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Your First House Rabbit!  What to Expect?

​by Dana Krempels, Ph.D.
Personality

One of the most common questions we receive is, "Are rabbits more like cats or dogs?"  The best answer is…neither!  Dogs and cats have been bred for centuries to lack innate fear of humans.  Rabbits, however, have been bred primarily for meat, fur and physical characteristics.  So, when you adopt a bunny, you adopt a lovely, domestic animal with the heart and spirit of a wild animal.  It is more challenging to win the trust of this sensitive, intelligent creature than it is to win the heart of a puppy or kitten, which have been bred to trust you from birth.  

The myth that certain rabbit breeds make better pets is just that:  a myth.  We have known aggressive lops (supposedly gentle and friendly), super-affectionate dwarfs (supposedly hyper and mean) and every type of personality you can imagine in our hybrids.  There are as many rabbit personalities as there are rabbits!   

If we had to compare the rabbit personality to that of another animal, we might say…horses!  Rabbits are highly intelligent, interactive and affectionate. Once a rabbit bonds to a human family, she/he will be intensely loyal and loving—but may also sometimes be bratty or willful.  A rabbit is very…rabbit. And rabbit people are special people who live happily with these complex, intelligent, and demanding little souls! 

Bunny Handling – and Not

One of the most common misconceptions people have about rabbits is that they like to be held and cuddled.  This is probably because they look like plush toys. 

Many people are disappointed to learn that their bunny does not like to be held.  But consider, for a moment, the natural history of the rabbit.  This is a ground-dwelling animal, and prey item for many predators.  It is completely against the nature of the rabbit to be held far above the ground where it cannot control its own motions and activities.  When you force a bunny to be held against her will, you reinforce her notion that you are a predator who is trying to restrain her.  Holding her while she struggles and kicks is not only dangerous for the human (sharp claws!), but also for the rabbit.  We wish we didn’t know how many young rabbits come into our vet’s office with broken legs, necks and spines because people (usually children) insisted on carrying them around and handling them against their will.  If you love your bunny, you won’t let this happen to him or her. 

Unfortunately, many people buy rabbits without understanding their true nature.  That is one of the main reasons these lovely, intelligent creatures are "dumped" shortly after they reached sexual maturity and begin to assert their strong personalities.  But it’s easy and fun to live with a rabbit, once you understand the way they think. 

Thinking Like a Rabbit

To understand rabbit behavior, begin to think more like a rabbit!   Here’s a beginner’s guide…
  1. Buy a copy of The House Rabbit Handbook by Marinell Harriman (ISBN 0-940920-12-3).  It is the most accurate, up –to-date book about rabbit care on the market.
  2. Remember that a rabbit, unlike a carnivorous, predatory dog or cat, evolved as a prey species.  Hence, most rabbits are naturally shy.  It is up to you, the flexible human, to compromise and alter your behavior so that the bunny learns you’re a friend.  Once you have done this, you will have won the unending love and loyalty of one of the most special creatures in creation. 

Many bunnies are naturally friendly and outgoing.  Others are shy, at least at first.  If you happen to have a shy bunny, here is the best way to win his or her trust. 

If you have any NON-EMERGENT questions, please feel free to call us at 847-329-8709
​sEE OUR lINKS PAGE TO FIND A VET NEAR YOU

  • Home
  • Emergency Care
  • Care Sheets
    • General Care >
      • Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
      • Heating Reptile Enclosures
      • Health Veggie Shopping for Reptiles
      • Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
      • Metabolic Bone Disease Care
      • Vaccines in Exotic Animals
    • Birds >
      • Amazon Care
      • Avian Influenza Fact Sheet
      • Avian Influenza for Poultry Fact Sheet
      • Avian Bornavirus Testing
      • Budgie Care
      • Canaries
      • Chicken Care
      • Chronic Egg Laying
      • Cleaning and Disinfecting
      • Cockatiels (and other small Psittacines)
      • Cockatoo Care
      • ​Converting Your Bird to a Pelleted Diet
      • Feather Picking
      • General Parrot Care
      • Handfeeding Baby Parrots
      • Healthy Shopping for your Birds
      • Infectious Diseases of Parrots
      • Instructions for Physical Therapy in Birds
      • Lead Poisoning
      • McWatters Diet (Homemade Mash)
      • Macaw Care
      • Parrot Precautions
      • Polyoma Virus
      • Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease
      • Proventricular Dilatation Disease
      • Spiroform Pharangitis (Spirochetes)
      • Baby Starling and Sparrow guidelines
      • Territorial Aggression
      • Unsafe Plants for Birds
      • Weaning Baby Birds
      • What to Feed Your Pet Bird
      • Wing Injury and Rehabilitation
      • Wing Trims
      • Your Overly Reproductive Female Bird
      • Zinc Toxicity
    • Caiman Care
    • Ferret and Fox Care >
      • Your Ferret’s First Visit to the Vet
      • An Overview of Ferret Adrenal Disease
      • Chronic Diarrhea in Ferrets
      • Ferret Dentistry
      • Heart Disease in Ferrets
      • Heartworm Disease in Ferrets
      • Insulinoma in Ferrets
      • Lymphoma In Ferrets
      • Bob’s Chicken Gravy
      • Fennec Foxes
      • Red Foxes
    • Fish >
      • Algae in your Freshwater Aquarium
      • Eel Care
      • Freshwater Tropical Fish Care
      • Beginning a Freshwater Aquarium
      • Cleaning your Freshwater Aquarium
      • How to Feed your Fish
      • Aquarium Corals
      • Koi Care
      • General Goldfish Care
      • Hermit Crab Care
    • Invertebrate Care
    • Frogs, Toads, and Other Amphibians >
      • Argentine Horned Frogs
      • Bullfrog Care
      • Dart Frog Care
      • Feeding Pet Frogs and Toads
      • Fire Bellied Toad Care
      • Pixie Frog Care
      • Red Eyed Tree Frog Care
      • Short Tongue Syndrome
      • Tiger Salamander Care
      • Axolotl Care
      • White Lipped Tree Frog Care
      • White's Tree Frog Care
      • Ranavirus
    • Guinea Pigs and Rodents >
      • Chinchilla Care
      • Cuy Criollo (Giant Guinea Pig)
      • Health Problems with Guinea Pigs
      • Degu Care
      • Gerbil Care
      • Guinea Pig Care
      • Hamster Care
      • Diabetic Hamster Diet
      • Mice Care
      • Rat Care
      • Health Problems with Rats
      • Prairie Dog Care
      • Odontoma
      • Veggies For Guinea Pigs
      • Visible Tumors in Rodents
      • Vitamin C Deficiency In Guinea Pigs
    • Hedgehog Care >
      • Baby Hedgehog (Hoglet) Care
    • Kinkajoos and Armadillos >
      • Kinkajou Care
      • Nine Banded Armadillo Care
    • Lizards >
      • Anole Care
      • Bearded Dragon Care
      • Blue Tongued Skink Care
      • Crested Gecko Care
      • Geckos of New Caledonia
      • Crocodile Monitor Care
      • Frilled Lizard Care
      • Green Iguana Care
      • Jackson's Chameleon Care
      • Leopard Gecko Care
      • Nile Monitor Care
      • Old World Chameleon Care
      • Panther Chameleon Care
      • Red-Eyed Crocodile Skink Care
      • Savannah Monitor Care
      • Tegu Care
      • Thai Water Dragon Care
      • Uromastyx Care
      • Veiled Chameleon Care
    • Potbellied Pigs >
      • Pot Belly Pigs
      • Diamond Skin Disease
    • Rabbits >
      • Bonding Rabbits Bullet Point Checklist
      • Healthy Shopping for Rabbits
      • Complete Rabbit Care
      • Getting To Know Your New Bunny
      • Training Your Bunny
      • What To Feed Your Rabbit
      • Learning to Use the Litter Box
      • What To Expect From Your New Rabbit
      • Dental Disease in Rabbits
      • Heart Disease in Rabbits
      • Healthy Stool in Rabbits
      • Gastrointestinal Stasis in Rabbits
      • RHDV2 Fact Sheet
      • Parasites of Rabbits
      • Sore Hocks in Rabbits
      • Pasteurella in Rabbits
      • Medicating Your Rabbit or Guinea Pig
    • Snakes >
      • Amazon Tree Boa Care
      • Ball Python Care
      • Black Rat Snake Care
      • Boa Constrictor Care
      • Brazilian Rainbow Boa Care
      • Burmese Python Care
      • California Kingsnake Care
      • Cornsnake Care
      • Dumeril's Boa Care
      • Eastern Kingsnake Care
      • Emerald Tree Boa Care
      • Garter Snake Care
      • Green Tree Python Care
      • Western Hognose Care
      • Mexican Black Kingsnake Care
      • Rosy Boa Care
      • Sand Boa Care
      • Western Fox Snake Care
      • Inclusion Body Disease
    • Sugar Gliders and Marsupials
    • Turtles and Tortoises >
      • Alligator Snapping Turtle Care
      • Bell's Hingeback Care
      • Box Turtle Care
      • Chinese Box Turtle Care
      • Common Snapping Turtle Care
      • General Tortoise Husbandry
      • Leopard Tortoise Care
      • Mud Turtle Care
      • Musk Turtle Care
      • Painted Turtle Care
      • Red Eared Slider Care
      • Russian Tortoise Care
      • Soft Shelled Turtle Care
      • Sulcata Care >
        • Diet For Sulcata Tortoises
      • Common Health Problems
      • General Care of Aquatic Turtles
      • Redfoot tortoise Care
  • Contact
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    • Shelters
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