Think carefully before you jump into buying a rabbit

✕ Good pets for children

Rabbits are rarely cuddly. In the wild, everything wants to eat them. As prey animals they're nervous and can bite or scratch when stressed. Building up a relationship takes time and patience and has to be on the rabbit's terms. Children can lack such patience.

✕ Happy to be picked up or petted

When rabbits are picked up their instinct tells them they've been caught by a predator, and they often react aggressively. Most good owners will only pick up their rabbits to check their health. The pleasure is in watching them display their natural behaviours.

✕ Happy in small spaces

The Victorians kept rabbits in hutches for a convenient meat supply. Wild rabbits live in large underground warrens. Above ground, they cover a massive area every day. Pet rabbits need an enclosure that's at least 3m x 2m x 1m high and should never be confined to a hutch.

✕ Happy living alone

Studies show that rabbits value companionship almost as much as food. Watch a pair or group of bonded rabbits snuggling up together and cleaning each other and you'll see exactly why it's cruel to keep a rabbit on its own.

✕ Easy to look after

Rabbits' accommodation should be cleaned every day and given fresh hay and bedding. As they can live for over ten years, that's a lot of cleaning. They need annual vaccinations and can be susceptible to medical problems, so expect visits to the vet.

✕ Cuddly toys

Rabbits suffer for their looks. Children see a cute, fluffy rabbit in a pet shop and pester their parents to buy it. But children often lose interest quickly, and the rabbit can be left alone in a hutch at the end of the garden — or even abandoned.

✕ Cheap pets

While pet rabbits are inexpensive to buy, caring for them can be pricey. You'll need a secure outdoor or indoor enclosure, as well as food, hay and bedding. They also need neutering, vaccinations and vet trips. Caring for a pair of rabbits over their lifetime can cost over £10,000.