Rabbits make great pets and many are in need of adoption

Our family just said goodbye to our beloved bunny, Lucky, after more than seven years of having him. He passed at age 8 and we are definitely missing him. Rabbits make great pets, and there are many in need of adoption or rescue. 

In 2018, I decided our family would benefit from the fun and learning that come from having a pet. We had a couple fish before, a good foray into the responsibility of pet ownership, but this was our big plunge into the commitment and care that come with fuzzy creatures who are completely dependent on you. 

Lucky enjoyed stretching his legs in our house and he especially loved sitting on the soft rug at our back door. (Mimi Darley Dutton/City Journals)

We visited the Humane Society once before adoption day to learn, make sure we were ready for the commitment and to think about which of the many bunnies up for adoption we would choose. We also purchased a cage, water bottle, food, hay and other things needed to care for a rabbit so we’d be all set. 

The Humane Society names all the animals they have up for adoption. Staff there told us a little about each bunny, its history and personality. It was not an easy decision! But something about a tiny gray bunny with cool markings including white patches on his chest and front paws made it feel like he was the one for us. We later learned he was a lionhead bunny (so named because their facial hair resembles a lion’s mane). His vet said those genes made him a little spirited, too!

“I would never name a pet from the Humane Society ‘Lucky,’” said the woman working there as I paid the fees before bringing him home for the first time. He was nine months old, still growing, and so little. He rode home in a cardboard box. 

We don’t know much about the first months of Lucky’s life before we got him, but we do know he had already been adopted and returned to the Humane Society. He also had a notch out of his right ear resulting from a fight with another rabbit when he was very young. Understandably, Lucky was a little hesitant to trust. 

We situated his cage between the kitchen and living room. It ended up being the perfect spot. We wanted to see him and he needed the socialization of our company. He was near the fridge for his morning and evening fresh parsley, situated in the center of our home, and within his eyesight of our TV. He seemed to enjoy watching it with us and we’d swear basketball was his favorite!

We kept Lucky in a roomy cage that had a shelf for him to hop up on as well as a place for him to hide, and hide is exactly what he did when something was loud…that included anytime I ran the vacuum. Rabbits are animals of prey and he was keenly aware of that. We bought a small animal run to put him in on the grass in our backyard so he could get some exercise, but he surprised us when he would hunker down in the corner of it, only to run rapidly around in circles and jump, then return to a protected spot in the corner. His vet explained he had the need to feel safe and the ability to both run and hide.  He behaved similarly inside. He’d run and hop and then go under the kitchen table for a feeling of protection. 

Some people allow their rabbits to run loose in their home or in a small animal run and be litter box trained. The rabbit I had growing up liked to chew electrical cords, so he was only allowed to run in the house with supervision. We followed the same protocol for Lucky. Thankfully, Lucky never did show an interest in electrical cords. But he always found his way to sitting on top of a soft rug or the heat and A/C register on our kitchen floor…a smart way to warm up on a cold day or cool off on a hot one. He’d sit on top of it and his newly brushed hair would blow in the breeze it created. 

A rescue rabbit, Lucky was a lionhead rabbit with hair around his face resembling a lion’s mane and neat white patches on his chest and paws. (Mimi Darley Dutton/City Journals)

The Humane Society advises that rabbits should be kept indoors in Utah because the extreme hot and cold temperatures put their lives at risk. Just like cats and dogs, it’s important to have your rabbit spayed or neutered and vaccinated. They should be seen by a veterinarian at least once a year and are considered exotic pets, so their veterinary care can be more expensive. They need daily feeding and attention, cage cleaning and fresh water roughly every other day, brushing and monthly nail clipping. They’re pretty tidy in that they clean themselves (watching them wash their face and ears with their front paws is really cute, their version of doing laundry). Because they’re vegetarian, their poop isn’t smelly, it’s only the urine that stinks after a couple days. 

In addition to hard food pellets and fresh water, rabbits need a constant supply of hay to munch on. A vet explained they’re like elephants and horses in that they need to continually eat to keep their digestive system moving. Hay is also a must because it helps keep their teeth, which grow continually throughout their life, from getting too long. They need to be fed fresh greens daily such as lettuce, parsley or cilantro. The Humane Society advises carrots are too sugary for their diet, so they should be an occasional treat, the same for small pieces of fruit like apple or banana.

Rabbits are quiet. The only real noise they create is the occasional thump of a hind foot when they sense danger. Since it’s intended to warn other animals in the wild, it’s pretty loud! Through the years, Lucky thumped occasionally in the day and sometimes in the middle of the night. I assume he sensed or saw an animal or person outside and was reacting. I’d get up to pet and reassure him everything was okay so we could all go back to sleep. Once, he thumped several times early one morning when we were all awake and getting ready for my son’s graduation, and we couldn’t figure out why. A little later, I realized a friend had quietly left a gift at our front door. In other words, he was a guard bunny! 

Domestic rabbits live roughly ten years, so be sure you’re ready for that long-term commitment. 

Rabbits aren’t as independent as cats. They need daily care. Be prepared to ask a friend or neighbor or hire someone to check on them a couple times each day if you’re traveling or away for the weekend. Last year, our family went on a vacation and I arranged for Lucky’s care. As soon as we got home, he literally was spinning in circles and doing little jumps in his cage to show he was happy. He knew his family was back!

I can honestly say I’m so glad we rescued a rabbit. He was a fun and wonderful member of our family and he is missed. We were the lucky ones!