5 Things To Consider Before Getting A Rabbit

Rabbits are so cute and fluffy that when you see them hopping around, you'll go "Aw......" and your heart melts.

But, do you know that other than dogs and cats, rabbits are the next most abandoned pet?

Some Hard (and soft) Facts

According to the US Rabbit Education Society, it was estimated that 43,519 rabbits have been abandoned in the US shelters in 1996 (Source). (I'm sorry I don't have a more recent figure, maybe nobody has been keeping record since 20 years ago.)

One of the reason was, many parents buy rabbits for their children during Easter, because well, it's "the season", and rabbits are smaller in size and seem to be easier to take care of. Then they realised they are wrong and decided to throw them away. (So sad..)

I chanced upon a few articles closer to home, and saw this "Bunnies abandoned as Rabbit Year ends". Okay, so in Singapore, many people buy rabbits because it's the Rabbit year? Why didn't I see anyone keeping snakes during the year of Snake? In the article, it was said that even "pedigree rabbits that cost as much as $1,000 were dumped" after the Rabbit year ends.

Hm.. have you ever thought what will happen to these bunnies after they are being abandoned?

I do remember seeing a few cases online, there was one bunny who was thrown in a cardboard box, but it was only discovered several days later, covered in it's pee and poo, with maggots slowly chewing away their life. It has to be euthanised because.... its condition is beyond cure. These abandoned bunnies, have to either put to death because of its bad health condition, kept in the shelters or put up for adoption. If the bunny is lucky, they find a good new home and live happily ever after (very rare).

Fortunately, last year there were new laws to make sure potential pet owner have basic knowledge on how to take care of their pets.

Being a very noobie rabbit owner (I got Dou Dou in 2014 December) who only has some experience in keeping hamsters, I also thought that having a rabbit should be relatively easier than taking care of a dog. But it took me lots of time and energy, determination and perseverance to become a better rabbit owner (though I'd prefer to be called as a friend/family).

So in this post, I would like to share some of the things that a potential bunny parent should consider before getting one, and take a peek into the daily life of a bunny owner. Hopefully, it can help you to make a good decision at the end!

5 Things to Consider Before Getting A Bunny

1. MONEY: Preparing approximately S$150 a month

Let's be practical, getting a pet does not mean that you only spend once at the pet shop.

"I need to eat as well!"

Here's a simple breakdown of adult Dou Dou's expenses a month:

• Hay (~$50)
• Pellets (~$20)
• Supplements (~$5)
• Bedding (~$10)
• Vegetables (~$30)

Even though the above does not add up to hundred, there are other emergency expenses such as medical expenses and boarding home expenses (if you need to travel and no one takes care of your rabbit). Plus I am sure you will want to buy toys or chewing stuff for your rabbit. 

Keep in mind those listed above do not include the initial expenses such as cage, water bottle, potty, carrier, nail kit, etc.  

Another big spending would be to sterilise/neuter/spay your rabbit, which is a surgery to remove your bunny's sexual organ after it reaches 6 months old (sexually mature). It was said that this surgery would make your rabbit less aggressive, have better toilet habits and prevent cancer of those organs. And if you have 2 rabbits at home, it will prevent breeding. (Later pregnant you will kee-siao)

But I do know that there are people who are against doing this surgery as this is very cruel, and it is also said that 1 in 50 rabbits die from this surgery. So it really depends on individuals.

This cost about $135 for Dou Dou but it depends on your vet. From what I know, male rabbits are cheaper (Probably around $50-$60).

"But how much does a rabbit cost?" You may ask.

Dou Dou was bought in a pet shop. That was because I didn't have enough knowledge on the rabbit breeding scene. After having a rabbit for a few months, I came across many horror stories on how rabbits are bred and raised in pet shops. (I will leave these stories for another future post). For now, I highly encourage potential bun parents to adopt instead of buying.

There are only 3 bunny adoption organisation/groups I know (feel free to drop me a comment if there are others):

1. SPCA (Normal rabbits $10, Pedigree rabbits $50, sterilised and microchipped)
2. HRSS (Adoption is free, but encouraged to make a donation)
3. Bunny Wonderland (Didn't indicate the cost of adoption but have very good information for potential bunny owners)

Check out these websites and get to know more about adoption!

2. TIME: Set Aside approximately 1 hour A DAY

One of the biggest challenge for me was to set aside time for my bunny. Setting time aside is not something that comes naturally, because after studying/working whole day, you just wanna slack, play a game of LoL, then sleep. 

"But my friends, it's a matter of life and death!"

So even if you had a long day, a bad week or a pair of lazy legs, you really have to prioritise. 

Okay, so these are what I do for my bun everyday:

• Fill water and hay (5mins)
• Give pellets and veggies (5mins)
• Sit down and play (30~45mins)

Every 3 days:

• Wash and cut veggies (10mins)
• Wash potty (15 to 20mins)
• Sweep playing area (10mins)

Occassionally:

• Groom and cut nails (10-20mins, depending on Dou Dou's mood. I do few times a month.)

Of course for playtime, the more the merrier, especially if you only have one rabbit. 

3. SPACE: Living and Playing area, Rabbit-proofing Your Home

When Dou Dou first came to my house, she only needed a 70cm x 50cm x 100cm space as she's generally living in her cage. She also needed an area to explore and run around during playtime, with supervision, so we let her run around in the living room at times.

I personally think a rabbit living space cannot be smaller than this. Imagine being confined in a small area everyday, you slowly feel really bored and unhappy with your life, you cry every night, then life gets meaningless and.... you realise you have depression. 

Yes, rabbits can get depression as well!

So for their mental and physical wellness, don't keep them in a hamster cage!

"By the way, I am now a cage-free rabbit! Wheee~"

Another important thing to note, rabbits LOVE chewing on electric wires. So if you have any fan, tv, laptop cables lying on the floor do cover it with plastic tubes! If not, they will spoil your electronics when you're not looking. Dou dou has bitten our earphones and handphone cables because we dropped it on the floor without knowing, and one of the headphones were an expensive gift....

4. COURAGE: Get Ready To Be Scratched Or Bitten!

"Can the dentist tell if my teeth are healthy?"

This is how it is when Dou Dou bites. The pain level is between the bite of an ant and a dog?

Why do rabbits bite? I think it varies from rabbits to rabbits, different rabbit have different temperament and different dislikes. This article (TL;DR) explains all these in details.

For example, Dou Dou hates to be touched at the stomach or if you put your hand at her back for too long. She also gets frustrated at sounds like something brushing the floor. She may also scratch and bite if you try to carry her.

But Dou Dou was really aggressive before her sterilisation. When I pat her head, she looks all comfy, cute and docile, but as my hand went slightly to the side, she would jump up and bite my hand. I wasn't sure why, but probably her tolerance level was lower when her hormones were raging.

Anyway, there's another type of bunny bite that is probably at the level of an ant bite or lighter, something that is not very painful but gets your attention, is what i call a nib. Bunnies sometimes do this to get your attention or just having fun. 

If you want to be a bunny owner, getting bitten and scratched are part of the package as you are going to be handling the bunny most of the time. So be prepared!

5. FAMILY: A Rabbit Is Not Just A Pet, They're Your Family!

Honestly for me, it was the most difficult when I had to clean Dou Dou's cage a few times a week. Because I was. so. lazy.

It's like a you-wanna-play-your-toys-but-don't-wanna-keep kind of mentality. 

Dou Dou is a very good bunny actually, she's curious, adventurous, generally quite independent, and sociable. I love her as a pet, but I really struggled to do the cleaning.

But, being an adult, I didn't whine and did all the cleaning, generally more for hygiene purposes but deep down in my heart I had a tinge of regret. 

"Why did I give myself more work to do?" I asked myself.

Then I looked at Dou Dou.....

"Are you sure you are regretting?"

I realised, she's not just a pet, not something that is just cute, very cute and super cute, but a living being, a family.

Okay, I didn't realise it suddenly. 

I came across some bunny owners posting photos of their bunnies online, saying that bunnies are their family. I started to see the difference in the way we see our rabbits. 

I started seeing Dou Dou as a family, I talked to her everyday, say "good morning" and "goodnight" everyday without fail, I would tell her if I am going out, I would ask if she's happy today. Just like how I would talk to my family, even though we don't say good morning and goodnight everyday haha.

I realise I don't feel so lazy to clean her cage/potty anymore (but still do when I'm tired), because I told myself that Dou Dou is a family that cannot flush her toilet and clean her living area, so I have to do it for her. If she's happy and healthy, I'll be happy too.

Actually, if you are able to see a rabbit as your family, I am sure you'll be willing to spend the money and time, provide a living space or be courageous enough to be hurt. I think that's the right mentality all pet owners should have.

Seeing your rabbit alive and well, hopping around every morning, will make your day. That's one of the biggest satisfaction of being a bunny parent.

So Are You Getting A Rabbit?

After reading this long post, if you are convinced that you are able to take care of a rabbit and see it as your family, by all means, adopt a rabbit! 

If you still have any questions, feel free to leave a comment and ask me, I'll try my best to answer it :)

But if you don't think you're ready and not getting it, it's good as well! You've saved $150 a day! Go watch a movie or have a bowl of nice ramen! Oh, you can also use the 1 hour you saved a day to watch youtube videos, write a blog post or play LoL. Don't worry, life is still good :)

You can also follow Dou Dou's IG for more of her daily moments @douey.dou