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Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Rabbits

Little Known Facts About One of the Nation's Favourite Pets

By Chloe FrancisPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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Rabbits. Our favourite furry pet. So popular in fact, that there are 3-7 million rabbits being kept as pets in the US today. However, the majority of people don’t know the secret lives their pets lead and what their needs are, as they are often dismissed as an easy first pet for children. In fact, one of my first pets as a child was a rabbit. To give a little insight on what I learned caring for my own rabbit, I will outline the main things I’m betting you didn’t know about our cutest pets.

First of all, as you know, rabbits are prey species. However, what most people don’t realise is that this means that, generally speaking, they hate being picked up, as it feels exactly like a bird of prey capturing them from above. If you do have to pick them up, they have delicate spines that aren’t suited to supporting their weight, so make sure to support them by holding their weight with one hand under their back and hind legs and one hand supporting under their belly. They might hide their head underneath the crook of your arm as my rabbit did because he was scared, and this made him feel more secure, as did me holding him close to me. They should only be picked up by older children with an adult supervising. They do like gentle cuddles though! My rabbit used to love climbing up and nestling in the crook of my neck.

Rabbits can get lonely, just like people can! If you have a rabbit on its own make sure they see you regularly, and have lots of time out of the cage so they have company. You are the rabbit’s family: to them you are their whole world so bear that in mind. It’s great to have a house rabbit where they live kind of like a dog, without a cage, but make sure they aren’t unsupervised and all wires are protected and out of reach! Alternatively get them a friend—a neutered male with a neutered female is the best mix, but introduce them slowly and make sure their home is more than big enough for the two of them.

Most store bought homes are actually not big enough for the average rabbit. A rabbit cannot fit into a cage also intended for guinea pigs. The PDSA say the minimum is a hutch that is 6 x 2 x 2 ft with an 8 ft run. The floor space needs to be enough that they can take three hops, and it needs to be two feet tall so they can stand on their hind legs. This hutch is their home and possibly where they will be spending a lot of their time, so it’s important that they feel happy there. In fact, according to the Blue Cross, young rabbits who don’t have enough space are more likely to break bones!

Contrary to popular belief, carrots are actually really bad for rabbits in high quantities, as are most treats commonly found in pet stores. They have high sugar quantities, and can even rot their teeth, just like humans having too much sugary food. Save the carrots for an occasional treat, and keep their staple diet at 90 percent hay, with leafy greens and a small amount of pellets.

You may have heard of the lethal disease rabbits can catch called Myxomatosis, which, if not vaccinated against, your bunny could catch when outside by being bitten by insects. The lethal disease was released deliberately in Australia, where it was used as a form of animal control as the rabbit population was getting out of hand. As the numbers grew, the wild rabbits caused millions of dollars damage to crops, so they were viewed as pests. The disease severely cut their numbers down, but their numbers have managed to start recovering. For your pet bunny, all you need to do is get him vaccinated and he will be safe from the virus.

One thing people don’t realise about rabbits is how affectionate and intelligent they can be! They can be litter trained and taught to do tricks. They are also very affectionate when they want to be, although some bunnies may have more of an aloof personality. But that’s okay, you can still have fun with them. My rabbit used to love playing with a small ball or a small cardboard tube. Be careful not to let your bunny eat the cardboard though.

Rabbits are one of the nation’s favourite pets, and how could they not be, being that adorable! I hope you enjoyed the article and learned something new!

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About the Creator

Chloe Francis

Student living in England who just wants to write.

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