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Who can resist a bunny rabbit? Soft fur, downy little tail and those sweet, inquisitive ears. When you walk into a pet shop or animal shelter, the bunnies are certain to catch your eye and heart. As with any pet, choosing an animal that is a good fit for you and your family is essential.

Sharing your home and life with a pet rabbit can be wonderful. They are quiet, can be amiable and fun to watch as they pirouette into the air and bounce across the room. But house rabbits are far messier and more complicated to care for than the stuffed animals they resemble—or even a live hamster or gerbil. As obvious as this is, too often people underestimate the time and cost of a rabbit’s care requirements leaving many bunnies homeless or neglected.

Before you pick out the cutest cottontail in the place and take him or her home, be sure to consider the following…..

1. Are you willing to give your house rabbit the daily care he or she needs?
As with any living being, rabbits eat, drink, and release waste. They also thrive on social interaction. This doesn’t mean you’ll be tied to your bunny only providing for him or her, but it does mean that, on a daily basis, you need to do more than throw out some boxed food and re-fill the water dish.

2. Did you know rabbits eat more than just pellets?
The digestive system of the rabbit is quite unique. They mainly require high quality hays with fresh greens and pellets for additional fiber and nutrients. Without a regular diet of hay, the bunny’s digestive system can actually lock up and cause death. The fun part flip side of this is you can actually share your salad (sans dressing) with your furry hopping friend. Just be sure to keep that hay coming!

Bottom line with any rabbit is you need to study up on how their bodies work and what foods are best for them. Don’t rely only on what the pet store clerk suggests.

3. How will you share your home with a bunny?
If you decide to house your rabbit in your house, it can be a rewarding experience for both of you—provided you make it safe and pay attention. Rabbits love to chew. They will nibble on books, toys, and even electrical cords. This is a big danger area! Just as you childproof your home for a toddler’s safety, bunny proofing has got to happen when house rabbits are about. A mixture of creative placement of electrical cords and wire protectors can make all the difference.

As alluded to above, bunnies do poop. The key with a house rabbit is to watch where he or she uses the bathroom and then place a litter pan in that spot. It is wise to have a home base for your rabbit. This can be an actual cage where your bunny spends the night or a weekend if you’ll be out of town. Be sure to place a box filled with clean litter in your rabbit’s home base and perhaps one or two smaller litter boxes in other areas of your house.

After you’ve been trained by watching where your rabbit likes to use the bathroom and providing facilities there, it is likely that’s where he or she will go. Be warned! It can be messy at first as you both figure out where your bunny wants the litter boxes to be.

4. Can you socialize on your house rabbit’s terms?
We all like to get out and have fun with others. Ask yourself if you are willing and able to provide your bunny with the amount and kind of socializing he or she wants. Again, rabbits only look like stuffed animals. They usually don’t like being held on your lap or carried around. In fact, rabbits are not passive creatures and will let anyone know with a grunt and a nip if they don’t like what you are doing.

What house rabbits do tend to like is for you to come to their level (on the floor) and gently stroke their heads and backs. In fact, they emit a sort of teeth clicking purr when happy. And you’ll know when you’ve really bonded with your bunny when he or she comes up to you and licks your hand or arm.

5. Will you and all of your family members do the training necessary?
Some advise against adopting a house rabbit if you have small children and other pets like dogs or cats. Our experience has not supported this. But we do encourage lots of training and awareness if you are bringing a rabbit into a house where a dog, cat, and kids already live. It takes a willingness for everyone to train to be gentle, loving and respectful with the rabbit.

If your children are quite young, perhaps this is not the best time for you to adopt a rabbit. Or you might choose to keep the rabbit and child separate unless highly supervised. There are certain breeds of dog that may not easily un-learn their hunting instincts around a house rabbit. This too might indicate a rabbit isn’t the best pet to introduce, but you know your dog best. Even the best behaved dog (or cat) will need training to eventually co-exist peacefully with a bunny.

There are many issues to consider when deciding if a house rabbit is the right pet for you and your family. If you are still willing and able to adopt a bunny after considering these questions and others, have fun finding your new friend!

Author's Resource:

Star Baker is a free-lance writer who lives in Central Ohio with house rabbit Buns, 3 cats, 3 fish, 2 sons and 1 husband. Star and her teenage son provide helpful and creative house rabbit facts, experiences and advice at www.rabbitinfocenter.com

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