Rabbits' teeth are constantly growing and need to be continually worn down by eating. If you are keeping your rabbit inside most of the time or they do not have access to grass for several hours a day you can use grass hay as an alternative fibre source.
Lawn clippings must not be fed as they ferment rapidly and cause digestive upset in your rabbit. Fresh green vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, broccoli and celery should be included in their daily diet — approximately 2 cups a day. But fresh green vegetables must not be their only source of food, the fibre content is too low. Rabbits must be provided with a high fibre diet. Rabbits need a tablespoon of commercial rabbit nuggets or pellets once or twice daily.
Do not feed your rabbit muesli — this causes dental disease. Rabbits eating muesli also tend to leave the bits they don't like, and this leads to nutrient deficiencies.
High fat and high sugar foods such as carrots, other root vegetables, and fruit should only be fed in small amounts. You can use these types of foods as environmental enrichment. There are a many toxic food and plants for rabbits t hat you should avoid feeding your rabbit or growing in your garden.
Speak to your local vet, pet shop, or rabbit breeder about the most suitable diet for your pet. Always remember to introduce new food slowly to avoid digestive upset.
Rabbits require a hutch to live in that is safe from predators, such as dogs and cats. It needs an area that protects them from the weather and has enough space for exercise. A suitable hutch design is water proof and includes a dark, dry area for the rabbits to rest which has a bedding of soft hay. The other section of the hutch should be light and large enough to allow for a separate exercise and toileting area.
The hutch must be well ventilated. It is best to have a hutch made out of wood as metal hutches heat up more quickly. Rabbits should not be placed in pens or hutches with wire floors, it is bad for their feet.
It is ok for part of the pen to be made of wire as long as your rabbit has an area where they can stand on solid ground. Many two story hutches provide this option.
Your hutch needs to be at least 'three hops long' approximately 4 times the length of your bunny when stretched out and twice as wide as your bunny. Anything smaller and your bunny will be too cramped. If you buy a juvenile bunny, remember they will grow. It is important to clean the hutch at least every second day by removing soiled bedding and make sure rabbits have a dry area to sleep.
Rabbits that do not have clean bedding can suffer from respiratory infections, skin ailments and pest infestation such as fleas and mites. Rabbits are capable of being toilet trained. There is plenty of information online about toilet training rabbits. Rabbit should spend most of their time indoors or equal time indoors and outdoors. When you rabbit is indoors it should have at least some time each day to roam free. You may wish to set up a room or two rooms where your rabbit can roam free and interact with the family.
Remember, that rabbits like to chew on things, so if leaving your rabbit free to roam unsupervised, you may come home to some chewed skirting boards, cables or chair legs. If you wish to provide your rabbit with a larger living area than its hutch when you are not home, consider a pet pen or a children's play pen.
You could attach it to the hutch to give your rabbit a larger space to exercise and play. Your pet rabbit should have the opportunity to dig and forage when they are outside.
They should be confined to an enclosed area and not allowed to roam free. A secure backyard where no other animals particularly cats or wild rabbits can enter is great, but a sectioned off area of grass is also good. Ensure that if you leave your rabbit outside for long periods of time they have access to their hutch or a weather proof area with bedding so they can rest. Rabbits are social species and prefer to live in groups. If you decide to own a rabbit, always have at least 2 rabbits.
However, if you don't have the room or time or money to keep two rabbits you will need to become your rabbit's companion. This means that if you are away for long periods more than 4 hours every day you will need to provide your rabbit with enrichment activities and toys to keep them occupied and prevent them from becoming lonely or suffering from stress.
If you have 2 or more rabbits it is important to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Separate males and females into different pens or have your veterinarian desex them.
Males will be less likely to fight each other if introduced at a young age. In some cities, Las Vegas and Spokane, Washington, for example, public parks and empty lots have become dumping grounds overrun with hundreds of unfixed, unwanted rabbits.
People abandon many rabbits outdoors, likely unaware that this is a death sentence. Domestic rabbits lack the survival instincts of their wild cousins, Martin says, and are unable to fight infection, build safe shelters, or adapt to heat and cold. Shelters struggle to keep up.
The Georgia House Rabbit Society gets more than requests a year from owners looking to get rid of their rabbits—far more than they have the resources to save. Edie Sayeg, a rescuer with the group, believes thousands of rabbits are simply ditched outdoors in Georgia. Kunzelman says Petland has a take-back policy for rabbits and other animals. But two years after I visited the Petland in Fairfax, Virginia, the Humane Society of the United States released undercover footage documenting alleged mistreatment and deaths of rabbits at the store.
Fairfax County police investigated and found 31 dead rabbits in a freezer in the store in April Lieutenant Ronnie Lewis, who oversaw the investigation, says that his team seized the dead rabbits as well as 17 living rabbits from the store. Police placed the surviving rabbits in custody of a municipal animal shelter. All 17 rabbits are now in foster homes and will be available for adoption shortly. The cause of the rabbit deaths remains under investigation by police. Farm stores, 4-H clubs, backyard breeders, and Facebook and Craigslist users across the country advertise baby bunnies ahead of the Easter season.
I know: I have two rescue rabbits of my own. Rescued by D. Penelope, an English Angora, was found on the street as a baby. All rights reserved. Some shelters even offer remote adoption screening and curbside pickups. To learn more about rabbit care, visit House Rabbit Society at rabbit. If you're interested in adopting a rabbit of your own, you can reach out to your local HRS chapter , or an animal shelter in your area.
Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. Their playpen area requires daily cleaning with pet-safe cleaners to ensure hygienic living conditions no smell or flies , and this helps with litter training too.
Rabbits self-clean so please do not ever try to bathe them as it could lead to death. They need regular grooming like nail-trimming and ear cleaning which can be done by an experienced rabbit groomer. Also, never leave your rabbit home alone when you go on holiday overseas.
Find trusted rabbit boarders, not just any pet boarding. Get in touch at hello wonderwall. I cannot stress the importance of engaging rabbit-savvy vets, groomers and boarders enough!
Unfortunately, not every rabbit will tolerate being handled and may nip, scratch or kick as a defence mechanism, although they are creatures that need lots of love and attention. They'd just much rather be loved from a distance sometimes. They will go into panic mode. In short, a pet rabbit is not for everybody. Do not buy them on impulse. And please ah , parents, never buy a rabbit for your child even when they promise to be fully responsible. You will be the ones who'll end up as the main caretakers.
For the latest updates on Wonderwall. If you have a story idea for us, email us at hello wonderwall. And when it comes to cages, this is a bad example.
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