Keeping Rabbits
Care of your Pet Rabbit
Owning and caring for a pet rabbit can be an enjoyable and unique experience. Rabbits are generally clean and
quite tame and many can be trained to use a litter box. They are easy to raise and are available in a variety of
breeds. The average life span for a rabbit is 5-6 years but some may live up to 10 or 11 years. Proper feeding
and care will help to assure your rabbit a long and healthy life.
Housing
Rabbit cages can be purchased from a variatey of suppliers, including this web site. Cages should be spacious and allow for plenty of room to move around. Minimal cage size for a 3kg rabbit should be at least 600mm wide by 450mm high and 600mm long, although 1m long would be better. For indoor rabbits, all wire cages are recommended. Be sure the wire bottom is 25mm x 12mm of 16 gauge galvanised or stainless steel wire. Poor quality bottom wire will cause foot problems. The sides and top can be of 50mm x 25mm sized wire. Cage sanitation is an essential component of rabbit husbandry. Cages should be brushed, disinfected with a dilute solution of bleach and rinsed frequently. Nest boxes, waterers and feeders should be similarly disinfected and rinsed.Nutrition
Proper feeding of rabbits is accomplished by providing a balanced pelleted food. Rabbit pellets should contain
18-24 percent crude fiber and 14-18 percent crude protein. Excess or inadequate amounts will lead to
gastrointestinal disturbances.
Fresh vegetables should be given only in limited amounts (e.g. no more than one carrot per week) so as not to upset the balanced nutrition provided by the pelleted diet. Whenever changing a rabbit's diet do so gradually. All adult rabbits should be provided with grass hay. Baby rabbits should have alfalfa hay. A high fiber diet has been repeatedly shown to decrease the chances of digestive disturbances and aids in the prevention of hairball obstructions.
Rabbits are coprophagic animals, that is they consume their own feces. At night, rabbits produce soft feces which are rich in protein and vitamins and are reingested as they are passed from the anus. The hard, dry, daytime feces are not ingested.
Water
Rabbits should have access to fresh water at all times. Place water in crocks that cannot be
tipped over or in water bottles.
Reproduction
Male rabbits enter their breeding period between 6 and 10 months of age. As early as 3 months of age, they may attack other rabbits and should be placed in a separate cage when aggression appears. Neutering is very helpful in reducing their aggression and tendency to fight.Females (does) are able to start breeding between 5 and 9 months of age. Pregnancy lasts between 29 and 35 days and litters are generally composed of 4 to 10 young. To confirm a suspected pregnancy, the female can be abdominally palpated 10 to 14 days after the breeding. The doe will usually nurse the young bunnies only once in the morning, thus falsely giving an impression of maternal neglect. If bunnies are removed from the mother and raised by hand, a high mortality (40 percent) can be expected. Hand raised bunnies are susceptible to diarrhea, pneumonia and chilling. So, whenever possible, let nature run its course. Females may develop uterine cancer later in life and should be spayed to prevent this occurrence.
Housetraining your rabbit
Rabbits can be easily trained to use a litterbox. Unlike a cat that is trained to a box, a rabbit trains to a spot. When you first get a rabbit, place him in the cage and do not disturb him for 24 hours. Observe which corner the rabbit uses to urinate in. Once a rabbit has scented out one spot to use, he will always use the same spot.Place the litterbox with cat litter over the toilet corner. Be sure to use non-appetizing litter, some rabbits will ingest the cat litter. Once you are sure the rabbit is using the box, you may start handling your new pet. Start by removing the bunny for 10-15 minutes several times a day. If your rabbit starts to lift his tail to urinate, spray him with a water bottle and return him to his cage. If you catch your rabbit using your favorite rug for a litterbox, spray a bitter product like Bitter Safe Mist on the spot to discourage a repeat occurrence. Never hit your rabbit. Your rabbit may still leave small fecal droppings here and there, whisk them up with your dustpan and broom. Do not leave droppings on the floor.
Grooming your rabbit
It is important to groom your rabbit regularly. Rabbits will generally have a heavy shed or molt twice a year. Be
sure to brush your pet with a slicker brush at least daily during those times. Rabbits are prone to hairballs and,
unlike cats, they cannot vomit so hairballs may cause intestinal blockages. Regular brushing and providing grass
hay will help prevent hairballs. It is advisable to trim your rabbit’s toenails frequently. A regular dog or cat nail
clipper will work well. If you have never trimmed toenails before, ask your veterinarian to show you how. During
your grooming sessions, look your pet over for any abnormalities such as scaly coat, hair loss, crusts or ear disease.
Handling your rabbit
When restraining rabbits, care must be taken to always support the rear quarters and the back. If not properly handled, many rabbits will struggle and break their backs, leading to paralysis.Caring for your rabbit's health
The following are a few of the common medical conditions of which the rabbit owner should be aware. If your
rabbit exhibits any change in behavior or symptoms of disease, a veterinarian should be consulted.
Rabbit urine is normally very cloudy and ranges from light yellow to orange or red brown in color. Often this variation in color leads people to mistakenly believe the urine contains blood. Although rabbits rarely have blood in their urine, if there is cause for concern, a urinalysis can be done to verify its' presence.
Rabbits may have various haircoat problems. Most common among them are hair pulling for nests, fur mites, ringworm and hair pulling as a behavioral vice. A veterinarian should examine any severe hair coat problem.
Over growth of the incisor (front) teeth leads to malocclusion. Affected rabbits may drool and will have difficulty eating. Your veterinarian can help you trim the teeth.
Nasal discharges and respiratory problems are frequently due to a Pasteurella infection commonly called "snuffles". Antibiotics will help control this problem but infected rabbits sometimes harbor the bacteria and will become symptomatic from time to time.
Ear mites are a frequent cause of head shaking and scratching. After making a diagnosis, your veterinarian can prescribe ear medication to control these pests.
As a responsible pet owner with attention to proper feeding, toe nail and tooth trimming and cage sanitation you can greatly increase your rabbit's life span and enjoy many happy years with your pet.
