Advanced options
Bedding and vet-fund figures are per household; food and the GBP 80/year combined vaccination are per rabbit. Rabbits are social and should live in bonded pairs or groups. The setup figures assume the welfare-standard 3m x 2m x 1m minimum enclosure, not a traditional small hutch.
What The Rabbit Cost Calculator Works Out
- First year: the setup level plus a year of running costs plus the annual vaccination for each rabbit. A proper setup lands the first year around GBP 1,500 to GBP 2,000 for a pair: the 3m x 2m enclosure has replaced the condemned Victorian hutch as the accepted minimum, and neutering and vaccinations join it.
- Each year after: (food per rabbit x rabbits + bedding + vet fund) x 12, plus GBP 80 per rabbit for the combined myxomatosis and RHD vaccination. Unlimited hay is 85% of the diet and the single non-negotiable line; a pair typically runs near a four-figure sum a year once the lines are honest.
- Over a 10-year life: setup plus ten years of running costs. The purchase price, tens of pounds, is the smallest number in the story.
- Annual vaccination and lifespan (advanced): edit the GBP 80 vaccination (prices vary by practice) and the lifespan used for the lifetime total; 8 to 12 years is typical and the label updates to match.
- Neutering not in setup (advanced): the basic setup level excludes neutering, so add GBP 100 to GBP 200 per rabbit here if yours are not done. Neutering prevents both litters and the uterine cancer that claims a large share of unspayed females; rescue rabbits usually come already neutered and vaccinated.
- Holiday cover (advanced): boarding or a pet-sitter for the days a year you are away, at GBP 8 to GBP 15 a night for a pair.
- Price inflation (advanced): raises the running costs each year in the lifetime total and the year-by-year table.
- Hay by the bale (advanced): buying hay from a farm supplier rather than pet-shop bags cuts the biggest consumable several-fold; enter the percentage you expect to save on the food line and the card shows the annual saving.
- Dental or GI-stasis visits (advanced): vets classify rabbits as exotics, so dental work on their ever-growing teeth and gut-stasis emergencies bill at around GBP 150 a visit. Budget a number of visits a year or rely on the insurance line.
- Per month, per rabbit and the year-by-year table (advanced): the ongoing cost averaged per month, the cost per rabbit (a pair is cheaper per head than two singles because bedding and the vet fund are shared), and the cumulative spend year by year with the setup in year one. The small hutch, the muesli mix and the skipped vaccination are the three classic false economies, each cheap upfront and expensive within the year.
Further reading: PDSA: rabbit care.