Can we keep a rabbit as pet in India?

Though there are many dog and cat owners in India, some people do not want to follow the herd. They want to explore some other exotic animal species that can be kept as pet. Perhaps some animal that suits their personality type, or just to have a different experience.

If this is the case, then some of the most popular animal species that people think about raising as pets are rabbits, parrots, hamsters etc. But unlike dogs and cats, many of these species may be illegal to be kept as pet in your country. So, it’s always a good idea to explore the legal standing of the country and state where you reside before adopting or buying such non-mainstream animals.

In this article, we will discuss about whether we can keep rabbits as pets in India.

Table of Contents

• Can we raise rabbits as pets in India?
• Indian rabbit lifespan
• Is eating rabbit legal in india?

Can we raise rabbits as pets in India?

If you want a short answer, then Yes, you can. But there’s a catch.

You can only have certain breeds of rabbits as pets in India, e.g. the white rabbit. That’s because, white albino rabbits cannot survive in the wild anyways.

However, you cannot keep wild Indian rabbit (i.e. wild hare) as pet in India. It’s illegal.

Warning

As per Section 51 of Wild Life Protection Act, 1972, you may be jailed up to 3 years or be fined for Rs.25000/- or both if you breach the provisions of the Act.

Note

The legal situation of rabbits is similar to pigeons in India. In case of pigeons too, you can have white pigeons as pets, but it’s not legal to keep wild grey pigeons as pets.

Even in case of parrots, keeping wild Indian parrots as pets is illegal in India. For example, Ring neck, Alexandria and Plum head parrots are found in wild in India. So, they are protected under Indian wild life protection act. However, you may keep parrots of foreign origin as pets in India, e.g. budgies and cockatiels.

Indian rabbit lifespan

If you will have a look at their lifespan, it will make no sense to have wild hare as pet anyways. Wild hares in India have a life-span of a mere 1-2 years. That’s too less for a pet. Before you will get used to them and train them, they will be gone.

On the other hand, white domestic rabbit breed has a lifespan of about 8 to 10 years on an average. That’s the same as a small dog or cat. So, it’s not only legal, but also logical to keep only white rabbits as pets. Leave the brown wild hares alone!

Is eating rabbit legal in India?

The rabbits that can be kept as pets, can also be consumed. So, you will find many people having rabbit farms. But wild Indian rabbits cannot be farmed for fur or meat. That’s absolutely illegal.

Though we encourage and prefer a vegetarian lifestyle, but to each his own.

The Indian Government (read Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, FSSAI) recently included leporids (domestic rabbits) as the fifth category of meat that can be consumed in India. The other four categories being ovines (sheep), caprines (goat), suillines (pig) and bovines (the cattle family including buffalo and bison). Though there may be state-level restrictions on the consumption of some meat types. So, you will have to check your respective state laws too.

Humans have started domesticating rabbits only about 300-400 years ago. So, it is a very recent domesticated species. Its meat is also not that popular in India, though it’s considered a delicacy in some parts, e.g. Kerala, Goa and J&K. In fact, it’s widely speculated that FSSAI changed the law under pressure from ‘rabbit farm lobby’ of these very states.

Rabbit meat is considered healthy and is easy to digest. Also, there are no socio-religious restrictions in eating rabbit meat in India.

Note

These laws keep on changing, and may vary from state to state. So, do thorough research and check the local laws too before you get a rabbit as pet, or for commercial purposes (i.e. for fur, meat etc.).