It’s been quite a few years now since I last kept house rabbits. My last beloved senior rabbit, Barnaby, passed away back in 2017. I kept rabbits for many, many years and really enjoyed sharing my life with them. When I lost Barnaby, however, I decided to step away and take a break from keeping rabbits. What I thought would be a short break has lasted seven plus years now. I miss keeping rabbits. I’d be lying if I said that I haven’t thought about adopting another rabbit (or two, most rabbits love company).
They certainly can be amazing pets for the right people, and in the right circumstances. My circumstances have changed a bit since I last had a house rabbit, and for a handful of reasons I’ve decided that right now just isn’t the right time for me to add a little long eared friend to our pack.
These are some of the reasons why I haven’t adopted another rabbit…
Rabbits Can Be So, So So SO messy!
So messy! Did I mention that they’re messy? Almost all of my rabbits were litter box trained. That helps a lot, but even cleaning out their litter boxes can be a chore and a half. Clumping litter, which makes litter box duties easier for cat owners, isn’t safe to use with rabbits. Rabbits poop a lot! A lot is hundreds, yes hundreds, of poops a day. Then there’s hay. Here, this one deserves it’s own section.
Hay
Even if you’re not allergic to it, like I am, dealing with hay indoors isn’t really a walk in the park. It gets everywhere, and it’s hard to clean up. I actually broke a vacuum (or two…I’m pretty sure it was two) by constantly trying to vacuum up hay. Rabbits need hay. It should make up the bulk of their diet. Yes, even if you have hay allergies. I had to pay more to buy my rabbits orchard grass hay because it was the only type I could find that I wasn’t allergic too.
Space
Those little rabbit cages you’ll see sold in pet stores, the ones with the plastic bases and wire tops, are not enough! Rabbits need space! They need space to stretch out and relax, and they need space to run. Pens, with plenty of space to run around in, make ideal homes for rabbits. Short of that, if your rabbit must live in a cage, he or she should get a couple of hours a day, at least, of access to a rabbit proofed area where they can run and play.
When Barnaby was still with us, he lived in a huge 3 story cage with pretty much 24/7 access to a rabbit proofed room to run and play in. In the house we live in now, and with all my other critters taking up space, I just don’t have the space to dedicate a large indoor area to rabbits.
Rabbits Are Destructive
Rabbits have to chew to wear down their ever growing teeth. Plus, activities such as chewing and digging are great mental stimulation for rabbits. But those are also pretty, you guessed it, messy hobbies. And that’s if your rabbit is chewing or digging up something it’s supposed too. It’s cute, albeit messy, when they chew on cardboard or dig in dig boxes. It’s not quite as cute when they chew on your baseboards and dig holes in your carpet. Rabbits are strangely notorious for especially enjoying the buttons on remote controls, and wires. Of course this is where bunny proofing comes into play, but it’s not always easy and accidents do happen.
Rabbits Shed, A Lot!
I always used to tell people that my 2 lb rabbit, Barnaby, shed more than my 20 lb dog. It was true! Granted the dog I had at the time was a light shedder. Barnaby made up for it and shed enough for the both of them.
Rabbits Are Sensitive Critters
A rabbit can literally be scared to death. Although all my past rabbits ignored my dogs, for the most part, that doesn’t necessarily mean that a new rabbit wouldn’t be terrified if it heard or smelled my dogs in the other room. Rabbits have fragile bones, so you really have to be careful with them. That’s especially important to note if you have children or other pets. Rabbits also have very very sensitive GI systems. If they stop eating and/or pooping, it’s a life threatening emergency. You really, really have to stay on top of monitoring your rabbit’s health. They will often hide symptoms of being sick, and can go from seemingly healthy to on death’s doorstep very quickly. By the time you notice any issues it may already be an emergency, thus any health problems need to be addressed ASAP.
Rabbit Vets Are Expensive & Hard To Find
I used to pay more to take my rabbits to the vet then I did my dogs. Most rabbit experienced vets will be exotics vets, and they generally charge more than your typical cat and dog vet. This can come as quite a shock to someone who gets a rabbit thinking they are a cheap, low maintenance pet.
It was pretty easy to find an exotics vet experienced with rabbits when I lived in the city. However, in the area I live now, rabbit experienced vets are few and far between. I’d have to travel at least a few hours, one way, to get a rabbit to a vet. Not ideal considering my last point, that rabbits stress easily and health issues in rabbits need to be addressed quickly.
Rabbits Do Best In Pairs
If I were to adopt rabbits again, it would most likely be a bonded pair. Rabbits are generally very social animals who thrive in the company of other rabbits. Even if you have unlimited time to spend with your fuzzy friend, which most people don’t, human companionship just isn’t the same as having another member of your own species to interact with. Watching a bonded pair of rabbits interact is so heartwarming, but of course having two rabbits means you have to double all the other things I mentioned above. Double the mess, the destruction, the potential for health issues, and the bills.
A Life Long Commitment
Well cared for rabbits can live 10+ years, so their care is something you should be able to commit too for potentially a decade or more. While I wouldn’t say my life is too crazy, I don’t know where I’ll be living in 10 years time. Certainly not where I’m living now. Since my partner and I are working towards being able to buy a house soon(ish), I’ve decided it’s probably best to hold off from adding a bunch of new animals to the pack.
Don’t get me wrong, I really do adore rabbits. This post might make it sound otherwise. After having them for so long I’m just very realistic about how much, and what type, of care they need. I love rabbits so much that I couldn’t bring myself to adopt one knowing that I’d have to settle for anything less than optimal care.
Pets Should Never Be Gifts
Easter time always makes me a bit sad because I know there will be all too many people who won’t resist buying adorable baby bunnies for the holiday. In the days, weeks, and months after Easter so many of those Easter bunnies are rehomed, abandoned, “set free”, forgotten about. They grow up and perhaps aren’t quite as cute as they were as babies, they become ornery teens (especially if they are not fixed) and start to display behavior problems that inexperienced owners don’t want to deal with. New owners, who went into rabbit ownership not knowing what to expect, start to learn that they aren’t the easy pets they were expecting.
Please, please, please never give a pet as a gift to someone who isn’t 1,000% ready and willing to knowingly take on the care of another living being. If the person in question is a child, understand that it will have to be the parent who is prepared to take on the care of that animal. For Easter, gifts such as plush and chocolate bunnies are well received, and it won’t matter if, in a couple of weeks, a stuffed animal is forgotten.
If you’ve done all your research and think a rabbit is the right pet for you, consider adopting. Rabbits adopted from rescues often come already vet checked and spayed/neutered, so you’ll not only be saving yourself money but saving a life as well.
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