I want a pet rabbit - what are the logistics for this and pros/cons?

[howow]

Hi all,
I live in a terraced house with a fairly small paved back garden. I was interested in getting a pet. Not a cat as I don't like cats, not a dog (prefer them to cats but still fairly high maintenance for me at the moment and not massively a dog person either). Pet fish = might be a little too tame and dull. Hamster/Gerbil = remind me a bit of mice/rats.

Whereas I quite like the idea of having a pet rabbit but I know nothing about this such:
the pros/cons of having a pet rabbit
how much space it requires
if it's better to get multiple or is a singular one better
pros/cons to a male rabbit vs a female one
how expensive it is to both buy a rabbit and its general living costs (home, litter, food, vet bills, etc.)
how much time does it require/how long can they be left unsupervised home alone.
Should they always be kept outdoors?
Are they best kept in their hatch at all times or should they be allowed to roam? If so, any risks either way?
best way to even source a rabbit
its lifespan
any risks to health (diseases they may carry, whether they'll bite humans or if certain breeds are worse for these kind of risks than others.
Day to day duties of having a pet rabbit.

I know that's a lot of questions but I've never even owned any pet so any help would be much appreciated.

You have to get two rabbits as they can't bear being alone.

They make poor pets. Everyone I know who's had one gave theirs away or let them run free.

They don't like being cuddled.

I would consider a different pet.

Wow at @Literallynoidea. We have rabbits as do many people. My advice is to head to Facebook and join the uk rabbits group. They need a lot of space, at least a 6ft hutch and big run, fresh good hay daily, fresh water, handful of dry food, fresh herbs and green veg...there's a lot involved but they're not hard to look after once you're organised.

Rabbits benefit from as much space as possible, ideally they should have access to grass as this is their natural diet.
Ideally rabbits should be kept in pairs, mutual grooming is a large part of their life - you need someone else to clean behind your ears.
They are hard work cleaning regularly, socialising, ensuring bottoms are clean.
Costs I would budget £1-1.5 K per year per rabbit for vaccinations, flystrike prevention, insurance, food and bedding.
Rabbits well cared for live 10 years plus.
They can be very rewarding pets, but this amount you get out is proportional to your investment.
The rabbit welfare association is an excellent resource.

A housemate of mine had 3 rabbits a few years ago - honestly they are cute but interaction is minimal, they don’t like to be held and despite being avid cleaners our house stunk of them! You could smell them all the time, and it was by no means a dirty house.

Rats are supposed to be excellent pets..

Bunnies are really difficult pets!
What about a pair or threesome of guinea pigs? They are delightful to have and less hard to look after if you are not an experienced pet owner. They are interactive and fabulous fun.

They need a huge amount of space. You should never get just one. The stink to high heaven. Rabbits are not good pets. You really need a rethink.

I don’t mean to say rabbits are not delightful pets, they are lovely, but they do require a bit more organisation so perhaps less suitable for a not experienced pet owner. But with a bit of research and dedication this can be overcome.
Pet rabbits can obviously not be let run free as someone suggested their friends did - to the person who mentioned this please advise your circle of friends that this is a terrible thing to do, pet rabbits do not stand a chance of survival if let run free. It’s hard enough for wild rabbits to make it to the end of the day.

It's great that you are looking for info before you get a rabbit. Where I work people regularly throw rabbits over the fence for us to look after (we keep all sorts of animals but are not a shelter) and it absolutely breaks my heart. Rabbits are very long time commitment and require a lot of space and are difficult pets. Despite this for some reason they have a "child's first pet" kind of reputation and regularly get dumped, mistreated and even hurt by mistake by small kids trying to cuddle them. (They dont like being handled and break their backs easily when struggling to get away)

Like others have said, I would consider guinea pigs instead, they are smaller, require less space and can't really jump so a tiny ledge will keep them contained. They are also easier to tame and handle and if you get them young and handle them slot you might even end up with piggies you come to lie on your lap for a cuddle. They also bite less easily, make the cutest little squeaks and you can interact with them more. We keep a ton of rabbits at work and I adore them but even the tamest young ones can't be described as cuddly, at best they are calm and tolerate being held but will jump away the first chance they get.

It's good to ask.

Our last rabbit lived to 11 & 3/4, he was part of a bonded pair, but lost his partner at 7. They had 4x4 metres of grass (two dwarf rabbits), which during the Summer they would crop to the ground, and could have done with more. And what you may not realise is that rabbits are actually 'exotics' (primarily because as prey animals, they are very delicate), most vets will do vaccinations, but anything else is the job of a specialist £££££££. Basically, no pets are low maintenance.

Oh, and rabbits have hugely powerful back legs and WILL use them on you.

I was gifted a pair.
Our pros were: my kids played with them for a few weeks
Cons were: 1) they are alive so they need water and food every day
2) they need water and food every day
3) as number 1 and 2
4) they poop
5) our part of London is full of foxes
6) I was only one taking care of them

Rabbits need a lot of space to allow them to be healthy and happy. The hutches and runs sold in pet shops are not big enough. They should have access to grass but you need to ensure that they cannot dig out of your garden and that they are protected from predators.

They don't like being cuddled particularly.

They are very, very difficult pets to keep successfully, I think.

We have a big rabbit warren near us. Among loads of grey/brown rabbits there is a pure black one, which appears to have had 3 pure black babies. So the letting them out into the wild thing obviously does work sometimes...

The RWAF website will give you all the information you need, including suitable housing. It is surprising how much space they need, and not a hutch!!

Cats really are low maintenance. You can go away for several days - just need to put down some food and water. And you can take them with you on holiday if you really need to. They don't need walking or cleaning. You can get just one of them. They stay with you because they want to.

@Nicetoolshed there are black rabbits in the wild. These do not descend from pet rabbits, they are black wild rabbits. Please don’t encourage people to release pet rabbits in the wild.

I have a house rabbit. He is 8. Never been in a cage at all. He uses a litter trey. Neutered as this makes it smell less.

He is way more maintenance than my 2 cats. Destroys things regular and bullys my other animals. Including my large dog. The hair everywhere. And i hoover him often when he moults, (he is perfectly fine about this) He has a real personality tho definatly enjoys a cuddle, on his own terms tho. I wouldent be without him. Saying that I will not have another rabbit as I couldn't deal with caging a animal and I'm sick of replacing wires. My house needs lots of work and lots is on hold as if he chews something that needs ripping out I'm not fussed, but I would be if it was nice.

We rehomed a rabbit who originally lived in a hutch in the garden. Naturally, she hated her hutch and managed to break the floor out of it... Long story short, she ended up as a house rabbit, had a litter tray, slept in the kitchen on a thick scrap of carpet (she had a box of hay too), she had free access to the garden most days.
They're buggers for chewing through wires/cables and ours loved eating paper, particularly the post. I agree about rabbits NOT liking cuddles, she'd come and sit with us and 'groom' DH though

Rabbits give very little, they don’t want to be handled and are boring. Children quickly lose interest and far too many are neglected, left alone in dirty hutches.
It’s better to have house bunnies, you’ll get to know them better and will enjoy them more. They will use a litter tray and are very clean. They cost very little to keep, I never heard of anyone insuring a rabbit.

We love our rabbits, but they are not equivalent to a cat or dog.

Interaction is 100% on their terms (but it's so much more cute/rewarding when they do interact with you!).

Ours are house rabbits. Before we got a puppy they had free run of the house, but actually they spent 99% of their time in our good size dining room which has their two double storey hutches in. They get locked in at night.

We can't keep anything nice or good furniture or carpets or wallpaper or curtains in their room as they chew through it all. Like you wouldn't even believe. Their fur and hay GETS EVERYWHERE.

We have two as they get lonely on their own - the oldest is 7 and going strong, the younger one is 4 ish.

They can be as expensive as a cat/dog in terms of vet fees, and need daily time and attention.

I love mine though, more than I love my puppy - especially my old man bunny, he's the greatest thing ever.

Op all of the answers to your questions are here.

Please don't get just one rabbit, they are sociable animals.
Is your garden walled? Does it have any grass?

Please don't buy a hutch. They need a large/tall hut and an outside space where they can stretch up, run and jump and bink. They also like sitting on tree stumps and nibbling rabbit friendly plants like strawberry plants, most herbs (see info sheets on website) and like to dig and explore their environment.

I personally think if they can have an area in your house that's out of the way from which they can access the garden as and when they want during the day, that is the best set up. You can interact with them, train them to a large cat litter tray, tend to them in the warm and dry and they can be protected from the worst of the winter weather and predators trying to break in to cages/huts at night. Their area will smell of hay though!

Only get a rabbit if you are happy to let a pet be, not necessarily have too much interaction, and just like them for who they are ifyswim. They will build up trust with you over time if you are calm, quiet and predictable and will come up to you to accept food from your hand and some will sit in your lap. They are not great pets for small children. They are instinctively primed to chew wires as they clear tree roots from their burrows in the wild.

Feeding them is very important as their teeth grow continually.
Don't buy cheap muesli type mixed feed. They need a tiny amount of proper blended pellets every day but mainly good quality hay and lots of fresh herbs and grasses. Never serve them lettuce!. A branch from a fruit tree is good for them to gnaw on. They need to be eating pretty much continually. Put some hay at the head end of their litter trays as they like to nibble hay while pooing.

Make sure you have a rabbit friendly vet. Ours was willing to come out to us to limit stress. Their teeth need checking regularly as they can get v nasty abscesses. And they need regular vaccinations and flea prevention and nails timming like dogs.

I absolutely love rabbits but they need knowledgeable care. They shouldn't be difficult to look after if their diet and environment is correct ifyswim. You can enrich their environment by providing tubes and pipes through which they can run.

Mine dosent cost A lot to keep, hey, pellets, fresh fruit and veg, nails cut when the dog goes to be cut I take bunny on the pick up and she cuts his nails. 3£ x4 times a year.

Much more is spent replacing chewed items. No vet costs apart from neutering untill the £200 on the vet last year when he ate a tub of butter... Don't ask.

Obviously feeding them is important; I meant their feed is! In that you need to get it right.

One significant vet's cost is that it's best if female rabbits should be spayed to prevent uterine cancer when they get older.

Sorry, crossed posts there Sunshine!