I have to be honest. I wanted to write a blog about owning rabbits as pets. I started doing my research and thought, these are excellents articles. Why rewrite something when there is excellent information already out there?
I have read all of these articles. They all provide the information you need in determining if owning a pet rabbit is right for you.
The ARBA FAQ is by far the most informative. Go there first.
The rest are written by experienced pet bunny owners and vets. You can’t go wrong there.
https://www.petfinder.com/pet-adoption/other-pet-adoption/are-rabbits-good-pets/
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/rabbits-as-pets
On a personal note, though we own lots of breeding bunnies, we treat them all as pets. They get veggies and treats daily, they all get exercise in our various bunny yards, and we pet them all every day. Beth calls them all by name and gives them lots of love rubs when she feeds them morning and night.
A few have become full on pets and they get special attention.
Jordan, our Holland Lop buck absolutely loves interacting with us. I often sit in his play yard on a low chair and let him climb all over me. He “claims” me by rubbing his chin over my legs and hands. Beth has introduced him to logic toys. It is amazing to watch him work out his little assignments. He is also an amazing jumper. He easily clears the top bar on our agility jumps. He has already been to his first ARBA show and did quite well for a young senior buck.
Secretarietta, named after the famous race horse Secretariat, is a red New Zealand we adopted from Alex Hedgecock of Superior Rabbitry. We named her after Secretariat because like the famous runner, she is big and red. Get it? Big Red….Secretariat…look it up. Anyway, she is very calm and quiet but very curious. She enjoys touching noses with the dogs and chickens that visit her when she is in the play yard. She doesn’t like being held, but loves to be petted. She will come over for a quick rub while in the yard, but mostly she just likes hanging out with us. Her first litter will kindle in March 2022.
Nala is our blue-eyed white Holland Lop doe. She is stunning in her fluffy pure white fur and “pools of water” blue eyes. She doesn’t like to be held, per se, but will sit for hours in our laps getting rubs. I have watched a few football games with her in my lap,always careful not to get too excited. Her offspring when paired with Romeo are usually tri-colored with loud, bright colors, in striking Harlequin patches.
Lucy is a New Zealand doe that has proven to be very intelligent. She has double locks on her cage as she has figured out how to undo the cage clips. We can’t figure out how she does it but we have found her out of her cage more than a few times. Beth will be introducing her to the logic toys soon.
My mom and dad have a rex called Happy. He has free rage in certain bunny safe rooms around the house. He is litter trained and is buddies with their dog Myrtle. He can often be found lounging under the kitchen table. Every time I talk to my mom, I get the “Happy” bunny report. They love having a bunny around for the laughs and joy he provides.
So I can say with all confidence that rabbits make great pets in the right situations.
However, we are prepared for those situations when it does not work out. We ask that when folks adopt a bunny from us, if things do not work out, let us know and we will gladly take the bunny back. Fortunately we haven’t had that situation come up. Our clients have been well informed and full of questions before the adoption process. But we will work out if it does.
If you are considering adopting a bunny as a pet, read the articles, get informed and contact us. We will gladly help you on your journey to bringing an amazing companion into your world.
bethsbunnies.com 