
Pet Bunny Price – How Much Money are They?
Rabbits are small, beautiful creatures that are lovely to have around at home as pets. Unlike dogs, cats, and some other kind of pets, rabbits are quite mild-tempered and nonaggressive. They’re safe to have around homes with kids. They don’t typically pose any serious health risk to your household. And most of all, they can bring some aura of joy and happiness as they become a member of your family.
Unfortunately, many people planning to adopt a rabbit don’t know how much it would cost. This raises the question: How Much Does A Rabbit Cost?
Cost of Adopting A Rabbit
While we’d love to provide you with a definitive cost, there’s no fixed price for rabbits. It all depends on your location, the rabbit breed, size, and who you’re buying or adopting from. For starters, if you’re buying a new rabbit, it will set you back by around $5 to $20+. Yes, it could get as cheap as that. If you’re adopting from an animal rescue or any organization that offers rabbits for adoption, that price could go higher.
Adopting from a humane society or a shelter could cost around $25+. Adopting from a private rescue could cost as much as $50+. While buying might seem like the most cost-effective option, there some lovely benefits that come with adoption. Adopting could provide benefits like free veterinary services for some time, free microchipping, and free spay or neuter. Apart from those, your bunny will also likely have a clean bill of health. If you’re buying a new rabbit, you’ll eventually have to pay for neutering.
Is that all there’s to buying or adopting a rabbit?
Unfortunately, No! Some important things must be kept in place even before you bring your rabbit home. One of such things is your rabbit shelter. Depending on the type of rabbit shelter you want to use, you’ll spend between $30 to as much as $250+. You can choose to build a NIC cube cage, buy a pre-made cage, use exercise pens, or have a free-range. Free-ranging is usually the least expensive option, while pre-made cages and hutches could get quite expensive. On average, an:
- Exercise pen could cost around $30+
- NIC cube cage could cost around $40+
- Commercial cage could cost around 100+ USD
- Hutch could cost around 200+ USD
The average cost could go up or down significantly depending on the size and design of the rabbit enclosure you opt for. Your location could also play a part in determining just how much you spend on an enclosure. You’ll likely find cheap deals for rabbit enclosures on Craigslist or any similar online shopping platform. You’ll also find several varieties of rabbit enclosures on Amazon with varying prices. Apart from enclosures, you’ll need to put several rabbit care accessories in place as well.
Cost of Rabbit Care Accessories
There are several accessories that you’ll need to get for your rabbit as you bring it home. Some of the essential ones include:
- Water bowl or bottle: this should cost around $6. That could go up depending on the design.
- Litter Box: a medium-sized litter box should cost around $4. However, more beautiful looking options would cost more. The quoted price is for a not-too-good looking and average-sized litter box. You’re sure to find a variety of litter boxes on Amazon.
- Ceramic bowls: you’ll need some durable, heavy-duty ceramic bowls for serving your rabbit with food. This should cost around $6.
- Beddings: If you want to treat your rabbit right, then you’ll need to provide it with a soft surface to lie on. This includes a towel, blanket, or carpet scrap. Those items should typically cost around $4 each.
- Grooming Tools: Yes, your bunny will need some grooming from time to time. You may not need grooming tools immediately, but they’ll surely come in handy. Some grooming tools you’ll need include:
- Hairbrush – around $4
- Hair comb – around $4
- Nail clippers – around $4
Cost of Spaying and Neutering
If you bought a new rabbit that hasn’t been neutered, then you’ll have to bear the cost of neutering. Neutering will set you back by as much as $50 to $200 . To avoid the cost of neutering, you can simply adopt from an animal rescue that offers free neutering.
Ongoing Cost
Even after your bunny has settled in at home nicely. There are still a lot of things that need to be taken care of throughout its entire lifetime. Taking care of your bunny is what constitutes an ongoing cost. This includes the cost of everything you’ll need to ensure the rabbit is fed and well taken care of. One of the primary contributors to your rabbit’s ongoing cost is the cost of food. Your rabbit’s food will include vegetables, hay, and pellets. Usually, buying in bulk will shave off some extra money from your ongoing cost. Buying your rabbit’s food from pet stores could be quite expensive when compared to other sources.
However, if you’re buying in small quantities (which you likely will), then pet stores are the way to go. If you have enough room to store a large amount of hay at once, then you can buy it directly from a feed store. It helps if you have many rabbits to feed. Depending on your location, you can get Timothy hay for around $7 to $50 per bale. In comparison, you’ll probably have to pay around $8 for a small 64oz bag of hay when buying from a pet store.
Of course, hay isn’t the only thing you’ll feed your rabbit; you’ll also need to provide pellets and vegetables. The cost of vegetables and pellets vary depending on the season and the type. And then you’ll need to provide them with toys and some special treats at your discretion. Another major ongoing cost is the cost of veterinary services. Typically, a round of checkup by a veterinary could set you back by around $40 to $100 or more, depending on the location and the veterinarian you’re hiring.