A Rabbit Makes The Best Family Pet

Bobby from Hornchurch, Essex, playing ball.

If you lead the typical modern lifestyle, these days you may feel that there is no room in your life for a pet.

Pets are expensive, demanding, and can bother the neighbors.

But take a few minutes to consider a rabbit:

Pet Rabbits Are Relatively Undemanding
They Are Most Active When You Are Most Likely To Be Home
They Do Not Require Many Trips To The Vet
Pet Rabbits Are Quiet
Rabbits Are Easy to Care For
They Do Not Need To Be Walked
They Have Wonderful Personalities

A Pet Rabbit Is Not Demanding - Relatively Speaking

Pet rabbits really can be happy without inordinate amounts of attention from you. If you have soccer practice tonight and can't play for an hour, your pet rabbit will be content anyway. That's not true with some other types of pets.

In addition to dozens of rabbits, we have six Chihuahuas. I absolutely love them. But leaving the room for ten minutes is reason enough for joyous reunion celebrations. Our Chihuahuas, like most dogs, need a lot of our time and attention to be happy.

My mother has two indoor cats. When she travels, her cats get sulky and generally act out while she's gone and immediately after she returns home.

My rabbits definitely prefer me to the substitute caregivers they have when I travel, but they never get sulky over it or have poor behavior because I'm gone.

Pet Rabbits Are Most Active When You Are Most Likely To Be Home

Rabbits are most active around dawn and dusk. So, if you make your rabbit a small part of your morning routine, he or she should be active and willing to participate.

When you get home from work, rabbits are up and ready to play, if you have the time. If you feel guilty about all of the time your pet rabbit is alone, don't bother. He or she was probably napping or at least settled a great deal of the time anyway.

Rabbits Do Not Require As Many Trips To The Vet

You have a busy life and you do not need any more tasks on your to-do list. That's fine. Rabbits won't add a bunch of trips to the vet. Rabbits, being caged animals, do not require vaccinations for rabies and other diseases. In fact, few vaccinations have even been developed for rabbits and none are approved in the US.

While dogs and cats require a series of visits as puppies and kittens plus annual checks-ups and expensive heart-worm medication, rabbits do not.

You will want to take your rabbit to the vet to be spayed or neutered.

Your rabbit, like any pet, may develop a condition that should be treated by a veterinarian. But you are not automatically in for a half dozen vet trips just because you adopted a new pet rabbit.

Rabbits Are Quiet

Before I really got into rabbits, I had no idea how many different sounds a rabbit can make. They growl, grunt, moan, squeal, hum, and buzz. Except for a squeal that means they think they are in mortal danger, all of the sounds the make are quiet sounds. Even if you live in an apartment, your pet rabbit's sounds will not bother the neighbors, a sleeping baby, or even a grumpy visiting relative.

Rabbits Are Easy To Care For

Rabbit needs are simple:

Food
Hay or Straw
Water
Safe Shelter
Clean Housing
Occasional Grooming
Stimulation

I feed my rabbits once per day. You may wish to feed your pet rabbit 1/2 of his or her food in the morning and 1/2 in the evening.

I provide straw daily.

Water must be changed daily. Water crocks or bottles should not be topped off, but emptied, washed, and refilled.

Cleaning the rabbit cage is the worst part. However, if you litter train your rabbit, it will be a lot easier. And if you clean his cage often, it's really no problem.

Brushing, especially when your rabbit molts, is beneficial. And your pet rabbit's nails should be cut every 3 to 6 weeks (it's not hard at all).

Rotate toys and give your rabbit some attention.

That's pretty much it. Remember, I have taken care of well over 100 rabbits every day. It's a pleasure and not drudgery. Taking care of one or two rabbits on a tight schedule is definitely doable.

Rabbits Do Not Need To Be Walked

Through rain and snow and heat, your indoor dog must be walked or at least let in and let out. Although you can harness a rabbit and allow him or her to walk around outside, it's not a requirement. Too tired to walk Fluffy tonight? No problem if Fluffy is a rabbit.

Big Personality In A Small Package

While they are many more great reasons to consider rabbits for pets, don't forget about their wonderful personalities. They are curious and can be very affectionate. Rabbits are entertaining and very beautiful. They have great capacity for developing relationships with specific people. You get all of that in a small, easy-to-handle package! What else could you ask for?

Last Word

I have been criticized for suggesting that taking care of a rabbit is easy. I believe that relative to other pets, they are easy to take care of. I've taken care of up to 178 rabbits without causing any real sense of burden. But just because they are relatively easy pets to care for does not mean that their needs can be ignored. And just like anything else in life, the more you put into them, the more you get out of them.