Rabbits have been around for millions of years as secondary consumers in the food chain. It was only until the Victorian era when the leporid gained popularity as an animal companion. Today, rabbits are the third common house pet in the United States — second to dogs and cats. So, it’s no surprise that they’ve also become one of the first choices for emotional support use.
According to a study, the presence of rabbits effectively lowered anxiety levels in elementary-age children. This is a promising find for other types of mental conditions. Thinking of getting an emotional support animal (ESA) for yourself or for someone you know? If yes, then you should choose a rabbit. Here are 5 reasons why.
1. Rabbits are small, gentle, loving, quiet, calm, and soft
Like puppies and kittens, rabbits quickly bond with their owners. They have a loving and caring nature which makes them ideal candidates for being ESAs. Some emotional support rabbit owners even say that they are quiet, contrary to dogs and cats who bark and meow for no reason which some people find distracting.
2. Rabbits live long lives
A rabbit is indeed a small animal, but on average, it can live past 10 years. That’s a lot longer compared to their cousins — rodents, which can only live to an average of five years. You can expect to have a long-term emotional bond if you choose to have a rabbit as your emotional support companion.
3. Rabbits don’t require plenty of space
Unlike dogs that need a lot of space to move around and regular walks outside for exercise, rabbits are happy and content with having just a small space. They don’t like going out where there are a lot of people and animals, and would prefer to spend most of their day sleeping. It’s also important to remember that rabbits don’t like to be caged.
4. Rabbits are inexpensive
Rabbits are easily affordable, especially those from rescue shelters. They don’t need an expensive diet and can be fed any plant as long as the plant isn’t poisonous by nature or treated with toxic chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides.
If possible, avoid buying a rabbit from pet stores as they cost more and are likely to have genetic diseases from bad breeding practices.
5. Rabbits aren’t messy and can be trained
Dogs and cats are known to damage household objects out of stress, boredom, or instinct. Rabbits don’t usually have this behavior if you use positive reinforcement to stop them from chewing on your things.
You can also litter train a bunny so you don’t have to pick up their pellets. Eventually, rabbits will deposit everywhere in your house to mark their territories. Fortunately, neutering them would reduce their territorial tendencies.
If you’re thinking of getting a rabbit as an emotional support animal, pick one from your local shelter. Make a difference by saving an animal in need of a loving home.
Know more about emotional support animals here!
- 7 Qualities That Would Make Your Pet a Good Emotional Support Animal
- 9 Mental Health Benefits of Having an Emotional Support Animal
- Psychiatric Service Animal vs Emotional Support Animal: What’s the Difference?
Do you own an assistance animal? Register your pet today.
The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.
Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.
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