The commitment: 7–10+ years
Well-cared-for indoor rabbits live seven to ten-plus years (HRS). That is longer than many dogs — "starter pet" is the myth rabbit rescues fight every Easter season.
Indoor housing
HRS recommends house rabbits live indoors: it protects from predators, weather extremes and disease vectors, and it makes rabbits part of the family — which is how their sociable, inquisitive nature shows. Outdoor pens need nightly indoor retreat (predators hunt at night) and protection from heat: rabbits overheat easily.
Handling: the floor is their friend
Being lifted and carried is precisely what a ground-loving prey animal dislikes. Culture shows kids carrying bunnies; HRS points out this is exactly wrong. Interaction happens at floor level: sit down, let the rabbit come to you. Burrowing urges can be satisfied with a straw-filled pen box instead of your mattress or the yard.
Rabbit-proofing and chewing
Cover electrical wires — chewing is instinct, not misbehavior. Offer plain cardboard, untreated wood and hay as chew outlets, and verify house plants are non-toxic before they share airspace with a bunny.
Kids and rabbits
Rabbits and toddlers are a mismatch: children show love by holding and cuddling, rabbits experience that as predation. Gentle, supervised, floor-level interaction for older kids works. Adults remain the primary caretaker — always.
The rabbit-savvy vet
Not all vets see many rabbits. Find one before the emergency, get the annual checkup schedule, and neuter/spay on your vet's advice — it prevents uterine cancer in does and reduces behavioral issues.