Caring for the rabbit

If you own this cute little creature or you plan to own one this new year, this post will guide you on how to properly care for and understand your pet bunny, so you both will enjoy a long lasting companionship. 

When you feed the bunny:

Leaves and vegetables given to the rabbits should not be too wet. You can give your rabbit any of the following in small quantity: Wheat, Sweet potatoes, cabbage, carrots, bread crumbs, banana, orange (without peels), Water melon fruit, peel and seeds, vegetable (Amaranthus), grass, banana leaves (for strong bones), groundnut (fresh/dried), garden egg, apple (without poisonous seeds), sun flower and seeds, rose flower - the list is endless. The guiding principle is, when you want to feed your bunnies something you are not sure of, introduce it in bits. Watch out for changes in the bunnies poop, which should be firm. If so, continue giving it the new food. If not so, withdraw the new feed you introduced to it.      

Handle your rabbit daily and check its flesh and fur condition. It shouldn't feel  flabby or too soft, because an overweight rabbit is nearly as unhealthy as a malnourished  one. You can check to see if your rabbit is obese by feeling its spine. You should be able to feel the individual bumps on its backbone, but they should feel rounded, not sharp. 

The Right Feeding Equipment:

Whether you choose a pelleted feed for your rabbit or prefer to formulate its diet yourself, the proper equipment ensures that your rabbits food stays fresh and unsoiled, and that your bunny has enough but not too much to eat at all times. The number one rule in selecting a food dish: get one that attaches to the cage. This is more important than the material that the dish is made from, its size, or anything else. Get a dish that attaches to the cage. If you don't your rabbit will probably tip the dish and spill the food. Even heavy ceramic crocks that sit on the cage floor aren't as effective at reducing pellet waste, since they allow rabbits to scratch the pellets out easier than dishes that sit up off the floor. Second thing you'll want to consider is the material. In short, plastic and ceramic crocks work best. Metal or glass dishes are fine for occasional use (like when traveling or giving your rabbit a treat), but they don't hold up to every day wear and tear, cleaning, or dropping like heavy plastic or ceramic ones do. Most plastic and ceramic crocks can even be run through your dishwasher. By the way a good food dish will also work well as a water crock. With any rabbit bowl, be it for food or water, you should select a size that will hold what your rabbit will use in a day and not much more. If you choose a very large feed or water dish, your rabbit may think it's fun to sit in and will spoil the content.

What about J-feeders? 

bunny eating from a J-feeder

 

Sample J-feeder

J-feeders generally work best for large rabbitries, but they can be handy for the pet owner as well. Borrowing their name from their shape, J-feeders allow you to feed rabbits without opening the cage door. They can also hold a great quantity of feed, making them ideal for momma rabbits with a litter of babies. Enjoy shopping around and discovering whether dishes or J-feeders would suit your bunny and your lifestyle the best.

Dont forget rabbit water bottles:

Water bottles

 

Some pet owners prefer to use dishes to water their rabbits. That's fine, but since bottles can hold more than crocks, and also keep the water cleaner, it's a good idea to have a water bottle on hand in case you go away for the day.

Housing, food, and water are the three pillars of proper rabbit care. If you've made sure your bunny has the best in those three areas, you're a long way towards keeping him/her healthy for many years to come. But there are many details you can attend to that will bring his quality of life up from sufficient to excellent.  

Grooming:

For some breeds, particularly Angoras, proper grooming is the difference between contentment and misery. Angoras must be groomed regularly or they will become tangled in their own wool, which causes many problems. But for most breeds, grooming is a bonus that can help develop a bond between rabbit and caregiver. Almost all bunnies can benefit from a regular brushing. This will remove the dead hairs and smooth the coat. It will also stimulate oil glands that help protect the coat from dirt, moisture, and even bacteria not to mention making it glossy and beautiful. It's especially important to remove dead hairs from the coat when a rabbit is molting (shedding). Rabbits lick their own fur to keep it clean, and so when molting can ingest enough of their hair to block their intestines. Brush your molting rabbit daily, then moisten your hands and rub it down to remove extra dead hairs. A slicker brush works pretty well for this task.

Trim Your Rabbits' Claws. All rabbits also need their toenails trimmed. Some bunnies' toenails will wear down faster than others, depending on how much exercise it gets, but all pet rabbits need their claws trimmed eventually. Failure to keep the claws short will not only result in more scratches to the handler, but also put the rabbit at risk of breaking or pulling a nail. Here's an important tip: only use pet nail trimmers on rabbits! Do not use human nail clippers on your pet  bunny. Human nail trimmers are the wrong shape and are more likely to break rabbits' nails than cleanly trim them.  

What about bathing?

Should you give your pet rabbit a bath? The answer is no. There are very few circumstances in which you should ever give your rabbit a bath, even with so-called pet safe shampoos. Bathing your rabbit will be a traumatic experience for your bunny. It will remove that essential oil from the coat. Besides, it will make your rabbit look like a wreck. If your rabbit gets dirty, put it back in its cage and let it clean itself. Rabbits will almost always go right to grooming themselves after they get wet or dirty, and their own tongues can do a better job at getting them clean than you can. If stains show the next day, you can remove them with hydrogen-peroxide or white alcohol. Simply apply the peroxide to the stain with a toothbrush, then sprinkle the area with cornstarch. The starch will absorb the stain. Brush it out the next day and you'll have a sparkling clean bunny.

Exercise, Training, and Play:

Playing with your rabbit, whether it's training it for performance or just for fun, has three huge benefits. First, training or play is healthy for rabbits because it gives them both physical and mental exercise. Second, it will help you enjoy your bunny much more, and lead to a closer relationship between bunny and caretaker, which will be healthy for both of you. And thirdly, watching your rabbit play is one of the most important things you can do for it, because you will observe any changes in behavior or health problems as soon as they appear. Most rabbits aren't trained to do tricks, but almost any rabbit could be. They can be trained using a clicker, like training a dog. Another option is to purchase a rabbit-safe harness and check out rabbit hoping competitions. This sport has been popular in  Europe for years and is now catching on in America also.

Converted dog runs make great rabbit exercise areas. Use carpet scraps or inexpensive, rubber-backed runners to offer the rabbit traction for running and jumping. If possible, talk to the rabbit calmly and stroke him daily.

Rabbits love "projects" i.e. objects in their environments that they can move and manipulate. These provide stimulation and exercise. Offer plain brown, corrugated cardboard boxes for chewing and "interior desecration." Plain, non-toxic wooden or hard plastic baby toys can also be appropriate "toys" for rabbits. 

Indoor/Outdoor housing:

Indoor housing is essential. Domestic rabbits  can die from heart attacks at the very approach of a predator. Other outdoor concerns: fleas (anemia, West Nile virus), ticks, VHD, Baylisacaris procyonis (raccoon roundworm), fly strike.

  equipped rabbit hutch 

Intact male and female rabbits must be separated by sex and housed separately. A doe can have a litter every 30 days, and can get pregnant within 30 minutes of giving birth.

Note: Wire flooring can cause and/or exacerbate hock problems, which can become serious enough to require amputation. Use ordinary cat or dog cages, or cover wire flooring with sections of newspaper (can be messy if bunny digs) or plain, brown corrugated cardboard. If dog cages are used, check to be sure the spacing between the cage wires is small enough to prevent a rabbit's head or limbs from getting stuck. Place rabbits away from extreme heat. Avoid placing rabbits on top tier of cages if possible especially in summer. Avoid placing rabbits in the same room with barking dogs if possible. Rabbits usually adapt quickly to barking heard from a distance. Avoid placing rabbits across from (or in full view of) cats. Litter-trained rabbits are more easily adopted.  Pet rabbits will usually use litter boxes readily, if the box is place in the corner the rabbit has chosen for urination. Line litter box with section of newspaper and fill with grass hay. Dump daily. Avoid pine and cedar chips as bedding or litter material; aromatic phenols can potentiate liver enzymes and irritate respiratory tract. A cardboard "hidey box" placed in the cage can make a rabbit feel more secure. However, this may increase territorial behaviors - particularly in unspayed females. Boxes are most useful in wire cages, where the rabbit has no other means of hiding himself. 

If possible, have rabbits spayed/neutered before you buy them. Besides preventing accidental litters, spaying prevents uterine cancer which can reach 50-80% as rabbits age, and neutering reduces spraying and other hormone driven behaviors. Rabbits are highly social animals who thrive on attention and social interaction. Many rabbits are very overtly affectionate, and will nuzzle and lick their handlers. Others are shyer and more "laid back." Do not approach the rabbit from directly in front (unfortunately, most cages leave you  few alternatives). Rabbits have laterally placed eyes and cannot see up close, directly in front of themselves. When working with an unfamiliar rabbit, pat the rabbit gently between the eyes, till he relaxes, before picking him up. Never attempt to lift a rabbit who is struggling. Rabbits can easily break their own backs attempting to get away from perceived predators (us!). Lift the rabbit by supporting his hindquarters and forequarters simultaneously. If the rabbit struggles to get down once lifted, lower yourself (and the rabbit) as close as possible to the floor to prevent injury. Always remember that rabbits are a prey-species. The more predictable their environment and the more securely they are handled, the more relaxed and sociable they become. House rabbits like their wild ancestors may have learned to survive by nipping or boxing. These behaviors can usually be eliminated by correct handling and social interaction.  

A rabbit who has suddenly stopped eating or whose eating patterns have suddenly changed needs immediate veterinary attention.   

Maintaining Your Pet Rabbits' Health:

Rabbits are surprisingly hardy. Given the proper housing, diet, and exercise, they have relatively few health problems. They do not  need immunizations and most rabbits never see a vet their entire lives. The two keys to  keeping them in good condition are to keep the environment sanitary and to observe them carefully, so you can catch any issues before they become big problems. A rabbit's cage doesn't have to be germ-free and in fact, it shouldn't be, but you should keep it clear of old hay, bedding, or droppings, and go over it  with a natural cleaning agent every couple of weeks. Most importantly, your rabbit's environment must offer good ventilation. Poor air quality is one of the most common causes of Snuffles and other respiratory infections. Rabbits have much more sensitive noses than  people, so if you can smell ammonia around your rabbit's cage, he can smell it much stronger. Using vinegar or table salt in your drop trays can go a long way towards reducing ammonia.

In Summary, equipment Matters. Using the right equipment is essential to maintaining your bunny's health and happiness. Furthermore, you check out some of our topics for answers to your rabbit questions.