RABBITS
CARING FOR YOUR RABBIT
DIET
Hay is a very important part of your rabbit’s diet as it high in fibre and provides a good source of roughage for digestive health and dental health. Hay is 80% of your Rabbits diet and should be offered daily along with a good quality pellet made for rabbits. Fruits and Vegetables can be offered once a day for adult rabbits, an appropriate amount would be a handful of dark, leafy greens and occasionally fruits. It is important that you vary the vegetables you give your rabbit and ideally feed a selection of 3 vegetables a day. Fresh grass is also acceptable as long as it has not been sprayed with any chemicals (never lawn clippings). Treats can also be offered but should not exceed 10% of the total food intake. Fresh clean water should always be available and changed every day. It is best to use a water bottle or a heavy bowl to avoid contamination and spillage. The following vegetables and fruits for appropriate for adult rabbits to eat: Alfalfa, Banana, Basil, Beet greens tops, Berries, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Carrot & carrot tops, Celery, Coriander, Clover, Corn, Dandelion greens, Dill, Endive, Green & Red Capsicum, Mint, Mustard greens, Orange, Parsley, Pea pods, Peppermint leaves, Radish tops, Raspberry leaves, Spinach, Watercress, Wheat grass. If in doubt do not feed
HOUSING & ENVIRONMENT
It is best to provide your rabbit with the largest enclosure possible. It must be at least 4 times the adult size of your rabbit. The enclosure should be escape proof and have an area with a solid surface. They cannot spend all day on wire floor. POSITION- keep your hutch in an area where there is no great extremes in temperature or draughts. If your rabbit is going to be housed outside make sure there is shelter from the elements and ensure it is protected from bugs or prey animals. Rabbits can tolerate cold weather if properly acclimatised and sheltered, they must be put under shelter in winter. Place 3-5cm of bedding either straw or wood shavings inside the hutch or cage as rabbits like to dig and burrow. Your bunny will also need a hidey hole, tunnel or a small animal bed to seek shelter in, especially during the night. Spot cleans of the hutch or cage can be performed daily, removing any spoilt bedding or waste from the cage. Big cleans can be performed 1-2 times a week, depending on the size of the cage and number of rabbits, ensuring to remove all spoiled bedding and wipe the cage down with an appropriate hutch cleaner. Hay, food and water containers need daily top ups or replacements, fruits, vegetables or other treats that are not eaten with 24 hours should be discarded. Rabbits can be solitary or housed together in pairs, it is recommended to have 2 females or a male/female pair, 2 males together to have the potential to fight as they reach maturity. A big enough space must be provided to have multiple rabbits, double story hutches or hutches with a run are ideal for this situation to allow the rabbits to coexist with adequate room. Older rabbits need to be introduced slowly with younger rabbits’ overtime to reduce stress, fighting and dominance issues.
BEHAVIOUR & EXERCISE
Rabbits are most active at dawn and dusk; these are great times for supervised exercise. Rabbits need a minimum of 3-4 hours of play and exercise each day, it is recommended that rabbits are given an area in the house or yard in which they can free-roam, forage and play as this is their natural instinct. Tunnels, toys and activities can be used to help stimulate your rabbit during this time as boredom can lead to bad behaviours like chewing and digging. Rabbits can be handled andpetted, most like head scratches and ear rubs. When picking up your rabbit, ensure you have a secure hold on their back and rear end, holding them close to your chest facing you. Rabbits do not like heights and can fret when feeling vulnerable, leading to scratching, kicking or jumping, so it is best to do all handling on the floor or on a surface in which they cannot injury themselves by falling. With persistence and training, rabbits can be taught tricks and can be walked with a lead and harness, they can also be toilet trained to use a litter box or tray which reduces mess with their cage.
CHEW TOYS & HEALTH CARE
Rabbits need chew toys as their teeth continually grow. It is essential that they gnaw on hard, safe objects in order to keep their teeth at a manageable length. In store we have many wood chews that are safe for your rabbit to chew on, it is best to choose toys which have different textures to ensure the best results. Overgrown teeth can cause serious health problems and need to be assessed by your vet. Rabbits also need an element of salt in their diet so it is important to provide a salt lick stone and mineral chew.
Grooming is required for rabbits, especially those that have long hair like: Angoras, Mini Lops or Lionheads. Though rabbits can and will groom themselves, it is important to help maintain their hair, especially when coming into a moulting season. Brushing your rabbit daily is essential for their health and wellbeing as this will prevent matting and assist in de-shedding, their nails must also be clipped regularly. Rabbits can be given a bath; however, it is not recommended as this is quite stressful for them. Small animal waterless shampoos or dry shampoo powders can be purchased in store, these can be applied to the coat and brushed out thoroughly.
Rabbits are susceptible to worms and can in turn pass them to humans. Keeping your up to date with worming treatments is important for their health. Worming treatments are available in store and can be used on a monthly schedule to prevent infestations. Spray your rabbit with Mite and Lice once a week to keep him/her protected from Mites or Lice. It is especially important for rabbits that are kept outside to be protected from bugs like flies, fleas, mosquitoes and spiders as insect bites can make them extremely ill. Myxomatosis is a type pox virus which can be spread via biting insects like fleas or mosquitoes, this virus is deadly for rabbits as there is no vaccination available to treat the disease, this is why is it extremely important to keep rabbits protected when they are outside.
Rabbits can be vaccinated for some strains of the Calicivirus, though it cannot provide 100% protection it is strongly recommended to get this done to keep your rabbit health and safe. Vaccinations can be performed by vets that specialise in small animal care, this is normally performed from on rabbits from 10-12 weeks of age. Booster shots for the vaccinations will be required every 6-12 months (depending on the vet and vaccination). It is best to consult your local vet for more information
It is recommended to get your rabbit desexed if you are not a breeder as this can prevent potential health issues like Mammary Gland Cancer or disease of the Uterus. Desexing will also improve your rabbits overall hormonal function and temperament as well as reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancies. This can be performed on rabbits from 6 months old, it is best to consult your vet about this.