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You Can Download & Save This Care
Sheet For Your Convenience.
This care sheet is available as a PDF file to download. Click here
to view file as a PDF (opens new browser window)
or right click and choose 'Save File As' to download to your PC. If
you do not have the Adobe Reader installed on your PC you can click
the Adobe Reader logo below and you will be taken to Adobe's website
to download. This will open a new window, or
browser tab, if you are using a tabbed browser.
Keeping
Rabbits - General Care & Information (©
2008 - Rabbit Hutch Supplies Store)
Rabbits are very sociable animals that require contact with other
individuals, perhaps another rabbit or their owner, on a daily basis.
The average, healthy, domestic rabbit will live from 5 to 8 years,
although as a general rule smaller rabbit breeds live longer than
the larger ones.
Rabbits are prey animals and they exhibit many physical traits that
have developed to help them avoid predators – these include
eyes on the side of their face so that they can see all around, ears
that are enlarged and able to move to pick up sounds, long hind legs
so that they have the power to run away, a good sense of smell and
a sensitivity towards sudden movements or attempts to pick them up.
Young rabbits are called kittens and they should be homed when they
are 8 weeks old. Kittens that have been handled regularly at an early
age will make better companion rabbits as they will be well socialised
and accustomed to being picked up correctly.
Allogrooming - one rabbit grooming another rabbit. This behaviour
is often used to strengthen relationships and appears as licking when
directed towards the owner.
Chin rubbing - rabbits mark anything that doesn’t
smell of them with the scent glands that are located under the chin.
In the wild this behaviour lets other rabbits know whose territory
they have entered – in the home, the behaviour may be seen around
new items of furniture or even the owner's legs.
Circling - Female rabbits circle male rabbits during
courtship and this is often combined with some grunting. When a rabbit
is kept alone the behaviour can be directed towards the owner.
Foot thumping - rabbits thump their feet quite rapidly
to alert the rest of the group to danger. Domestic rabbits, even living
alone, may do this if they feel under threat by an owner or another
animal when they are in their hutch.
Fur Plucking - Generally speaking this is a sign
of a pregnancy, or a phantom pregnancy – when a female rabbit
plucks the hair off her chest to line a nest made from bedding. In
some situations rabbits pull their own hair out or over groom a companion
through stress or boredom.
Growling - rabbits growl when they feel threatened.
This may occur between individuals or towards owners when they approach
the rabbit suddenly or put a hand into the rabbits’ territory.
Their own faeces! - Rabbits have a very unusual
digestive system that relies on the consumption of the first set of
faeces that they produce to absorb as many nutrients as possible.
Fibre - A rabbit also requires a large amount of
fibre to keep its digestive system functioning and its teeth worn
down.
Hay - They should also have a good quality dried
hay freely available at all times to enable them to graze and forage.
The more time a rabbit spends grazing and foraging the better –
in the wild they would spend 70% of their time out of the burrow grazing.
Treats - The best treats for rabbits are those that
are not processed – these can include small pieces of green
vegetables, fruit or stale bread. If they are hung from the roof of
the hutch or the indoor cage they will help prevent the rabbit getting
bored
Don't overfeed - You should try and avoid overfeeding
your rabbit.
Plenty of water - Rabbits should have unlimited
supplies of water, either in a bowl or in a gravity bottle.
All rabbits should be vaccinated against VHD and Myxomatosis each
year. A rabbit should be taken for a health check as soon as it is
obtained. This will enable the vet to advise on vaccinations, weight
maintenance, neutering, insurance and nail clipping whilst checking
the rabbit’s general health. Any rabbit that is not going to
be used for breeding will benefit from being neutered. If they are
female, this will prevent the development of uterine cancer but in
both sexes this can make them easier to handle and litter train.
Rabbit Housing - There is no hard or fast rule –
what is more important is the amount of space that they are given
and the level of social contact that they receive. If a rabbit is
going to live outside then it must receive daily contact with an owner
and preferably another rabbit. The rabbits should also be exercised
in an outdoor run or the home as often as possible.
Both the hutch and run should be placed in a location where the rabbits
are safe but protected from the sun, wet weather or frost. If a hutch
is raised a few feet off the ground this will protect the rabbits
from potential predators and makes the owner appear smaller when they
try to handle them. Rabbits also make great indoor animals and can
be litter trained as easily as a cat. However, the rabbit should be
given its own indoor cage and time should be spent 'bunny-proofing'
the home before the rabbit is let out as electrical cables, indoor
plants and books can all be nibbled. If there are other domestic animals
in the home they should be trained to accept the rabbit and not be
left together unattended.
Within an outdoor hutch, rabbits should be kept on a bedding of straw
or wood shavings, as these are easy to replace when the hutch becomes
soiled. An indoor, litter-trained rabbit may sleep on a piece of carpet,
a blanket or towel. A brand of non-clumping cat litter can be used
within the rabbit’s tray.
It is imperative that rabbits are cleaned out at least once a week
in the winter but twice a week during the warm weather. Once the hutch
or indoor cage is empty, it should be sprayed with a good quality
disinfectant and left to dry.
It is really important to keep flies to a minimum around the rabbit
hutch during the warmer months. This is to prevent a rabbit getting
fly strike, which occurs when flies lay their eggs around the rabbit's
anus. The eggs hatch into maggots that burrow under the skin and this
can lead to extreme illness, and even death, within a short space
of time.
Some of the longer-haired breeds - such as the Cashmere Lop, Angora,
Lionhead and Swiss Fox – as well as some crossbreeds will require
daily grooming to remove loose hair and mats. Longhaired rabbits that
are not cared for properly are at risk from fly strike as their faeces
collect in the matted hair. Every rabbit should have its eyes, ears,
nose, mouth, bottom and nails checked daily.
Techniques for handling a rabbit will vary according to the size of
the rabbit but it is important that the rabbit feels safe whenever
it is picked up. Never pick it up by the ears or the scruff of the
neck. One hand should always take the majority of the rabbit's weight
by being under the bottom.
A rabbit that is not happy to be handled may feel scared or may not
have been handled enough as a youngster. This can take some time to
overcome but is often helped by gradually introducing stroking and
handling whilst feeding the rabbit a treat such as a piece of carrot.
Because indoor rabbits receive regular contact with their owner, they
can often live alone but a rabbit living outside in a hutch should
have the company of one or more rabbits.
This enables the rabbit to exhibit normal social behaviour, which
is important to an animal that would live in a group of 2 to 14 individuals
in the wild. Introducing a new rabbit to an existing rabbit is reasonably
easy if it is done in a neutral area (i.e. not the rabbit’s
hutch or indoor cage). By placing the new rabbit in an animal basket
or cage, the existing rabbit can get used to its presence. With time,
and success, they can be let out to run around together. Whilst putting
two males or two females together would prevent any unwanted pregnancies
they are more likely to become competitive and show aggression to
one another.
The best pairing is a castrated male and a spayed female. Keeping
a guinea pig with a rabbit is not always advisable unless they have
been reared together. Even then, the rabbit may start to bully and
injure the guinea pig as they reach puberty. |
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