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Care of Rabbits

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Care of Rabbits

WHAT IS A RABBIT

There is something about the short fluffy tail of rabbits, the little twitching nose and the long velvet-like ears that make them quite irresistible. Their bodies are covered in soft fur that can come in many colours. Wild rabbits have thick fur that is either brown or gray in colour. The fur of domestic rabbits can be gray, white, black, brown, ginger or a mixture of these colours. A rabbit gets around by hopping on its back legs, which are much more powerful and longer than its front legs. They also use their front legs to assist them to hop and are also vital for keeping balance.

LIFE SPAN OF A RABBIT

A domestic rabbit has a life span of 8 - 12 years. If they are kept in top condition, they will live a long and happy life. Sadly, a wild rabbit may only live up to a year. This is because they have minimal protection against predators. Wild rabbits are usually hunted down by humans, or killed by other animals such as foxes and eagles.

HANDLING YOUR RABBIT

Although rabbits make fantastic pets, they must be handled with great care. Unlike cats and dogs, they dislike being cuddled or ill-handled. If handled incorrectly, your docile rabbit may become aggressive and may even bite you. If your rabbit struggles, it may inflict serious harm to itself, causing it to snap its vertebral column (back or spine). If this happens your rabbit will become permanently paralyzed and will have to be euthansed. If your rabbit is frightened or severely stressed, it may even suffer a cardiac arrest. You must make sure that your rabbit is handled carefully and in the correct manner.

To pick up your rabbit, use one hand to scruff the loose skin on its shoulders and use the other hand to support its hindquarters. Never pick up a rabbit by its ears or legs. This can result in severe injury. Small rabbits can be picked up with one hand under its neck and front part of its chest and again with the other hand supporting the hindquarters. Once you have picked up your rabbit correctly, hold it as close to your body as possible. Let it hide its head into your clothing or under your arm. If for any reason your rabbit starts to struggle put it down immediately onto a non-slip surface.

Your rabbit may break its back if it jumps from your arms and it is very important to try to avoid this risk. Always put your rabbit's hindquarters into its hutch or onto the ground first keeping its head towards you.

  THE HUTCH

A rabbit hutch can be either wood or mesh, but it must be cat/dog proof. The hutch should be big enough to allow the rabbit to run around and stand up if he/she wishes. The hutch should have a minimum horizontal dimension of 0.8 - 1.0 m and be at least 45 - 50 cms high. Never overcrowd your hutch with too many rabbits, as this will usually lead to aggression. Make sure the hutch is strong and sturdy and off the ground. It should have a run area as well as a separate sleeping compartment. It should also have an area where your rabbit can be toilet trained to a litter tray. When keeping the hutch outdoors it should be kept in a shady area and be protected from the rain. Rabbits like lots of fresh air and do well outside however also make very good indoor pets. They are easily housetrained and as long as the owner is willing to provide a suitable environment, can do equally well indoors.

The hutch should be cleaned daily and lined with newspaper and fresh hay/straw. Your rabbit will also need time out of its hutch. You can either let it run around the house or in your backyard. Make sure you supervise your rabbit in the backyard because an unsupervised rabbit will usually burrow its way out or may be killed if a cat comes into the yard. Where a rabbit is strictly an indoor pet a "cage" is still advisable as it gives you a place to put your rabbit where you know where it is. Also your rabbit will like somewhere it can retreat, and sleep, away from constant human attention.

Rabbits are best kept in twos or threes. Environmental enrichment such as toys, sticks (non-poisonous fruit tree branches are best), climbing surfaces and retreating and hiding places help to entertain your pet when you can't and are even more important if you have only one rabbit.

Never house rabbits and guinea pigs together as they carry each other's most common bacterial diseases.

FOOD

Rabbits love eating and should be fed nutritious food in order to keep them healthy. A healthy rabbit will live a long and happy life. You should never feed your rabbit fruit or vegetables not fit for human consumption. There are different diets available for rabbits depending on with whom you speak to and your country of residence. Commercial diets are available for rabbits.

In America the commercial diet comes as pellets. A U.S. veterinarian specializing in pocket animals (this includes rabbits) recommends the commercial pellets combined with Timothy hay. The pellets and hay should be supplemented with vegetables. Lucerne (Alfalfa) hay should never be fed with these pellets as this caused the diet to be far too high in calcium.

The Australian commercial diet consists of a mix of pellets, grains and chaff. Where this diet is fed it is important that your rabbit doesn't pick out one part of the food. For instance if your rabbit is eating only the grain is getting only carbohydrates, and will develop problems due to lack of fibre, vitamins and calcium. If you notice your rabbit is being picky give only a small amount at a time and make sure he has finished most of it before offering more. Again Lucerne hay should not be offered but give a meadow or grass hay for your rabbit to pick through. Timothy hay is not available in Australia .

Fresh food diets are the traditional diet of rabbits and they have done very well with these in the past. Where no commercial food is given your rabbit should be fed a mix of carrots, bread, grass, lettuce, celery, apples and broccoli. If your are going to feed your rabbit cabbage, make sure it is a small amount or it is likely to become sick. Rabbits also enjoy a mixture of grains such as barley, oats or wheat. Lucerne hay can be fed to supply roughage and calcium.

A mixed diet is certainly possible. If your rabbit is accustomed to one type of diet then slowly add in other foods. Hard foods such as carrots are good for their teeth and give variation where commercial food is the dominant diet. Sudden changes in diet can result in diarrhoea, which can become fatal for your pet. Wash any fresh food well. In the USA most cases of Salmonella food poisoning is due to poorly washed fresh vegetables and Salmonella is invariably fatal in rabbits.

Never overfeed your rabbit. Offer it as much food as it would eat in half an hour. Always have fresh water available to your rabbit. Either place the water in a heavy untippable dish or fasten a water bottle to the hutch.

Rabbits suffer from two major dietary problems. The commonest is too little fibre in their diet. Non-breeding adult rabbits need over 20% of their diet as roughage. It is therefore important to always to have ad lib hay available even if it is in the sleeping quarters. The other problem is a either too much or too little calcium in their diet. Feeding Lucerne with pellets is usually the cause of too much calcium in the diet. This causes bladder stones to form and may cause problems with the jaws and teeth. Too little calcium occurs when bread or grains have been fed in excess or the fresh food diet has not been supplemented with Lucerne . This will cause mouth and teeth problems.

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