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The Bunny Series #1

Raising and Taking Care of Rabbits

By Alex O.Published 6 years ago 4 min read
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I'm going to do a series about taking care of and raising rabbits as pets. There are a lot of misconceptions about rabbits as pets and I would like to dispel some myths about taking care of and raising rabbits. I am a rabbit owner. The picture is of my two bunnies, Panda on the left and Daffodil on the right. Today I would like to talk about the fact that people think that rabbits are easy to take care of and low maintenance pets.

The Myth: People think rabbits are small, easy going, easy to take care of, and low maintenance pets that wont live too long.

Facts: Rabbits can and will bite and scratch you. Rabbits require a lot of attention, and are medium maintenance pets. Rabbits can live for seven to ten (some times more) years.

A lot of parents think getting a younger child a pet rabbit is a good first pet because they think of them as gentle, small, easy to take care of, caged animals. In reality, rabbits will bite you or scratch you when you do something they don't like, so having young children around rabbits is okay as long as there is adult supervision. I myself have been bitten and scratched a lot by both Panda and Daffodil. Rabbits are always on the look out for predators and they see humans as predators, so they are not trusting at first and it takes a long time and a lot of work to build trust with your rabbit. I can just reach out to pet one of my rabbits and get a scratch.

A lot of people think: Well, rabbits are easy since they live in cages, unlike dogs and cats that roam around the house. Some people like me do have cages for their rabbits, and some let their rabbits roam free around the house. Bigger rabbits—and they can get up to 20 pounds—tend to be let to roam the house while smaller ones have cages. Rabbits need exercise though, the same as your dog or cat. You don't have to take a rabbit out on a walk though. Letting your rabbit run around the house for a while every day is plenty of exercise for them. When letting a rabbit run around your house though, you need to make sure you're constantly watching them. They can fit into spaces smaller than you think and they will find and chew through any electrical cords. I have lost about two laptop chargers and four phone chargers because of my bunnies. They will also chew on furniture since wood is a natural food for wild bunnies.

A lot of parents think a rabbit is a good first pet because they think they don't require much maintenance. Like any animal, rabbits need to eat every day though, which means they need fresh food and water every day, their droppings need to be cleaned up, their cages need to be cleaned, and they need attention from their owners. My schedule that me and my wife share with our bunnies is: fresh food every day, water every day, let them run around every day, bond with them every day, bond them with each other every day, clean their cages once a week. It is much like having to take care of a puppy or a toddler. They rely on you to meet their needs, and they can be demanding little creatures.

A lot of people think rabbits are good pets because they wont live to long, so less time to get really attached. Depending on the size of the rabbit, with larger ones living longer, rabbits on average live seven to ten years and some live even longer. We adopted Daffodil in September of 2014 and she just turned four years old. We adopted Panda in February of 2016, making him only two years old, and we're looking forward to having them for many more years.

So if you think getting a rabbit is a the right pet for you, remember it's up to a ten year commitment. They require a lot of attention and you need to make sure their needs are met, and they can have a lot of needs.

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About the Creator

Alex O.

Hi, I'm Alex from Calgary, Canada. I'm 27 years old, I'm here talking about animals and pets, and any news about animals from around the world.

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