Have you ever wondered, even once, about how long your pet or domestic rabbits can live? You might think that they are not supposed to live for more than a couple of years or at most 5 years, but this conception could not be more wrong.
So how long do domestic rabbits live for? It will surprise you to know that a pet rabbit or a domestic has an average life expectancy of around 6 – 10 years. As a matter of fact, indoor rabbits who are handled with care and are given the best kind of management and treatment can live into their teens.
The worlds oldest rabbit died at 18 years of age. This is a fact well known and also stated in the Guinness book of world records. This goes to tell you that with regular diet and proper health care in place, your pet rabbits will definitely live for a long period of time.
Why is the life expectancy of a rabbit so important? The answer is simple, choosing a pet rabbit is no different from picking a dog or a cat as a pet. A pet of any kind is a commitment to yourself and to the animal, and these living creatures are going to be a part of your family and your life for a long time.
The total size of a rabbit is the first clue you look out for when ascertaining its temperament and life expectancy.
Take a look at the larger rabbit breeds, for example, these breeds are often laid back with a gentle and calm kind of temperament but are very susceptible to various diseases and health complications. These easily susceptible large breeds of rabbits usually have a life expectancy of around 5 years.
But smaller breeds of rabbit-like the dwarf breeds can live much longer than their giant counterparts. Although these breeds may not have the same laid back kind of temperament as the giant breeds, their life expectancy is often around 10, 11, and 12 years.
In the case of purebred rabbits, they typically have a shorter lifespan than a mixed breed rabbit, but their living and environmental conditions can be the causative factor to their limited life span. The same rule applies to outdoor and indoor rabbits.
Outdoor rabbits also have a shorter life expectancy than the indoor rabbit’s simply because of the environmental hazards and climatic changes that comes with living outside.
How To Make Your Rabbit Live Longer
Rabbits, in general, require a lot of attention and care when having them as pets, they are not as low-maintenance as people claim them to be. The majority of a rabbit’s longevity depends on how well the owner takes care of them. Here are some tips you can follow to help you give your rabbit a long and fulfilling life.
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Food
If you want your rabbit to live a long life or at least meet its estimated life expectancy, then the majority of the rabbit’s diet should be loose hay and not absurd quantities of commercial pellets that are now outdated. Rabbits require a diet rich in fibre and full of leafy greens such as endive and kale. Occasional treats can also be added to its diet.
Note; these treats should not be given frequently to avoid health hazards. Typical examples of these treats are mints, small slices of carrot or fruit.
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Housing
A room or a pen that is safe and secure for your rabbits is highly recommended. A preferable 16-square-foot pen or room is optimum for your rabbit. Rabbit or rabbits should also spend a considerable amount of time outside their pens or rooms, let’s say at least three to four hours per day.
Before letting your rabbits roam freely around your house, make sure to cover all wires, relocate books from lower shelves and also prevent access to any special kind of furniture. Also, make sure that they are far away from staircases or any high property because they are most likely to injure themselves from these places when attempting to climb or come down from them.
Trying to balance the indoor and outdoor lives of your rabbit increases their longevity and their stay in your homes
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Veterinary care
Always seek the help of a veterinarian whenever you feel unsure or uncertain of your rabbit’s health. These vets have special training and unique skill sets that allow them to treat your rabbits when the need arises. This advice is particularly suited to pet owners who have older rabbits in their care because these rabbits are prone to showing rapid changes in their health in very short amounts of time.
Spaying and neutering your rabbit also increases their life expectancy because sometimes unspayed female rabbits show high risks of acquiring uterine and mammary cancer.
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Toys and mental stimulation
Rabbits are intelligent creatures, they can easily get bored with their toys and playthings. If rabbits are not constantly mentally stimulated or challenged, it is very possible that they will resort to chewing on your furniture or baseboards or even digging holes in your carpets. Bringing your rabbits new toys helps keep their mental stability in check and your furniture and carpet safe.
Note; anything can be used as toys for your rabbits, this saves you the stress of going to the nearest retail store to buy toys for your rabbits.
How Long Do Domestic Rabbits Live In Captivity
For some people, the word captivity means to keep domesticated animals or pets, even if they are cats, dogs, bunnies, hamsters, reptiles, amphibians and lots more.
In a nutshell, rabbits living in captivity have a better chance of living longer than rabbits in the wild. This is simply because rabbits in captivity or domesticated rabbits are given much care and they are also less endangered by various factors like predators, and environmental changes.
Domesticated rabbits have a life expectancy between 8 and 12 years as opposed to their wild counterparts that can only live a few years because of their exposure to the various adverse environmental and climatic changes, as well as exposure to predators, diseases, and starvation.
This goes to show that the life span of any rabbit, whether domesticated or wild is influenced by a number of factors including their immediate environments. If the conditions of this immediate environment are favourable, then their life expectancy is said to be fulfilled or even increased and vice versa.
How Long Do Domestic Rabbits Live On Average
Just like every other pet or animal out there, rabbits have an average lifespan which allows their owners to keep their bunnies in optimum health in every stage of their life.
To cut the long story short, domesticated rabbits on an average can live up to 8 to 12 years, unlike their wild relatives that can only live at most 2 years in the wild because of their increased exposure to disease, predators and starvation.
How Long Do Domesticated Rabbits Live In The Wild
If domesticated rabbits are left in the wild their life expectancy becomes shorter, sometimes even shorter than those rabbits already existing in the wild. These rabbits may not successfully adapt to the harsh nature of the newly found environment. The life expectancy of any rabbit in the wild is estimated between 1 to 2 years.
