Rabbits are cute little furballs that are growing in popularity as pets nowadays. Even though rabbits are popular, there are people concerned about rabbits’ cleanliness, which could be putting them off buying their own. So, are rabbits clean animals?
Rabbits are exceptionally clean animals. They don’t like living in their own mess, and you can even easily train them to use a litterbox. Rabbits will clean themselves at least once a day as they don’t want to attract predators with a smell, so you will also very rarely smell your rabbit.
Is there any way that a rabbit might cause a mess in your home? Let’s find out more about rabbits and their cleanliness to see if rabbits really are clean animals.
Are Rabbits Clean Animals?
Rabbits are loveable creatures that are friendly and affectionate. These little animals are one of the most popular pet options today, as more and more people are looking to adopt or buy their own pet rabbit.
One thing that may have potential rabbit owners a bit apprehensive about taking that final step and buying their rabbit is that many people consider rabbits dirty animals. Is this true, though? Are rabbits as dirty as they say?
Rabbits are actually naturally clean animals. Rabbits don’t like having their living area dirty and messy, even when living outside in a rabbit hutch. Rabbits kept indoors and trained can be as clean, if not even cleaner, than a housetrained dog or a litterbox trained house cat.
Rabbits are intelligent animals and are easy to train, so you can ensure that your home and your rabbit is always clean. Rabbits can be taught to use a litterbox like a cat, and they will pick up this training very fast.
Rabbits don’t like pooping anywhere near their food or bedding, so if you supply them with a litterbox and encourage them to use it, they will always use it to go to the bathroom.
Once rabbits are spayed or neutered and mature, they will ensure their living areas are clean and free from any of their excretions.
Another myth about rabbits that leads people to believe that they are dirty animals is that rabbits smell bad or cause a bad smell in your home. This is false; rabbits will not cause a bad smell in your home as they are clean animals, and their fur doesn’t have any discernible scent.
Even the rabbit’s poop does not have a strong smell. Remember that rabbits are prey animals and try their best to ensure predators do not notice them, so they have evolved to be as smell-less as possible to help them survive.
With a pet rabbit that you keep indoors, as long as you clean out their litterbox once a day, you will not smell your rabbit in the slightest.
Do Rabbits Clean Themselves?
When you have a rabbit, you will not need to worry about bathing or cleaning your rabbit as they meticulously clean themselves every day. Rabbits will actively try to keep themselves clean to keep their odor down.
You will often see your rabbit grooming themselves or their friends to stay clean. Rabbits will clean themselves like dogs do; they lick themselves clean. This may not sound very hygienic to us humans, but rabbits have a specially evolved tongue to make sure that the job of cleaning themselves is done perfectly.
Rabbits have been using this method of cleaning themselves for centuries. If a rabbit cannot reach a particular section of themselves to clean, they will ask one another for help. This is a great sign that your rabbits are getting along well with each other.
Ways a Rabbit Might Cause a Mess in Your Home
Even though rabbits are clean animals, and they like to keep their living space clean, there are a few ways in which they could cause a mess in your home. Thankfully, this has nothing to do with poop or any other excretions, but these can still be annoying to some people.
If you know the following things will be a problem for you and your home, then maybe a rabbit is not the pet for you. Let’s look at how rabbits might cause a mess in your home.
Rabbits Are Chewers
Unfortunately, rabbits, as cute as they are, are chewers. Rabbits will chew anything and everything they deem chewable. They will chew furniture, towels, clothes, cables, and more.
You need to remember that a rabbit’s teeth are constantly growing, and they need things to chew to wear their teeth down. If you do not provide them with something to chew, they will find things to chew for this reason.
When rabbits don’t have anything to chew to help grind down their teeth, this can make the rabbit uncomfortable and cause severe problems for the rabbit down the line. Rabbits are also intelligent animals, and they get bored.
If your rabbit is bored, it will start chewing things in your home to try and keep itself entertained. It is important to provide toys and other stimuli to your rabbits to keep them busy, or they may destroy your furniture.
Most Rabbits Shed
Rabbits are furry animals, and their fur sheds to make way for new fur growth. Rabbits will also shed their winter coats in the summer. Rabbits do have thick fur, and their fur can be highly visible in your home, depending on the type of floors you have.
If you do not clean the fur that your rabbit has shed regularly, this can build up inside your home and make your home look messy. If this doesn’t bother you, and you are happy to clean up the fur when you clean the rest of your home, then you can definitely deal with a rabbit as a pet.
If you can’t deal with this, then this doesn’t need to stop you from buying a rabbit, as there are ways you can prevent the fur buildup in your home.
All you need to do is brush your rabbit regularly, at least once a week. This will help reduce the fur around your home as you can throw it in the garbage right away.
Final Thoughts
Rabbits are cuddly animals, and they are clean. Rabbits kept indoors are as clean as your housetrained dog is, if not cleaner as the rabbit will bathe itself at least once a day.
So, if you want to buy a rabbit, but are concerned about the mess they may make in your home, then this article should have put your mind at ease. Good luck with your rabbit!
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard. I also like photographing wild birds, especially birds of prey.