If you live in the city without reliable access to green space or your home is too small for a dog or cat to live healthily, getting a house pet might be the most appropriate way to integrate the love of an animal into your lifestyle.
Rabbits can be a great choice of house pet as they are characterful companions and happy living indoors in the right space. However, despite common misconceptions, rabbits are by no means maintenance-free animals and require a lot of care and attention particularly when kept in the home. It’s important to carefully consider and balance these pros and cons before deciding whether keeping rabbits as house pets is right for you.
The Pros Of Rabbits As House Pets
Rabbits are one of the most popular kinds of house pets in the UK and it’s easy to see why. The following traits make indoor rabbits a brilliant addition to most homes:
Affectionate
You only need to spend a short amount of time with a rabbit to learn that they are incredibly affectionate pets! Rabbits are known to form strong bonds with their owners, particularly when they are kept as house pets and naturally spend lots of time with you. While this also means that they like plenty of attention and affection, they give it back in equal measure and keeping rabbits as house pets can be a fantastic experience for anybody bringing a pet into their space for companionship.
Playful
With love comes laughs, as rabbits are incredibly playful creatures. Rabbits enjoy a variety of activities from exploring new spaces within the home to playing with toys which means that you can expect hours of entertainment with your furry friends. Their funny mannerisms including jumping and ‘binkying’ (twisting in the air!) add a lively dynamic to the home.
Quiet
Despite being playful and energetic, rabbits are remarkably quiet pets. They don’t bark, meow or tweet, and tend not to even squeak! This makes them some of the quietest animals you could keep at home and a great pet for anybody concerned about noise or disturbing the neighbours. After all, many people keep house pets because their living arrangements simply cannot accommodate loud animals. When keeping rabbits as house pets, there’s no need to worry about this.
Clean
The cleanliness of rabbits is arguably one of their biggest pros. The possible odours from poor pet hygiene can put many owners off the prospect of keeping house pets, but rabbits can be litter-trained and are great at cleaning themselves throughout the day. This natural cleanliness combined with the convenience of litter box maintenance ensures that the home’s ambience is not spoiled by any nasty smells.
The Cons Of Rabbits As House Pets
Despite their many positive traits, no creature is perfect and there are some key challenges associated with keeping rabbits as house pets. Understanding these is key to deciding whether it is appropriate to keep rabbits at home and tailoring your space most appropriately to your pet.
Prone To Chewing & Digging
Rabbits have a natural tendency to chew and dig and these behaviours can pose significant challenges within the home. If left unattended, cords, cables, furniture and carpets can all fall victim to a rabbit’s chewing and digging instincts, resulting in long-lasting damage to your space. Both supervision and the implementation of rabbit-proofing measures around the home can help to prevent this kind of damage. Though this can be a time-consuming and costly process, we’d argue it to be a far more effective investment than having to turn right any damage caused at a later date!
Strict Dietary Requirements
It’s also important to be aware that rabbits have strict dietary requirements owing to their sensitive digestive systems. A balanced diet consisting of fresh hay, vegetables (particularly leafy greens) and pellets must be provided at all times otherwise serious health issues can arise. These foods are easy to get hold of and can be bought from most major supermarkets; once you have overcome the challenge of understanding your pet’s dietary needs, meeting them should therefore not pose too much of a problem.
Social Needs
Keeping rabbits as house pets is not simply a matter of creating a space and leaving them to get on with it. As creatures, rabbits have high social needs. They can become depressed and lonely if left alone for a long time and therefore it is always recommended that you keep rabbits as house pets in pairs for companionship. Similarly, these social needs mean that rabbits are not the most appropriate pets for owners who spend lots of time away from home.
Space
Despite being such small creatures, rabbits still need a suitable amount of space. Their hutch and cage should offer ample room to roam freely, but this space alone is just the bare minimum of what a rabbit needs. If keeping rabbits as house pets indoors, they should also have access to a wider space in which they can exercise. In most homes, this will be a living room or open area in which your rabbits can be supervised. If you are not confident that your home can cater for this requirement then indoor rabbits are likely not suitable for you.
How To Keep A Rabbit As A House Pet
If you decide that keeping rabbits as house pets is right for your lifestyle after considering these pros and cons, creating the right space for your new pets will be paramount. First and foremost, you’ll need to rabbit-proof your home. This means protecting valuable items and providing safe toys for the rabbits to chew. While it’s worth implementing these kinds of measures in the whole home, pay specific attention to the room you plan for your rabbits’ main living space to be in. We suggest choosing an area that you spend lots of time in to give your pets the social interaction they crave.
Next, focus on their living environment. Consider diet and hygiene front and centre when designing the space and ensure they have a spacious enclosure equipped with a litter box, suitable food and hay access, and a more private space where they can retreat for privacy. Comfort and enrichment are also crucial, so provide features like tunnels and platforms as well as a range of their favourite toys and soft items.
All of these varying needs can be met by designing a bespoke home for your rabbits with The Pet Carpenter. Our fantastic team are delighted to be able to work with you to create the perfect indoor rabbit home and make the most of our unique and customisable features including chew strips, built-in feeding draws and multi-level living spaces. Each item will be built to your exact requirements, ensuring that you can utilise the space available in your home as effectively and safely as possible when keeping rabbits as house pets. Start designing online today or get in touch with the team if you have any questions.