how long do bunnies live for?

[Ang]

I have heard contradicting information on how long bunnies life spans are.  i have a two year old rescue bunny morland i have had only for four days but he holds a place in my heart already i love him tremendously.  i see sad things on peoples signatures rip.  especially the rip spockey he was such a cute buns.  i see he was alive for at least seven years?  i want to prolong my bunners life as much as i can and spend as much time as i can with him.  i cant even fathom him passing.  so truly what is a healthy bunnies life span?

two years is how old my morland is.  do i only have a year with him? 

[Sarita]

Well, indoor rabbits usually live 8 to 12 years according to the House Rabbit Society – I have friends whose rabbits have lived 9 years (and one friends rabbit is going on 10 years) and hear of rabbits living up to 13 years.

Now, that does not necessarily mean your rabbit will live that long (we hope he does of course) and with good care and regular vet checks and living indoors you are definitely increasing your rabbit’s life.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Absolutely ditto Sarita…Is your bunny neutered? That needs to be done to extend life span-they can get cancers if not spayed/neutered.

The longest living rabbit (off the top of my head) lived something along the lines of 19 years, and that was after being adopted from a shelter as an adult of unknown age. It definitely depends on being looked after, proper vet care, good diet and of course genetics and things we cannot control.

[Ang]

wow that is amazing, my heart actually has some light on it.  i was worried about getting extreamly attached which i already am and was the moment i held him.  he is not yet fixed and is getting fixed on august 30th. 

[kimberleyanddarren]

^^ you’ve pretty much had it answered already, dont worry you have many years left yet

[Princess*Smudge]

My second bunny that I had as a child was named Thumper II (can you guess what the first one was named? ) we don’t have him anymore because when I was 9 my parents split up and we had to move to a place that would allow pets. Thumper went to live with a friend of the family. I am now 19 years old and Thumper is going on 12 happy and healthy!

[LittlePuffyTail]

I have a related question. Do the smaller breeds tend to live a little longer than the larger breeds as is the case with dogs and horses?

[Alicia Conklin]

LittlePuffyTail: I’ve heard that they do. 

[msarro]

From what I’ve read, having your rabbit spayed/neutered can effectively double their lifespan – further reason to get it done beyond the behavior and other health aspects.

[RabbitPam]

Angelina,
I’ve been away this weekend and just read this now. Sometimes I worry that my posts will make others sad, but I love this site because I spent 8 wonderful years with Spockie and every day was made better with him in my life. I had hopes for a longer life span since I’d heard 10-12 years, and my vet once said she knew bunnies that were 16! So be prepared to pile up tons of great stories and advice as you enjoy your morland. I took the best care I knew how of my little guy, but didn’t have this website available when I had him. Wish I did because with the information you can find here you can plan to have a healthy bunny in a good environment.

Spockie was such a special bunny that I couldn’t resist telling stories about him. I want to get a new bunny this fall (job situation permitting) and though I know I’ll never find one just like him, I look forward to another cutie in my life. I have grown so fond of so many of the bunnies here on BB that it will just be another one that’s fun to love.
Enjoy your Morland!!!

[Erbear]

A coworker and his wife just lost their bunny after 16 years… he says most of his have lived somewhere around 7-8 years old. They have had 4 live over 10… (they once had 20 rabbits in their house… yikes!)

[kimberleyanddarren]

20? holy cow! i think 2 is quite hard work 😐 lol

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

My Chuck is apparently 5-6 years old already I’d better have him for a few more years!!!

Puffy-I’ve read many places that smaller breeds do live longer, probably exactly the same reason it happens in dogs, horses etc.

[wendyzski]

I know someone on another group whose rabbit lived to 16, and another to 13. I also know those whose rabbits died suddenly at a very young age, possible due to congenital problems.

If your rabbit is speutered and gets regular vet care, you can hope for many more years with them.

They really do binky their way into your heart awfully fast, don’t they?

[Moonlight_Wolf]

I have heard that they live 7-10 years on average and I do think that the small breeds live longer.

Speutered, Ha ha wendyzski, I am going to use that word now! at first I tought it was a typo!

[Author]

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