The pet rabbit

The domestic rabbit is now the third most common pet in many western households, after dogs and cats. Long viewed as a simple “small pet”, it is now recognized as a social, intelligent and sensitive companion that requires specific care and a non-negligible veterinary budget.

Key facts before adopting

• Long lifespan: 8 to 12 years, sometimes more. The commitment compares to that of a cat.
• Social animal: living in pairs (neutered male + spayed female) is strongly recommended — what that changes for budget and space is set out in should you adopt one or two rabbits.
• Daily out-of-pen time: at least 3 to 4 hours per day.
• Specialized exotic-pet veterinarian: essential, and more expensive than a general vet.
• Spacious housing: minimum 12 m² on the floor — never a tiny cage — a spot chosen in a lived-in room, as where to put a rabbit enclosure explains, and a pen chosen on its dimensions and stability rather than its label (how to choose an indoor pen for a rabbit).
• An arrival that needs preparing: the vet is found and the pen is built before the rabbit arrives (what to prepare before bringing a rabbit home), then the first three days pass with no handling and the same food as before, as set out in first days with a new rabbit.
• A prey animal in a household of predators: living alongside a cat or a dog is managed through layout rather than temperament, as keeping a rabbit with a cat or a dog explains.
• An animal that hides pain: difficulty moving is easy to miss, hence the markers in my rabbit is limping.

Species and breeds

Over 60 breeds are recognized, from dwarfs of around 1 kg (Netherland Dwarf, Polish) to giants of 6 to 7 kg and beyond (French Giant Papillon, Flemish Giant, Continental Giant). In practice a breed mainly predicts three things — adult size, coat type, and the shape of the head and ears — but not temperament. What that size genuinely changes day to day, from one end of the range to the other, is compared in small or large rabbit. The full picture is in the main domestic rabbit breeds, and the two breeds most often sold in pet shops are covered in dwarf lop rabbit and lionhead rabbit. The individual breed guides then each tackle the point specific to that breed: the dwarf gene of the Netherland Dwarf, the right household for the Polish, the sensitive hocks of the Rex, the wool of the Angora, the space a Flemish Giant demands, the genetics of English Spot and butterfly-marked rabbits, and the two sizes of the Hotot.

Going further

Start with these rabbit cluster pillar guides:

• What do rabbits eat?
• Best bedding for rabbits
• Rabbit cage or pen?
• Should you vaccinate your rabbit?
• How much does a rabbit cost per month?