Money Saving Tips When Owning A Rabbit

When delving into the world of rabbit keeping, encountering expensive costs is inevitable. Almost everything is overpriced in pet stores. Hay, toys, and cages just to name a few. There's plenty of ways to reduce the amount of money you have to spend on your furry friend. So without further ado, here are some tips on saving cash when owning a rabbit.

Firstly, if possible, look around for some trusted local farmers who harvest timothy or other types of grass hay. Bales of hay typically range from $3-$6 and last much longer than the $30 bags sold in pet stores. If you choose to purchase from a farmer, make sure to inspect the hay closely. There should be no mold, weeds, or insects visible, and the bales should be fragrant and fairly green. A tip to keep in mind is that the outside of the bale may appear sun bleached and pale (which is completely normal), so peel back some of the hay on the outside to see if the interior has the correct colour.

Most of you already know how cramped and unsuitable cages labelled for small animals are at the pet store. These cages are often extremely overpriced as well. A great way to provide more space for your bun while saving money at the same time is to purchase a dog pen or NIC grids. These are both relatively affordable options, and are also useful for covering baseboards when you free roam your pet. You can make an enclosure for your rabbit by fastening the grids together, or place the dog pen in whatever shape you please. A cheaper option for the litterbox that you place inside your enclosure are those plastic storage tubs (found at practically every store) instead of the ones sold specifically for cats.

Crafting toys with materials you already have laying around the house is another great way to save money. I find that most of the toys on the market are pretty similar, so this is a great way to add more variety for your rabbit to keep them entertained. I've compiled some amazing examples of DIY toys made by creative within this community :)

World of Cuteness

Hazel Bunny

BunnyBrook

Aspen

Biscuit

I would like to state that while there are ways to cut back costs when owning a rabbit, it is never a good idea to rescue or purchase this pet if you are in a tough financial situation. Booking yearly checkups at a veterinary clinic for young rabbits and biannual appointments for older rabbits can stop any health problems before they progress. Additionally, unexpected emergengy trips to rabbit-savvy veterinarians are costly but essential if your furry friend gets sick or is otherwise unhealthy. If you aren't able to set aside a sufficient amount of funds in a savings for this purpose, rabbits may not be the best pet for you.

And that concludes this blog. I hope some of you were able to get some ideas on how to save money while rabbit keeping, and if any of you have any other tips then leave them in the comment section down below!

For some more great tips go check out Gold's blog ! I've been working on this for the past few days, but they beat me to posting it haha. We have some different ideas and I've elaborated slightly more on certain topics, which is why I decided to still share it with you guys.

Stay hoppy!

*This is solely an opinion and the tips are coming from my experience only*

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