兔子最早被发现于欧洲西南部、西班牙半岛和非洲西北部地区。当时是被捕猎作为人类的食物。大约公元前100年，意大利人将兔子进口到本国并豢养以作为食物储备。当英国人开始对外扩张殖民地时，把兔子引进到美洲和澳大利亚、新西兰，由于不存在天敌，兔子便在这些地方肆意繁殖起来，大量的野生兔不断吞噬庄稼和草地，于是人们开始大量捕杀野兔以消除灾难。今天，在美洲和澳大利亚的大部分地区法律仍然限制人们养宠物兔。
宠物兔
一般来说，雄性兔（buck）比雌性兔 (doe) 性情温和，比较适合养在家里。
非正常繁殖的雌性兔对交配很反感，还容易带来"怀孕幻觉"现象，即雌兔误以为自己已经怀孕，于是对所有外界包括其饲主存有强烈的戒备。
雄性兔通常比较友好，但也有时会表现出地域侵略性，这时雄性兔往往四处撒尿以标明自己的领地。解决这个问题的方法是到兽医诊所给雄兔做绝育手术，手术后雄兔就会安静下来。雌兔的绝育手术因为存在比较大的危险，因此一般兽医不提倡此类手术。
兔子的繁殖
母兔最好在出生5-6个月之后12月之前生第一胎，最迟的生育年龄为出生后 3年。公兔一般出生后4-5个月开始具备生殖能力。要避免在母兔的窝里进行配种，而应选择在公兔的窝或其他地方进行。通常母兔在交配后28-34天怀孕。
兔子的常见疾病
球虫病：表现为严重的急性腹泻，是由兔子窝里容易滋生的一种寄生虫引起，常常会导致幼兔死亡。
体内寄生虫：比较少见。症状为腹部臃肿、毛发干涩、生长缓慢。
螨虫： 通常集中在脸部和颈部。
癣菌： 症状通常发生在颈部和背部，白色，引起脱毛。可以传给人类，症状表现为红色圆
圈，皮肤发痒。
脓疮： 通常是由于被别的动物或另一只兔子咬伤后发炎引起。
　　

SELECTING A HEALTHY RABBIT
　AGE
　　A rabbit should not be sold under the age of 6 weeks. Smaller breeds, such as the Netherland Dwarf, can leave their mother for a new home a the age of 6 weeks, but really large breeds, such as the French Lop, often need a little longer to mature, so they are best left until the age of 8-9 weeks.
　BEHAVIOR
　　The rabbit should be lively and curious. It should not be frightened, and should not appear listless.
　EARS
　　The ears should be clean, free from any crustiness inside or outside. A rabbit of any lop breed may not have lopped by 6-8 weeks of age, and the youngster may have semi-erect ears. This is normal - the ears should 　　have lopped by the age of 12 weeks.
　NOSE
　　The nose should be clean with no discharge, and there must be no evidence of sneezing.
　TAIL AREA
　　The tail and surrounding areas should be clean and dry, with no sign of diarrhoea.
　FUR
　　The fur should be soft and dense, and free from mites or dirt. A longhaired rabbit may have a slightly bald 　neck as a youngster, as the baby fur does not cover the body as well as the adult fur. This is acceptable, but beware of bald patches over the body.
　FEET
　　The rabbit's feet should be clean. It is especially important to check the inside of the front legs. If the fur 　there is matted, it si a sign that the rabbit has been using its front legs to wipe a runny nose. The claws 　　　　should be short and sharp; over-grown claws indicate that the rabbit is not a yongster.
　BODY
　　The whole body should be firm and even. It must not be too thin, or have an extended pot-belly, as this may indicate the presence of worms or some form of disease.