Everybody always asks me if I’m a cat person or a dog person.
Nobody ever asks if I’m a rabbit person. But they should, because I am.
I’ve had an indoor, free-roaming pet rabbit for just over four years now. His name is Moriarty and he’s a (slightly overweight) English spot rabbit.
He’s also the best lad.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BT2IJf6F6Zc/?taken-by=jadehayden
People tend to associate pet rabbits with children. They see them as a small, cute, silent animal that spends the majority of its time outdoors in a hutch.
But there’s more to pet rabbits than meets the eye.
They’re actually the ultimate animal to have roaming around the gaff all day and night.
Here why:
1. I am never alone.
Literally never.
My rabbit is free roaming which means that he’s toilet trained and never has to be locked inside of his cage.
But my rabbit is also terrified of absolutely everything so he chooses to stay within the confines of my bedroom. Which is absolutely fine by me.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFHWm9YyVNb/?taken-by=jadehayden
Typically, you can find Moriarty flaked out under the bed, curled up behind the TV, or waiting by the door for a treat.
Moriarty knows what the sound of the fridge opening means. Moriarty is smart.
2. He eats all my leftover veggies.
Ever open a fresh bag of lettuce, make yourself a salad, and have no further use for that lettuce?
No problem, because pet rabbits will eat whatever you don’t.
Just be sure not to overfeed them with tasty treats, because they will become overweight, and increasingly lazy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BP2Mlb8AO_j/?taken-by=jadehayden
3. Rabbits are very affectionate… some of the time.
Most pet rabbits do not enjoy being picked up, but they do love a good stroke.
It is not uncommon for Moriarty to wait in the doorway until somebody comes to pet him. If he receives a particularly decent stroke, he’ll grind his teeth in satisfaction.
That’s when you know you done good.
4. He keeps me active.
My pet rabbit exercises at two times during the day – early in the morning and late at night.
During these times, he will chase me around the room for approximately one minute, before retreating under the bed and lying down for a good five hours.
It not only keeps him from becoming (too) overweight, but also keeps my own health in tip top shape.
5. He makes cameos in my selfies.
There’s only one thing that could make a fire selfie even more fire and that’s the appearance of a small bun lurking in the background.
Moriarty is extremely photogenic, and he never misses the opportunity to photobomb and serve some #face online.
He knows his angles.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV-akzWFxhg/?taken-by=jadehayden
6. Rabbits are less work than dogs but not as standoffish as cats.
A controversial statement, I know, but try keeping a dog or a cat in an apartment. It would be fair to neither animal nor human.
Despite loving a bit of outdoor grass action, rabbits also thrive indoors.
They are safe from predators, are never neglected, and tend to live longer.
7. You become accustomed to binkies.
Never heard of a binky? That’s because you don’t have a rabbit.
A binky is when a rabbit gets excited, jumps up in the air, and twists its body in delight.
It’s an exquisite sight to see and after four years, I’m still not sick of it.
8. He wakes me up in the morning.
Rabbits may be small but they can jump high.
Moriarty has been known to launch himself onto my bed in the early hours of the morning, climb onto my pillow, and lie down right beside my face.
It’s cute, if not a bit much sometimes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVcW86hlCsM/?taken-by=jadehayden
9. You’ll go vegetarian, probably.
Before owning a pet rabbit, I was not entirely against the idea of eating rabbit meat.
Now, after living with a rabbit for a very long time, I don’t eat meat at all.
Years of suffering rabbit stew ‘jokes’, and the intense blistering sadness that comes with them, have shown me that I don’t want to consume bunny meat – or any other kind of animal either.
I just want them to wander around my house instead.
*This article was originally published in 2018. The author has since moved out of her family home and left Moriarty to reside alone in her bedroom and en suite. They remain good friends.
