🐇 Bunnies: the perfect pet or a high-maintenance commitment?

Mar 19

For many of us pet parents, the idea of living on a large property filled with endless pets to love would be a dream come true.

Imagine how many animals could live a long, happy, fulfilling life that way!

For a few of us, that dream is a very fortunate reality.

Kinsey Frazier, rabbit enthusiast, Animal Control Officer, and animal lover since birth, experienced a life surrounded by pets from the very beginning.

And it was this very upbringing that fostered her love of bunnies (the bigger, the better!) and led to a career path working with pets who need support the most.

It all started in the mountains

“I’ve had animals as far back as I can remember. When we lived up in the mountains, it was often very cold so we didn’t get to have many kinds of animals… But we had a bunch of dogs and horses, and my family always went trail riding together in the mountains.”

Growing up among the peaks of Colorado, the high-altitude weather may have limited what kinds of pets Kinsey and her family could have, but they always had a lot.

And seeing how much she adored her pets, her mother made an effort to nurture this love of animals as Kinsey got older.

That meant getting her animals she could take care of all by herself.

“My mom always knew that I loved animals, so she was like, ‘If you want it and you can take care of it, then you can have it.’”

After doing some research, they decided that Flemish Giant rabbits would be perfect.

Large, gentle, and highly sociable, the rabbits were a perfect addition to the family… But it was just the beginning.

After her family moved to a 26 acre farm in rural Tennessee, the animals started pouring in:

Goats, chickens, ducks, more dogs, cats, and of course, rabbits–And Kinsey was in heaven.

Being homeschooled, her mother focused on nurturing the passions she saw in her children. And that meant always having animals around that Kinsey could care for.

“I loved how cute they all were, I loved being around them, I loved the whole thing… But mostly, I loved having the responsibility of taking care of them. It made me feel like a responsible adult at age 8.”

But the rabbits made a lasting impression

“The first pet I got as an adult was Hank, the big Flemish Giant I still have–He’ll be 10 this year. I was in a position where I was on my own and I really wanted my own animal. I found a breeder here in Tennessee and that’s where I got Hank.”

Having had experience with multiple rabbit breeds besides the gentle giants, Kinsey knew that this was exactly the kind she’d want again.

Smaller rabbits tend to be more skittish, delicate, and harder to handle. She knew that wasn’t the case with Flemish Giants.

“I feel like a Flemish kind of knows that they're bigger. They're not as scared and they're really easy to socialize with. You can litter box train them, and they'll come right up to you and love on you… But the other breeds, they're not really like that. The Flemish are really great.”

After Hank came Priscilla, then Patsy (do you see a theme here?), all brought home from various circumstances to live a life filled with love and care… And some unexpected surprises.

Priscilla and Patsy were in hutches right next to each other and decided they’d rather be roomies.

So Priscilla chewed through her hutch and went to join Patsy… And now they live in a bigger, custom-made hutch built for two.

Loving them through the good… and the bad

“Rabbits are super delicate, and they’re prey animals. If it’s too hot out, if something’s too loud, if something chaotic is going on, if you mess up their diet… They’ll might not make it.”

In the wild, a weak, sick, or distressed animal is an easy target, so rabbits have learned to hide when something isn’t quite right.

They chew on cords, they poop a lot, they need a larger enclosure than most humans give them, and especially with the smaller breeds, if they’re not handled properly, they can actually break their back.

For the unassuming pet parent, that often makes caring for them seem like a high-maintenance commitment.

But to Kinsey, the benefits still far outweigh the challenges.

“Other than the few challenges, I think they're somewhat easy to take care of. You don't have to take them for walks or clean their litter box every day. You don’t have to worry about them getting out or escaping the yard. They’re really the perfect pet.”

And if you’re patient and loving and committed to forming a bond with them… Their playfulness can fill your life with a whole new kind of joy you never knew.

Bonding with bunnies

“You can definitely bond with them, and honestly, I think it’s really rewarding. They need to know that you’re not going to harm them. You really have to earn their love.”

While it may not come as naturally or as quickly as other kinds of pets, the bond with a rabbit can lead to some very fulfilling moments together.

Once they trust you, you can go right up to them and see how they feel at ease when you’re around. They won’t try to run away, scratch, or kick, but instead, will want to be near you.

And at that point, they’re such fun animals to have around.

“They have such big personalities and they're super playful. They'll get the zoomies, they'll take treats from you, and you can train them to do things… But you have to get that bond first, which takes time.”

After they’ve come out of their shell, the very fact that they trust you is one of the ways that Kinsey feels they show love.

But like humans and other pets, every animal is different, and the love they have to give may look different too.

For Hank, that might look like laying with Kinsey or putting his head under her hand for pets. He also follows her around.

For Priscilla and Patsy, they prefer to love from a distance. They don’t hide or run away anymore and they’ll come up for attention, but they definitely don’t want the physical affection Hank desires.

Regardless, Kinsey makes sure to show them love in ways they’ll receive it.

They all get lots of treats and toys. They get to spend lots of time outside in a playpen, where they can hop around and eat the grass. And especially with Hank, they’ll be carried around, wrapped up in a blanket like a baby (Kinsey swears they love it!).

They get their fur brushed, their nails trimmed, and special salads with fun toppings to keep mealtime interesting and enriching.

Even as an adult, Kinsey’s got a strong desire to always nurture her fur babies.

Life lessons from the rabbit crew

“I think it's really just taught me that if there’s something you want to do, you can do it. They're difficult, and they have a lot of difficult quirks, but once you figure it out? You're in, you're good. nd it's rewarding to have all these cute little creatures around. They're adorable.”

Because rabbits have needs that are unlike the more common dogs and cats, caring for them can be overwhelming at first.

But like many things in life, the experience in and of itself can teach us a lot–if we’re open to learning from it.

For Kinsey, keeping rabbits has taught her to have patience. And in most cases, the reward is highly worth the effort.

It’s also instilled a sense of perseverance and resiliency from a young age, dealing with the death of a beloved animal and trying to understand why it happened.

And instead of letting it deter you from loving another, be willing to open your heart to the next animal and love them just the same, if not, more.

Caring for unique pet needs

This comes as no surprise, but some animals are just a bit tricker to care for than others!

So when you’ve got a routine down, you know what they love, and you know what makes them thrive, you want to make sure they continue getting that care and attention no matter what.