Learning to raise rabbits or any other pet while growing up in a family can be a very rewarding experience for children. However, which pet do you choose for your children? The most common pets are cats, dogs, birds, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, and rabbits. All of these animals are great choices for a number of reasons.
I was lucky to have the opportunity to raise rabbits from 6 to 14 years old together with my sister. Let me tell you about our experience. We started with a gray and white adult male rabbit and a black adult female rabbit that we kept outside in two separate wooden cages in a large metal garden shed.
The rabbit cages were lined with straw to keep the rabbits warm in the winter and provide them with a comfortable sitting area. We fed the rabbits hay, alfalfa, oats, dandelions, grass, carrots, and pellets and provided them with plenty of water in containers that hung on the side of the cage. These items can be purchased at your local grocery store, pet store, or local farm.
In the summer, their cages were cleaned every two or three days and they sat on shavings. Some of their droppings were saved for our garden as fertilizer, which really helped our vegetables grow well. The rest of the droppings were put in a garbage bag for the garbage man to pick up weekly.
Since the rabbits lived in a garden shed, the environment was very nice and so after 3 months we started breeding them to have baby rabbits to sell to other children. Also, we would reinvest the money we earn in more rabbit supplies.
An important fact is that the average lifespan of a rabbit is 8-10 years, which means that there is a great commitment to these animals not only from the point of view of cleanliness, but also from the emotional point of view.
To have a friendly rabbit, remember to pick it up, hold it and pet it every day. Our rabbits were very friendly and comfortable around us, so we became very attached to them. It was very nice because in a way they became part of the family.
Questions and Recommendations
You may have some questions about how we raise our rabbits.