How to Care for Your Rabbit

Supplies you will need to get started:

Cage, food dish, water bottle or dish, food, brush, nail clippers, hay, and time to bond with your new bunny!

Feeding

When you bring a rabbit home it is important that you slowly transition their food from the feed that I have been giving them to the feed that you will feed them. Pellets are the main food for most rabbits and should contain 16% - 18% protein, 20-25% fiber, and feed with corn, binders, and feed dust should be avoided. Do not constantly change brands of rabbit feed.

Rabbits under the age of 6 months should have unlimited access to pellets. You may offer a small bit of Timothy or meadow hay to the rabbits but wait until after 6 months of age to introduce fresh fruit or vegetables. Do not offer baby rabbits too much fresh food at once, like a human baby it is better to introduce a small amount of something fresh one item at a time. At most offer your junior rabbits one piece of fruit or vegetable a day only a teaspoon at a time. It is best to wait until your rabbit is 6 months of age before introducing treats. Rabbits have a very sensitive digestive system so it is important to feed your rabbit the right foods in the right way.

For Netherland Dwarfs adult rabbits feed only 1/4 cup pellets a day. For an adult Holland Lop this should be 1/2 cup a day. The rule of thumb is 1 oz. pellets per pound of bodyweight. You can choose how you want to feed your rabbits, once or twice a day, but either way be consistent with your feeding time as rabbits like consistency. Add a teaspoon of plain, dry rolled oats to your rabbits food daily. This will help with any stress or change in diet issues. If you notice any runny stools you can add a bit more of whole rolled oats to see if this improves their digestion. In addition to pellets, you should make sure your rabbits have an unlimited supply of Timothy or meadow hay and fresh water. For rabbits over 6 months of age increase daily vegetables gradually, but for fruit do not feed a rabbit more than 4-6 TBSP per week, per 6 lbs. body weight (because of calories).

It is important to know what fruits and veggies are safe and dangerous for your rabbit. Some fresh food will poison your rabbit so please do your research! Here are a few of both safe and unsafe vegetables.

Safe Veg: alfalfa, clover sprouts, asparagus, beet greens, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots and tops (in moderation), chard, chicory greens, cilantro, clover, collard greens, dandelion greens (pesticide free!), eggplant, endive, escarole, kale, lettuces: romaine, butter, green leaf, boston, bibb, arugula...NO iceberg lettuce!, mint, mustard greens, okra leaves, parsley, peppermint leaves, pumpkin leaves, radicchio, radish tops, raspberry leaves, squash: zucchini, yellow, butternut, pumpkin, parsnip.

Safe Fruit: apples, pears, blueberries, grapes, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, peach, plums, banana, and papaya. Fruits should be given sparingly and as treats only once or twice a week at most. High in sugar treats can cause digestive problems or make a rabbit overweight. NO FRUIT PITS, SEEDS, OR TOPS!

Unsafe: potatoes - all kinds, rhubarb leaves, onions, citrus peels, nuts, grains, dried corn or peas, whole seeds, lima beans, kidney beans, soy beans, aloe, APPLE SEEDS, daffodil bulbs, eucalyptus, marigold, juniper, and more! If you are unsure, don't feed it to your rabbit!

Choosing a Cage

While Holland Lops and Netherland Dwarfs remain fairly small the more space provided to your new rabbit the better. The cage needs to be long enough for the rabbit to take three or four hops from one end to the other. The cage should be wide enough for it stretch out across the width and tall enough to stand on its hind legs. In an open enclosure such as an exercise pen, should be at least 3 feet (1 meter) high so your rabbit doesn't escape. If the rabbit is outdoors unsupervised you may also want to bury the wire at least 6 inches underground to prevent your rabbit from digging under it. If unsupervised it is also a good idea to have a cover over the pen to keep the rabbit safe from predators and provide shade.

Inside or Outside?

There are pros and cons to having rabbits outdoors. In Georgia, the heat of summer can kill a rabbit, so please take precautions if you want to keep your rabbit outdoors. Keeping the rabbit out of direct sunlight, making sure there is plenty of ice water, and possibly even a fan on the rabbit. You might also want to consider just bringing the rabbit in for the summer. In the wild, rabbits escape heat by burrowing in the ground and keeping their body temperature down in the cool earth; please do not leave a rabbit in scorching heat. For the cold months, rabbits do fine outside as long as they have an area in their shelter to nest in with plenty of hay. Make sure your rabbit has fresh water every day. During the cold weather make sure the water doesn't freeze. During the hot weather make sure the rabbit has cool fresh water twice a day. Additionally if you have an outdoor rabbit, cleaning the cage once a week will help keep the fly population down. Being outdoors does increase the risk of exposure to parasites.

Indoor rabbit enclosures are great. Your rabbit has the opportunity to potty train and be part of the family when they live inside with you. I affectionately refer to these rabbits as "house bunnies." My first rabbit was a house bunny and was allowed to run around our house usually once a day. Please keep in mind if you allow your rabbit to roam the house they should be supervised or all electric cords should be out of way. Living indoors does increase the chance for a longer life and decreases the chance of disease.

Whether inside or outside, the more attention and interaction with human caregivers will give your rabbit a better disposition.

Bedding & Cage

The best kinds of bedding to use are non-toxic pelleted litter, fresh hay, or newspaper. Do NOT use cedar or pine shavings as these shavings can cause irritation to your rabbit's lungs and the chemicals can be lethal. Cat litter and anything else containing clay can also be harmful to rabbits. If you have a tray under the rabbit cage I recommend newspaper. For litter boxes or bedding I recommend Carefresh Natural Pet Bedding, free of inks, dyes, clay, and chemicals. You can also find Planet Petco Small Animal Paper Pellet Litter at your local Petco.

Potty Training

A rabbit can be potty trained quite easily with a little bit of time and a proper litter box. You will need something with a high back and preferably fits in a corner. The Ware Plastic Scatterless Lock-N-Litter is a good option available online or in a local pet store. When you purchase a litter box wait a couple of days to see where the rabbit potties. After a few days place the litter box in the cage where they like to potty adding a bit of their droppings into the potty box. It shouldn't take long before that rabbit begins using the litter box. Once a rabbit is urinating in the box consistently your rabbit is "potty trained." Babies can take a bit longer to decide which corner they prefer and you should still expect a few droppings scattered around in other places, but overall the process is pretty easy.

Other Items & Care

You need to clip your rabbits nails about every 6-8 weeks. Trimming nails isn't too difficult but requires caution so to not cut the vein (called the quick) inside the nail. Cut just the tips of the nails or have a veterinarian show you how to cut the nails. A bit of preventative care goes a long way with rabbits.

A rabbit needs to chew. Purchase safe chewing toys and your rabbit will less likely develop dental problems. Check your rabbit's teeth every so often to make sure their teeth are not becoming overgrown or causing problems in their mouth. Chew toys such as apple orchard chew sticks work great for keeping rabbit teeth healthy.

Brushing your rabbit regularly will help keep your rabbits coat from becoming matted and can help with its shedding process. Your rabbit will molt twice a year when the seasons change in spring and fall.

You may give your rabbit a bath in "bunny shampoo" sold at pet stores, but DO NOT wet its head or ears. Water in the ears may lead to a serious infection. Make sure your rabbit is thoroughly dry before taking it outside.

When playing with your rabbit be very gentle. Never pick up a rabbit by the ears or the scruff of the neck. Rabbits can easily be afraid when being carried high up, so sitting on the floor with your rabbit is always a good idea. Do not leave your rabbit unattended, especially on something that is not on the ground. Rabbits can injure themselves easily by jumping off furniture. Do not leave your rabbit in the company of other animals unattended. Rabbits, especially after being fixed, can bond with just about any animal, but until this bond has been established it is unsafe to leave them alone. Carry your rabbit close to your body so it feels secure. You can let your rabbit out on your grass as long as your grass has not been treated with chemicals.

Heat will kill a rabbit much sooner than cold. Keep your rabbit cool, out of direct sunlight, out of cold drafts, and dry at all times.

Please take your rabbit to the vet if you notice any of the following:

1. Your rabbit is not eating.
2. Your rabbit has mucus on his nose and is sneezing.
3. If your rabbit develops diarrhea that doesn't clear up after 24 hours. If you notice diarrhea add some rolled oats to its food to see if that helps settle the stomach.

4. If your rabbit develops a "head tilt" get it to a vet immediately. This is called 'wry neck' and can be a fatal bacterial inner ear infection if not treated as soon as possible. There are only two antibiotics that are known to work on this infection; one is "baytril," the other is "gentaved."

We highly recommend having your pet rabbit spayed or neutered.

Paradise Animal Hospital in Augusta will spay and neuter rabbits.

Paradise Animal Hospital
3998 Belair Road
Augusta, GA 30909

Phone: 706-860-4544

Spay & Neuter - What The Rabbit Society has to say on spay and neuter:

Altered rabbits are healthier and live longer than unaltered rabbits. The risk of reproductive cancers (ovarian, uterine, mammarian) for an unspayed female rabbit stands at is virtually eliminated by spaying your female rabbit. Your neutered male rabbit will live longer as well, given that he won’t be tempted to fight with other animals (rabbits, cats, etc.) due to his sexual aggression.
Altered rabbits make better companions. They are calmer, more loving, and dependable once the undeniable urge to mate has been removed. In addition, rabbits are less prone to destructive (chewing, digging) and aggressive (biting, lunging, circling, growling) behavior after surgery.
Avoidance of obnoxious behavior. Unneutered male rabbits spray, and both males and females are much easier to litter train, and much more reliably trained, after they have been altered.
Altered rabbits won’t contribute to the problem of overpopulation of rabbits. Over 7 million adorable dogs, cats, and rabbits are killed in animal shelters in this country every year. In addition, unwanted rabbits are often abandoned in fields, parks, or on city streets to fend for themselves, where they suffer from starvation, sickness, and are easy prey to other animals or traffic accidents. Those rabbits who are sold to pet stores don’t necessarily fare any better, as pet stores sell pets to anyone with the money to buy, and don’t check on what kind of home they will go to. Many of these rabbits will be sold as snake food, or as a pet for a small child who will soon “outgrow” the rabbit.
Altered rabbits can safely have a friend to play with. Rabbits are social animals and enjoy the company of other rabbits. But unless your rabbit is altered, he or she cannot have a friend, either of the opposite sex, or the same sex, due to sexual and aggressive behaviors triggered by hormones.
Spaying and neutering for rabbits has become a safe procedure when performed by experienced rabbit veterinarians. The House Rabbit Society has had over 1000 rabbits spayed or neutered with approximately .1% mortality due to anesthesia. A knowledgeable rabbit veterinarian can spay or neuter your rabbit with very little risk to a healthy rabbit. Don’t allow a veterinarian with little or no experience with rabbits to spay or neuter your rabbit.

At what age should rabbits be spayed or neutered?

Females can be spayed as soon as they sexually mature, usually around 4 months of age, but many veterinarians prefer to wait until they are 6 months old, as surgery is riskier on a younger rabbit. Males can be neutered as soon as the testicles descend, usually around 3-1/2 months of age.

House Rabbit Society. (2015). Spaying and Neutering. Retrieved from: http://rabbit.org/faq-spaying-and-neutering/

Aggression

If at any point you experience an aggressive rabbit please refer to this article from the House Rabbit Society regarding aggression and what it could mean - The Basics of Rabbit Aggression: Ballistic Bunnies 101.