Sometimes we are looking for clever ways to make our rabbits just a tad flashier for an adorable picture. However, sometimes we aren’t aware of the details and specifics about what’s okay to do with our bunnies and what we should avoid.
That’s okay. It happens. When you are a newer rabbit owner or perhaps even a seasoned rabbit owner, questions can arise all the time. One question I had, in the beginning, was simple. Can rabbits wear clothes? After some research on the topic, here is what I can tell you.
So, can rabbits wear clothes? Yes, rabbits can wear clothes. If you are going to place your bunny in clothes, they need to fit to avoid potential injuries and tangling your rabbits’ legs. Additionally, you shouldn’t force your bunny to wear clothes. If they are happy and content with wearing clothes and they fit, you can 100% allow your bunny to wear clothes.
Now, what else do we need to know to ensure our bunnies are getting the cutest possible apparel without risking any potential harm to our bunnies? Well, the good news is that’s what this post is here to breakdown.
I want to break down all the details you need to know and get your bunny wearing clothes and looking perfect for that next family photo. Here are the details.
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More on Bunnies Wearing Clothes
First and foremost, if you are feeling uneasy about the thoughts of placing your bunnies in clothes than you are not alone but need to breathe easy.
It’s completely natural and a basic human instinct to want to find clever ways to make our bunny stand out, dress them up and make them look adorable for a photo or even company that’s scheduled to stop by and visit.
With some necessary precautions and just a small amount of common sense, you can 100% percent place your rabbits in clothes and have a blast with your bunny trying on different bunny sweaters.
Always Make Sure Your Bunny is Comfortable and Don’t Force It
Ensuring that your bunny is comfortable is priority number 1. If your bunny typically doesn’t like being handled too often, placing them in clothes probably won’t be the most straightforward task and should honestly most likely be avoided altogether.
Don’t be too upset by this. Some bunny owners just don’t handle their rabbits very often. Additionally, some rabbits just don’t like too much handling or cuddle time. These are the bunnies not to throw clothes on and often not the bunnies to attempt to sleep with either.
If this is the case, attempting to place a sweater over your bunny’s head probably won’t be too appealing to them and can make them full of anxiety and possibly cause fear.
Overall, it would be my recommendation never to try this. We already know that extreme bunny anxiety can typically only lead to something such as a fear-based heart attack. The reward simply isn’t worth the risk if you have a bunny that prefers to remain the solo bunny and wonder amongst themselves.
Have A Back-Up Plan When Placing Your Rabbit in Clothes?
I’ve owned several small pets, and something I’ve learned and embraced along the way is always to have a plan B. This can go for any pet and just rabbits.
What do I mean by this?
Well, let’s say you are placing your rabbits in clothes and they do get tangled, don’t respond well or it fits overly tight? What’s your plan?
Make sure you have some way of getting them out the clothes and back to a comfortable and calm state as quickly as possible if they begin responding poorly, get into a dangerous situation with a clothing tangle or if you can tell that your bunny wants absolutely nothing to do with your staging efforts for a pretty picture.
Be Patient with Your Bunny Before Trying to Get Cute
Let’s assume you think you are the bunny whisperer. If this is the case, don’t rush things. If you feel you’re bunny truly loves you and you have a strong bond, then maybe you can try a day of trying on outfits.
However, if you just purchased your rabbit, now is not the time to start trying to do this. Let your rabbit get comfortable with you and begin showing signs of love towards you. At this point, the chance of peaking your rabbits’ fears and anxiety reduce dramatically because they now feel safe with you.
Anytime you own a pet and want to do certain things like this, it’s all about patience, forming a bond and taking things slow.
Things will begin to happen if you can remain patient, but I strongly advise against throwing clothes on your rabbit on day 1. It could result in your rabbit being very scared or panicked.
Treat Your Bunny Like You Would Treat Yourself. Make Sure the Clothes Fit
Listen, I get it. Shopping for the perfect vest or sweater for your rabbit isn’t going to be easy. If you can’t find clothes that fit, simply don’t use them. This can be dangerous and unethical.
Rabbits have small feet and small bones. Running the risk of using clothes that are too loose could tangle your bunnies’ leg which could ultimately lead to injury and cause your bunny to panic.
Additionally, clothes that are too tight could scare your rabbit, raise anxiety and cause your rabbit to overheat.
If you are going to have a dress-up day with your bunny make sure that the clothes fit for your rabbit comfortably or don’t do it all.
If you aren’t aware, rabbits are even known to break their own spines trying to twist and get out of situations. If you aren’t educated on topics like this and don’t have a plan B as we discussed before, you aren’t quite prepared to step into the ring and begin placing clothes on your rabbit. Plain and simple.
Keep an Eye on Your Rabbit After Placing Clothes on Them
No people. You can’t let your rabbits wear clothes all day long. This is dangerous, unethical and honestly stupid. You must keep an eye on them or place the clothes on them, take a picture and remove the clothes.
The potential for injury or fear is too high to leave your bunny unsupervised while wearing clothes. I get that these clothes can be adorable and if I had the choice, I’d want to leave my bunny in clothes all day long too.
However, I know better and would like you all to exercise the same caution. If you are going to place your bunny in clothes, it needs to be for limited periods such as 10-15 minutes and then remove the clothes.
Place the clothes on your rabbit, get some pictures and move on with your day. Tomorrow is a new day, and if you need more photos for the album, you can take care of that tomorrow and let your bunny go back to be a bunny.
Respect Everything Your Bunny is Telling You When Trying to Place Clothes on Them
We talked about this a bit already when we mentioned making sure your bunny is comfortable with you and their environment before trying to place clothes on them. However, we didn’t suggest a few other things about what to look for in your rabbit when you try to accomplish this adorable task.
First, pay attention to your rabbit. Squirming, making grunts or kicking their legs clearly means that they are not happy and to just stop now. No need to make them fight through it.
I get it. You’re the big adult, and you and the owner can eventually get that sweater over them for that desired picture. However, this is cruel, and your rabbit won’t forget in a matter of seconds. Your bunny needs to be happy to complete this task. Plain and simple.
If they don’t want anything to do with it, leave them alone and try in the future. If they seem content, happy or interactive, then you are good to go and don’t need to worry about.
Long story short. Treat your rabbit like you would want to be treated and show some respect and your relationship will flourish, and you will begin doing all sorts of adorable things with your rabbit.
Putting It All Together. Your Rabbits Can Wear Clothes If You Use Common Sense and Exercise Caution
At the end of the day, the adorable things we can have our pet rabbits do is something that makes owning them so desirable. I get it. If you remain safe and respect your rabbit through the process, it’s 100% something that you can do with your bunny.
Who knows, you may even enjoy this time with your rabbit, and they may feel the same way. If this is the case, have fun with it and keep the sessions short around 10-15 minutes and you will have nothing to worry about.
What’re your related stories when it comes to placing clothes on your rabbit? Any recommendations that we have mentioned in this post? Be sure to drop a comment below. Thanks for reading.
