Rabbit Care Questions

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 11:19 am

I want to know about diffrent breeds and supplies needed so I can start off right.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:15 pm

All right, I've only got a few minutes so I'm just going to touch on some important things and give you some links - Spaying and neutering - one of the biggest mistakes that a rabbit owner can make is leaving their pet unaltered. Unspayed females have an exceptionally high risk of reproductive cancer later in life, and unaltered males very often become destructive and aggressive once they mature. I used to work in rescue, and the number one cause for people abandoning male rabbits was that they were acting "hormonal" which is very easy to prevent.- Cages - rabbits need big cages. In my opinion, the best option for rabbits is allowing them free range of either the house or a single rabbit proofed room, but I realize this is impractical for most people and the second best thing is a decent sized cage and plenty of supervised out-of-cage time. Most, if not all, commercial cages are far too small, not to mention insanely expensive. The cages sold in "starter packs" in pet store are always too small. A better option is making your own. A good, inexpensive type of cage is made out of portable shelf units. The idea was originally meant for guinea pigs, and I house my guinea pigs in one, but many people have modified it for rabbits. Check out cavycages.com for info about that.- Diet - another area many people go wrong is with diet. Rabbit pellets are not a complete diet. Their diet should consist mainly of fresh vegetables, an unlimited amount of timothy hay, and a small amount of high-quality pellets, if any. Most cheap pellets are made with alfalfa, which is too high in calcium and calories for mature rabbits, and some even contain animal fat, as well as a bunch of preservatives. A good, more specific site about diet is http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html . Also check out the other sections of rabbit.org; they're very informative.- It's also a good idea to get rabbits in pairs. No matter how much time you spend with them, there's no substitute for the company of another rabbit 24 hours a day.- If you can, ADOPT. There are a ton of rabbits looking for homes, many of which are already spayed/neutered, some of which come in "bonded" pairs (so you don't have to worry about introducing two rabbits, which can be difficult sometimes), and all of which really need a good home! Check petfinder.org and search for rabbits in your area, and you're very likely to find a lot to choose from.- breeds - I'm not an expert on rabbit breeds and I've only had experience with a few, but generally smaller breeds are more active and live longer. And obviously, long haired rabbits need a lot of grooming. It's no fun dealing with a matted angora or Jersey woolly - I had to shave one once because her fur was so tangled it was pulling on her skin and restricting movement. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask - like I said, this is just an overview. And best wishes!

Willow · Post by **Willow** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 3:35 pm

Most people who have rabbits DO NOT take proper care of them, and all those people got their info from books. Very few books even mention spaying and neutering, let alone emphasize how very important it is. I would say that everybody who has an unaltered rabbit (except serious, dedicated breeders) will either get rid of that rabbit or leave it outside, neglected, by the time the rabbit is a year old. Rabbits are, in my experience, the most neglected pet in general. An unspayed rabbit will, almost certainly, die of reproductive cancer before she is 5, and an unneutered male will not be welcome in your house for long, because he'll urine mark everywhere. The importance of altering cannot be overemphasized. If you can't find a vet who will spay/neuter rabbits, or you "can't afford" it, don't get a rabbit. It will end up being just terrible for all involved, and could even mean death for the bunny. The adoption rate of rabbits at animal shelters is just dismal. Most of them are killed for lack of a good home. Constantly having Timothy or Orchard Grass hay is also very important. A lot of pet rabbits die of hair impactions, which can mostly be prevented with a proper diet. Leafy greens are also necessary, every day, not just once in a while. Too many people just throw a bowlful of pellets in the cage and expect the bunny to do well, but this is a major cause of early death. Be certain, before you get the rabbit, that you'll be able to take care of it for the rest of its life. A properly cared for rabbit will live to be 10-12, and a lot of the time, kids will get pet rabbits when they're young, but then they'll go to college in a few years and the rabbit will end up neglected in the backyard or sent to the animal shelter to be killed . They do chew, and dig, so you may not want wooden furniture or carpeting in the area you have for the rabbit. If you don't provide adequate out-of-cage time, the bunny will be very unhappy. It would be great if you could have a fenced area outside, where the bun could run free, although you couldn't leave it outside unsupervised. Don't let a rabbit run free in an unfenced area, because it might run away, and domestic rabbits don't have the necessary survival skills to make it on their own. Also, the dwarf breeds are really cute, but are very tempermental. I believe there's more info on this at rabbit.org.Sorry if I get a little carried away; it's just that I get so sick of people getting pets without knowing what they're getting into, and always, the animal is the one that pays the price. It's great that you're doing research before you're getting the pet. Hopefully, you'll have many happy, healthy years with your pet rabbit.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 6:37 am

We have had our Nala (our bunny) for 5 years now. I would definitely agree with the others that you will want to have bunny spayed. As far as breeds, I don't have a lot of experience with all the different breeds but the breed you want will somewhat depend on what size you're looking for. When we got Nala she was a baby still. Her cage at the pet store said "Mini Rex". I was picturing something like a Netherlands dwarf. Instead I got a cat-sized rabbit! LOL But she has the very softest fur ever. Rexes don't have outer guard hairs so they are very plush-feeling and soft. I don't have the room for a rabbit-proofed room and I have 3 cats and a dog, so I would not want to leave Nala out of her cage when I'm gone. She has a pretty roomy cage which is in the kitchen so she gets plenty of socialization, and she gets to come out and roam with supervision. She doesn't particularly like roaming, though. She's very nervous. Some rabbits are calm but many are highly nervous creatures--that comes from being a "prey animal". It's instinctual. Feeding, I feed a rabbit blend (not plain pellets, but seeds and pellets mixed) and supplement with carrots, greens, etc. and a handful of timothy hay. Some things you may not be prepared for (I know I wasn't) was just how much they pee and poop. Nala will only "go" in her cage but the cage needs to be cleaned several times a week to keep odor down. You will also need to keep an eye on bunny's teeth and provide wood blocks or the like for it to chew to keep the teeth from getting too long. You will need to clip the nails periodically as they grow very fast and can get very long. When picking up bunny, make sure to support the hind end as they can kick EXTREMELY hard when they are scared, and being picked up or set down is often very scary to them. In short, Nala is just about the stupidest animal on earth, she poops and pees 5000 times a day, she doesn't do tricks, and she's not much of a companion, but she's extremely gentle (except for kicking when scared), sweet, and beautiful. So we love her. I find other bunny lovers get angry when I say how stupid she is, but she really is--that's the naked truth. Lights are on, no one is home. I think that's where the saying "dumb bunny" comes from. You would think after FIVE STRAIGHT YEARS of gentle petting and special treats that she'd learn I probably won't drop her when I pick her up, but she still doesn't quite grasp that. I've been raked by her claws more than a few times. But she usually doesn't let anyone else even get that far, so I guess I feel honored.

Jedediah · Post by **Jedediah** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:49 pm

I fed hard bread to my mice and hamsters occasionally, but not very often, more as a treat. It's not very hard to chew and can contain mold spores. Fruit is a treat, too, but vegetables can be fed each day.It's nice that you will get her a friend It might take a while for them to get used to each other, though

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:49 pm

Thanks for all the help. You were both very informative! I named her Abbet (like Abbey but it rhymes with rabbit LOL). I'll be sure to post some pics once I get my film developed. I'll also be sure to buy her a friend soon, since I only get around to playing with her for 2 solid hours, which isn't quite enough. She's probably lonely . I know that I'll have more time for her once this semester of school is done in a couple of weeks, so I'll be able to take care of 2 not long after that. I'll also be sure to slowly take her off the rabbit pellets. I'm not sure what she's used to eating, so I'll just put less and less in everyday. How often should I put fruit in her cage? I read that it should be a treat. Also, I read that hard wheat breads are good for their teeth. Is this true? I like to get second opinions instead of believing everything that's in the literature! Afterall, they say nothing about the pellets being unhealthy.Thanks again,Crabbie Gina

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:49 pm

Many rabbits do not like to be picked up off of the floor. I've had rabbits for about 10 years, and none of mine have liked to be picked up while I was standing. I read online that they do not like this because being off of the ground is an unnatural feeling to them, since they do not climb in the wild. I've had my current rabbit for two years, and we got him when he was a baby. He still kicks when I pick him up to put him in his cage. Be very careful when picking your rabbit up, he could seriously hurt himself while flaring.To get your bunny used to you, I read online that you and your rabbit should go in a small room together and close the door. (Make sure it is rabbit safe with no wires to chew or anything else that is harmful). Have some carrots, or better yet, bananas in your hand. Sit cross-legged on the floor. Let the rabbit hop around the room, and let him come to you. I used this trick with my bunny, and it worked great. Most rabbits do not like to sit and be held like cats or dogs. This is why they actually don't make great pets for kids. Jedidiah gave you great advice. The type of hay I buy is Timothy Hay. My boyfriend's mother is a vet tech, and she said to be sure to NOT give the rabbit alfalfa, because it is bad for them. Here are some links that might help you out...http://www.rabbit.org/http://exoticpets ... re.htmWhat did you name your bunny? Do you have any pictures?

Jedediah · Post by **Jedediah** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:49 pm

Rabbits tend to be a bit shy anyway (although there are very outgoing rabbits), so I guess it might be just normal. Give her time to get used to you. If there were any small kids in the family, that might be the reason. They tend to treat rabbits as furry toys and the rabbits rarely fight back. I'm not saying that this IS the reason for her behaviour but I've seen such rabbits quite often in the animal shelter I visit.Rabbits are social and should be kept in pairs or groups and they DON'T get along with guinea pigs. That is, they might live together with one, but they cannot understand each other since their body language ect. is totally different. It's best to let the rabbits choose each other, many animal shelters let you bring your rabbit along (at least around here they do).You don't need to feed her rabbit food, it's actually bad for them. All they need is high-quality hay and some vegetables as well as tiwgs and branches to shorten their teeth.Rabbit food contains cereals and the problem is that after eating those, the rabbits isn't hugry any more and doesn't eat enough hay = it's teeth grow too long and it's gut flora is killed. Many commercial food also contain lots of sugar.If the rabbit was fed such food, offer it along with hay, but slowly reduce the rabbit food.You can toilet train her. If you let her run free in the house, watch which corner she uses as toilet and then place a cat toilet or rodent toilet there, maybe put some droppings in. Most rabbits learn very fast what's expected of them. But I'd wait with this until she is completely tame.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:49 pm

We've had our bunny Nala since she was a baby. She's almost five now. She eats commercial rabbit food, but not the pellet kind. Instead I give her the mixed seeds kind which she LOVES. For supplements she gets Timothy hay (the alfalfa kind can mess up their urinary tracts when fed continuously, though in small doses as a rare treat it's OK). We also feed her dandelions, clover, baby carrots, apple cores, fresh things like that but never too much at a time. Rabbits have delicate digestive systems.As far as the skittishness, some rabbits never get over that. Really I'm the only one that can carry Nala and she still gets spooked sometimes and kicks. I've heard that some rabbits can be litter trained, and Nala is in the sense that she always picks only one corner of her cage to go in, and doesn't do her business on the floor--but when I put a litter box in there, she threw it around and chewed on it and generally used it for a toy instead of a potty.Make sure that your new bunny friends are spayed/neutered. Even single rabbits (like Nala) should be altered because in a male, it reduces aggression, and in a female, the risk of uterine/ovarian cancer is very high in unspayed females. Another problem we had with Nala before being spayed was that she was absolutely preoccupied with nesting, and was constantly tearing her fur out and lining a section of her cage with it and she would nip at blankets, clothes, towels, anything to help build her nest. After spaying she gave that behavior up.Give your bunny plenty of wooden things to chew to help with boredom. Keep a very close eye on him when he's out of his hutch so that you can be sure he's not chewing on cords, etc. Nala can't be out of her cage unsupervised but some people have the room to make a "bunny room" in their house where the rabbit can live unsupervised. Good luck with your new friend!