“What is the lifespan of pet bunnies?” is one question on the minds of a lot of pet lovers. Just like other domesticated animals, rabbits can live to a ripe old age before dying of natural causes. Rabbits can also die from many known external causes. But ideally, when properly cared for, rabbits hardly fall ill and will live a very healthy and fulfilled life.
Learning to understand your pet bunny is very important to its overall well-being in the long run. The reason for this is, that rabbits are highly sensitive and fragile animals. Yes, they may be able to live to full age, but proper care and attention go a long way in stringing it along that part.
In this article, we will discuss the following as it concerns the average lifespan of a rabbit:
- How long do rabbits live as pets?
- Can rabbits live 20 years?
- How do rabbits usually die?
- What is the lifespan of an indoor rabbit?
How Long Do Rabbits Live As Pets?
Just like humans, there is not an exact age you can confidently say a rabbit can live for. Rabbits all have different personalities and backgrounds. As such, it becomes difficult to allocate a single number to it. However, one can still set the average lifespan of a rabbit to a particular age range.
This age range will still be determined by several factors including sex, breed, environment, and lifestyle of the rabbit. On average, domesticated rabbits live longer than their wild relatives since generally live better, and are not exposed to harsh external factors such as diseases, predators, and food scarcity.
Does Sex Make a Difference?
When it comes to the sex of a rabbit, female rabbits on average, live longer than their male counterparts. The breed of the rabbit is also to be considered. It is believed that larger breeds such as Flemish giants and French lops have a shorter lifespan than smaller breeds or dwarf rabbits.
For clarity, we may only consider the lifespan of a healthy well-cared-for pet rabbit which is put at an average of 8 to 14 years. Wild rabbits on the other hand live between one and two years of age. This wide difference in lifespan just like we highlighted earlier is attributed to the difference in lifestyle between a wild and a domesticated rabbit.
For your rabbit to live well into a ripe old age, you must give it the most care and attention. The hostile environment wild rabbits grow and live in stifles their ability to thrive and live and long fulfilling life.
Domesticated rabbits are consequently afforded the luxury of a good life—adequate shelter, rich balanced meals, and a lot of play and exercise time. All of these plus lead to healthy mental stimulation which in turn contributes to an extended lifespan over time.
Additionally, always ensure you keep your pet bunnies vaccinated regularly to help prevent diseases and illnesses.
Can Rabbits Live 20 Years?
Rabbits get to live as long as any other domesticated pet to include dogs, cats, and parrots. By this, we mean living up to ages in their double digits. But before we analyze the average lifespan of a rabbit, a lot has to be taken into consideration.
A pet rabbit can live from 8 to 12 years if given the right care and attention. Some are known to live as long as 14 years. Just like we pointed out, several factors come into play to determine just what age an average rabbit can live.
In trying to understand the lifespan of rabbits, you may want to consider things like sex, breed, and lifestyle. Rabbits in the wild have a far shorter lifespan than their domesticated peers. This is a result of the harsh environments they grow up in. Your domesticated rabbits would certainly thrive better since you provide them with the best care possible.
You most probably will provide it with a good shelter, a quality meal, and also very importantly, a great environment where it can play and exercise all day. But then it goes beyond that.
The 20-Year-Old Question
The question: Can rabbits live to 20 years can be very tricky. The truth is, there are no documented records of any rabbit that has lived up to that age. The oldest recognized rabbit by the Guinness Book of World Records was known by the name, Hazel. Hazel was a dwarf rabbit from Norfolk that lived to be 16 years old.
So is it possible for a rabbit to live up to 20 years? The answer would be YES.
Just like the improved quality of life for your pet bunny will be predicated on several factors that make that possible, it can also be assumed that by maintaining the same factors, a rabbit can as well live to be 20 years of age.
Some of these factors include:
- A proper, balanced diet and timely, regular meals
- Maintaining good hygiene practices.
- Routine vaccination (annually)
- Spaying and Neutering your male and female rabbits
- A highly improved lifestyle to include lots of toys, play, and exercise
How Do Rabbits Usually Die?
Rabbits can die from any number of known causes including the following:
Dangerous fly or Myiasis
Some deadly flies can lay their eggs on the body of your pet bunny which can manifest into myiasis. Myiasis is a parasitic infestation of larva from these deadly flies which can feed on the bodies and tissues of a rabbit leading to its death.
Heart Attack
Rabbits are delicate animals that can easily be startled. Something as harmless as noise can send your rabbit into a fix. But most commonly, rabbits can get a heart attack from a predator attack. The mere knowledge of a rabbit within the vicinity can send a rabbit into instant panic which ultimately can kill it.
Heat Stroke
Rabbits die from overexposure to the heat. When a rabbit stays under the sun for an extended period, it can get a heatstroke which can kill it if not probably handled on time.
Swallowing Objects
Rabbits enjoy playing with small objects. They are also fond of holding these small objects in their mouths and chewing on them. Sometimes, rabbits stand the risk of swallowing these small objects in error. These objects can choke and kill them if they lodge in the wrong side of their throat.
Poisoning
Rabbits are also known to die from poisoning. Some species of plants are known to have poisonous constituents which can be very harmful when ingested. Also, rabbits can feed on lush greens that have just been recently fumigated by pesticides. This can poison and kill them if they don’t seek urgent medical attention.
Underlying Health Complications
Rabbits can die from any number of underlying health complications. That is why it is always advised that you take your rabbit for regular medical checks at the vet clinic.
Rough Handling
This one is very common with house rabbits. Sometimes where a pet rabbit is left in the company of little kids unattended, they stand the risk of being manhandled. Little children may want to try all manner of tricks with them whilst oblivious of the potential harm these might pose to the sensitive state of rabbits. Many rabbits have died under strange circumstances resulting from this.
What Is The Lifespan Of An Indoor Rabbit?
Domesticated rabbits enjoy all manner of luxuries elusive to their mates in the wild. A wild rabbit would have to struggle to find food all his life. He will also have to build a suitable shelter for himself and his family to shield them from harsh weather conditions. Worse still, a wild rabbit would have to live every day hiding from potential predators.
All of these challenges will certainly put a strain on the life of the rabbits. Therefore on average, a wild rabbit has a shorter life span than those that live indoors with humans.
Humans live in a far less toxic, hygienic, and cozy environment. We tend to make our environments comfortable for habitation. So it is no surprise that when we bring home pets, they too enjoy these basic comforts we set for ourselves.
An indoor rabbit is first and foremost shielded from harsh weather in the open. You can imagine the scorching heat of the sun on a hot summer day. Now, compare the experience a domesticated rabbit will have staying in the cool confines of the inside of your home, probably with an air-conditioning set installed, and that of a rabbit out in the wild under this burning heat.
Imagine both scenarios over months and what impact they would have on the lives of both rabbits. It is not hard figuring out why indoor rabbit has a better quality of life than their relatives in the wild.
Now when it comes to the question of the average lifespan of an indoor rabbit, the answers don’t come farfetched. Indoor rabbits live for an average of 8 to 12 years given that they are properly cared for and provided for.