You may find many challenges involved in keeping a pet rabbit. But there are lots of positives, too. Here are some of the pros and cons…
Rabbits can live a long time, sometimes as long as ten years. That in itself can be either a good or bad thing, depending on your point of view. People often view rabbits as something to amuse the kids when they’re yound. but having the life expectancy of a dog makes them a long term commitment. Think ahead.
Rabbits are prone to a few diseases that may be hard to treat. Since they can’t vomit, a hairball can cause them serious intestinal difficulty. The correct diet will help minimize the odds. They can contract something called RHD (Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease), a virus that can cause death. Even if they survive, they can spread it to other pet rabbits. Rabbits can be subject to flea and mite infestations, with all the potential problems that it brings.
Rabbits require some grooming, more than a cat, but considerably less than a dog. Though bathing them is unnecessary, and indeed not generally a good idea (rabbits can become overheated easily), they still benefit from a regular nail trim and brushing.
Some of that grooming effort is for the benefit of the rabbit, some of it is for you. Keeping your rabbit well brushed will help keep the amount of hair floating around the house down. Trimming their nails keeps them from being quite so destructive around the house if they’re left free to roam around.
A pet rabbit that is out of the cage can be quite destructive. They love to dig and they may chew almost incessantly. A rabbit’s teeth never stop growing so to keep them under control you must give them things to chew on. That may be fine outside, but cause problems in the house.
With some effort and some expense, you can rabbit proof your home. You’ll need to lay down covers for the couch or plastic laminates (such as those used under office chairs) and devise other protective measures. There are many ways to do this but it doesn’t have to be done often. Many people see the expense and effort as well worth it.
Veterinary care is important and ,as it is for any pet, expensive and time consuming. But with rabbits there’s often an additional problem: few vets have much experience with pet rabbits. Often, the litte creatures just don’t get the attention a dog or cat might. When they become ill, they often die and are just replaced. That allows the vet fewer opportunities to treat them. Finding a good one in your area can sometimes be hard.
But all that said, rabbits are still among the most fun pets. They’re cute, soft and they exhibit a surprising array of amusing behaviors. They can run around and express joy. When not in a stressful situation, they can respond well to a few people, like many other mammals. They’re affectionate, in their own way.
It’s hard to resist something as gentle and full of life as a pet rabbit. Weigh the factors yourself, then be prepared for surprises, just as you would with any pet.
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Filed under Animal Info by on Apr 29th, 2009. Comment. 
Rabbits are fascinating creatures, not least becuase they seem at first blush to be so common. But, in fact, rabbits come in several dozen breeds and exhibit behavior that is surprising to anyone who hasn’t owned on.
The America Rabbit Breeders Association recognizes about 50 different breeds, though there are more types of rabbit. But, of course, as a professional association concerned with keeping things orderly they have fairly strict standards. Snowshoe hares aren’t among them, for example. Hey wait, they argue, we’re interested in only domestic breeds. Fair enough. But do the rabbits know the difference?
But all those breeds have one thing in common that is something they are NOT: they’re not rodents. Though similar, rabbits are Lagmorphs. It sounds like something from a science fiction book? Rodents, on the other hand are, well, Rodentia.
They have an interesting way of maturing, too. The average, well-cared for domestic rabbit has a roughly 10 year life span, whereas for humans it’s about 75 years. The like expectancy varies from breed to breed. Yet a human isn’t sexually mature at 3 3/4 years (75 divided by 20, which is 10 years/0.5 years), while a six month old rabbit is. They grow up fast, don’t they?
Their gestation period is just about a month and, as everyone who has ever watched a cartoon knows, they have lots of babies. Rabbit babies are called ‘kits’. But don’t confuse ‘kit’, as in rabbit baby, with ‘kit’ as in tool bag. They don’t like it when you try to pry beer bottles open with their teeth.
unlike human teeth that shift but don’t lengthen after adulthood, rabbit teeth never stop growing. That’s not usually a problem, since they like to gnaw on just about anything they can get their hands on. Or, more accurately, their teeth on. Oh, maybe that is a problem where you live?
But they’re not just mindless chewers. Rabbits are a lot smarter than some people think. They can be litter trained and even perform clever stunts. One Japanese man raised a rabbit called Oolon (after a type of tea). The rabbit could balance small objects on its head as it walked (or hopped) along. Quite a feat when you consider that most humans can’t do that, especially if they have to hop.
Rabbits are quite affectionate, too. Part of that head balancing ability may come from a rabbit’s tendency to tuck its head under an owner’s chin. Of course, you have to get along fairly well for a long time to get it to relax enough to do that. Rabbits are somewhat high strung. Or, maybe they’re just particular.
The stress they feel comes about whenever they sense danger. That is very easy for them to do since their eyes have almost a 360 view of what is around them. Set on the sides of the head, they geta peripheral view of almost 180 degress on each side. But because of the arrangement, they do have an approximately 10 degree blind spot directly in front just below the nose.
So, if you stand in front of your rabbit and lecture them about something they did wrong, don’t assume they’re stupid or stubborn. They may just not be able to see you. Of course, with those ears they don’t have any excuse for not hearing. They may just be ignoring you. Rabbits are pretty smart critters, after all, and they know your boot was made for chewing even if you don’t.
Filed under Animal Info by on Apr 29th, 2009. Comment.
