Frequently Asked Questions

These are some questions that I have people regularly ask me

Do Rabbits Bite?  Generally rabbits do not bite.  If you stick your finger in their face, they may sniff it, and taste it, they are not trying to be mean, they just can't see directly in front of them, so they sniff and taste.  If the rabbit feels threatened, and very uncomfortable it may bite.  Some does are territorial of their cages and might bite, but most are not.

Do Rabbits Scratch?  Rabbits scratch if they are uncomfortable.  They are ground animals, so if you pick them up, and they don't feel secure, than they might scratch you.

Do boy or girl bunnies make better pets?  Generally boy bunnies (bucks) make better pets than girls (does) do.  The does tend to get territorial when they reach sexual maturity, and can get grumpy.  I have some very nice does, and some not so nice does, but all of my bucks are good tempered.

Can rabbits be potty trained?  Yes, rabbits can be potty trained.  Even in a caged situation, most rabbits will use one corner of their cage to go potty in, which makes them easy to train.  I have an instructional sheet on how to potty train

I am going to potty train my bunny, so do I need a cage?   Yes, you will still want to get a cage for your house bunny. The cage will be their personal spot.  You may want to put your bunny in his cage to eat, and when you leave, so they don't get into things.

What kind of cage do I need for my house rabbit?  The best kinds of cages are the ones with the wire floors, and a tray underneath.  This is very sanitary, and easy to clean, your rabbit won't be tracking litter across your house, since it will fall threw the cage floor into the pan. 

Will the wire bottom cage hurt my bunnies feet?  Most rabbits have well furred feet, and they are light enough that they wire doesn't affect them at all.  Where you run into problems is with the rabbits that are heavy (+10lbs), and rabbits with poor furring on their feet, such as the rex furred rabbits (mini rex, rex, velveteen lops, etc).

Can rabbits live outside?  Yes rabbits can live outside, however the conditions that you keep them in depend on where you live.  Rabbits tolerate the cold very well, but have a harder time with the heat.  So down here in Texas, your rabbit will need to be kept in an area that stays cooler, out of the direct sunlight, and out of the wind.  You can cool your bunny with a mister (you can get personal misters at Wal-Mart that work well), or frozen water bottles.  The wind can cause your bunny to get sick, so you need to have them out of the hard winds.  You can get or build nice hutches, that have an enclosed area for your bunny to get out of the wind.

Do rabbits need shots, or vet care?  No, in the United States rabbits do not need shots.  There are other countries that rabbits need shots in, but there is nothing in the USA that rabbits need shots to protect them from.  There is no check ups needed for your bunnies.  The only thing you may want to do if they are around other animals is to worm them.  You can get some ivermectin at the feed store, and give your bunny a pea sized amount once every 3-6 months.  They usually like the taste and will eat it right up.

Do I need to get my bunny neutered or spayed?  You can if you want to, but it is not necessary.  Rabbits tend to have a harder time under anesthesia, and there are many vets that wont work on them, the ones that do will charge $50+ for a neuter.  If you want to get your bunny altered, it will stabilize the does territorial issues, usually.  It will also make it a little easier to potty train them.  It also allows you to have multiply bunnies together.  But again, they are fine without being altered. 

Do I need to get two bunnies to keep together?  No, rabbits do need companionship, but you can be their companion.  Rabbits will get along together when they are younger, but as the reach maturity the bucks will fight together, the bucks and does will breed, sometimes does that grow up together can be kept together, but others will fight.  If you want to get 2 bunnies to be friends, you will either need to get two young does, alter your bunnies, or have a cage with a divider, so they each have their own cage, but can hang out together through the wire divider.

Do I need to get my rabbits teeth and nails clipped at the vet?  Your rabbits teeth should never need to be clipped.  If you get your bunny from a good breeder, they should have good teeth, I check my bunnies all the time, and again before I sell them.  Sometimes as the rabbit develops, or if it is a wire puller their teeth may come out of alignment.  It is good to keep a black of wood or something for your rabbit to chew on to keep their teeth worn down right, and keep them from pulling the wire.  There nails should ideally be clipped once every other month or so.  The more you clip their nails, the shorter their nails will get.  You can clip their nails on your own, here is how you clip nails.

What is the difference between a show bunny, and a pet bunny?  A show bunny is a bunny that is closer to the standard of perfection for the breed, where a pet bunny has show disqualifications, or faults, so would not do well on the show table.  Being a pet quality bunny does not mean that the rabbit is any less healthy, or has anything wrong with it that will affect it being a happy rabbit. 

What is a pedigree? A pedigree is a paper stating the rabbits lineage.  You are going to want to get this if you plan on ever breeding the rabbit, or are going to want to go into 4H and showing, it is good to have.  It is different from having a registered rabbit.

What is a Registered rabbit?  A registered rabbit is one that is pedigreed, had no show disqualifications, is over 6 months, and has been taken to a licensed ARBA register.  Rabbits do not need to be registered, it is nice to have, but not required.  Most rabbits are not registered. 

My rabbit's pedigree says that his dad has 7 legs, what does that mean?  The more legs the better:)  No the rabbit is not deformed in anyway.  A leg is a winning in a class of 5 or more rabbits, with 3 or more breeders.

What is a Grand Champion rabbit?  A Grand Champion, is a rabbit that has been registered, and has won 3 or more legs, one being a senior rabbit, and the legs have been sent off for a grand champion number.