Costs of rabbit ownership
Anyone considering pet rabbit should be prepared with the initial and ongoing costs as part of responsible pet ownership.
Initial costs
Initial costs of owning a rabbit should include the following:
- Adoption or purchasing costs
- Housing costs
- Food costs (hay, pellets, and vegetables)
- Accessories costs (i.e. food bowls, water bowl/bottle, hidey-holes, toys, etc.)
- Spaying and neutering cost (if the bun is not already spayed or neutered)
According to SaveABunny.org initial set-up costs typically range from $75-125; they also provide a shopping list for getting started. See Getting Started for a full listing of the things you will need to set up for your new companion.
Adoption or purchasing cost
If you purchased your new rabbit, costs can range from $5 to $20+ depending on the store and breeder. The cost of adopting your new companion will vary from rescue group to rescue group. Typically, a rabbit from a shelter or humane society will be around $25. Adopting from a private rescue center can typically cost $50+. Adopting provides benefits ranging from an included spay or neuter, free microchipping, and a free veterinarian checkup within a certain amount of days within adoption. Some places may even give you some starter supplies, so all in all, adopting is quite a bargain. Additionally, you will be saving a life!
If you would like to adopt a rabbit, check out Adoption Listings.
Housing cost
The cost of housing will vary depending on whether you decide to use a store bought cage, build a NIC cube cage, use an exercise pen, or have a free range pet. Free range is the least expensive option with most store bought cages and hutches being the most expensive option. Around average...
- Exercise pen - $30+
- NIC cube cage - $40+
- Commercial cage - $100+
- Hutch - $200+
Costs go up depending on complexity and size of enclosure.
You may find cheaper deals if you try to obtain used housing on Craigslist and similar locations.
Food costs
See the food section below for more details.
Accessories costs
Rabbits will need a couple of essential accessories in their housing enclosure. See our Housing#Enclosure Setup for more details and examples.
- Litter box - $4 for a basic medium-sized cat pan. Expect to spend for more nicer options such as a screen or a cover. See Litter Training#Litter Boxes for more ideas.
- Water bowl or bottle - $6
- Heavy duty ceramic bowls for food - $6
- Soft surface to lie on (e.g. towel, carpet scrap, blanket)- $4 each
- Hidey house - $0+. A cardboard box with a hole cut out is sufficient.
Some optional accessories include the following:
- Hay rack - $0+ depending on DIY work. See Hay#Dispensing Hay for more details.
Next, you will need to buy some bunny-proofing materials. Expect to spend at least $15/100 feet of cord protection.
Lastly, you will need to buy grooming tools if you do not wish to take your rabbit to a groomer or veterinarian regularly. Some essentials:
- Nail clippers - $6
- Hair brush - $4
- Hair comb - $4
Spaying and neutering cost
If you obtained your rabbit unaltered, expect to spend anywhere from $50-$200+ to get your rabbit fixed. See Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinics to find some of your cheaper options to fix your rabbit.
Ongoing costs
SaveABunny.org estimates that ongoing costs to be $20+ a month.
Food costs
Your ongoing food costs will include hay, pellets, and vegetables. How often you buy hay and pellets will depend on the quantity you buy. This will also impact how much you spend on hay. Buying from a pet store is more expensive and will need to be done more often due to the small quantities of hay that can be purchased. It is cheapest to buy hay from a feed store, but this also requires that you have the space to store up to 50+ pounds of hay at a given time. Depending on the region, a bale of timothy hay can cost $7–30. A small bag of hay from a pet store will be around $8 for 64oz. If you buy in bulk online from select merchants, you can get a better deal on commercial brands of hay for around $1/pound. See Hay for more information.
Pellets are commonly fed as a supplement and insure that a rabbit will obtain all the vitamins and minerals that a hay and water diet may not. Again, cost will vary based on the quantity and frequency that buy pellets as well as the brand. Oxbow is one of the more expensives brand but is well known for its quality. A 5 pound bag that will last a single adult rabbit around 3-4 months at about 1/4–1/2 cup a day will typically cost around $10.
Vegetables should be bought weekly, and cost will vary based on seasonal sales and the types of vegetables you buy. An Asian market, if available nearby, will typically have the cheapest vegetables. You can find vegetables from 33 cents/pound, and one shopping trip will last a single bun around two weeks. Remember to leave room in the refrigerator for them! A produce keeper like this one on Amazon will also help your vegetables stay fresh longer.
Litter costs
Depending on your choice in litter and how many rabbits you have, monthly costs can range. In order of a general lowest cost to highest:
- Wood pellets - $8 for 30 liters
- Wood shavings - $6 for 20 liters
- Carefresh - $8 for 12.5 liters
Note that you can get much better prices if you buy in bulk. Feed stores will generally have the cheapest option of wood pellets where they sell horse bedding. Home improvement stores may also sell wood pellets for stoves. Be sure that no accelerants have been added.
Generally, one rabbit will go through about 13 liters of litter in a month.
Toys costs
Although many pet stores (both retail and online) carry toys marketed for bunnies, toys can be made cheaply and often at no cost from items around your house. Bunny toys may include any of the following items:
- Toilet paper rolls
- Paper towel rolls
- Cardboard boxes
The above are typically free when found around your house. Other toys can range in cost depending on source.
Find more options at our main Toys article.
Veterinarian costs
Many times, your typical veterinarian costs will be for a yearly check up. The cost of this depends on the vet clinic you choose to go. A typical regular vet checkup usually start from $40 and can be more than $100 in areas like NYC with extra costs if your rabbit needs medication or other services.
If you live in the outside of the US, you will typically need to also get yearly vaccinations for your rabbit for VHD and/or myxomatosis.
In some cases, your rabbit may become sick and unexpectedly need to see an emergency veterinarian. This will be more expensive than a regular vet. Costs for the exam alone will usually start from $80. Any services and medication given will increase the visit cost. Typically, expect to spend anywhere from $100-150 for an emergency vet visit.
To help with worst-case medical scenarios, you may also want to purchase pet insurance which usually starts at around $8/mo per rabbit. See Rabbit Insurance and Veterinary Discount Plans for more resources.
Further reading
- SaveABunny.org, Shopping List for Your New Companion
- Save a Fluff, How much does it cost to keep a pet rabbit?
- BinkyBunny, How Much does a Bunny Really Cost?
- Red Deer & District SPCA, Average Costs Associated with Owning a Rabbit
- Rabbit Rehome, The Cost of Rabbit Ownership