Since Easter is rolling around soon, we figured a PSA on Easter rabbits would be a good idea.
# First, a PSA. [RABBITS DO NOT MAKE GOOD PRESENTS.](https://imgur.com/gallery/MXJZv9J)
If you are thinking of getting/giving one, PLEASE THINK CAREFULLY. Check out [our page on deciding to get a rabbit.](http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Deciding)
* Rabbits live **8-10 years** on average and can live 15+ in the right circumstances.
* At 4-6 months, rabbits hit sexual maturity and can often become violent and destructive. They will need to be fixed at this point. Spaying and neutering can cost between US$50-300+.
* Female rabbits have a **high incidence rate of [uterine cancer](https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Uterine_Cancer)** if left unspayed. Spaying can cost between US$50-400+.
* Most rabbits HATE being picked up. They are prey animals and may bite if handled incorrectly.
* Rabbits “freed” in the wild typically live **less than 24 hours.**
* Many people are **allergic** to the hay that is an essential part of a rabbit’s diet. Owners should be aware if this is the case with them or their roommates and decide if this will be an issue for rabbit ownership.
* Proper medical care from a **rabbit-savvy veterinarian** can be expensive and difficult to find. Many emergency hospitals will not staff veterinarians that will see exotics like rabbits 24/7, which can end up leading to highly stressful situations when your rabbit needs immediate supportive care. Rabbits are prey animals that are great at hiding problems until they are major emergency issues.
# If you have just been given your first rabbit as an Easter present:
Welcome to our community! We hope that you and your rabbit have a great and long relationship.
* To **get started,** please take a look at [our sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/Rabbits/about/sidebar) and the [Getting Started](https://bunny.tips/Getting_Started) guide and [New Rabbit Owner Primer](https://bunny.tips/New_Rabbit_Owner_Primer) for general rabbit care information. The article [“Helping Rabbits Succeed in Their Adoptive Home”](https://spring2019.iaabcjournal.org/setting-everybunny-up-for-success-3/) is also a great resource on how to build a relationship with your new rabbit.
* If your rabbit is **younger than 8 weeks** you may need to take them to the vet. Rabbits on average wean their babies from 6-8 weeks. Any rabbit younger than that may have health problems. Here is our [guide to rabbit vets.](http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Choosing_a_rabbit_veterinarian)
* If you obtained a baby rabbit under 8 weeks old, please be extremely careful of introducing any new foods as their digestive systems are still developing. They should ideally still be drinking milk and living with their mother until naturally weaned around 8 weeks, but if your baby rabbit is already on hay and pellets and any other solids, continue the same diet with no change until they are older – there is no need to additional supplement any formula or milk.
* Optimally, you should be feeding the same brands of food as the breeder or organization where you obtained the baby rabbit from. If you would like to transition their pellets to another brand, increase the amount by 25% per week and make sure their poop continues to look normal. **Any diarrhea is an emergency, and the baby rabbit should be seen by a [rabbit-savvy veterinarian](http://bunny.tips/Vet) for fluids and treatment.** Do not introduce any vegetables to your baby rabbit until they are at least 12 weeks old, and only in small amounts, one at a time.
* The **appropriate diet** for a rabbit is 80% [hay](http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Hay). Rabbits should ALWAYS have unlimited hay available. If your rabbit is **younger than 6 months,** they should be fed unlimited alfalfa hay and unlimited “young rabbit” (higher protein and calcium) [pellets](http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Pellets). This gives them the nutrients to grow big with strong teeth and bones. If your rabbit is **older than 6 months,** slowly transition them to a rationed amount of adult rabbit pellets and timothy hay. Here is our [guide on diet](http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Diet) for more information.
* Please make sure to keep your rabbit up to date annually with any [**vaccinations**](http://bunny.tips/Vaccinations) available in your country. Most rabbits should be vaccinated against myxomatosis or rabbit hemorrhagic disease.
* If you have a **rabbit cage from a pet store,** it is DEFINITELY too small! Your rabbit make look like they fit now but when they reach their full adult size, they will not have the room to hop. Here is our [guide on rabbit housing](http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Housing) for ideas on proper rabbit housing.
* At **4-6 months** your rabbit will hit rabbit puberty (sexual maturity). They may become aggressive and destructive. This will mean that it’s time to get them [spayed or neutered](http://bunny.tips/Spay). Here is our guide to [rabbit vets.](http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Choosing_a_rabbit_veterinarian)
* If you have **2 baby rabbits** either take them to a rabbit vet or take a look for their gender on your own. It is VERY common for even breeders to incorrectly gender-identify baby rabbits. If you have ended up with **two rabbits of different genders,** make sure to separate as early as 3 months to avoid “oops babies.” If you have **two rabbits of the same gender** make sure to watch them starting at 3 months since rabbits of the same gender can become territorial after puberty and start to fight. In all cases, you will need to separate them, get them fixed, and [go through the bonding process](http://bunny.tips/Bonding) after healing.
* **If you are overwhelmed and can no longer take care of your rabbit, PLEASE DO NOT LET THEM GO INTO THE WILD.** “Freed” rabbits typically do not live longer than 24 hours. They do NOT have proper survival instincts. Instead, [contact your local rabbit rescue](http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Rabbit_rescues) and look at our [guides for rehoming.](http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Rehoming_your_rabbit)
For other information, please check our sidebar for FAQ’s and other helpful links. Thank you for reading!
by sneaky_dragon
37 Comments
I came to the sad realization yesterday that my rescue bun was probably an “easter bunny”. She was born in early Febuary so the timeline matches up, and she was given to the shelter in May. 🙁
I don’t think the first link works (maybe that’s just for me), good message other than that, thanks for writing it out.
I’m sorry to say this but female rabbits do NOT have an 80% risk of developing uterine cancer if left unspayed. This number is from a study in the mid-20th century which studied lab rabbits that had been used for scientific experiments. Also, there was an outbreak of a contagious disease in the lab which most likely also caused the cancer. Additionally, neutering female rabbits is common primarily in North America. Vets in other countries can say from their experience that uterine cancer is actually a rather rare disease.
Addition: Female neutering also has more risks to it than male neutering. For female castration, a it is necessary to open the abdomen which leaves a rather large wound and scar. Especially when neutering young rabbits, this can cause trouble as the scar tissue can’t grow as the rest of the rabbit does.
Not to mention the amount of work that goes into a rabbit. I have to clean for at least an hour a day, sweeping, vacuuming and cleaning her litter box. Rabbits are definitely not easy pets. They aren’t cheap either, $20 on hay per month, $20 on veggies per month, $250 for a vet each year, $200 to get her spayed.
Where the heck can you get a spay/neuter for $50?! Is that how cheap vets are in the USA? In Ontario (Canada) I’ve never heard of anything under $200. Most are $400-$500 for a spay here, slightly cheaper for a neuter.
A basic assessment at my vet (and others I’ve contacted) is $100. 💔
Thank you for this.
Rabbits are for life… not just for Easter!
Had cats and dogs my whole life until moving in with my girlfriend and her insisting we get two rabbits, because of course, two is actually easier than one….
People need to research rabbits as pets more, and I blame social media to an extent, they’re so cute and photogenic, but it doesn’t match their personalities. Most difficult pet I’ve even owned, and if you value your possessions, your space, and your hygiene, don’t even bother!
Should have listened to my girlfriend’s mum when she warned me against it, I guess she spent all the time cleaning, just like me now….
Me and my girlfriend are about to adopt two baby brothers in a few weeks when they are ready to leave their mother, we plan on neutering the both of them, they will be 8 weeks old after we have adopted them, what is the recommended time to get them done?
Every year, I get tempted to go grab all of those abandoned little babies and love them so much but I don’t have the resources to help all of them. If you are like me, please donate to a local rabbit rescue or send supplies, we are all in this together to save as many bunnies as possible
Bunnies are for the long haul
Noob question: do they like affection? Or seek affection from hoomans?
A lot of baby rabbits on the page the last few days 🙁
For a few days I’ve been having recurring dreams that basically are variations of me needing to save a carload of rabbits from various disasters.
I think it might be Easter nagging my subconscious.
My boy passed away almost a year ago, I think I should consider having a bunny again.
My sister got her rabbit Bella six years ago on an impulse simply because she thought she was cute. She left home and I took on the full responsibility of caring her because she was borderline neglected. Am I doing everything right? No but I’m trying my best to keep her happy and healthy so I can at least make up for the crap she’s been through. Please don’t get rabbits without knowing how to care for them properly.
Why is the stereotype “rabbits are easy pets” still in existence?? My rabbits are one of my biggest responsibilities and a pain in the ass (but I still love them more than life itself, so it’s worth it)
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Why the heck even give a rabbit as a gift for Easter. Dumbest idea ever. They should be a consciously thought out thing. Sorry. Rant over.
you, “just got an Easter rabbit and you don’t know what to do?” are you asking us or telling us that you don’t know what to do?
why did you end your [what appears to be a] statement with a question mark?
Don’t buy hay at pet stores. It’s such a rip off. 1 small 50 lb bale is 9 dollars (average cost on east coast) and in California you can get a 100-150 lb bale for 18 bucks. So much cheaper. I currently just take flakes from the hay I buy my horse. Same with the bedding
I have 2 bunnies and the nearest pet store is 80km away so getting supplies is really hard, is there anyway to get them easier or just an alternative that could be easily available?
Edit: the pet store that was near went bankrupt so it kind of escalated
I got my bun from someone who made an impulsive purchase
Thank you for sharing this!
I think statistically it’s something like 9 out of 10 ‘Easter bunnies’ don’t make it to their first Birthday. Please be really certain that you want a bunny before you get one. They’re amazing pets but they are more effort than many people realise.
I’ve owned two dogs (separately, both very good boys) and two rabbits is MUCH more work. More cleaning, more vet visits, more grooming/maintenance, more food, more destruction. Just because you can leave them in the day more, doesn’t mean they’re easy
I have two females that need rescued badly
Could perhaps consider adding in something about needing to get annual Myxomatosis, VHD1 and VHD2 vaccinations to the bit about a rabbit savvy vet?
I used to volunteer at the humane society with rabbits. Always got a TON the months following Easter
I remember when I got my girl being confused with all the questions about if I was only doing it because of Easter. Needless to say as a jew I had to google what they were talking about.
Good thread. I got my rabbit a week before Easter (reasons unrelated to the holiday). This month it will be 8 happy years of us living together. I’m glad he ended up with me and not an irresponsible parent who will inevitably neglect our abandon an animal like this.
If anyone finds an abandoned rabbit in the Chicagoland area, let me know. I am open to adopting a couple rabbits
How often should I replace the litter box?
If anything having had bunnies for twenty years now is that they should also be able to roam free and that they are super intelligent. All my bunnies did roam freely, they had long lives (including diet). I don’t like it when bunnies have to sit in a cage.
And bunnies are very smart. They sometimes outsmart you. When my bunny girl is mad with me she looks at me and pees on the floor.
My buck is a hyperactive cloud who zooms through the living room at 3am and tosses his litter box around every day at 1 am. So. When I go to bed. Bunnies are most active at night. Which is funny when I let them in the bedroom bc I randomly wake up with a bun sitting on my face.
Love it though. Bunnies are great.
Bunnies aren’t gifts, as no pet is, so make sure to think about it thoroughly. Also vets, indeed. I now have an amazing vet but they are hard to find for bunnies. My former vet wasn’t as good as she is now.
Found 3 itty,bitty kits today- no sign of a mama for 16+ hours- all are agoutis’ ; the town is very small and there’s a Baptist church right across from us, and I have a sneaking suspicion that somebody dumped kits- heck I look led up “agouti mini Rex town xxxx” and sure enough people online about a few weeks ago were having “Easter rabbits” for sale and so many kits
my bun is currently 3 going on 4 years, got her as an impulse buy. she used to be in a hamster cage that wasn’t even big enough for a hamster. it’s sad what not being educated can make you do
My bun had babies that will be 8 weeks old and ready to rehome in just a couple of days. However, my bf and I adamantly refuse to even start the rehoming process until AFTER Easter for the same reasons listed in this post. Mommy & Daddy buns are still in separate cages and both will be fixed before they are released. We do have their cages side by side so they can still see each other and we also let them out to free range several hours each day, just not at the same time.
Im so glad there is this post