General Bunny Facts

• Bunnies live 8-12 years with proper care
• Bunnies are affectionate and interactive
• Bunnies are pretty clean and quiet
• But bunnies are NOT good pets for children due to their care requirements and natural tendencies as prey animals
• Bunnies can be litter trained (they will leave occasional poops around even when trained, but they’re easy to pick up after)
• Bunnies love chewing wires and paper (and sometimes furniture) so prepare to bunnyproof your place
• Bunnies need lots of space to run around and shouldn’t be kept in cages the majority of the time
• Bunnies are most active in the morning and evening
• As prey animals, bunnies hate to be picked up, so getting down to their level is a great way to bond with them
• Bunnies can also frighten easily, which can be harmful for them in some cases
• They love company, and if you can afford it, getting them a companion is a great option
• Unless you are a breeder, your bunny should be neutered/spayed to protect them from common health risks and make them more affectionate and less aggressive
• Bunnies can see almost 360 degrees around them because of their eye placement, so they’re usually looking at you from the side of their face, not from the front
• Bunnies naturally chew and dig, so make sure they have a place to do these things (grass mats and boxes of hay are great, and remember that if they chew or dig into something you don’t want them to, it’s not their fault!

Bunny Diet

• Have a constant supply of fresh water & fresh timothy hay (make sure it’s nice and green)
• 1/4-1/2 cup pellets for a 6 lb. bunny per day (I own a 3 lb. bunny so I feed her a bit less than 1/4 cup per day)
  • make sure this is a good brand and not a mixed bag of pellet food + other stuff, it’s like junk food for bunnies and not good for them
• 1-2 cups of fresh veggies per day (stick with darker leaf lettuce and herbs like parsley and cilantro)
• occasional treats are okay too, just because of things like sugar intake so only feed fruit sparingly. Carrots are also higher in sugar so limit those as well! Other greens like kale and broccoli are okay but should also be limited for health reasons
• I also offered my bunny a constant supply of orchard grass and she loves that
• Feel free to hide treats in toys to provide more exercise and entertainment for your bunny!

General Cleaning & Care

• Choose an area of your home that’s quiet and comfortable for your bunny to have their own space in so they can feel as relaxed as possible
• To litter train, find what corner your bunny likes to potty in and place your box there. Make sure to use paper or wood litter, as regular cat litter is toxic if ingested for bunnies. I like to use a regular-sized cat litter tray with half litter, half timothy hay for my bun and she loves hanging out in it and munching
• If your bunny’s main home is a cage with bedding, make sure to keep the bedding clean regularly
• Bunnies are self-groomers like cats, so only clean them yourself if completely necessary. The best option is to use a wet paper towel/cloth or wet your hands and run them down your bunnies fur
• Bunnies shed twice a year, so make sure to help brush them with a soft brush so they don’t ingest too much of their own hair and plug up their tummy
• Make sure to clip your bunny’s nails regularly (every 2 months or so)
• Make sure to provide wooden chews for your bunny so they can keep their teeth in check. bunny’s teeth continue to grow with age so if they’re not the proper length it can cause serious issues (not being able to chew food properly) and can be fatal for bunnies
• Careful when cleaning around your bunny as they have sensitive noses and can get into things if left unattended and chew

Bunny Diet

• Take it slow bonding with your bunny. They’re not as domesticated as dogs or cats, so they take a bit of time to build up trust and affection, but once you bond with them, they’re lovely and sweet (and just as needy as dogs)
• Getting down to their level and letting them come to you is a great way to get them to relax and know that you’re not going to harm them, so be patient and calm with them. Slow movements are key so you don’t startle your bunny
• Common toys for bunnies include wooden sticks (make sure they’re specifically for small animals such as apple branches, etc.), carboard tubes (stuff them with hay), running tunnels, cardboard boxes with holes cut out of them, and hard plastic baby toys that they can throw around
• Make sure your bunny has plenty of space to live in. A pen such as a puppy exercise pen is ideal over a cage
• If your bunny is misbehaving, never harm them, just a loud clap or stomp will alert them enough to get them to stop their behavior. Bunnies can’t be disciplined or trained like dogs, so any harsh treatment will only register as aggression
• But they can be trained to do a few basic tricks! Though their depth perception is bad, their determination to find treats is high, so make sure to have fun with treat time!
• When you do need to pick up your bunny, make sure to always support their rear and hind legs, and use a firm grip so they feel safe (without being too tight)
• Once you’ve bonded with your bunny, you could experience a lot of face grooming and licking, them bugging you for pets, wanting to lay near you, lots of nudges for attention

Bunny Emotion Guide

• Relaxed: lounging, laying down, ears back
• Super relaxed: flopping over onto their side, legs stretched out, light teeth grinding (equivalent to cats purring)
• Super happy: bunny binkies (happy random jumps), bunny 360s/500s (darting in super fast circles)
• Curious: lots of ear movement, nudging, head bobs (to assess their environment), will chin things to make their territory, potentially nipping just to get your attention
• Alert/fear: eyes wide, ears up, in a “ready to bolt” position, potential whimpering if uncomfortable
• Angry/scared/irritated: ears back, thumping back feet (this can also be a danger warning sign), kicking out their back legs (expect this after nail clippings or picking them up unexpectedly), potentially will grunt or even lunge in aggression
• Pain: lethargy, loudly grinding teeth, bunnies can also scream when in intense pain or when dying, so consider a scream a complete emergency (I’ve only heard it once from a bunny when he got electrocuted from chewing on a lamp wire. He was okay but it was terrifying)
• Bunnies can often sleep with their eyes still partially open, so look for signs of flopping on their sides, heads dropping down and mouth twitching to know that they’re asleep

Signs to Watch For

• Loss of appetite
• Lethargy
• Basically, if your bunny hasn’t eaten for 12+ hours, take it to the vet ASAP. Something is very likely wrong
• One of the most common illnesses for bunnies is GI Stasis, which occurs when your bunny gets too much junk stuck in his or her tummy and it becomes blocked up, causing it to slow down too much and build up bad bacteria. If untreated they can die within a few days
• Make sure to find a vet near you that sees exotic pets (including a 24-hour one), as a lot of standard animal hospitals only accept cats and dogs
• Be prepared to spend an easy $200-400 if your bunny needs to be treated for an illness like GI Stasis, so please responsible about your expenses for the sake of your pet
• Bunnies are much more prone to heat exhaustion than they are to freezing, so be careful about exposing you bunny to heat for an extended period of time