About Rabbits
The average lifespan of a rabbit is approximately 10 years. This estimate will vary slightly, depending on the breed of the rabbit, their health and the conditions they live in. When taking on a pet rabbit, you need to understand that this is a long-term commitment.
Rabbits are considered an exotic pet and required specialised care. We recommend Unusual Pet Vets for any complex issues. SASH (Small Animal Specialist Hospital) also provides 24/7 Emergency Vet care.
Space
Rabbits love and need space so a spare bedroom, an area with pen with minimum of L 3m x W 2m x H 1m, or free range/roam set up indoors is required. Enrichment items such as tunnels, boxes and rabbit safe toys are ideal to keep your rabbit happy and stimulated.
It is encouraged and recommended that rabbits are kept indoors to protects them from accidental escape, predators and disease. Both the Calicivirus and Myxomatosis viruses are introduced by the government to control wild rabbits. These viruses are lethal to pet rabbits and are spread by insects such as flies, mosquitoes and midges.
**Please see our fact sheets**
Bunny-proofing your home
Rabbits are natural chewers and can chew on things they shouldn’t, so making sure your home is appropriately bunny-proofed is a must. Any areas of the house your rabbit is allowed to roam around in will need to be checked and adjusted, eg. cover cables with split conduit, remove poisonous plants from reach etc.
The right floor surface is important. Rabbits find it difficult to move and binky on hard surfaces like tiles, wooden floor without slipping. A simple option is to place few doonas or rugs in their enclosure/area. Soft surfaces also help to reduce problems like hock sores.
Diet
A rabbit’s diet consists of 80% hay (Oaten, Meadow, Timothy, Botanical), 10% greens, 5% quality pellets (such as Oxbow, Selective Naturals, Vetafarm and Burgess) and <5% fruits and treats. **Please see our fact sheet on bunny safe fruits and vegetables.**
Toileting
Rabbits can be trained to use a litter tray and are tidier than you think! Non-clumping cat litter (paper based) is recommended for the litter tray as clay/crystallising litter is harmful to rabbits. Hay placed on the tray also encourages normal toileting behaviour for your rabbit and assists with keeping them tidy while eating.
Rabbits and Children
While children can be taught responsible behaviour around rabbits, young children can unwittingly hurt and even drop a rabbit. Children need to always be supervised around rabbits and encouraged to sit quietly on the ground and let the rabbit come to them. No loud noises, running, forcing contact etc.
Rabbits and other pets
Rabbits can coexist with other animals but it’s important to take into consideration that rabbits are prey animals and are naturally stressed around dogs or other ‘predators’ such as cats. Even when introduced safely, cats and dogs should not be left unsupervised with your rabbit.