With good care, a rabbit’slife span can extend to eight to 12 years. Here are some tips for ensuring that your rabbit has the best possible chance of a long, healthy life:
- Make loose hay, rather than pellets, the central part of your bunny’s diet. A fiber-rich diet, including dark, leafy green vegetables like romaine lettuce, supplemented with pellets, is best for a rabbit’s digestive tract. While carrots in quantity are too sugary to be good for bunnies, it’s fine to give your rabbit an occasional small piece of carrot as a treat.
- Housing rabbits indoors is preferable, since outdoor rabbits can become targets for pests and predators. Choose a cage that does not have irritating wire mesh on the bottom, with enough room for your bunnies to move about and hop freely. In addition, give them a few hours a day outside the cage.
- Bunnies need entertainment just as other mammals do, so provide some stimulating toys. Rabbits also tend to be happier paired up rather than living alone.
- When ill, rabbits stop eating and can decline quickly, so regular veterinary care is vital.