Rabbits 101

Rabbit Personalities and Breeds
Rabbits are active, playful, gentle and social animals who live anywhere from five to 15 years, depending on the breed. Common small breeds include Dutch, Holland lop, mini lop, Netherlands dwarf, and Polish. They bond quickly to their owners, and can be wildly entertaining to watch. They like being near their people, but not all breeds enjoy being held, according to About.com.

Rabbit Grooming and Care
A rabbit is not the most low-maintenance small pet you can choose, as they require a good deal of room. A large cage is a start, but you might find it difficult for them to get proper exercise within the cage. Unlike many other small pets, rabbits do require veterinary care. At the very least, they should be spayed or neutered, and your area might require vaccinations. Short-haired rabbits should be brushed at least once a week, more when shedding, according to About.com. Longer-haired versions, like the Angora, require daily brushing. Spot cleaning is preferable to baths, which can be stressful for both the rabbit and owner. Rabbits' nails should be trimmed on occasion.



Common Rabbit Health Issues
Rabbits are prone to a range of health issues, according to House Rabbit Society, one of the more common being red urine, which may or may not be indicative of blood in the urine (rabbit urine normally ranges from clear to yellow to brown to red). If the rabbit appears to be straining or has any other signs of distress, see a vet. Respiratory disease is another common issue. Additionally, female rabbits who are not spayed face an 85% risk of reproductive cancer. Misaligned teeth can be a problem if their ever-growing teeth do not wear down properly. And because they shed and groom themselves so often, rabbits are vulnerable to hairballs, which they cannot vomit the way a cat does.

Rabbit Training
You'll likely want to litter-train your rabbit, according to House Rabbit Society. A spayed or neutered rabbit is easier to train, as is an older rabbit (all the more reason to adopt a grown rabbit from a shelter rather than a baby from a breeder!). By nature, rabbits choose specific places to urinate, so providing a litter box and showing your rabbit where it is will take care of most of the training. Other behaviors you might want to address are chewing and digging. With patience and plenty of treats, you can end those issues.

Best Families for Rabbits
While rabbits aren't necessarily bad choices for small children, rabbits are unlikely to want to be held or cuddled by the children, and if forced into being held, will kick and possibly bite, according to House Rabbit Society.. Rabbits need more sunlit space and exercise than many other small animals, and are more sensitive to changes in feeding or cleaning than some, so whoever is in charge of caring for the rabbit (most likely an adult) needs to be reliable.

What Rabbit Owners Have to Say
Ilona Peltz, who has owned many small animals, sees the good and the bad in owning rabbits. "They're cuddly, gentle, and can be paper-trained," she tells us, "but they also need a lot of exercise; they can't kindly be kept in a cage all the time. We let ours hop around the house, but since he was paper-trained, there was no mess to tidy. They do chew things, like power cords, so you need to keep them out of reach. We couldn't, so we coated ours with Tabasco," she says.

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