For celebration of Pocket Pets month, we will focus on rabbits in this article.
Rabbits are great little pets with a lot of personality. They are very sociable animals and should ideally be kept as a pair but can be kept alone. They will give their owner a lot of love and attention!
They are also very intelligent and can learn a lot of tricks with some patient training.
As a ‘Pocket Pet’, they need less space than a medium to large sized dog, so an appropriately sized cage and a few outings a day in your flat/ house or garden, will suffice plenty.
Another positive point of owning a rabbit is that, compared to some other small furries, they get relatively old, usually reaching 8 years or older.
When it comes to expenses, rabbits might look small – but they actually do eat a lot. Pellets and vegetables only make 10% of their diet, the other 90% consist of hay (or grass if you have plenty of it).
They also have a very fast metabolism and a trip to the vet can be quite costly because they often require the same amount of drugs than a large dog! Rabbits can also be very complex and when they are poorly, we often have to address and treat multiple organs at once.
Routine vaccinations against Myxomatosis and viral Haemorrhagical disease should be performed once yearly, as well as regular deworming if they are kept outside.
In any case, rabbits make great family pets, especially for people who do not want to go for walks or enjoy a silent pet, but make sure to do your homework.
