortunately, the cost will depend on the work that is required and your own personal circumstances (garden size, etc.) but for most gardens a cheap roll of chicken wire will suffice.

Bowls & Bottles

Food and water are vital and bowls and/or water bottles (depending on the material) are an infrequent expense.

Metal dog-style bowls are ideal for both pellets and greens as they can be easily cleaned while ceramic (heavier) bowls are great for water as the larger ones are too heavy for the rabbit to flip over.

A rabbit can require just as much water as a small dog or cat especially in warmer weather so there is often debate over whether to use a bowl or a bottle.

It is true that a rabbit will struggle to get as much water from a bottle due to the relatively small drinking spout.

I personally own rabbits that have no preference and as such providing, both a bottle and a ceramic bowl that the rabbit is unable to spill will allow your rabbit to make his own decision.

Bowls will cost you around £10 in the UK with bottles being significantly cheaper dependant on the size.

Spaying/Neutering

Spaying or neutering rabbits is essential and although you won’t be rushing to find a vet on your first day of ownership, the cost certainly falls under the category of one-off costs.

The obvious reason for neutering or spaying is to prevent unwanted pregnancy between male and female companions, but even if you are not planning on keeping more than one rabbit spaying and neutering is important and benefits males, females (and you as a rabbit owner).

In young males, neutering will prevent aggression towards other males, sexual frustration often displayed through grunting or ‘honking’ and territorial spraying behavior.

In females spaying significantly reduces the risk of aggression and more importantly uterine cancer.

Both males and females will benefit from an increased life expectancy, better mental wellbeing, and improved temperament.

Male rabbits can be neutered at around 4 months of age (or as soon as the testicles descend) however some veterinary surgeons may prefer to wait until the rabbit reaches 6 months of age as surgery is risky on smaller rabbits.

The procedure will cost approximately £80 – £100 in the UK. In the US prices vary greatly and may cost as little $50 to as much as $250 dollars.

Females can be spayed at around 6 months (upon sexual maturity) and the procedure will likely cost somewhere in the region of £70 – £100 in the UK.

In the US prices will vary between the low end of the scale at around $75 dollars to anywhere up to a few hundred dollars.

While spaying and neutering are part of the one-off costs of rabbit ownership, consider that your rabbit may require multiple visits to the vets over the course of its lifetime, whether for simple health checks, vaccinations, or more serious issues.

While you won’t be able to avoid the inevitable (and often unplanned) vet visits, you can often avoid spaying and neutering costs by choosing to adopt a rabbit from a shelter or rescue group.

Spaying and neutering as with all surgery is expensive, which takes us on to the first regular cost of any responsible pet owner…

Insurance

Insurance is optional and will cost around £15 per month in the UK or around $10 per month in the United States. While it won’t necessarily cover the costs of some of the more common disorders that rabbits suffer from.

Having myself once having paid £220 for a check over of one of my own rabbits by an out-of-hours vet one Sunday afternoon I can recommend it as a good investment.

As an owner there is nothing worse than encountering a sick pet and insurance will give you peace of mind that your rabbit can be taken care of in the event of an unexpected serious illness or injury without having to worry about the cost.

Vaccinations

Keeping your rabbit healthy is a high priority so vaccinating them against serious viral diseases such as myxomatosis and RHD (rabbit hemorrhagic disease) is essential.

These annual injections will cost you around £40 in the UK and between $40 and $60 dollars (per rabbit) in the US.

Carry Cases

With the initial trips to the vets you’ll need something a bit more sturdy than a cardboard box. Pet carriers are relatively cheap to buy and come in various shapes and sizes.

Expect to pay around £15 in the UK and around $20 dollars in the US.

Microchipping

Bunnies are fast and enjoy freedom and an escaped bunny is unlikely to come back no matter how many treats are offered.

The importance of bunny-proofing areas where your rabbit plays cannot be understated as an escaped rabbit is likely to be quickly killed by predators.

While sadly a lost rabbit will probably never be found microchipping your rabbit can give you a slight chance if an upstanding member of the public comes across him and is good enough to hand him in.

Microchipping will cost around £15 in the UK and anywhere between $20 and $45 in the US.

Maintenance Equipment

For longer-haired rabbits such as Lionheads, specialist grooming brushes will also be required. These form part of the one-off costs and will set you back around £10.

Likewise, if you are going to clip your rabbit’s nails yourself, a good pair of nail clippers (we recommend the spring-loaded ones) will set you back around £10 and around $15 in the US.

The Weekly Costs

Food

Rabbits eat a ball of hay equivalent to their own size each day (at least!).

Not only is the fiber vital to keeping their digestive systems moving along, but the constant chewing of good quality grass hay will also prevent the rabbit’s teeth from overgrowing.

Failure to provide hay could lead to an expensive trip to the vets. Hay also makes an ideal bedding material and is our preferred material over wood shavings.

Contrary to popular belief rabbits should not have too much carrot however they do love fresh leafy green vegetables such as (my personal choice) Kale.

Approximately 65 – 70 grams is a good amount (or a more simple measure is an adult-sized handful) per day. This will be enough to keep your rabbits healthy and contented.

Rabbits have an acute sense of smell it’s not worthwhile to try to scrimp on the greens by giving your rabbit the cheapest stuff you can find.

If they don’t simply ignore it, leafy greens that are not fresh can cause them uncomfortable wind (again resulting in a potentially expensive visit to the vet).

Top Tip: You will probably not be keen on going to the store every day so on the days when you do go ensure you get the freshest greens available by choosing packs from the back of the shelf.

Supermarkets display the oldest food first to ensure this sells first so by picking it up from the back you’ll add a couple of days to the use by date (reducing potential wastage and allowing you to give your rabbits the freshest greens available).

Good quality dust extracted hay can cost as little as £4 per week in the UK (2.25 Kilograms) depending on the stockist but expect to pay a premium of around £10 per week for the same amount from most pet stores.

In the US, expect to pay around $15 per week (depending on the store).

Fresh greens will vary in price of course depending on what you choose but for reference, Kale in the UK will cost around £1 per 200-gram bag, £3 – £4 per week for a single rabbit is a good estimate.

As well as hay and greens, a small amount of good quality hay-based pellets should also be fed to your rabbit. An egg cup full per Kilogram of your rabbit’s body weight will be enough to ensure your rabbit’s diet is supplemented without causing him to put on any excess weight.

Litter and Cleaning

Even with an area of his own, your rabbit will probably still find places within your home where he likes to poop. Avoid finding any little surprises by providing your bunny with one or more litter trays.

There are various options to fill litter trays, from wood shavings to shredded paper, even some organic cat litters will be safe. Most litters are relatively cheap and will cost approximately £5 (or $10) for a week’s supply.

Rabbit safe disinfectant should also be purchased to ensure both your rabbit’s litter trays and cage areas are clean and free from bacteria. This can be purchased for around £3 per week in the UK.

Treats

Everyone likes sweet treats (don’t they?) and your rabbit’s no different. With their adorable faces, they don’t leave you much choice other than to submit to their demands (unless you want a stroppy bunny on your hands!).

A rabbit’s diet might appear very bland to us humans but the basic hay, greens, and pellets diet works well in giving your rabbit exactly what he needs to keep him healthy however it can’t hurt to occasionally give your rabbit a little treat.

Treats can be expensive and pet stores often charge over the odds for treat ‘sticks’ which are often completely unsuitable for your bunny.

Avoid treats that are high in refined sugar (very little nutritional value) such as chocolate-based treats, or those containing nuts and seeds which may be bad for your rabbit.

A more cost-effective and healthier option is to buy small packs of sultanas or raisins which although are high in natural sugar are also very high in fiber which is a staple part of a rabbit’s diet.

Limit your bunny to a couple of sultanas per day and they will love you for it.

Treats are difficult to price due to the many different varieties available however for reference treat sticks (while not recommended) cost around £5 for two. In contrast a bag of sultana’s which can last a month will cost you around £1.

Toys

Rabbits need enrichment in the form of toys to play with. Some that our own rabbits enjoy are cat-style play tunnels, and wicker chew balls but there is a wide range available here are lots available.

Some will purely be thrown around by your rabbit, others will be chewed and will contribute to keeping your bunnies teeth healthy. Toys will range from anywhere between £2 to £30 (or the equivalent dollar amount in the US).

You will be buying toys often throughout the life of your bunny so consider this a yearly expense and allow approximately £50 per year to be able to buy these.

Wrap Up

When you add up the total costs of looking after a rabbit it can come as a bit of a shock. Although this post gives a rough estimation, it’s impossible to factor in individual circumstances. Costs will also vary depending on which country and location you live in.

In summary, while rabbits may be cheap to buy, they are by no means easy to look after and require a lot of investment of both time and money.

Make sure you take into account all the cost involved beforehand so that it doesn’t become an unexpected struggle.