Are Rabbits Hard To Take Care Of?

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The Truth About Taking Care of Pet Rabbits

Pet rabbits are incredibly cute, caring, social animals, and what’s better than to see them hopping around the house all day? However, rabbits can be pretty naughty and difficult to care for. Hello, everyone, in this article, I’m going to tell you the truth about taking care of rabbits because not everything is easy. You’ll have to do a lot of things. The difficulty or ease of raising rabbits depends on several factors, such as:

Cleanliness: Maintaining proper cleanliness is crucial.
Cost of Rabbits: The price of acquiring a rabbit can vary.
Gentle Nature: Rabbits are usually very gentle by nature.
Space Requirement: They need adequate space for movement.
Aggression in Groups: If multiple rabbits are kept together, they may fight, which can be challenging to manage.
Destructive Behavior: Rabbits can be quite destructive, chewing on various objects.
Time Commitment: If you have a rabbit, you need to spend time with it to keep it from getting bored.
Need for Companionship: Rabbits need companions and don’t do well alone.
Safety: It’s not safe to leave them alone in a room for long periods.

The ease or difficulty of raising rabbits depends on managing these aspects. Below is a detailed discussion of these factors.

Cleaning

Bunny hair, poop, pee, hay, dust—my rabbits seem to make a sport of leaving a trail of all of this behind them, and I think they really enjoy watching me clean after them. And no, they don’t take the broom and dustpan themselves to clean up after them. So be prepared to be sweeping and vacuuming all day long. I have four rabbits in my house, so that means I have to clean daily. I use the broom, I vacuum almost every day, and when my bunnies jump inside their litter box and out again, they usually take some hay and poop with them. When they’re walking through the room, I don’t know, I think there’s hay sticking to their fur, so it gets spread around. They have fur, and they’re molting right now, so there’s fur everywhere. Sometimes I think I’m cleaning all the time, and I don’t mind because I love my bunnies. But I can imagine when you’re tired, it’s difficult to keep on top of all the cleaning, and it might be even annoying. You also have to clean your bunnies’ litter box and habitats. You don’t want things to get smelly because your rabbit will hate that. Maybe they’ll start peeing beside the litter box. Then things get very dirty soon. you can also read “how to take daily care of your rabbit“.

Rabbits Can Be Expensive

Rabbits can be very expensive animals, especially when they get sick and have to go to the vet or even the animal hospital. My rabbit Nemo got into GI stasis about a year ago. It was Sunday, so I couldn’t go to the vet because they were closed, so I had to take him to a pet hospital, which was pretty near me. Nemo was very, very ill. He was getting cold, he didn’t move much, and he was sinking through his paws. It was very critical. Nemo had to be admitted, and he had to stay there for a night for treatment. Thankfully, he got well.

I could pick him up the next day, but the bill was really, really expensive. I paid around 400 or 500 dollars. Of course, I was so happy to have him healthy again, but it can get very expensive in a short time. So you have to be prepared for that. And then, of course, you have the daily costs of pellets, hay, toys, and chewing materials. You also might want to have your rabbits fixed or give them vaccinations against rabbit diseases. That can be expensive too, especially if you have multiple rabbits. You can also read “top 7 rabbits health problem“.

Rabbits Have a Vulnerable Gut

I think this is something not everyone knows before buying a rabbit, but rabbits have a very sensitive digestive system. This means they can react sensitively to specific foods, vegetables, and a change of diet. They can get sick easily when you give them the wrong food. As I said, my rabbit Nemo got into GI stasis about a year ago. I think it was because he was molting and ingested a lot of fur. This can also happen when you give a rabbit certain vegetables they’re not used to because their gut is so sensitive. Maybe you’re not prepared for that, and when your rabbit goes into GI stasis, he can get all bloated. His tummy will get very hard. It’s extremely painful for the bunny, and he can die very quickly unless he gets help. You can also read what should baby rabbit eat and what can’t rabbits eat.

Rabbits Need Space

I believe many people still have a general thought that rabbits can be kept in cages or in a hutch outside in a garden, but that’s not good for them. Rabbits need a lot of space to hop around, make binkies, and zoomies. They like to jump, be happy, and run. They need to get their energy out. This means your rabbit needs much more space than you might think. You could have your rabbits free roam through the house.

I know that’s not possible for everyone. My rabbits are not entirely free roaming because I have some rabbits that cannot live together because they will fight. So I have multiple rabbit habitats that are quite big, and I have a bunny room for two rabbits that can live together. The rabbits that live in habitats can hop around freely for several hours a day. I also have a garden with grass, so sometimes, when the weather is good, they can hop outside. Of course, I will watch them all the time. But keeping bunnies in a hutch or cage; that’s not good, and people should know that. You can also read “what you need when you bring home a rabbit“.

Rabbits May Not Like Each Other

When you’re getting rabbits, you may think it’s easy to put them together and make them live together. Unfortunately, that’s not often the case. Rabbits are just like people. I mean, when you put me with somebody in a house, I would get very stressed. It would take a lot for me to like the other person and live with them.

The same goes for rabbits. You really have to get them bonded and have them get to know each other before you can put them together. Rabbits that don’t like each other and can’t live together can get very territorial, even when they’re fixed. That’s what has happened in my house. The bunnies tend to pee next to each other’s habitats. I have to do a lot of cleaning. When they mark their territory, it’s usually very smelly. I don’t know what they do, but the smell is horrible.

Rabbits Destroy Things

Rabbits can be bought easily. And what do you do when you’re bored? You start doing things that are not very nice. My rabbits have destroyed multiple items in my house, like furniture, baseboards, and cords. You name it, they like to chew on it. Rabbits like to chew, and they have teeth that grow all the time. When they don’t have other things to chew on, they will chew on your furniture. I don’t think people are actually prepared for the damage bunnies can do. When I got a bunny several years ago, I was actually surprised how much my bunny was chewing.

To prevent or lessen this behavior, you have to be prepared to get a second bunny or toys for them to chew on, and a lot of exercise and distraction to make your bunny happy. Also, be prepared to do a lot of bunny-proofing, especially when you want to have your bunny hop around the house. You can use cable protectors and protectors for baseboards. It can go very quickly when they don’t get your attention. You can also read “how to bunny proof your home“.

Rabbits Need a Friend

Let me start by saying I don’t have an objection to people who have a single bunny. I know some people only have space for one bunny. There might be reasons, or maybe their other bunny died, and they don’t want to get another one. I understand that. Still, you have to understand that bunnies are group animals.

They live together in nature. They want a companion, so that can be you. It can be another animal in the house, maybe a guinea pig. Rabbits need somebody to ‘talk’ to. It means you have to have at least two rabbits.

Rabbits Are Difficult to Leave

Of course, you can leave your house. I’m not saying you can never leave the house. Although when you have bunnies, it can be difficult to leave them behind because you love them so much. What I mean is leaving your bunny behind for more than 12 hours or even a full day. In my case, I find it difficult to leave the house for more than 12 hours. My bunnies are used to getting food multiple times a day. They want to hop around multiple times a day. They’re not used to staying in their habitats for long periods of time, so they will get very restless and maybe lonely. I get concerned when I leave the house for about 24 hours. I want to have a bunny sitter to look after my bunnies, to make sure they get out of their pens, get food, and are well taken care of. When you leave the house for about a day and a night, you won’t know if your rabbit gets ill. Maybe they get into GI stasis or something else, and there’s nobody to see it. Rabbits can die very quickly when they stop eating. The same goes for when you’re going on a trip or vacation. You have to make sure that someone is looking after your bunnies, someone who knows how to care for them and can spot when they’re sick. It can also be difficult to find a place to bring them when you’re on vacation. Lots of pet hotels or boarding services cater to cats and dogs, and not all are specialized in caring for rabbits. Some bunny owners only realize this when they’re planning a trip. Sadly, this is one of the reasons why some rabbits get abandoned in the wild.

So, in conclusion, if you’re thinking about raising rabbits, the first question that will likely come to your mind is, “Are rabbits hard to take care of?” I’ve discussed in detail above whether or not that’s truly the case. I hope I’ve been able to provide a proper answer to your question. If there’s anything else you’d like to know, feel free to comment below, and share your experience. If you’re a bunny parent, you can also visit my website to check it out.