How Much Do Bunnies Cost?

The average total cost of a rabbit is around $50. $20 - $40 from a pet store, $5 - $20 from a fair or rescue. Rare breeds can cost up to $100 but also expect to pay $400 for one off costs to home your bunny and approximately $80 for monthly living and insurance expenses.

Pets are a great companion to humans. They behave as an excellent solution for loneliness. Furthermore, they are known to cure depression. Moreover, they teach us about unconditional love. Pet owners tend to develop a beautiful relationship with their pets.

And yes, they are very loyal.

People keep dogs, cats, and other animals as pets. Bunnies are super-adorable and charming as pets. Moreover, they are soft and fluffy. If you want to know more about bunny care and answers to the question “how much do bunnies cost?”, read on.

Many people nowadays believe that breeding a bunny is cheap. That’s not true! Breeding a bunny can be quite expensive, but of course, not unaffordable. Maintaining their day-to-day hygiene and breeding can be costly.

If you are planning to purchase a bunny as a pet, then you may go to a pet store.

Each rabbit’s cost varies according to their breed.

How Much Does A Bunny Cost

Cost Of Buying A Bunny From A Store Or Breeder

If you are pursuing a pet store, then you should expect to pay $20-$40 for a rabbit.

Bunnies are also available at animal fairs for purchasing purposes. One can expect to pay $5-$20.

In addition to these, bunnies are also available in rescue centers. Commonly known breeds are available at much cheaper rates, and rare ones can cost up to $100 per purchase of a rabbit.

It totally depends upon the breeders about how much they are charging for each breed of rabbit.

Besides the purchasing cost of a rabbit there are some other expenses as well, which need to be taken care of.

Let's get into the additional costs.

1. One-off Costs

    1. Hutch: $150-$200
    2. Litter box: $5-$10
    3. Hay feeder: $50-$100
    4. Chair mats: $70
    5. Nail clippers and flashlight: $25
    6. Cord protectors: $35
    7. Puppy pen: $70
    8. Spayed or neutered costs (optional): $50 -$25

So, the total initial cost of bunny will range between $350-$510, though it may vary depending on the accessories you choose.

2. Monthly Costs 

    1. Pellets: $5
    2. Vegetables: $40
    3. Hay: $5
    4. Pet cleaning supplies: $2
    5. Toys: $15
    6. Food dishes: $5-$10
    7. Regular health care: $35-$65
    8. Furniture repair / replacement (Something else to consider as no matter how bunny proofed your home may seem they can sometimes cause accidental damage)

The total ongoing costs for a month for your pet rabbit will range between $80-$142, depending upon which ongoing supplies are chosen.

Average Rabbit Cost

  1. One-Off Costs: $430
  2. Monthly Costs: $100 (approximately)

All these expenses are a rough sketch for purchasing a bunny and taking care of it. Such pets need to be taken care of to improve their longevity of life. Plus, a timely veterinary examination is way too important so that these pets do not involve themselves in some or other infections.

To keep your bunny happy and your home potentially safe, you need to make sure that your carpets and furnishings are rabbit-proofed. It perfectly means that a rabbit’s teeth can chew away all these things.

Cute Bunny Being Held

What Are These Expenses For?

1. Hutch

Baby bunnies, while growing up, tend to become quite heavy. They grow to weigh as much as 20 pounds. So, in that way, they need more space to live and breed. For inhabitant purposes, they need a cage termed as "Hutch". If you are capable enough to build a hutch, then it may cost you up to $50 or more.

In case you are looking for a sturdier and stronger hutch then you can easily buy one. It can cost you up to $150 or more.

2. Feed

Bunnies are herbivorous. So, they need hay, green vegetables and much more for living.

The hay for a bunny can cost up to $5 or less. In addition to this, they need green vegetables. Every month, they require green vegetables that can cost you up to $40 per month.

3. Litter Box

A bunny needs a litter box. A litter box is an indoor fecal or urinal collector. It can cost you up to $5 or more.

4. Food Dishes

Bunnies need special utensils or dishes where they can have their food. Well, for keeping a bunny as a pet, a food dish is quite necessary too. This basic use kit can cost you up to $5-$10. A similar function is played by a hay feeder, which is used to serve hay to your pet. It can go up to $50-$100.

5. Toys

Some people might be surprised to know bunnies love to play with toys. They love to play with such toys and rearrange, shuffle, or push them for fun.

Below are such toys which are made for rabbits:

  • Whisk brooms
  • Straw baskets
  • Paper plate holders
  • Paper towels
  • Balls
  • Rings with bells

The price of each of these products can vary based on the features each product. These products are quite easily available at the pet store or you can find them over online shopping websites.

On a rough estimate, the rate for toys can go up to $25 per purchase. Other toys can be more or less of this rate.

Some Other Costs Of Having A Healthy Bunny

Male and female rabbits live around 10 years or more. If bunnies are taken proper care of, they can cross to survive their life span. Due to their sensitivity, they need special monitoring. They need medical attention and hence, the cost of them as a pet becomes more expensive.

For their ongoing maintenance, they need veterinary treatment at regular intervals of time. These regular visits to the veterinary care center are way too important as they get older. Initially, young bunnies require neutering at specific stages. Gradually, there will be times when they will need some surgical treatment. For each specific problem, they need a veterinarian, whether it be fur care, teeth check-up, or nail treatment.

Despite all these, they can easily fall sick. It doesn’t matter whether you are regular with their routine check-up, but it might be due to the fact that they have a weak immune system. Each time you visit a veterinarian, it is expected to cost you more than $100 or more. Sometimes, the rate may be as high as $1000. So, before choosing a pet rabbit, you need to be precautionary and well-aware of their requirements.

The second ongoing need is supply replacement. The products that you have started using may not last forever, and at times, you might feel like replacing all. Well, this the best way to keep your bunny going. After some time of use, you will find that your bunny has torn down all its accessories.

Next is the expense of your belongings. Bunnies might be damaging your furniture, clothes, shoes, books, electronics, etc. They often tear them with their teeth. They are not aggressive enough to do so, but they like to bite those things and want to play around. There is a sole solution to this problem. Well, in this case, you need to have your house rabbit-proofed. It is a solution with limitations because your bunny can break-out at such spots as well. The expenses to maintain such things can be high.

Bunnies Need Special Attention

You need to interact with those creatures and make their outdoor activities more enjoyable. With all these things happening, you can ensure your rabbit’s well-being. Rabbits, like any other pet, feel depressed if you leave them alone.

  • While handling a rabbit, kids need to make sure that they are under their parents’ supervision. Bunnies are fragile to handle and so are their bones. Therefore, kids may end up injuring themselves or the rabbit.
  • As a pet immune system of a bunny is not that strong as compared to other animals.

Yes, bunnies do require grooming as they are clean animals and don’t prefer to stay untidy. However, when you bathe rabbits, you need to be very careful about warming them up properly, failing which, they could catch a flu that could result in pneumonia. Moreover, bunnies can end up with a fracture due to the powerful water bath, so ensure that you wash them very gently without much pressure.

But what about their sanitization? Well, if you’re a bit doubtful about the bunny’s sanitization, then you must not worry about it at all. Bunnies clean themselves with the same process as dogs or cats. They lick their body parts to keep themselves clean. Cancer in reproductive organs of bunnies is quite common. To prevent this situation, you just need to spray or neuter them. By this process, you can easily reduce the risk of ovarian cancer or testicular cancer in them.

Rules to purchase bunnies as a pet are not simple enough. Baby bunnies’ survival rates are tough if they are separated from their mothers. So before buying one, you need to keep this point in mind. Finally, you are buying a pet and you need to imagine a bunny as not a pet but your family member. You should consider giving it the same amount of love, care, warmth and comfort that you would give if it was your child. Buying a pet is easy but maintenance might not be that easy. So, only once you are sure to provide that effort, you should go for a pet, especially a bunny.

Conclusion

You need to bear the initial expenses to get such a cute pet. Gradually they are going to become your best buddies and together you and your rabbits will live happier lives.

The total cost for rabbit owners to maintain a bunny is around $450-$500 (including both one-off and monthly costs).

Related Posts

Read more →

What Do Baby Bunnies Eat?

Rabbits are one of the best pets a person can have. However, they tend to come with some pretty strict dietary requirements. If you are adopting a baby rabbit, make sure to provide it with a diet that maximizes nutrients and minimizes the chance of stomach upsets.

As such, you should mainly feed baby rabbits a diet consisting of hay, pellets, and fresh vegetables.

If your rabbits are too young and need milk, you should give them Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) or goat milk. But since mother rabbit milk is far more nutritious than milk from other animals, you will also need to mix in a tablespoon of heavy whipping cream (sugarless) to each can of KMR.

This provides the necessary combination of fats and other nutrients to growing bunnies.

This article will explain why each food is necessary and what purpose it serves in the diet of domestic rabbits. So, here’s our take on – “what do baby bunnies eat?”.

What Do Baby Bunnies Eat

Types Of Foods

As seen above, there are three different food groups that all rabbits need - namely, hay, pellets and vegetables.

1. Hay

There are several types of hay that rabbits should eat, like grass hay, alfalfa hay or oat hay. Hay is the most critical part of a rabbit's diet, be they wild babies or domestic. Hay serves a number of important functions. While they do provide nutrition, they also serve to wear down rabbit teeth. Rabbit teeth never stop growing - if they are not worn down via a proper diet, they will grow too long and cause discomfort and eating problems.

When baby rabbits are a little older, they should be weaned off alfalfa hay and moved completely on to a diet of grass hay. To ease the transition, baby rabbits should also be fed grass hay. This replicates the diet of wild babies, and is good at filing their teeth down too.

A point to be noted is that rabbits also use hay for bedding. They urinate and defecate in the hay, which will lead to mold growth. As such, the hay in the hutch should be replaced regularly.

Nutrients

Baby rabbits should be fed alfalfa hay. While it is technically a legume, alfalfa hay contains a lot of protein, which is superb for baby rabbits. It also contains some calcium, which promotes bone health. Grass hay contains fewer nutrients but is nutritionally complete. Older rabbits can subsist on a diet of grass hay, with a few supplementary pieces of vegetables or fruits.

Where To Buy

Good quality hay can be bought online. As it is dried out before packaging and shipping, it lasts a long time. If you prefer local suppliers, you can purchase hay from local farmers, usually from nearby farmer's markets.

Average Price

On average, most types of hay go for around $12 per sack.

2. Pellets

While a number of people consider pellets to be empty calories, the truth is that they are great for feeding baby rabbits. However, you must carefully manage the quality and quantity of the pellets. If you feed your rabbit too many pellets as a baby, it will get used to them. As your baby bunny grows older, you will need to reduce or remove pellets from its diet. To minimize stress, it is best to keep pellets as limited as possible.

Nutrients

Pellets are usually made of alfalfa, and contain a good number of fats, proteins and calcium. Ideally, pellets should be 22% fiber with no more than 14% protein. Calcium limits should also be below 1%, otherwise, it may harm the rabbits.

Where To Buy

Pellets are easily available in all pet shops, as many kinds of animals eat them. Large chains like Petsmart carry them.

Average Price

Alfalfa pellets are relatively inexpensive and usually cost around $15-$40 per 40lb (ca. 18 kg) bag. These bags last quite a while, as the quantity of pellets is quite high.

3. Fresh Veggies

Fresh vegetables are an excellent addition to a baby rabbit's diet, and should be introduced at around 2-3 weeks.

Wild rabbits grow up exclusively on a plant based diet including vegetables. Baby rabbits often nibble on their mother's food around this age.

The best vegetables to feed your rabbit are fiber-heavy, leafy vegetables like romaine lettuce, bok choy, mustard greens or watercress. However, you should avoid giving them fruits, except as treats for training.

Bunnies can have a tablespoon of fruit a maximum of twice a week. Too much fruit leads to obesity.

Nutrients

Green leafy vegetables usually have high levels of fiber, along with minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. These minerals serve to improve the health of baby rabbits. However, an excess of calcium can cause calcium-based bladder stones, so a balanced diet is recommended.

Where To Buy

    Vegetables are widely available at grocery stores, health food stores, pet stores, farmers’ markets, and the like.

    Average Price

    Prices vary, but vegetables are quite inexpensive.

    Rabbit Diet Myths

    There are many myths about what rabbits eat - three of them are particularly common and pretty harmful.

    Myth 1 - Rabbits Eat A Lot Of Carrots

    This particular myth is pretty old and is attributed to Bugs Bunny cartoons. While rabbits should eat tough and fibrous vegetables, carrots should not be a regular part of their diet. They are high in sugar and should only be fed to rabbits in small amounts as a treat. They may also cause stomach upsets in baby rabbits, so it's safest to avoid feeding them even small quantities of carrots.

    Myth 2 - Hay Is Only For Bedding

    As seen above, hay comprises a major part of a baby rabbit's diet. While it is also used as bedding, hay has to be the main source of food and easily available.

    Myth 3 - Rabbit Should Eat Lettuce

    Only specific types of lettuce are good for rabbits, for example, romaine lettuce. Other types range from useless to actively harmful.

    Baby bunnies, in particular, should never be fed light-colored varieties. They are high in water and low on nutrients, which may cause malnutrition. Iceberg lettuce contains lactarium, which is harmful in large quantities.

    Dietary Changes As Per Age

    The best diet for baby rabbits changes according to how old they are.

    Birth - At this age, they should only be drinking mother's milk. If unavailable, KMR or goat milk serve as substitutes. Under no circumstances should you give them cow milk, as it is toxic to baby rabbits.

    2-3 weeks - At this age, they should be drinking mostly mother's milk, but you can start supplementing their diet with bits of alfalfa and pellets. Their eyes open at about ten days, so you should notice an uptick in activity around this time.

    4-7 weeks - At this age, the baby rabbits will slowly stop drinking mother's milk and move over to alfalfa and pellets.

    7 weeks to 7 months - At this point, the baby rabbits will have grown into teenagers, and their diet should reflect that. They should have access to unlimited amounts of hay, and limited amounts of pellets, depending on requirements.

    Conclusion

    Whether you're adopting a baby bunny with its eyes closed or a young, energetic teenager, it is important to know how to feed them properly. Rabbit stomachs are sensitive, so it is important to monitor their digestive health.

    We hope your rabbits live a long and healthy life!

    Related Posts

    Read more →

    300+ Funny Bunny Names: An Ultimate Naming Guide

    Check out the lists in our ultimate funny bunny names guide to help you find the perfect name for your funny rabbit.

    Read more →

    602 Unique Bunny Name Choices

    Check out our list of 602 unique bunny names perfectly fitted for all kinds of pet bunnies.

    Read more →

    Bunny Names: 700 Choices for Girls and Boys

    Find your great bunny name for your little furry bundle of joy.

    Read more →

    Awesome Black, White, Grey and Brown Bunny Names

    If you are looking for awesome black bunny names, or white/grey/brown names for your pet rabbit, check out our awesome lists for inspiration.

    Read more →

    Cute Bunny Names: 650 Ideas To Call Your Rabbit

    Pet bunnies are adorable. They are fun, sporty, energetic and very cute. If you have an affectionate bunny and looking for cute bunny names, you need to check out our ultimate list.

    Read more →