1: Don't buy from a petshop. There are thousands of rescue rabbits needing homes.

This may sound obvious, but many people don't tend to think of rescues for rabbits as much as for cats, or especially dogs. There are hundreds of rescues around the country most of which are overflowing with rabbits. If you buy from a petshop you are inadvertantly just adding to the problem of oversupply, and encouraging the shop, and (often amateur) breeders to produce yet more rabbits. Remember, it might look very cute and sorry for itself, but if you buy it, it will just be replaced by another that looks just as needy.

Apart from the obvious advantage of giving a needy rabbit a good home, there are other major advantages to getting from a rescue:

• You will know the personality of the rabbit. Rabbits have highly individual personalities even among the same breed. Some love being fussed, some hate it. Some are aggresive, some are shy. Pet shop rabbits are not mature enough to tell.
• You will know the health of the rabbit. Unfortunately pet shop rabbits often have undiagnosed illness as staff are either not sufficiently trained or interested to spot them. Rescues will have identified and treated any illness so that you can make an informed choice.
• Rescue rabbits are often already spayed / castrated. This is less expense for you.
• Rescue rabbits are usually litter trained.
• You will be able to get an already bonded pair, or group, of rabbits. Rabbits do NOT always get along with each other and can easily fight to the death. If you want more than one rabbit (which is highly recommended - see point 4), then you will be able to get some that are already friends (bonded). Once bonded, rabbits very rarely become enemies again.

To find rabbits needing homes in your area, check out the excellent Rabbit Rehome site.

2: Rabbits can live in the house just like a dog or cat

Although the idea is gaining in popularity, most people still think a rabbit should be kept in a hutch in the garden. Rabbits can easily be kept in the house as a "proper" pet. They are usually very clean, and can be litter trained. Often litter training is as simple as waiting to see where you rabbit chooses to go and putting a tray there! You do not need a large hutch cluttering up space in your house. Some people do keep their house rabbits shut up at night for safety, but all they really need is a cardboard box or some other place where they can hide and feel safe. Our house rabbits have had the run of the house 24/7 without problem.

You do need to take some precautions, especially if your rabbit is a "chewer". Things like electrical leads should be protected to prevent injury to your rabbit. See this article for more information.

The biggest plus for having a house rabbit is that you can really get to know your rabbit as a proper pet, rather than just something stuck in the garden. This is especially true if you only have a single rabbit (see point 4). Our house rabbits were always very affectionate and would follow us around the house and jump on the sofa or bed for fuss, and provide us with a great deal of entertainment with their antics.

3: Rabbits should NOT be kept with guinea pigs

Another popular myth is that rabbits and guinea pigs make good companions. This is not the case. Rabbit and guinea pigs are very different animals with very different social and dietry needs. More often than not the rabbit will bully the gineau pig, and can cause injury to the pig by trampling or even mounting it! There are individual rabbits and pigs that get on well, but this is by luck rather than the rule.

The best companion for a rabbit is another rabbit. This brings us on nicely to...

4: Rabbits need companionship.

Rabbits are extremely social animals and do need companionship if they are to have a happy life. If you watch two or more bonded rabbits you will be amazed at the amount of time they spend grooming, playing with or just lying with each other. Two rabbits are very little extra work than one rabbit. If you really must only have one rabbit, then do try and have it as a house rabbit so that it can interact and bond with YOU.

5: Rabbits need space and exercise.

Again, unfortunately the common view is that rabbits should be kept in a small hutch barely longer than themselves. Rabbits really do need space to exercise. They love running and jumping and can perform some quite amazing leaps and twists in the air. A house rabbit will often have "mad moments" and tear around the house at incredible speed and precision. They are very physical animals and at the very least should have a large roomy cage with access to a run.

6: Rabbits are not as cheap as you think.

Many people think of rabbits as very low maintenance pets, just needing a few carrots each week. They are very cheap to keep, food and hay being pretty affordable compared to things like dog food. However, people are often unaware that rabbits in the UK need two vaccinations each year, or even every 6 months in high risk areas. One is for Myxomatisis, and one for VHD or Viral Hemorrhagic Disease. These can be anything up to £25 each, multiplied by the number of rabbits you have.

If rabbits are to be kept with the opposite sex, then they will need to be neutered. This costs between £45 and £75 for a female spay, or £25 and £55 for the simpler male castration.

They are also quite delicate animals in some ways, especially regarding diet, and if your rabbit develops a problem the vet costs can be very expensive. A lot of vets still class rabbits as "exotics" with prices to match. Once way to safeguard against this is to take out pet insurance such as Petplan.

7: Rabbits DO make excellent and rewarding pets.

Despite not being quite as low maintenance as people think, rabbits make excellent pets and ARE much more entertaining and personable than most people think. Rabbits tend to have a reputation for doing nothing but sitting in a hutch all day and eating carrots. Usually this is because that is all they CAN do! They are never let out or interacted with.

Rabbits have larger brains than cats, and are extremely nosey and inquisitive. They enjoy interaction with humans and other rabbits, and despite being pretty silent, they are very communicative. They will chatter their teeth together in pleasure when being fussed, or stamp their feet in a temper! They chase around and perform huge leaps and twists. They will play with toys, tossing them into the air of rolling them around with their noses. They love ripping up old phone books or newspapers. They are suprisingly agile climbers. Most of all they are usually (depending on the rabbit) very affectionate and will follow you around the house demanding attention and fuss.