How Much Is A Rabbit: A Guide To Buying A Rabbit And It’s Expenses
So how much is a rabbit? If you are thinking of getting a rabbit and you are doing your research before getting one, high five to you! Always learn everything you can before getting into something and being disappointed afterward.
Like anything you can make keeping a rabbit as expensive or as affordable as you want.
I am going to give you a high end and a low end of how much a rabbit costs while giving you these estimates AND hopefully find you some affordable options to help you save some money. Sound good?
This post is all about helping you figure out “how much is a rabbit” as well as other expenses you might run into.
How Much Is A Rabbit Itself
The rabbit themselves can range from as low as $10 to as much as $350 or even more. The key factors in the price of a rabbit are the breed and quality or conformation of that rabbit. Years ago it used to cost more to buy a doe (female rabbit) but now it’s not as common. In the show world sometimes people will charge $25 or so dollars more because they know you will be making some money by breeding her.
You may not know this but just like there are shows for dogs. There are also shows for rabbits where the rabbits are judged on their conformation.
The higher the quality rabbit the more you are going to pay.
Side Note: Just because you don’t plan to show the rabbit doesn’t mean you should ask the person to sell you one as a pet. (The best way to find a”deal” on a rabbit that may not be the full price is to ask if they ever get pet quality rabbits. And to ask if they can contact you if they get one. Then give them all of your contact methods.) It is your choice to buy a better quality animal or not. Sometimes they will have an animal that got injured as a baby, has a tare in the ear, or the wrong color nail. Or something like that show-up but that could be once every few years.
Rabbits like Californians are one of those breeds that has the low end AND the HIGH END of rabbits, not much in the middle. You could find one for as low as $10 at the fair that was someone’s 4H project. Or you could find really nice rabbits that are as much as $500 and they have amazing type and conformation.
Then there are breeds like the french lop that you will be lucky if you can find one under $100 these days. When I started raising them in 2009 the starting price was around $50 and you could find some occasionally for less. Now in 2022, the average price for a french lop is $150 and as high as $300.
Where to go if you want to find a lower-priced rabbit.
If you want to find a more affordable rabbit go to Craig’s List or look for a Facebook group that is for rabbits and rehoming them in your area. That is going to be the easiest place to find affordable rabbits.
Just keep in mind that if you buy a rabbit off of someone that is not raising them you could very likely get someone’s problem child who is misbehaving. You can work with rabbits but it takes a LONG time to fix major issues like biting and not wanting to be held.
If you are wanting a specific breed start by searching on google to see what sites come up.
Search the phrase (breed)+(breeders in + location) will help you find people close by. The location is key because if you’re not careful you will find people from all over the world.
You can search the same way on Facebook and find a rabbitry Facebook page. Not all rabbit breeders have a website.
How Much Do Baby Bunnies Cost
If you want a short and sweet answer.
A more affordable rabbit from a backyard breeder who wanted to do it “just for fun” you are looking at $10-$30 or the better quality rabbits are going to start at $50-100. Whether you buy a baby rabbit or an adult isn’t going to change the price much if at all.
How Much Does It Cost To Keep A Rabbit
Ok, let’s get down to the ongoing costs of keeping rabbits.
It doesn’t matter if your rabbit is a $10 Californian or it is a $300 show-winning rabbit the upkeep is going to cost you about the same.
Feeding Costs
Alright, let’s get down and dirty with some math. (I know fun right?)
The most affordable and safest way to feed your rabbit is going to be feeding it commercial rabbit pellets. NOT the stuff you find in the pet section at Walmart that has hair puffed colors added to it that is created for YOU the pet owner.
Commercial feed is going to be about $18-$22 for 50 POUNDS!!! Here as those little bags with 3-5pounds are going to cost you about $10. You are paying 5x more than you should be when buying that kind of feed.
Now I hear you thinking “but it will take forever for my rabbit to go through that much” Why should I buy that much all at once… well hold on we will get to that in a second.
But there are 25lb bags that are still a better price than buying those small little bags that even a small rabbit will go through in a week or two. If you keep the feed in a dry place the feed will be just fine for up to 6 months.
Here are some places and brands I recommend finding the feed.
If you want to try a certain brand and your local feed dealer doesn’t carry it, you can go directly to the feed manufacturer’s website and they have a “find a dealer” tab where you can put in the area you are in and they will pull up the feed dealer’s close by that sell there product.
Tractor Supply
- Blue Seal 50lbs
- Purina Complete 50lbs
- Purina Compete 25lbs
Rural King
- Nutrena
- Kent
- Blue Seal
- Country Roads – If you do not plan to show or breed your rabbits. I think you should try one of the better feeds because the condition is a huge part of rabbit showing.
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How much does one rabbit eat?
Well, a french lop (on average a 13lb rabbit) eats about 5 pounds per week. Meaning that a 50pound bag will last them 10 weeks. So let’s say I have to buy 5 bags a year for simplicity’s sake to keep one french lop.
5 bags x $20 = $100
So it costs about $100 a year if you buy the commercial feed.
Most rabbit feed from a pet section in any store is about a dollar a pound. (see why I say it is way better to feed that and not from the pet section?)
Let’s assume you are getting a smaller rabbit about 5 pounds once it’s fully grown. You could get away with 15-18 weeks of feed would be my rough estimation.
My Rabbitry Must Haves
Key Points To Know About A Rabbits Daily Diet
People love to argue that hay is the most important ingredient in a rabbit’s diet. But that is not so.
FIBER is the most important ingredient and that does not have to come from hay.
I don’t feed my rabbits hay because there can be some serious health exclusions for feeding hay that has gone bad and you may not even notice it. Rabbits have a very sensitive digestive tract and bad hay can kill them without warning. Read this post to find out why I don’t feed my rabbits hay.
With that said when you are diluting the pellet intake by giving the rabbits green vegetables, hay, and other leafy greens you are also diluting the intake of nutrition the rabbit is getting.
The commercial pellets are formulated to have everything your rabbit needs. If you disrupt that you are going to cause health issues for your rabbit.
Treats Need To Be Very Minimal
The running joke in the show world is called bunny crack. Meaning the rabbit gets so focused on getting that one thing that they will go on strike from their food because they are holding out for that one thing.
Make their treats so unpredictable that they won’t know where they are kept and how often you give them.
Every two weeks is a good ballpark.
Things like strawberry tops, banana peals, or carrots are the best type of treats. NEVER give those stupid yogurt drops or dumb sweet things they have in the pet sections.
Rabbit Supplies And Equipment Costs
How Much Is A Rabit Hutch – $100-$300
The first thing I want to make clear is that your rabbit cage or rabbit hutch should have a wire flooring that keeps the rabbit off of the waste long term. Read this post to find out more about finding a good outdoor cage for your rabbit.
Hutches can be very expensive. The first thing I would try is to look through the Facebook marketplace or craigslist to see if you can find something secondhand that doesn’t need too much work.
Then I would look at your local feed store to see if they have any that would work for the size rabbit you intend to get. If you buy a rabbit larger than 5-7 pounds you won’t find a rabbit hutch big enough. If you plan to buy a large rabbit you will likely have to do a DIY.
Here are some hutches I have found that are a decent price if you plan to buy a new hutch.
Rabbit Hutches
Outdoor hutch with a wire bottom
You know my feelings about solid floors, this is the healthiest way to house your rabbits. Keeping them OFF of a solid floor and away from their waste. It is ssssoooo hard to find a full wire floor these days. If you have a larger rabbit breed you could take the divider out.
Single hutch with a wire floor.
Here is a single hutch that is very similar to the other one above. Check it out on petco
Second Rabbit Cage Option – Hanging Rabbit Cages – $30 – $60
The difference between these and a hutch is you still need to provide shelter with these. But if you have a garage, out building, or if you plan to keep your rabbit in your home (which I highly discourage, read this post to find out why) these are going to be a more affordable option.
I like these options the best because the hutches rarely have 100% solid floor or wire mesh. They often have one section that is a solid floor and I don’t recommend that for your rabbits.
Water Bottles – $6-$20
Personally, I use bowls for my rabbit’s water because they are far less likely to be damaged by the water freezing and disinforming the nozzle causing a continuous drip. You don’t want your rabbit to run out of water in the summer for sure so it’s not worth the risk in my opinion.
Also, bowls are much easier to clean and keep the rabbits with fresh water than bottles.
But here are my recommendations for water bowls and bottles.
Water Bottles And Bowls
These are some of the best prices you will find for rabbit bottles and water’ers
Rabbit Feed Cups – $2-$15
If you have a rabbit cage made out of wire mesh for your rabbits you should use something like this. They are the best price you will find and stand up to the abuse rabbits put on them.
Otherwise here are some other feed holder options.
Other Misalaniuse Supplies
If you are not showing or breeding a rabbit you can keep your rabbitry supplies to a very low minimum. You only need nail clippers and a few combs to keep the rabbit in tiptop shape.
- Comb – See On Amazon
- Grooming Rake $10 – for when the rabbit is molting.- See On Amazon
- Nail Clippers $15- Dog nail clippers are best because they are much better quality. cat or rabbit ones are often too small or wimpy. – See On Amazon
- Blood Stop $10 – If you trim a rabbit’s nail too short, gell is my favorite over powder. – See On Amazon
Remember that how much you spend is a choice. You can choose to get the most expensive route or you can choose to stick to a budget and find the best deal possible.
Where To Buy A Bunny
Personally if budget is not an issue I would recommend buying a rabbit from a breeder if you want a good quality animal and one with a good temperament.
I would also highly recommend getting a rabbit that is 8-10 weeks old. The older the rabbit gets the more attached they are going to be to the person they are currently living with and it’s going to take them several months to even a year to fully get used to you.
You have to take it slow with rabbits.
Pet rabbits are an awesome starter pet. But like anything you need to be aware of what it could cost you. You are on the right path doing the research and learning about rabbits.
These posts will help you on your rabbit research journey.
