When my then-girlfriend (now wife) got a pet rabbit, I never realized that it would be me who would be looking after it for the next several years, In fact, if you’d told me back then that 10 years later I’d now have several rabbits in my life I would have laughed. Now, as an experienced rabbit owner I often get asked if a rabbit is a good pet, so here’s the short answer
Rabbits are great pets provided they are given a high level of care and a healthy diet. As prey animals, they are nervous around other species including humans. Rabbits are also fragile animals making them unsuitable pets for very young children.
That’s the short answer but I’m guessing you’re here because you’d like to know more? Perhaps your thinking about owning a rabbit yourself?
Well as someone with 10 years of experience of rabbits I’d really like to give you a full answer to this question.
I promise you that if you stick around for a short while longer you’ll learn not only exactly why rabbits are good pets, but you’ll also learn the one truth about rabbits that a pet store won’t tell you.
Why are rabbits good pets?
I’m of course a little biased (after all, I’m writing for a rabbit website!) however rabbits do make great rewarding pets – but only for those willing to put time and effort in with them.
Of course, like any pet, there are pros and cons of rabbit ownership which you can read about in our post here (link to ‘Pros and Cons of Rabbit Ownership) and as we said, you’ll only get out what your prepared to put in.
It takes significant commitment from a very special kind of person to be able to keep a rabbit happy and healthy for its entire lifetime.
10 Reasons Rabbits Make The Best Pets
As a rabbit owner, I’ve lived through the highs and lows of rabbit ownership, so here are 10 reasons that rabbits make excellent pets.
| 10 Reason Rabbits Make The Best Pets | |
| 1. Rabbits have significant life expectancy | Wild rabbits have short life expectancies of just a couple of years due to their prey status. Domestic rabbits have no such worries and can live as long as cats and dogs which makes them a great long term companion if you’re prepared to put in the commitment. If you’re interested to know just how long a rabbit lives, you can read our full post here (link to post: How Long Do Pet Rabbits Live?’) |
| 2. Rabbits are clean | Rabbits produce a lot of droppings however that doesn’t mean that they aren’t very clean animals, rabbits clean themselves religiously and can be very easy to litter train. If you want to learn just how easy, here’s a related post (link to post: ‘how to litter train a rabbit’). |
| 3. Rabbits are affectionate | Rabbits enjoy companionship from members of their own species however they are also very affectionate towards humans too. A rabbit that has built up a level of trust with a human may approach you for petting, hop up on the sofa to lie next to you, fall asleep in your company, and even lick and kiss you (if you’re very lucky). |
| 4. Rabbits are rewarding | Rabbits have an ingrained survival instinct which means they can be skittish around you at first, however, if you treat a rabbit with kindness it will start to trust you and become your best friend. Naturally, rabbits usually prefer the company of their own species to that of a human so you’ll have to be prepared to lose a bit of favor if you decide to bring home another fluffy friend. |
| 5. Rabbits are crepuscular | Rabbits are crepuscular which means they are most active at dawn and dusk. These are the hours are when a wild rabbit feels at the least danger from predators. During day time hours rabbits will generally nap, in fact in a 24 hour period a rabbit will sleep for up to 8.5 hours. Having a crepuscular pet is a distinct advantage for those of us who work a 9-5 job. You’ll be able to spend a little time before work with the rabbit and when you return your rabbit will be ready to play (even if your not!). |
| 6. Rabbits are quiet | Rabbits are generally very quiet animals that communicate through gestures and subtle movements, a lot of which us humans won’t understand, if you do work a 9-5 you’ll not need to concern yourself with a potentially noisy pet such as a dog that could disturb your neighbors all day. |
| 7. Rabbits are intelligent | Rabbits are very intelligent animals, arguably just as intelligent as a cat or a dog. Don’t believe me? watch the embedded video below of Bini the bunny. While not every rabbit will be able to play basketball, all rabbits can be taught basic tricks e.g ringing a bell to ask for a treat (link to YouTube.com). At the very least, rabbits will eventually react to their name being called out or simple words like (funnily enough) ‘treat’. If you’re interested in training a rabbit to come to you when you call out, you can read our full guide here (link to post: ‘How to Train a Rabbit To Come When Called). |
| 8. Rabbits can get along with other pets | Despite their strong survival instincts and nervous disposition, rabbits get on surprisingly well with other pets. Caution should be exercised with introductions and there are certain animals you should not pair with a rabbit for obvious reasons e.g. a ferret or a greyhound, however, rabbits have a chilled out nature and will get on with similarly chilled pets, even those of a different species. Want to know more about rabbits with other pets? read our post here (link to post: ‘Do rabbits get along with other pets’) |
| 9. Rabbits are happy both indoors and outdoors | Historically, rabbits were usually kept outdoors in rabbit hutches. It wasn’t until fairly recently that owners started to realize that rabbits also made great house companions. Although the very extremes of temperature will be uncomfortable for them, rabbits are quite hardy in this regard and can live be perfectly happy inside or outside of the house. Although these days there are many better options than a hutch which are largely unsuitable. Personally, we recommend keeping rabbits indoors so they can be made to feel as much a part of the family as possible. Having lived with house rabbits for several years I can attest to the fact that rabbits are brilliant housemates (after a few necessary bunny proofing activities). |
| 10. Rabbits are hugely entertaining | Despite their quiet nature, rabbits are hugely entertaining to have around. New rabbit owners will quickly realize that despite their quiet nature, rabbits have huge personalities and surprisingly expressive faces. The only sad thing is that rabbits will leave a huge void in your life when they eventually cross over the rainbow bridge. |
Should I go out and buy a rabbit?
Hold on just a second! Its true rabbits make great pets but there’s something else to consider before heading down to your local pet store so here’s a little story…
Believe it or not I owned a snake as a boy, it was actually a Christmas present from my fantastically creative parents. After unwrapping the snake and it’s vivarium on Christmas morning (a strange present I know!).
I jumped for joy, best present ever! I looked after it for a few weeks before the novelty wore off and my dad eventually took over.
I wasn’t really an animal lover at that time, the snake lived for a few years, and I’d catch frogs for it to eat but it was my dad who really owned that snake, in fact, I didn’t even give the poor snake a name.
I guess you could say that I never really felt an attachment to the snake. Years later as an adult a very special rabbit came into my life (strange that even after a snake it would actually be a rabbit that charmed me!).
So what changed?
Well there’s a few answers to this question, but the main change really helps to answer the question as to whether or not a rabbit will make a good pet for you. Let me explain.
Most importantly, the main thing that changed was me. Remember I told you how that snake had never really captured my attention? at least not for any significant amount of time.
As an adult I really loved that first rabbit, I ensured that it was always given the freshest foods, best quality hay, and dwellings that I personally spent a week building myself. Sadly, that rabbit eventually died from a severe bout of gut stasis. I was understandably devastated, a feeling i’d never felt over any animal before.
It made me wonder what had been different about this pet and why I’d so willingly put in several years of care for something that had never even made a sound.
On reflection, I realized that the main reason was my own maturity. Not only had I grown up physically, but mentally, I had been given a sense of responsibility that I never had as a child. The rabbit relied on me for its wellbeing and care which ultimately gave me a purpose.
This is the most important point of all…
Rabbits make great pets for responsible adults – but not for young children
The point of this short story is that although a rabbit was a good pet for me as an adult, it certainly wouldn’t have been a good pet for my 10-year-old self.
Although a rabbit is a more personable animal than a snake (in my opinion) having lived through the experience I know just how much growing up I did between the ages of 10 and 20 years old.
Had I been given a rabbit as a Christmas gift at 10 years old, I’m pretty certain that I would have treated it the same way as I treated that snake.
The message I’m trying to get across here is that while as adults we’re all different, one universal truth is that as children we are constantly experiencing new things on a daily basis, this means that we get bored very easily and move on to the next fad!
A rabbit can live for upwards of 10 years and a 10-year commitment is not a good thing to impose on a child (even if they assure you they can handle it).
Despite its cuddly appearance, a rabbit is a notoriously difficult pet to handle for a child, in fact, even adults should think carefully about future life plans before taking on this commitment.
Rabbits in pet stores are often very young, this makes them easy to handle and show to a potentila customer, however prey animals, rabbits are averse to continual contact unless a level of trust has been built up.
Again this makes them unsuitable for children who may hold them incorrectly and make them think their life is in danger.
Put simply, while a rabbit may initially appear to be the perfect pet for a child, kids quickly lose interest and you as a parent will be left with the responsibility. Trust me, I’ve seen this many times before.
If you’re still thinking about a rabbit for a child we wrote a post on this very subject and we’ve linked it here (‘Are Rabbits Good Pets For Children?‘).
This is one of those things I mentioned that a pet store won’t tell you, after all, they are keen to sell as many rabbits as possible.
However, the sad truth is that thousands of rabbits get dumped in shelters or worse still, outside in the wild every year (with little chance of survival) for this very reason.
Wrap Up
As great a pet as rabbits are, they require significant commitment and should not be considered an easy pet.
Furthermore, never get a rabbit for a child unless you are happy to take on the responsibility for the animal’s well-being in the likely event that your child gets bored of it.
Lastly, if you are sure that a rabbit is right for your home, please consider adopting a rabbit rather than buying from a breeder. Thousands of lonely and lovely rabbits are still looking for a forever home.
Further Reading
Keeping and Caring for Rabbits as Pets thesprucepets.com
Things to Know Before Getting a Rabbit insider.com
Is a rabbit the right pet for you? humanesociety.org
