He is quite possibly the oldest living rabbit in Britain, if not the world, because the average lifespan of a rabbit is normally just six to eight years. 

I myself had a rabbit named Bill who lived to be 11 years old.  He started off his life with another rabbit in a small hutch in a garden down the road from where our family lived. His owner was a young girl who wasn’t interested in the rabbits after the initial novelty of them wore off.  As the rabbits grew, the hutch did not and my own daughter always felt very sorry for them.  As winter folded in, the poor rabbits had no rabbit hutch cover over their rabbit hutch and one of them died as a result of severe cold.

My daughter asked the girl if she wanted the black rabbit and she replied “No, take it!” so Bill came to live with us at the age of about 3.  He was loved and cared for by our family and loved to hop around in the garden during the better months and in the shed during the colder months.

At 11 years old he unfortunately developed cancer in his leg and had to be put to sleep as a result.  The vet informed us that Bill was the oldest rabbit he had ever come across and it proved to us that the right care and attention had paid off.

Apparently, Officials at Guinness World Records are now waiting to talk to Hazel’s owners who live in Pulham Market, to find out if he is indeed a the oldest rabbit in Britain and a record-breaker.

The oldest rabbit alive on record until last year was George, who was born in March 1994 and was owned by a couple in Massachusetts, USA.  He was declared the oldest living rabbit in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records after several vets confirmed his age as 14 years, as of March 13, 2008.

Hazel’s owners remembered their grand-daughter bringing the rabbit home when she was about six years old and she’s now 22 years old, so by their estimation Hazel must be about 15 or 16 years old.
 
Hazel has apparently gone through 3 house moves and has outlived his original rabbit hutch.

It is a well known fact that rabbits who are well looked after have plenty of exercise either in a rabbit run or in the garden and are fed the correct, healthy diet they require will live longer than rabbits who are cooped up in small rabbit hutches and do not have any exercise or much contact with their owners.

Hazel has proved this and we at ideas-4-pets hope he still has many happy, healthy years to come.

Rabbits can live 8 – 12 years and they are not a low-maintenance pet. They need a rabbit hutch, a hutch cover, a rabbit run, food, toys and lots of love and attention.

Rabbits are very clever when it comes to surviving and they can learn to read their owner like a book as they are very in tune with your body language. There are many different breeds from a Netherland dwarf weighing about 2lbs to a 20-pound Flemish Giant. Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into and how big your rabbit will grown when in adulthood before you buy !!

Remember as well, that rabbits reproduce quickly and often and so must be spayed or neutered if you intend to keep more than one. People don’t realise that some rabbits at 4 months old can have a litter and continue to do so about every 30 days!! About four to eight baby rabbits are born in each litter and rabbits can breed again soon after giving birth. Rabbits that are left un-neutered can also spray like a cat and get very frustrated in the mating season.

Rabbits are not low-maintenance pets like some people like to think. They are not just outdoor pets that can be fed and watered and then left. They do not like living alone and they crave companionship so need either companion rabbits or lots of love and attention from their owners.

Rabbits can be trained to live indoors and use litter boxes but clay or clumping litter shouldn’t be used – it must be wood- or paper-based and even in their hutch they will not soil their bedroom. Make sure their rabbit hutch is always kept pristine clean as it is unhygienic and cruel to keep a rabbit in poor sanitary conditions. Rabbits will groom themselves in the same way that cats do and they enjoy being clean.

Rabbits cannot be kept in a rabbit hutch or even in the home all the time. If they are kept in their rabbit hutch for long periods of time they can become aggressive just like a dog kept in a cage all day. Rabbits need regular exercise and play time so invest in a rabbit run to allow your rabbit to hop around and kick his legs – he will be a very happy and healthy rabbit if he has this activity. Make sure the rabbit hutch you choose if the largest you can accommodate and afford – keeping a rabbit in a 3ft hutch is less than adequate and is considered to be cruel. The rabbit hutch also needs to contain toys for your rabbit to play with – plant pots, tubes, etc. which can be purchased at local pet shops.

Remember that rabbits like to chew on things so if you take your rabbit into your home it must be rabbit-proof with electrical wires covered or removed from their reach. Equally,
if your rabbit has the run of your garden, make sure it is escape-proof and that there are no cans or toxic pellets lying around that your rabbit can chew on.

Feed your rabbit on good quality food and supplement this if necessary with green, leafy vegetables, the odd carrot and pellets – your vet will advise you. And always remember to have clean, fresh water available for your rabbit at all times.

If, after reading this article, you are prepared to give the time, money and attention to a rabbit then expect to have a loving, trusting relationship with this little furry creature for quite some years ………