How stressful are rabbits really?

[samoth]

Caring for any living being requires responsibility (some more than others!), but I find my house rabbits to be the opposite of stressful.

I may worry about stuff sometimes -- introducing a new room or living space, one of them acting a little "off", the store not having all the greens they prefer, the vet mentioning molar spurs, etc. -- but I don't really consider it stressful. In fact, watching and interacting with them every day probably lowers any stress I feel from other areas of life.

As others mentioned, there's lot of info out there, and there are a lot of posts online that deal with illness and injury. Before I got rabbits, I identified a couple of rabbit-savvy vets in my area for ease of mind. I also purchased a number of books on rabbit health and behavior for both learning and to have on hand for reference in case of possible illness. These gave me some confidence and comfort in my ability to become a future caretaker.

 

[Sissy]

does it never get too hot where you live? I used to house my rabbits in garage overnight (outdoors during the day) but in summer, without air conditioning, the garage was impossible to use for them! I m in Kansas US and summers are hot

Hi Thumperina. I am in UK and believe me the garage never gets too hot! When we had a heatwave last summer I kept going into the garage to cool off! One reason I am favouring the garage is that the temperature is more consistent in there than anywhere else. No real extremes of heat or cold.

However I am thinking I may replace the garage door before next winter. Several years ago I managed to hit it gently with my car and it has never been the same since! It was never a priority to fix it but nowadays you can get them with much better insulation.

The ideal is to get the rabbits into the house eventually, in their own room. But as I have mentioned previously, I have my mother with me at the moment. We lost my father earlier this year. I think rabbits in the house is a bit more rabbit than my mother can cope with just yet!

 

[Sissy]

Caring for any living being requires responsibility (some more than others!), but I find my house rabbits to be the opposite of stressful.

I may worry about stuff sometimes -- introducing a new room or living space, one of them acting a little "off", the store not having all the greens they prefer, the vet mentioning molar spurs, etc. -- but I don't really consider it stressful. In fact, watching and interacting with them every day probably lowers any stress I feel from other areas of life.

As others mentioned, there's lot of info out there, and there are a lot of posts online that deal with illness and injury. Before I got rabbits, I identified a couple of rabbit-savvy vets in my area for ease of mind. I also purchased a number of books on rabbit health and behavior for both learning and to have on hand for reference in case of possible illness. These gave me some confidence and comfort in my ability to become a future caretaker.

Samoth, watching animals is so absorbing and I totally understand the stress relief aspect. I am probably worrying overly much. I get so attached, you see. I have identified a good rabbit vet half an hour's drive away. I am lucky to have one so close, I guess, although hppfeully won't need to be there too often.

 

[Sissy]

Sissy I totally relate ~ I also had my first rabbits 20+ years ago when I was a kid and boy have things changed in terms of the recommendations for how to care for rabbits. I'm also just neurotic, period. ... People see my setup now and think Bunster is SPOILED. It really can be overwhelming, the Internet these days, not just rabbit info.. I completely empathize. I think perhaps once you have the rabbit and get to know him or her, you'll feel more comfortable. Don't worry about doing the wrong things, none of us are perfect! I have had Bunster for a year and don't worry about him as much as I did when I first got him. Kind of know his personality now and what to expect

I am glad it's not just me!

 

[Sissy]

Like Imbrium mentioned, you see all these posts on here about problems because that is usually when people need to post. What you don't see are all those owners and rabbits out there that you don't hear about because they are fine and don't have any problems.

But of course problems can happen, and a lot of that just depends on the individual rabbit and also the owners experience. I would say the most stressful parts about having rabbits are post spay/neuter recovery, bonding, and when a rabbit is sick. If you are getting already spayed/neutered bonded rabbits, you've already eliminated those worries. So that leaves the possibility of rabbits getting sick. This doesn't always happen. I have rabbits that I've never had a problem with, and a few that only had an upset stomach once or twice, that was easily resolved with giving baby gas drops(simethicone).

There is always the chance that something could happen that requires seeing the vet, so for this it is good to have already researched and found a good rabbit vet that you can take your rabbit to if the need ever arises, start a savings account for possible future medical expenses so you don't have that worry, and with you being in the UK I would recommend looking into getting pet insurance on your rabbits. I know of other rabbit owners there that have had it and it's been a lifesaver financially when their rabbits needed to go to the vet.

I was thinking of pet insurance actually. You just have to be so careful about what different policies do or don't cover. I never had it for my dogs and was lucky there weren't many big bills. Sometimes I have been in the bank and heard people say they're paying into their dog's savings account or their cat's savings account, so that's another good way of doing things.

You are right that I should remember all the rabbits out there who are just getting on with their little rabbity lives, without any problems at all. It's been a rough few years, when everything that could go wrong did go wrong. So I have come to expect the worst these days. This needs to change!

 

[My Bunny Drake]

I can relate to the stress. I have bad luck with animals. I never did my research. When I wanted to get my rabbit, I would get really stressed. Remember: rabbits are stronger than they seem.

 

[Sissy]

I can relate to the stress. I have bad luck with animals. I never did my research. When I wanted to get my rabbit, I would get really stressed. Remember: rabbits are stronger than they seem.

I am sorry you have experienced bad luck with animals. It is so upsetting when things go wrong, but we just have to do the best we can. We are all learning, all the time.