Lionhead Rabbit Pros & Cons – Should You Get One?

After cats and dogs, lionhead rabbits seem as becoming one of the most wanted furry house pets these days. With amazing fur manes around their heads, they have quite the resemblance to the king of the jungle.

However, they are really timid and playful creatures after all. If you are still unable to decide if this is the right pet for your home, here comes a detailed list of lionhead rabbit pros & cons.

Lionhead Rabbit Pros

Let us start with the positive sides of adopting a cute lionhead bunny into your home.

– Very Cute & Friendly

You may agree there is no further need to explain such pro reason. Lionhead rabbits, especially when bunnies, are probably one of the cutest and most adorable living beings in the world.

With their smart, round eyes and the always-twitching tiny noses, there are few individuals who cannot resist to such cuteness overload.

Lionhead rabbits are very playful, sociable and friendly, they get attached to their owners very easily and are very good with children.

– Small Size

This particular breed is dwarf-sized, which means that lionheads remain quite small even during their adulthood. They only grow up to 10 inches in length, making them the ideal indoor pets.

Lionhead rabbits therefore require less space when compared to other breeds, but they will also consume less food and will be easier to handle.

– Fluffy, Plushy Look

Having remarkably heavy and long fur, along with the spectacular manes around their heads, lionhead rabbits look so fluffy and plushy.

Soft teddy bear to cuddle with during rainy days? No, scratch that away. How about a super-soft bunny instead?

– Very Friendly

These pets make amazing life companions, both to adults and to kids. They are extremely sociable, they adore playing around the house, and they are faithful fans of cuddling.

They are pure fun to play with, being so agile and curios animals. You may just be surprised how friendly these fluffy animals are. And how they get attached to their humans over time.

– Long Lifespan

Comparing their lifespan to other rabbit breeds, lionheads tend to live longer. Obviously, when the right quality of living is provided by their owners. In ideal conditions and with bare amounts of anxiety, these rabbits can live up to 10 years.

This is just the right amount of time which allows you to form a strong bond with your pet, but still having plenty left to create great memories together.

– Easy to Train

Apart from being indescribably cute and friendly, lionhead rabbits are also extremely intelligent. This allows trainings to be much easier.

With enough patience and persistence, you can teach your pet how to litter, how to react to its name, and how to obey some simple orders. On top of that, you can even teach them to perform fun tricks. How about some spinning on cue?

Lionhead Rabbit Cons

The most common negative side-effects of adopting a lionhead rabbit are usually as the following:

– High Maintenance

Even if lionhead rabbits are not as high maintenance as dogs do, they can be pretty time- and effort-consuming. If you and your family members have a busy schedule, this may not be the most suitable pet for you.

From larger enclosures with exercise spaces to regular grooming activities, these rabbits do require a lot of attention. This can become even more emphasized when owning a single rabbit instead of keeping them in pairs.

Indeed, they do tend to become bored and, consequentially, depressed. That is why spending several hours with them on a daily basis is essential. On average, prepare yourself to spend at least 3 to 4 hours each day allowing them basic exercise and playtime.

– Only Indoors

This breed of super-cute rabbits can, in theory, be kept outdoors. However, this does require heavy protection from weather conditions and from predators, but there is also the concern of them not being happy if not hanging around their owners much.

Therefore, it is highly suggestable to keep them indoors only. As a consequence, your new rabbit pet will need to get a living space of the appropriate size, which can occupy significant room across your home, especially if you live in a city flat.

Also, if you already keep a natural predator such as a cat or a dog in your home, you may need to keep them away during the first period of adaptation. Cleaning activities need to be even more frequent when keeping pets and their litters indoors.

– Can Cause Allergies

As all furry pets, lionhead rabbits can trigger allergies for those people who are sensitive around their protein cells. Not only, but they can also cause new allergies to adults who have never owned a pet before.

This does not make a life with rabbits impossible for those who suffer from allergies, but extra caution is absolutely required. Same goes for people who have asthma. Daily vacuuming and enclosure cleaning is therefore a must, with enhancing brushing activities at the same time.

– Upkeep Cost

Rabbits do not generate such upkeep costs which are unacceptable for an average household. However, thinking that some hay and greens will be enough to keep a bunny happy is quite wrong. Indeed, they do require occasional visits to the veterinarian, commercial pellet food, litter, toys, and other.

Upkeep costs are not too high and vary anywhere from $50 to $150 each month for some high-quality but not luxury amenities and food.

Not to forget, rabbits are quite the diggers and chewers, so practicing free roaming around your home can often bring to additional costs, such as those required to “bunny-proof” the wires and furniture.

The largest costs are the starting ones, however, as enclosures and spaying or neutering can be quite expensive in some areas.

– Health Problems

Although being a generally healthy breed, lionhead rabbits are delicate creatures and can become sick quite easily. Keeping them outside can most certainly lead to health complications, such as catching unwanted bacteria or suffering temperature shocks.

Keeping them inside, on the other side, can bring to fewer but still quite possible health problems. These are mostly related to constipation due to excessive fur swallowing, but also to teeth or nail problems.

On top of that, lionhead rabbits should get vaccinated and receive yearly boosts afterwards, to avoid deadly contagious diseases.

– Fleas & Ticks

Just as cats and dogs, rabbits can also get external parasites such as fleas and ticks. The issue with lionhead rabbits stands in their heavy and long fur, making it super-difficult to spot these bloodsuckers.

Not only, but treatment can be quite complicated sometimes. Because of the really sensitive skin, you cannot apply powerful products such as the super-popular Frontline to your rabbit. Or even bathe it.

The only efficient way to get rid of fleas and ticks is to use a flea comb, but you can probably imagine how complicated this could be with a lionhead. Alternatively, your local veterinarian can suggest some milder products which you can safely apply to your rabbit, but their efficiency is often doubtful.

Verdict

Yes, you have probably noticed that our cons description if somehow longer when compared to the pros. However, that only means that we really wanted to honestly share all the possible negative effects that bringing a rabbit into an unprepared home could bring.

Many young owners tend to carelessly adopt a cute bunny from the local shelter, thinking that small animals like these cannot bring to many costs or high maintenance.

But after some time, they realize how time-consuming owning a real rabbit can be, and they simply return it to that same shelter, with only causing stress to the innocent furry creature.

If you have the space and the time for offering a safe home for a rabbit, we are sure that adopting one will only bring more happiness into your home, along with a pair of super-cute ears.

The ultimate decision is up to you though, so make it count.