Species · Small Pet

Rabbit

Oryctolagus cuniculus

Domesticated from the European rabbit, and the third most popular pet mammal in much of the world.

Rabbits are the most misunderstood pet in common keeping. They are social animals that suffer alone, prey animals that dislike being picked up, and long-lived animals that are sold to families expecting something closer to a hamster. Kept properly — bonded pair, large space, hay-based diet, indoors — they are affectionate, litter-trainable and full of character. Kept the way they are usually sold, they are lonely and bored in a hutch.

At a glance

Lifespan: 8–12 years
Adult weight: 1.1–8 kg
Daily attention: 2–3 hrs
Alone time tolerated: Keep bonded pairs
Minimum housing: 3 m² minimum, plus run
Diet: Unlimited hay — 80% of intake
Handling: Dislikes being lifted
With children: Adult is the keeper
With other pets: Prey animal — keep separate

Breeds · 6 listed

Rabbit breeds vary enormously in adult size — from under 1.5 kg to over 6 kg — so the breed is the single most practically important thing to know before buying a hutch.

Netherland Dwarf
Mini Lop
Rex
Lionhead
Dutch
Flemish Giant

Right for you if

You will keep a bonded pair and have them both desexed.
You have indoor space, or a genuinely large secure outdoor setup.
You want a pet with real personality that does not want to be held.
You have found an exotics vet before you have needed one.

Wrong for you if

You are buying it as a child's first pet to be cared for by the child.
You are planning a shop-bought hutch and nothing else.
You want an animal that enjoys being carried around.
A ten-year commitment is longer than you can see ahead.

The things that go wrong — read this part

Dental disease is the most common serious problem: in one CT study of 100 pet rabbits, 98 had some degree of it.¹ Hay is not bedding; it is the diet, and it is the part of the picture you control.
A rabbit that stops eating is an emergency. Gut stasis is one of the most common ways an ill rabbit presents, and left untreated it can become life-threatening fast.² Know your after-hours exotics vet before you need one.
Calicivirus kills pet rabbits quickly and often without warning. The Australian Veterinary Association recommends vaccinating, and since RHDV2 became the dominant strain only one vaccine protects specifically against it — held on an emergency permit rather than fully registered.³ CSIRO tests suspected cases nationally every month and RHDV2 is what it keeps finding.⁴ Ask your vet which vaccine and what interval: the answer has changed more than once, and immunity takes weeks to build.
Buy the enclosure before the rabbit, and buy it for the adult animal rather than the one in the shop. Ask what the parents weigh.
Whether you can keep a rabbit at all differs from place to place, including within Australia. Check what applies where you live before you commit to one.

Sources

Artiles CA, Sanchez-Migallon Guzman D, Beaufrere H, Phillips KL. Computed tomographic findings of dental disease in domestic rabbits: 100 cases (2009-2017). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 2020; 257(3):313-327. International doi:10.2460/javma.257.3.313 PMID 32657651 One hundred pet rabbits imaged by CT; 98 showed some degree of acquired dental disease, worsening with age. It does not establish a cause.
Oglesbee BL, Lord B. Gastrointestinal Diseases of Rabbits. In: Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents. Elsevier 2020; pp 174-187. International doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-48435-0.00014-9 Gastrointestinal stasis syndrome is a very common presentation of an ill rabbit, and left untreated can rapidly become life-threatening. Causes are usually multifactorial, and an inappropriate diet raises the risk. Stress, pain or any illness can trigger an episode.
Vaccination of rabbits and ferrets — AVA policy (RHDV protocol updated September 2022). Australian Veterinary Association 2022. Accessed 2026-08-31. Australia Australian Veterinary Association Australia's peak veterinary body recommends vaccinating pet rabbits against calicivirus. Two strains circulate here; RHDV2 arrived in 2015 and became predominant, and only Filavac protects specifically against it — held on an emergency permit rather than full registration.
Rabbit caliciviruses — national surveillance update, April 2026. CSIRO 2026. Accessed 2026-08-31. Australia CSIRO CSIRO tests suspected cases nationally and publishes monthly. In April 2026 calicivirus was found in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, with RHDV2 dominant. Immunity takes a few weeks to build after vaccination.

Every source here was checked, not recalled. Where this page makes a health statement and no source appears against it, that is not an oversight we have hidden — it means the claim is not yet sourced, and the build reports how many are in that state.

Availability, registration and keeping requirements differ from place to place. Check the rules where you live before you commit to any animal — we describe animals, not law.