Rabbits are amazing family pets and can live a long time. The oldest rabbit ever to live according to the Guinness book of records was over 18 years old! However a more normal life expectancy is around 6-7 years for larger breeds and 10-12 years for smaller breeds. As with any animal, aging and disease can take a toll on the body and result in a reduced quality of life over time. It is important we regularly assess quality of life in older rabbits to ensure they are not suffering and assess whether we can make adjustments to improve their lives. 

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What is “quality of life” for a rabbit?

Quality of life for a rabbit is best understood when considering the five domains of animal welfare. These domains together build a picture of what is a good standard of living for a rabbit where all their welfare needs are met. If one or more of these domains is not met, for example because the rabbit has an illness or condition which means they are unable to behave in a certain way or access something they need, then this will result in a reduction in their quality of life.

What are the five domains of animal welfare?

The five domains of animal welfare are:

Nutrition 

Is the animal provided with foodstuffs that are appropriate for their species, age, body condition, hand health, in appropriate quantities?

Physical environment

Do they have access to an environment which has the space and facilities needed to thrive?

Behavioural interactions 

Does the animal have the ability to display normal behaviours for that species?

Health

Are they being maintained in good health without disease and pain?

Mental state/experiences

Do they have a positive mental state appropriate for the species? This domain straddles all the other four domains as it represents the mental effects that can be seen from having an issue in one of the other domains, for example being in chronic pain can lead to a depressed mental state

You can read more about the five domains of animal welfare here.

How do you assess quality of life in an older rabbit?

Using the five domains model of animal welfare it is possible to put together a welfare assessment of your pet rabbit to determine if they have a good quality of life.
Questions to consider for each domain are as follows:

Nutrition

  • Is my rabbit able to eat the good quality nutrition I am providing them with? 
  • Are they able to chew their hay, eat grass and eat vegetables and pellets? 
  • Am I noticing them struggling with any of these foodstuffs? 
  • Are they maintaining their weight? 
  • Is their body condition appropriate for their age and breed?

Physical environment 

  • Is my rabbit making use of the environment I am giving them?
  • Are they able to access all areas of the environment without issues? 
  • If they are struggling will the provision of ramps or similar change this and make more of the space usable?

Behavioural interactions

  • Is my rabbit interacting with their bonded pair normally? 
  • Are they grooming themselves and their friend? 
  • Are they interacting with me normally? 
  • Has any of their behaviours changed over time? If so, what has changed?

Health

  • Is my rabbit in good health? 
  • Are any health conditions my rabbit has being treated and under regular review? 
  • Is my rabbit on any long term medication? Are these medications working? For example if they are on pain relief is the pain relief enabling them to do things they previously couldn’t? 
  • Is my rabbit showing signs of pain? Signs of pain in a rabbit can be assessed by using the Bristol Rabbit Pain Scale (BRPS), read more about this here.

Mental state/experiences

  • Is my rabbit happy? Why do you think they are or are not happy? 
  • Is my rabbit stressed? Are there things that can be improved in their life to reduce this stress?

These questions are examples and may or may not be appropriate for your own pet. We would recommend going through these questions and any other more specific questions related to your own pet rabbit with your veterinarian.

By answering these questions and looking at each of the five domains you will begin to build a picture of your rabbit’s quality of life. If after answering these questions your rabbit is not being fulfilled in one or more of the domains, it may be that their quality of life isn’t as good as it should be. By discussing this with your veterinarian you will be able to work out whether there are things you can do to improve their quality of life in these sectors. 

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Summary:

  • Rabbits can live a long time, often in the region of 7-10+ years 
  • Assessing quality of life is important in older rabbits to ensure they are not suffering and we are making any adjustments we can to improve their welfare
  • The five domains model of animal welfare is a good tool to begin thinking about what quality of life is to a rabbit 
  • The questions in this article are examples and we would recommend discussing the quality of life and answering similar questions with your own veterinarian to build an accurate picture of your pet rabbits’ quality of life

Further reading: