How old do rabbits and dwarf rabbits get?

Most living beings have very different life expectancies. While turtles live 150-200 years and elephants up to 70 years, most dogs and cats have a life expectancy of just 15-20 years. For us humans, the last bell has currently struck at around 100 years.

But what about our smaller pets? How old do rabbits and dwarf rabbits get? German giants, rabbits, dwarf rams – how much time do they have before they give up their spoons?

In this article you will get answers to your questions about the life expectancy of rabbits and dwarf rabbits. We also tell you which life phases a rabbit goes through and what you can do at home so that your rabbit lives a long, healthy and happy life.

How old do rabbits, dwarf rabbits and Co. get?

There are big differences within the family of hares and pikas, to which both hares and wild rabbits and all the breeds of our domestic rabbits that have emerged! If you want to learn more about this, feel free to read our article on the differences between hares and rabbits.

The table below gives you an overview of how old German giants get compared to smaller rabbit breeds. The life expectancy of dwarf rabbits and dwarf rams is around 9 – 10 and 10 – 12 years respectively, so they are very similar. Life expectancy is only significantly lower for giant rabbits. The wild rabbit put our well-guarded and domesticated Thumper versions into their gene nest for their average lifespans. However, they hardly ever reach this advanced rabbit age themselves.

The average life expectancy of wild hares and wild rabbits is difficult to predict. Rabbits can live up to 12 years, but half of the rabbits living in the wild don’t even make it past their first year. By the way, they are under nature protection and may not be kept as pets! Wild rabbits often meet the same early fate as the hare. In “captivity” they grow significantly older because they are less exposed to danger and predators. Wild rabbit mixes manage to live up to 9 years behind the cozy fence.

The life stages of a rabbit

Rabbit young are born after about 30 days in the womb as so-called nest stools. You can now find out what that means for the start of their rabbit life and how they develop into full-grown bucks (male rabbits, also called bucks) or stately does (female rabbits, also called bunnies):

The 01st week of life of a rabbit: As a nest stool you are born quite helpless. Blind, naked and deaf, the rabbit cubs in the first week of life have nothing else to do than drink mother’s milk and develop the first small, fluffy and fluffy fur.

Day 7-14 of a rabbit’s life: By now a little rabbit should weigh twice its birth weight. A lot happens in the rabbit world in the second week of life! Slowly but surely, the fur grows lush and eventually thick, the spoons begin to do their job, and the little rabbits open their eyes.

03rd and 04th week as a rabbit: Now, when the bravest of the little ones start to explore the world, life becomes even more exciting. Nevertheless, even during this time, there is still a lot of crouching in the nest and practicing grooming. This trains motor skills and social contact.

Rabbits 4th – 6th week of life: The young animals are now almost fully developed and are leaving the nest more and more frequently. Of course, skills such as running, jumping, playing and fighting are tested and trained. Mama’s milk bar is slowly coming to an end and the rabbits are enjoying the first fresh greens.

06th – 08th week in the life of a rabbit: The little rabbits are slowly preparing to move out of the nest or rabbit hole. Before that, however, they learn from each other and from their mother what social behavior means and how to feed themselves. In this phase of life, they can still be distinguished from their adult conspecifics by a clear difference in size.

8th – 12th week of life of a rabbit: As with all mammals, some rabbits also need young longer than the other. They are slowly weaning themselves from their mother and are becoming more and more independent.

From the 12th week: The rabbit grows up and can from now on without its mother – but never without conspecifics! – Life.

When is a rabbit / dwarf rabbit fully grown?

It takes only 3 months for rabbit pups to be sexually mature and fully independent.

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