Rabbits under the right care can live up to 10 years, the average age is 7. Due to a lack of knowledge regarding proper care, a lot of rabbits don�t even reach the age of two. Please consider very careful if rabbits are the right choice for you.
Many people think rabbits are good starter pets for children. They are not. Rabbits look cute and cuddly and unfortunately people have the wrong expectations.After rabbits have left their baby-stage, they don�t like being held, carried around or sit on your lap.There are some exceptions but most rabbits just don�t like it. Rabbits are prey animals and that�s just their instincts. Think about how they feel loosing their ground under the feet, it�s like getting picked up by a bird in the wild. Most rabbits will struggle; some grow stiff while others might even bite. Rabbits love being petted but prefer to lie on the ground.
Children should also always be supervised. Some people like to get pets to teach their children responsibility. While it is a good idea to teach children about animals please be aware that you are the prime-caretaker. It is a not a good idea to give away an animal because the child looses interests or won�t clean the cage anymore. It�s not the animals fault and what do you really teach the child if you do this? A rabbit should be welcomed by all family-members.
The price for a rabbit is compare to a dog or cat very cheap but rabbits are not cheap animals. They cost a lot of money. It�s true, they don�t require any shots but they are pretty sensitive and a vet bill even for a miner illness can run up easily to a 100 Dollars or more.
You also should get your rabbit spayed or neutered for several reasons. The cancer risk for female rabbits that are not spayed is very high. Some rabbits when they become Teenagers (around 5-6 month) will start spraying and mounting everything. It�s not easy to live with a rabbit like this ;0). Spaying or neutering will reduce or eliminate this behavior. Please don�t skip those costs and just let your rabbits breed. They will multiply pretty fast and soon you will not know what to do with all your rabbits. Also consider that they are always homeless rabbits which are looking for a home. Spaying and neutering costs run around 70-140 Dollars or even more. Please make sure to find a rabbit safe vet. Not all vets can treat rabbits; if possible you should go to an exotic vet. Rabbits are also very sociable animals and you should strongly consider getting two rabbits instead of one.
Rabbits chew. Depending on the rabbit they will chew a lot or hardly anything. You never know. Rabbits can be litter box trained but this also depends on the rabbit. Some rabbits never have an accident while others almost completely ignore the litter box; most rabbits are in between those extremes.
Please note: It is not an option to just leave your rabbit outside in a hutch or in a cage. Rabbits need daily exercise in a rabbit safe area!!! If you are bothered by chewing and �accidents� please don�t get a rabbit.
If you already have a rabbit outdoors please consider bringing your rabbit indoors. Rabbits outdoors can get harmed by predators or the elements like hot weather or a strong winter. They are also very sociable animals that would love to have your company. Do you have an area indoors that you can make bunnysafe?. You could put up old rugs to protect the carpet. If this is not an option for you please consider to build at least a playpen outside. The playpen should be safe underneath and above so no predators can come inside or dig through.
After you have read this and you are willing to welcome a rabbit please read in the rabbit care section