Bunnies!
Rabbits make a great first pet for children. They’re small and clean and relatively cheap to care for. Plus they’re quite hardy, healthy animals which are very quiet, so they won’t upset the neighbours.
Selective breeding of wild rabbits has produced many different sizes, coat types and colours. The most popular pet rabbit is the Albino - a white rabbit with pink ears; but the Angora rabbit is also admired because of its long fluffy fur. There are also Lop rabbits with ears as long as 30cm and Rex rabbits with coats as smooth as velvet. The Dwarf rabbits are very cute, but just because they’re smaller, that doesn’t make them easier to look after. I have found most Dwarfs to be quite stubborn compared to their larger counterparts.
Rabbits are very territorial and males will often fight if housed together. It’s best to keep only one rabbit at a time as a pet and make sure he or she is housed in a secure hutch. The hutch must be strong enough to withstand assaults from dogs and also to provide protection from the wind or rain. I don’t recommend that a rabbit is allowed to run free in the backyard as they are excellent escape artists and make easy prey for dogs, cats and foxes.
If you want your bunny to venture indoors, you must remember that these guys love to chew everything… including furniture and even electrical cords - so be careful!
A rabbit needs a variety of food to keep him happy and healthy. Rabbit pellets available from your pet store are a commercial mix containing most of the vitamins and minerals a rabbit needs. You should supplement these pellets with hay and fresh fruit and veges like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and apples. (Go easy on the lettuce, which may cause diarrhoea.)
As rabbits love to gnaw, leave a piece of hardwood for your bunny to chew on throughout the day. Fresh water must be provided all year round and it’s best to use water bottles that you attach to the side of the hutch, so the water remains clean and they can drink only when they need to.
Rabbits are usually low maintenance on the health front but there are a couple of fatal diseases against which you need to take precautions. Myxomatosis is a disease transmitted by mosquitos that was introduced by the CSIRO to control wild rabbit populations. It is deadly and can only be avoided by covering the hutch with mosquito netting and making sure bunny is in its hutch after dusk to avoid being bitten. Calicivirus is another disease designed to control wild rabbits. A simple yearly vaccination will protect your rabbit from this one.
A rabbit will cost you from about $25 for a Dwarf and up to $80 for an Angora and you may be surprised to learn that they can live for up to 15 years.
Important Note: Each state has different laws regarding how many rabbits you are allowed to keep as pets. In fact, in Queensland it is illegal to keep rabbits at all. Be sure to check with your local council.
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