How to Divide Pet Rabbit Chores

A pet rabbit can be a much loved addition to the family. However, rabbits require a great deal of care. To maintain a healthy environment, divide the pet rabbit chores among family members. See to it that each person follows through on daily pet chores and you can have a healthy pet for years to come. Read on to learn how to divide pet rabbit chores.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Make an adult responsible to oversee every chore completed by children. Rabbits are living creatures that can become ill and die from mistreatment or neglect. Even when children promise to do their pet chores faithfully, an adult must take responsibility for the pet's well being.
2. Evaluate the age appropriateness of each task and assign chores accordingly. A 12-year-old can scrub feces from a rabbit cage more thoroughly than most six-year old children can, for example.
3. Consider each child's strengths and limitations and dole out chores accordingly. Make the most responsible child in charge of daily fresh water. If one child has a weak stomach, assign tray clean up to another.
4. Give older children more responsibility for pet care. It is appropriate for a teen to have more pet chores than a much younger sibling.
5. Keep the "fun" chores for last. For example, if the children enjoy feeding the rabbit treats, make that the last chore on the list. Require the children to finish all other pet chores before doing the "fun" work.

Tips & Warnings

• Create a chore chart and post it by the rabbit cage. This reduces squabbling about chore responsibilities.
• Before getting a pet rabbit, be prepared to be the animal's sole caregiver. Children often lose interest in pets over time. If you aren't prepared to care for the animal yourself, don't bring one into your home.