Motivations for and thoughts toward rabbit ownership and factors contributing to companion-rabbit owners' knowledge

Abstract

Prospective rabbit owners’ pre-acquisition motivations for and thoughts toward rabbit ownership were explored using one-on-one telephone interviews (n=18). Thematic analysis revealed the theme considerations prior to acquiring a companion rabbit, which involved four subthemes: reasons given for acquiring a companion rabbit, considerations when choosing an acquisition source, animal-related pre-acquisition considerations and owner-related pre-acquisition considerations. An online survey involving current rabbit owners (n=2,890) across Canada, the United States and outside of both countries explored factors associated with companion-rabbit owners’ knowledge of rabbit care and the spay or neuter status of companion rabbits. An approximation of logistic regression showed increasing attachment, increasing participant age and regular veterinary check-ups to be associated with higher odds of answering a knowledge question correctly. Logistic regression found increasing knowledge score, regular veterinary check-ups and owning only one rabbit increased the odds of owning a spayed or neutered rabbit. Findings identify educational and future research opportunities relating to companion-rabbit ownership.