10 Reasons Why Rabbits Make Good Pets
- Having a rabbit as a pet is perfect for those who may not have time for daily walks, but still seek the social quality of a dog-like companion. And, like cats, rabbits can be litter box trained very easily. Best of both worlds!
- Many people who are allergic to dogs and cats are not allergic to rabbits.
- Rabbits are uniquely talented comedians. Binkies (little hop-spins and kicks they do when they’re happy), bunny flops (flopping over and playing dead) and bunny 500s (think the Indy 500 but with bunnies) are just some of the quirky and amusing habits of the house bunny.
- Rabbit schedules match up with people's schedules. Our furry friends are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk, which corresponds well with the times most of us are starting our day or getting home from work and ready for some couch snuggling or binky watching.
- Rabbits help you get healthy. As herbivores, rabbits mesh well with vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. Generally speaking, though, having a pet who encourages you to stock your fridge with fruits and vegetables is good for everybody — vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
- Rabbits make great pets for city dwellers. They happily stay in large cages or puppy pens during the day when you’re gone and love to come out to romp around in rabbit-proofed rooms when you’re home.
- Rabbits have long lifespans compared to other small animals. They can live 10-12 years if provided with a proper diet and care.
- Rabbits are heroic. In the wild, rabbits communicate with each other about perceived dangers by thumping their back legs; astute house bunnies will provide you with a similar security system. Who needs a German Shepherd when you can have a fierce guard bunny? (Clearly, I’m joking on this one, but there are many stories of rabbits alerting their people to danger. In 2008, an Australian pet rabbit alerted his people to a house fire in the middle of the night and undoubtedly saved their lives. The lesson — never underestimate a bunny as a pet!)
- Rabbits are great listeners (just look at those ears!). They also make excellent snugglers with their extra-soft fur and loving nature. What more could you ask for from a friend?
- Rabbits need homes too. Perhaps one of the best reasons to adopt a bunny is that there are so many waiting for forever homes. In fact, after dogs and cats, rabbits are the third most abundant adoptable pet, with more than 4,800 listed for adoption on Petfinder. Search Petfinder to find some bunnies at a shelter or rescue group near you!
Once considered primarily as children’s Easter gifts, rabbits are fast gaining acceptance as charming and warm household companions.
The House Rabbit
Although rabbit’s earliest relationship with humans was as a fur-and-food commodity, people were already keeping rabbits as pets by the 18th century. British poet William Cowper kept hares in his home to help combat his severe depression, and he wrote eloquently of his love and appreciation for these creatures as companion animals.
Rabbits can indeed make wonderful pets—for the right people. Pet owners frequently characterize themselves in terms of their animals—“I’m a dog person” or “I’m a cat person.” But exactly what is a “rabbit person”?
According to Jennifer Saver, D.V.M. (herself a rabbit owner), a rabbit person is someone who enjoys observing as much as handling, and who does not get overly upset at a rabbit’s natural tendencies, such as chewing and digging.
Rabbits have strikingly distinctive personalities. They can be as playful and silly as puppies or kittens, as independent and fascinating as cats, or as loyal and openly affectionate as dogs. And long-time rabbit owners claim that domestic rabbits are, in their own way, every bit as smart as cats and dogs. Dana Krempels, Ph.D., an evolutionary biologist at the University of Miami, sees daily examples of this in her group of 16 rabbits. “Their intelligence is very different from other species” she says, “but is just as adaptive and just as elegant.” Rabbits can easily learn to respond to their names, as well as to simple words, and they learn to use litterboxes readily. They are adroit at getting over, under, around, or through barriers intended to restrict them, and some owners seem almost proud of their rabbits’ ability to negotiate household obstacles.
There are also those owners who, thinking that they have succeeded in training their rabbits, discover that their rabbits have actually trained them. Ann Casama of Fair Lawn, NJ, conditioned her rabbit, Patrick, to return to his cage by ringing a toy bell and offering him a treat, but within a short period of time, Patrick began ringing the bell on his own and waiting expectantly for his treat. If Casama does not respond as quickly as Patrick would like, he rings the bell again.
Learn Before You Leap
Because of rabbits’ enormous appeal, people often acquire them for the wrong reasons, and without first doing the necessary homework. Their initial low cost (usually less than $20) encourages impulse purchases, especially for “occasions” such as Easter and birthdays, and their rapid reproduction rate (they can have a new litter approximately every 30 days) encourages the view that they are easily replaceable. In fact, the potential lifespan of a well-cared-for indoor rabbit is seven to 10 years—and some live into their teens. Their soft fur and cuddly appearance give the impression that they are akin to animated stuffed toys—perfect low-maintenance “starter pets.” As a result, when uninformed owners are faced with the daily reality of rabbit care and maintenance, the rabbit often ends up in a shelter.
“Rabbit ownership,” says Heidi Hoefer, D.V.M., “requires the same commitment as owning a puppy, and should be taken just as seriously.” Marinell Harriman, president of the national House Rabbit Society (HRS) concurs: “A rabbit has the best chance of becoming a well-loved companion if the adopter is well-prepared.”
Books and Internet resources can help close the knowledge gap, but there’s nothing like interacting with rabbits “up close and personal” to give you a feel for this species. Pet shops and rabbit shows, however, are usually high-stress settings for rabbits. Foster homes, as well as some progressive shelters, offer a better chance to meet rabbits and to get to know them in an environment conducive to relaxed interactions, where their personalities can shine.
Kids and Rabbits: Delight or Dilemma?
Living with a companion rabbit can pose special challenges to families with young children, particularly toddlers. Joanne Hamoy, rabbit-care coordinator at Stevens-Swan Humane Society in Utica, NY, is blunt about it: “Young children and rabbits do not mix, and this fact cannot be emphasized enough.”
Children are naturally loving. However, “loving” to a small child often means holding, cuddling, and carrying an animal around—behaviors that make most rabbits feel insecure and frightened, as they would in the grasp of a predator. Many rabbits are accidentally dropped by children, resulting in broken legs and backs. When mishandled, rabbits who scratch or bite to protect themselves are often surrendered to shelters, where they may be euthanized for “bad behavior.”
According to the APPMA, “getting children to accept responsibility” is an often-reported drawback of rabbit ownership, and rabbits purchased to teach children responsibility are often neglected after the novelty wears off. These rabbits are left to languish in dirty cages, often with only sporadic food, water, and social contact, until the child’s parent finally relinquishes the animal to a shelter or—even worse—“gives them their freedom” by releasing them outdoors.
But this doesn’t mean that rabbits and children can never coexist happily. It does mean that an adult should always be the primary caretaker and should supervise any children who interact with the rabbit. Children who learn from adults how to interact appropriately with rabbits often form lasting bonds with these small family members and develop a respect for animals that carry into adulthood.
Choosing a Bunny Buddy
There are more than four dozen recognized breeds of domestic rabbits, which vary in size, color, fur type, body type, and ear type. Weight can range from about two pounds to more than 20 pounds. Many breeds are very striking in appearance, and they attract buyers with their good looks. As with other species, however, the mixed breed often has a kind of offbeat appeal, and what breeders see as faults can add charm and distinctiveness. Owners of mixed breeds delight, for example, in their “unicorn lops” (one ear up, one ear down) or “helicop lops” (both ears straight out to the side).
A frequent misunderstanding is that smaller breeds require less living space than larger ones, but even the smallest dwarf bunny can be extremely energetic and needs room to run. Temperaments of individual rabbits—even within a breed—can vary tremendously. The larger breeds (many of whom are sold as “meat” or “lab” rabbits) are sometimes described as “gentle giants,” with calm and placid dispositions nicely suited to family life.
Male rabbits tend to spray, and females tend to be territorial, but these patterns are significantly reduced or eliminated by neutering. A mature (older than one year), neutered rabbit is often a better choice as a family pet than a younger rabbit, whose “raging hormones” can result in undesirable behaviors. All in all, the best way to select a companion rabbit is to set aside preconceptions regarding breed, sex, and age, and to meet the rabbit and interact with him for long enough to get a feel for his individual personality.
Opt to Adopt
Many people interested in acquiring a rabbit visit their local pet store, unaware that scores of rabbits—purebred and mixed breed—are relinquished to shelters each year. Although statistics are remarkably hard to come by, Connie Howard, director of shelter programs for the Englewood, CO-based American Humane Association, reports that rabbits are the third most frequently surrendered animals (right after cats and dogs).
Some shelters, such as the Peninsula Humane Society in San Mateo, CA, and the Stevens-Swan Humane Society, have teamed up with rescue organizations such as the HRS. Together, they have developed successful fostering programs that place shelter rabbits in foster care until appropriate homes can be found, as well as owner-education programs that head off surrenders by helping owners solve problems when they first arise.
Adopting a bunny from a shelter or foster home, rather than purchasing from a pet store or breeder, is a win-win situation. Prospective adopters can visit the shelter or foster home and interact with rabbits of different breeds, ages, sizes, and dispositions. Shelters and rescue organizations that know their foster rabbits as individuals can match an owner with a rabbit whose personality will be a “good fit,” and many rabbits offered through shelters or rescue organizations are already neutered.
Adopting more than one rabbit can be tricky. Not all rabbits get along, and serious injuries can occur quickly if they fight. Neutered male-female pairs tend to bond most easily, though same-sex pairs can also work—if both are neutered.
Veterinary Care
In the United States, rabbits do not require annual vaccinations; however, regular checkups can help detect small problems before they become big ones. Common health problems include dental abnormalities (incisor overgrowth and molar spurs), gastrointestinal problems, and ear and upper respiratory infections.
Companion rabbits should also be spayed or neutered once they reach sexual maturity (about four to six months of age) by a veterinarian experienced in rabbit surgery. This not only reduces hormone-driven behaviors such as lunging, mounting, spraying, and boxing but also protects females from uterine cancer, which occurs in more than 50 percent of mature rabbits.
Finding a skilled rabbit veterinarian can be difficult. Rabbits are not commonly studied in veterinary school, and practitioners who are not knowledgeable about rabbits may do more harm than good in their efforts to help. Amoxicillin, for example, is a common antibiotic for dogs and cats, but it can be lethal to rabbits. The HRS maintains a list of recommended veterinarians across the country, which can be accessed at www.rabbit.org.
Rabbits as Roommates
When you first bring your rabbit home, he is likely to be somewhat timid in his new surroundings. But given time and the freedom to explore, he will quickly make himself at home. As prey animals, rabbits steer clear of open spaces where they feel exposed, preferring to hug the wall and hide under furniture. A rabbit’s typical pattern of exploration is to start from an area of perceived safety and to venture out a few feet at a time, increasing his range with each successive trip. Some spirited thumping is not unusual as the rabbit encounters new aspects of his environment.
The territory is claimed and marked in several different ways—some of which can be disconcerting to new owners. Mature, unneutered males spray urine, and both males and females (even those who are reliably litterbox-trained) may leave what many owners tactfully refer to as “calling cards”—fecal pellets containing anal gland secretions that relay information to other rabbits and mark territory boundaries. They may also mark their territory by rubbing objects firmly and repeatedly with their chins, releasing a substance (imperceptible to humans) from a scent gland under the chin. Some rabbits consider human beings their own personal property, and many an unsuspecting owner has been liberally “marked” in more ways than one.
Most rabbits adapt remarkably quickly to the hustle, bustle, and noise of a normal household, particularly if their cage or pen is placed in a high-activity area, such as a family room. This gives the rabbit a safe place from which to see, hear and smell all that is going on. Housing a rabbit in a child’s room or an extra bedroom, where there are sporadic bursts of activity, may actually delay the rabbit’s adjustment to normal family life.
Rabbits can also get along quite well with most domestic cats and many breeds of dogs. Even cats and dogs who chase small animals outdoors tend to accept indoor rabbits as co-equal family members and usually do not harass them if the owner is present. Introductions must be done carefully, and supervision of interactions is always a good idea.
Many new rabbit owners are surprised at their pets’ gregariousness. Iris Farrand, whose rabbit Lance was rescued from a meat market, sent this account to the HRS: “Perhaps the most wonderful thing about Lance is the joy he takes in social interaction. When my husband passed away, Lance helped to make an unbearable time so much easier. He acted as a host, greeting friends who came to pay condolences and sitting next to each person on the couch. Thanks to him, the sadness and solemnity of that time were often relieved with laughter.”
A rabbit’s natural schedule is convenient for working people. Neither diurnal nor nocturnal, rabbits are crepuscular—most active in early mornings and evenings. “Eric’s schedule dovetails perfectly with mine,” says John Kelly, associate director of financial aid at New York University Law School. Kelly lets Eric out for a run in the living room each morning. When he heads for the kitchen to prepare breakfast, Eric is at his heels. When Kelly comes home from work, Eric awakens from his daytime snooze and is ready for action again. “The only problem,” says Kelly, “is that Eric is like an alarm clock, and he won’t let me sleep in on weekends.”
After decades of being categorized as “pocket pets,” rabbits are coming into their own as companions comparable to dogs, cats, and birds. If the next decade is like the last, by 2010 more Americans will have learned what Bill and Cindy Stutts—and 7.4 million others—already know: If you want a fascinating, funny, warm, and wonderful companion animal, try a rabbit.