Pet column: Bunnies as pets are friendly and caring for them is pretty easy

Years ago when I was operating an endangered livestock conservancy on my farm, I raised bunnies known as silver fox rabbits. They are a larger breed known for their glorious silver/blue coats.

They were super friendly and easy going, so caring for them was a lot of fun. They had a beautiful, heated enclosure in the barn with lots of room to play and graze. It was like the Four Seasons for rabbits. Very posh.

I also had a rare mini Rex bunny that lived in my office who went by the name Butterball. I often joked that he was my office assistant because he loved to sit up on my desk while I worked, occasionally hopping over my keyboard when he didn’t particularly care for what I was writing.

His ability to find the delete key was astounding. He had a lot of opinions, which was annoying. But even more annoying, he was usually right.

Butterball had a great relationship with our dogs and cat. But he was particularly attached to my cat, Bailey. They’d take naps together on a wing back chair in my office, and Bailey was careful to make sure Butterball’s coat was always clean.

Every time I’d look over at them cuddled up together, they appeared to have that Mean Girl “you can’t sit with us” look.

It was a lovely life.

I haven’t had a bunny since then — and I miss it.

Bunnies make wonderful companions, and if you happen to be living that vegan lifestyle, bunnies are the perfect little friend to have around.

Caring for rabbits is pretty easy for the most part — and they are hours of entertainment because of all the silly things they do when they play. If you’re thinking about adopting one, here are some quick and easy tips to get your started on your bunny bonanza.

They live their best lives indoors

Domestic rabbits thrive in indoor environments. Who doesn’t like a quiet, temperature controlled living space? But beyond the comfort an indoor home creates for a rabbit, it’s actually much safer to keep them inside.

California is full of wild predators that would love nothing more than to take a bite out of these plump buns. That, and in recent years, an outbreak of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease has made it potentially deadly for a domestic rabbit to be outside.

While it’s not harmful to humans, if you bunny gets it, it will kill them — and it’s highly contagious outside. So avoid that drama all together and keep your bun indoors.

When it comes to enclosures, size matters

Whether you have a small bunny or a larger breed rabbit, the size of their enclosure or cage is very important for their overall health and emotional well-being. Just ask anyone living in a New York apartment, tiny spaces get old really fast and will crush your soul.

The pen you set up for your bunny should be at least 4-6 times bigger than the rabbit. If you have the space, go even bigger and you’ll have one well-adjusted and fun loving bun bun!

A fit bunny is a healthy bunny

Just like our dogs and cats, rabbits need regular exercise. My favorite way to exercise rabbits is to create little obstacle courses for them. It doesn’t cost a thing to create them because you can use items already in your house.

Things like upturned boxes with a little hay inside them (to make them more interesting), cardboard boxes turned into ramps for them to climb, and balls to roll around and play with (like footballs, basketballs or tennis balls).

Keep their litter box fresh

Bunnies are easily potty trained to litter boxes — which is awesome, but no one likes a dirty litter box. They can start to smell bad and deter them from using them. So if you want to keep your place free of accidents, you want to very regularly clean their litter box to make sure it’s fresh.

A healthy vegan diet

Rabbits are natural vegans — so they love to graze on leafy vegetables. You can purchase pellets for them to eat — which are great, but you want to make sure to supplement that with veggies like romaine lettuce, bok choy, mustard greens, carrot tops, cilantro, watercress, basil, kohlrabi, beet greens and broccoli greens.

Adopt from a shelter

Shelters all over California have plenty of rabbits available for adoption. Help your community shelter save more lives by adopting rather than buying from breeders. It’s also a money saver as most shelters subsidize adoption fees or waive them all together.

If you’re looking for a companion who shares your vegan POV and will provide thoughtful insight into your creative writing endeavors, rabbits are for you. Hop on over to your community shelter and check them out!

As a child, Jack Hagerman founded and operated his own make-shift animal rescue — taking in stray cats, injured birds, and the occasional bunny. As an adult, he co-founded a critically endangered livestock conservancy on his farm in the Midwest, where he cared for and rehabilitated more than 400 animals in 17 different critically endangered livestock species. He formerly worked with Pasadena Humane and the Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society. When he isn’t working with animals, he’s writing about them — hoping to create a better world for our animal friends, one witty tangent at a time.