Is it true that pet rabbits always?

um...no.

If an animal contracts rabies, they show symptoms after a couple of weeks and then die. It's an urban myth that animals (like skunks, too) perpetually carry rabies as a species.

I have literally never heard of a rabbit getting rabies. It is technically possible, since they are mammals, but rabies is generally more common with carnivorous and omnivorous animals like dogs, cats, opossums, skunks et cetera. They eat meat and can therefore more readily come into contact with infected animals. Also, I have never heard of an animal just "carrying" rabies. They will start to show symptoms of illness within a few weeks of being infected.

To get rabies, your rabbit would have had to have the saliva of another infected animal enter their system. If your rabbit has received a bite that broke the skin from another animal, particularly a wild one, or if the rabbit has shared food that was eaten by a wild animal only a few minutes before, you may want to observe her for a few weeks and look for signs of illness. If not, there's no reason to worry. If the rabbit is inside, it's almost impossible for her to get rabies at all.

According to the animal control officer who helps us schedule our feral cat spay/neuters, the rabies virus starts to die off very quickly the moment it leaves an animal's body. This is why one animal usually needs to be bitten by another to spread it; even if you were to step on a rabid animal's saliva and then track it somewhere where your rabbit runs around, the virus will likely be dead by then. Then, even if it was alive, your rabbit would have to directly get it over open skin.

No, but, any animal can contract rabies from another animal but rabbits aren't born with it or just have it within purchase of it. They all get vet care before the purchase of an animal with a signed guarantee of the animal within 15 days of purchase on big animals stores such as Petco, even with other pet stores there wouldn't be a rabid animal for sale. I have had many animals including rabbits and if they had rabies their life span wouldn't have lasted as long or carried the litters they had. Rabbits would most likely die before catching rabies by predators killing them or a heart attack if too scared of another animal.

First I've heard of this.... Especially in domesticated rabbits. If in doubt phone the vet ask for advice....

Also done some quick checking its unheard of even in wild as rabbits would not survive an attack from a predator that would be infected with rabies

Fist of all, I get the impression that this was once a wild rabbit. If it was you should let it go, it could have rabies, Wild rabbits survive better in the wild anyway. If you got this rabbit from a store or breeder than please DO NOT let it go You should not be afraid to hold your rabbit, if you are that concerned, consider a vet visit but they probably won't do anything.

I love rabbitss