Do you want to learn some rabbit facts for owners? Adopting a new pet rabbit is something that a lot of people rush into, only figuring out how to care for the animal after they’ve already picked it up. But is a bunny the right pet for you?
Rabbits make the most wonderful house pets. They are hugely underrated (in my opinion anyway) alternatives to the more traditional dogs and cats. Of course, doing your research is very important, so in this article, I’ll give you 9 important facts to help you decide whether a bunny rabbit is really the right pet for you.
Let's get you started on facts about rabbits.
Rabbits can be the most amazing pets. Here's why...
Before you buy or adopt a bunny, it’s very important to consider the pet rabbit lifespan. Of course, you want to provide your pet with a great home for its entire life.
So how long does a pet rabbit live? Well, with the right care you can expect your bunny to live between 8 and 10 years. Think of it as the same sort of commitment as getting a large dog breed.
Don't believe me? Watch this rabbit facts video on bynny show jumping.
Did you know that bunnies can be trained? No, they can’t do your homework, but they can be taught a few handy tricks and habits.
You can litter train your pet rabbit for example, or even teach him or her to do fun tricks like jumping over obstacles. Training your pet rabbit is a great way to bond with your bunny and keep him or her well exercised.
This is one of the most fun rabbit facts right?
Your pet rabbit may need specialized veterinary care if it gets sick or injured. It’s a good idea to call the local veterinarians and animal hospitals in your area to find out who can help if necessary.
You should definitely have your pet rabbit spayed or neutered. This can make them a lot calmer and prevent them from making lots of baby bunnies. While this can be pretty expensive, it’s something that we do for our cats and dogs, so why not for our bunnies too right?
Pet rabbits are usually very healthy and problem-free, but if you don’t have access to proper animal health services for your pet, a fluffy hopper might not be the best pet for you.
One of the most common questions I see is: can I keep my bunny with cats, dogs, and other pets? The answer is yes and no. In many homes, rabbits make great friends with cats and dogs and they will even cuddle together.
The important thing to remember is that rabbits are prey animals and cats and dogs are predators. Allowing your rabbit to roam freely is not recommended if your dog, for example, has a strong prey drive and a history of chasing small animals.
Rabbits can make great friends with other rabbits if they are bonded correctly. If not, they can get into some pretty vicious fights. At the end of the day, there’s a lot of different factors at play here, and the subject deserves a more in-depth article of its own.
Rabbits are naturally clean animals if given the right care and space. In fact, you can even house train your rabbit.
A litter-trained rabbit is an extremely clean animal that will always keep its sleeping area clean and free of any nasty smells. Of course, if you never let your bunny out of its hutch or sleeping cage, it will have no option but to ‘go’ there.
Don't bathe your rabbit. Bathing is not necessary because rabbits don’t go very long at all without grooming themselves, just like cats do. In fact, it is very stressful and even dangerous to wash your bunny, so rather let them clean themselves.
These are two very important rabbit facts wrapped up in one that you might not have known.
It’s important to provide your pet rabbit with a healthy, balanced diet. Bunnies should always have access to food, but not just any food will do.
Your pet rabbit should have a constant supply of hay, and be fed regularly with high-quality, balanced rabbit pellets. Occasional snacks of fruits like guava and vegetables are also great for bouncy bunnies. Read my in-depth guide on how to feed your rabbit for more information.
Rabbits are active creatures that love to run and play. While pet rabbits can be kept in cages, they need to be large enough to allow the bunny to move around freely and extend their bodies to their full length.
The cage is really only for sleeping in and it is very important that your pet rabbit gets plenty of time and space to roam out in the yard or the house. The various pet rabbit breeds vary a lot in size, but even small breeds like the Netherlands dwarf will appreciate the space to run and explore every day. If you can't supervise, place your bunny in a safe enclosure to keep him or her safe from predators.
Rabbits are inquisitive animals that explore the world with their sharp teeth. It’s not that they are destructive, they just like to test different objects and materials in their environment. Rabbits have very sharp teeth so electrical cables can be a serious hazard to pet rabbits that are allowed to roam the house. Make sure to inspect the house before you let your binnies out, they think cables are excellent chew toys.
Rabbits can dig so you’ll need to inspect your yard very carefully to make sure there are no places where they could escape. Although bunnies can swim, you should also keep them away from swimming pools and water features to be safe. Also, make sure there is plenty of shelter available.
For an animal with such incredible leaping abilities, rabbits are not very good with heights! This is probably because they are built for jumping far, but not high.
In any case, you should take care to never drop your pet rabbit or let him or her jump off anything higher than about 0.5 meters (1.5 feet) at most. Being pretty fragile creatures, rabbits are not great pets for a family with young children.
If our rabbit facts didn't help and you’re still struggling to make up your mind, run through this short list of pros and cons:
✅Rabbits are quiet and clean
✅Pet rabbits can be very cuddly and affectionate
✅Rabbits are vegetarian
✅You can train your pet rabbit
✅ The rabbit lifespan can be over 10 years
❌Rabbits aren’t good pets for small children
❌Sick bunnies require specialized care from an experienced vet
❌Bunnies need plenty of space for exercise
❌Bunnies like to explore the world with their teeth
Once you have put in the time and effort to research the needs of your pet rabbit and set up a great environment for her or him, bunnies are pretty easy pets to keep.
Many pet rabbits just love attention and being petted because they are highly affectionate creatures. It really depends on their individual personality of course.
Most rabbits are very calm, peaceful creatures. Bunnies do have sharp teeth though and again, each individual has his or her own personality so bites do happen sometimes.
Rabbits are grazers, which means they need to eat a lot of grass. All that grass has to go somewhere, and this means a lot of poop. Fortunately, rabbit poop is dry, compact, and odourless, so it really isn’t so bad.
Having a pet rabbit is great fun and something that can really enrich your life. These wonderful animals fit right into most homes.
They do have some special care requirements though, and if you feel like you can’t keep up with those in the long term, perhaps bunnies are not the right pets for you. Please feel free to leave any questions you have in the comments and I’ll do my best to get back to you soon!
If you have more rabbit fun facts owners should know about, leave them in the comments too.
Happy hopping!
