How much time do rabbits require? Basic rabbit keeping chores

Angora rabbits can seem intimidating with all that fluff, but if you are willing to put in the time they can be great companions and pay for their upkeep in wool.

Just how much time?  This is what you can expect for chores when keeping rabbits

Daily Chores (10-15 minutes for chores plus playtime)

Quick cleaning of their enclosure

Every rabbit enclosure is different. My rabbits live in two horse stalls in my barn. We have easy clean foam floor tiles. Every day I sweep up any stray poop, straw, and spilled food. I dump this into the compost. Even with two large stalls, it only takes a few minutes.

Tend feed, hay, water & feed fresh greens

Every day I check to make sure the water bottle has water (it needs to be filled every couple of days).  I add fresh hay to the hay bin, and I add their daily feed pellets to their feed bin (1/2 cup per rabbit).  The feed bin will hold several days of pellets, but my bunnies are little piggies and will eat up all their pellets ignoring their hay & greens which they need to stay healthy.  When I head out to the rabbit yard, I bring fresh greens or herbs, or I pick them fresh from the garden when in season.  Each rabbit should have 1 1/2 -2 cups of fresh greens/herbs/veggies every day.

Health Check

Take a few moments to check over the rabbit’s coat, skin, ears, eyes, & mouth.  Observe their behavior, are they acting lethargic, nervous, itchy, etc?

Play time

This one is hardly a “chore” but every day you should spend time bonding with your bunnies.  Sit on the ground while they hop about, and give them special snuggles & ear scratches.  Let them get used to affection and handling that isn’t related to grooming.  How much time is going to vary based on your schedule, but at minimum try to be with your bunny at least 10-15 minutes a day (obviously if you can do more, do more!).

Keep in mind, your rabbit needs time outside of his hutch/cage no matter what your schedule is.  If you can only spare 15 minutes that day, they need a safe place to exercise & explore without you.  Exercise time is important for your rabbit’s emotional & physical well-being.  A rabbit that is confined to only his cage for days on end is a sad bunny and at risk of becoming overweight.  

Your rabbit should have access to a safe exercise area with at least 30 square feet per rabbit every day.  Ideally, exercise time would be at least 3-4 hours daily, but the more the better.  My rabbits are allowed out in their exercise area 24/7. Their outdoor area is completely secure on all sides so they can access it whenever they like.  In their play area provide objects for them to climb on and hide in, such as tunnels or boxes.  Rabbits are really smart animals and they need variety & challenges to keep them from being bored.  Click here for my post on playing with your bunny

 

Weekly Chores

In-depth cleaning of the enclosure – about 15 minutes

Once a week I empty the litter boxes into the compost bin and fill them with fresh litter.  I spray down the walls for urine spray and any area of the floor that is messy with my homemade, safe cleaning solution.  The rabbits have a space full of hay or straw for digging. Once a week I like to shake out the straw and sweep up any poop. Then I remove any soiled or wet hay and replace it with fresh.  I do a quick raking in the rabbit outdoor yard if needed.   Cleaning the enclosures & outdoor yard takes about 15 minutes, once a week

Grooming – 30 minutes for Angoras, less for short haired rabbits

This is obviously a HUGE part of keeping Angora rabbits happy & healthy.  When the rabbits are NOT in a shedding period, I brush them once a week, taking about 30 minutes per rabbit.  Every 2-3 months Angoras will shed their coat.  You will not be able to miss it, the fur will come off in chunks just petting them.  There are three methods for removing the coat at this time – either shearing (using scissors or clippers to cut the fur off), plucking (basically just removing the loose fur with your hands), or combing (brushing the loose hair out).  I brush the loose fur out, and during shedding periods the weekly grooming ends up taking about an hour per rabbit.  Keep in mind, if you are planning on showing your Angora, you can expect the grooming to be more involved.   Click here to check out my grooming how to!

For non-Angora rabbits, the grooming schedule will be much less. For medium haired Lionheads, you can expect 10-15 minutes of grooming every other week. For short haired rabbits, a quick 10-15 minutes once a month will be plenty.

And that’s it – not too horrible right?  Angoras are definitely not a pet to take lightly. I would say similarly high maintenance as a dog and more work than a cat. If you don’t think you can keep up with the grooming chores, I would recommend trying another breed. Lionhead rabbits are a good compromise if you are looking for a fluffy rabbit. They are still very fluffy, but it’s concentrated on their head and skirt, so not nearly as intense to groom.