3 Misconceptions of Pet Rabbits

Ever considered getting a pet rabbit, but heard that they do not make great pets?

Rabbits are considered to be one of the "exotic pets", many people do not know much about pet rabbits, hence the misconception of them being less of an ideal pet.

I have gathered three most-heard misconceptions of pet rabbits, hopefully it can help potential owners know more about them and also to raise more awareness to people in general.

1. RABBITS ARE SMELLY

I feel quite frustrated whenever I excitedly tell my friend about how cute my pet rabbit was (by the way the rabbit's name is Dou Dou and she's a Holland Lop), and their replies were:
"Why rabbit? Rabbits are so smelly!"
"I know rabbits are cute, but...... sorry to say, I can't stand the smell."
"Rabbit not smelly meh??"

To this, I would like to tell the world: RABBITS ARE NOT SMELLY AT ALL.
And this applies to all breeds.

Why the misconception?

Rabbits, like humans, poop and pee all the time, and (good) owners usually provide their pets with a place to do their businesses.

For humans, we can flush our excretions immediately after using the toilet bowl, but rabbits can't. We, owners, have the responsibility to clean it for them. If not, imagine living in a house with a spoilt toilet bowl for a week, you and your house would smell too.

I usually clean Dou Dou's potty every 2 to 3 days, and all our friends commented in surprise that there was no smell at all and how fresh smelling Dou Dou was.

I also wants to emphasise that rabbits don't require any water baths.

"I love to wash my face."

Guess how frequently rabbits clean themselves?

Once every week? Try again.

Once every 2 days? Nope.

Once everyday? Close.
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Dou Dou cleans several times a day!

Rabbits are generally clean freaks that clean themselves very frequently.

Dou Dou cleans her mouth every time after a meal; she even cleans herself sometimes after I gave her a long head pat. She must have thought I am dirtier than her...

2. RABBITS ARE STUPID NOT AS CLEVER AS DOGS AND CATS

To be honest, I agree, to a certain extent.

From what I understand, the reason why people think this way, is because they thought you can't do any intellectual activities with rabbits.

To this, I want to tell the world that, RABBITS CAN BE TRAINED.

"I'm pissing, stop staring at me!!"

Dou Dou is potty-trained.

This means that, she will not pee anywhere else except on her potty. (Although she might miss it occasionally due to various reasons, which I will elaborate in other posts.)

Dou Dou is also trained to listen to commands.

For example, the Man doesn't like it whenever Dou Dou wants to enter his room. I observed Dou Dou and knew that Dou Dou doesn't like to be carried (probably most of the rabbits too). So whenever Dou Dou loiters at the door, sniffing out things, I would make a low sound to warn her. And as long as Dou Dou steps into the room, she's going to be carried.

After a few attempts, Dou Dou understands that whenever that low sound is made, I am watching her.

There was once I tried tempting Dou Dou into the room, and she passed the test, standing right at the door without making a move!

She was given her favourite treat that day as a reward.

In conclusion, rabbits can be trained. You need to have the patience to find the right way to train your own rabbit.

I also heard that some rabbit owners train their rabbits to fetch things, but I have never attempted to train Dou Dou to do something like this.

However, I agree that rabbits are not as intelligent as dogs or cats, because of the way these animals are, but rabbits can definitely do some intelligent activities as well.

3. RABBITS ARE BORING PETS

I assume that people who said this, are comparing rabbits to animals like dogs, because it's easier to interact with dogs by the way they bark/wag their tails/other body languages.

However, I want to tell the world that RABBITS CAN TALK TOO. (Well, not literally.)

"I like you and I wanna sleep beside you."

Firstly, it's true that Rabbits don't make noise generally, unless they are dying.

Oh but Dou Dou will growl when she's angry. That's the only sound we have heard her making.

But rabbits have their own set of body language to learn about.

Example:
She licks to show she likes you.
She dances in the air to show she's happy.
She bites gently to get your attention or tells you not to stop patting.
She stands tall on hind legs to ask for food.
She shoves her head to you to ask for head pats (her sweet spot).
She thumps her feet when she feels she's in danger and tries to warn you about it. (It happened once when there was a blackout.)
She taps your foot twice with her nose to say hello to you.
She kicks her hind legs up in the air to show she doesn't like what you did to her.

And so on.....

Secondly, the actions mentioned above vary from rabbits to rabbits. Some rabbits are more expressive, some are more subtle, just like humans who has different characters as well. It depends on the character of the rabbit you meet or keep.

"I would only flop and sleep when I feel safe."

So, what do you think of a pet rabbit?

My Ratings:
Effort to keep a rabbit as pet:  ★★★★
Satisfaction as an owner:          ★★★★★
Appeal:                                       ★★★★★

Feel free to comment if you would like to clarify any ideas you have about rabbits!

Do let us know if you have any questions about rabbits in general, or any other things you want me to review on!

Thanks for reading and I'll see you again!


Disclaimer: We promote adoption of rabbits, encourage cage-free or playpen-free environment for pet rabbits and advocate loving rabbits like your own family :) Ultimately, do make your own judgement whether you're ready for a long-term commitment to get a pet rabbit.