Caring for your Bunny Rabbit

( a rabbit can live more than 10 years with the right care)

 

Things Need for your Bunny:

Water: (can be put in a watering bottle, or crock may even us Automatic water system) it is impotent that your bunny has plenty of fresh water at all times

Rabbit pellets:( use a good rabbit pellet that has high fiber 18% and a low protein 14%) to much protein will cause your bunny to get fat

Hay: (Timothy,oat or grass hays are good)

Fresh fruit and Vegetables :( feed a couple time a week)

Cage: Cage should be large enough for your bunny to move around and sit up in, it should have a very small wired bottom (if the wire is to large it hurts the bunny's feet causing a painful condition called sore hocks. (if the bottom of your cage has large holes put in a wooden or rubber mat for the bunny to stand on.

Size for cage for size of Rabbits

Small breeds—2 1 / 2 x 2 1 / 2 ft. = 6 1 / 4 sq. ft.

Medium breeds—2 1 / 2 x 3 ft. = 7 1 / 2 sq. ft.

Large breeds—2 1 / 2 x 4 ft. = 10 sq. ft.

 

Littler box (if keep indoors)

Toys: Rabbits love to play with toys they get board very easy, Toys can be wooden, straw baskets, pinecones, hard plastic avoid giving soft plastic items

Nail Trimming: Rabbits need there toe nails cut.

More in-dept on Rabbit Care

Water:

Rabbit should have fresh water at all time, there are many ways to do this the easiest way is by having a automatic watering system how ever if you only have one or two bunny's you may not want to invest in a automatic water system, You can use a water bottle and this is great way to keep water fresh and handy at all times the other way is by using a crock or bowl, if you choose to use a crock or bowl be sure to check on there water a couple times a day. Once a week be sure to Sanitize your rabbits water bowl or bottle use a mild dish soap and warm water rinse well.

A Freeze bottles & tiles:
A Freeze bottle is a 2 liter soda bottles,that is cleaned out and filled with water then Frozen,On hot days place them in your rabbit's cage it will help keep them cool, your Rabbit will like to lay next to it this is a must in hot weather, the Rabbit will not drink this water they will only use it to cool off, Another thing you can do in the hot weather is freeze ceramic tiles and place them in the cage for your Rabbit to cool off on.

Cooling off your Rabbit: the best way is to use a freeze bottle , (see Freeze bottles & tiles) but if you must you can lightly mist or you can wipe them with a cool damp towel on the back of your rabbits ears to cool them off. rabbits regulate their body temperature through their ears so if you feel your Rabbits ears and they are hot you need to cool your Rabbit down.

Feeding Your Rabbit:

A Rabbit will overeat, be careful not to over feed your rabbit you do not want to make them fat.

Pellets- feed them about 1/4 cup per 5 lbs.are very important to feed your rabbit be sure to buy a good brand it should have at least 18% fiber and protein at around 14% Do not feed the dust from the pellets the Rabbit will not eat it

Hay- Rabbits need hay- the best hay for a rabbit is the Timothy hay another good hay is orchard grass hay. Rabbits need to be able to has access to hay all the time-Hay helps the Rabbit with there digestive system and it also provides fiber that help prevent blockages, health problems like hairball's obesity and diarrhea. Alfalfa and Legume hay is very high in protein and calcium and calories do not feed Alfalfa hay to Bunnies under 3 mos. and when feeding it to older Rabbits limit the quantities of the alfalfa hay.

Vegetables are a great way to provide your rabbit with roughage and vitamins when introducing new vegetables or fruit just give them one kind at a time to see how they react to them, if your rabbit has diarrhea or a soft stool eliminate that type of vegetable from Buying vegetables you will want to get dark leafy vegetables and root type introduce one new vegetable or fruit at a time to see if your Rabbit will be ok with it.

Toxic Plants: see list

Vegetables/Fruits- should be started at about 3 months before your rabbit is 3 months there main food should be a good rabbit pellet and then vegetables like romaine and leaf lettuces ( do not feed iceberg lettuce this will make them sick) , parsley, cilantro., collard greens, dandelion greens, or endive, best to give dark green vegetables. Carrots should be given as treats they are very starchy give them sparingly other types of treats are Apples with out the seeds, blueberries, strawberry's, raspberries, pears, plums and peaches again with out the seed. plums and melons (melons do not give them the skin), Rabbits also like Raisins, grapes and bananas they are good but only once in a while they have a lot of sugar.

Salt blocks are not need if you feed a good rabbit pellet it is ok to use them if you choose. But again not need if eating a good rabbit pellet.

Foods you should not give your Rabbit- iceberg lettuce, cabbage, corn ,tomatoes, potatoes, beets, onions rhubarb, bamboo, beans and peas seeds and grains Never feed your Rabbit Chocolate, candy, any thing that has mold on it the mold will make your Bunny sick. If you have any questions on what not to feed your Bunny give your veterinarian a call.

RABBITS LOVE TO CHEW: it is a Rabbits natural behavior to chew be sure to give your Rabbit things to chew on they like wooden toys ( make sure they are not treated wood and if colored be sure it is food safe) , wooden blocks, pinecones, paper towel or toilet rolls they like baskets to chew. Be careful not to give your Rabbit a toy with sharp edges,loose parts or soft rubber they may swallow it in return may cause problems.

See a Veterinarian:

A Rabbit can go to a veterinarian for check ups, be sure the vet you go to treats Rabbits for some vets do not.

It is a good idea to spay or neuter your rabbit if you are not thinking of breeding rabbits this way you will not get unwanted litters, spaying and neutering has great health benefits, by spaying a female Bunny it will help her not to get cancer of the reproductive area, By neutering your Buck this will help in eliminating the risk of testicular cancer, it helps also with spraying for male Rabbits will spray just like a male cat does.
Spayed and neutering also it helps in calming the Rabbits down.

Holding Your Rabbit:

Rabbits are small fragile animals be careful when you pick them up, place on hand underneath the front of your Rabbit and the other hand underneath his back side, support your Rabbit they have very strong back legs and also there toe nails can scratch DO NOT pick your Rabbit up only by the ears, Do not allow your Rabbit to hang freely they must be supported and made feel safe.

Trimming Nails: (should be done every 4 to 6 weeks)

Trim your Rabbits nails on a regular basic, This is easy to do you can use trimmers for dog or cat or just a good pair of toe nail clippers, you will want to cut there nails just below the quick. The quick is a blood vessel that you can see in there toe nail it is a pink color if you cut a bit to high the nail will bleed just use cornstarch to stop the bleeding they also sell a quick cotter but cornstarch works very good.

You can train your Rabbit to use a litter box just like a cat (do not use pine litter for your rabbit) to clean the litter box use Vinegar, Vinegar is great to cut through the urine smell you may want to soak your litter box for a little while once each week.

TOYS:

RABBITS MAKE GREAT PETS, JUST REMEMBER THAT A RABBIT IS A SMALL LIVE ANIMAL AND IT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA TO LUG YOUR RABBIT AROUND ALL THE TIME IF YOU HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN SUPERVIOS YOUR CHILD WHILE THEY ARE HOLDING YOUR RABBIT.