Rabbit Information
The pet rabbit is available in many different breeds, colours & ranging in size. Rabbits are sociable pets appreciating the company of other rabbits and enjoy human company. A rabbit living alone will get bored and lonely unless you have plenty of time & attention to give to him/her. It is better to keep two together with a male & female being the easiest combination but both will need to be both neutered if you do not intend to breed.
Homing
Rabbits should not live in hutches all the time as they need space to run around, they need space to exercise in a run or secure garden if living outdoors. They can of course live indoors as house rabbits, but you will need to adapt part of your house to your rabbit. Rabbits need to dig and chew, you can buy lots of different toys & balls for your rabbit at a good pet shop or ebay. I find stuffing an empty toilet roll tube with hay gives a good hour of play for my rabbits.
Feeding
I think it is good to provide your rabbit with a varied diet, after all if we were fed on the same food everyday we would soon get bored!!
I always give my rabbits dry rabbit food or pellets, the benefits to buying pellets is that they all get eaten where as when you buy a mixture you usually get selective feeding when they tend to leave some of the food. They also have plenty of hay which as well as having nutritional benefits also relieves boredom in rabbits & at least one fresh item like apple, cabbage, celery or even a bag of dandelions. As a treat I allow them a digestive biscuit each & some times wholemeal toast.
Remember fruit is high in sugar so stick to the leafy vegetables most of the time.
Health Check
It is a good idea to get in the habit of regularly checking your rabbit to ensure they are & stay in good health
Nails - Need to be trimmed very regularly every few months.
Hocks - Some rabbits get a bare patch on their hocks, and sometimes it can become infected broken skin please check your rabbits hocks at regular intervals.
Ears - Keep ears clean and dry, if they shake their heads and scratch them often, then investigate and gain advice from your vet.
Eyes - Constant runny eyes may need vet attention, occasional wet eyes is usually caused by a scratch or a foreign body.
Nose - keep clean and dry, be suspicious if rabbit appears to have a runny nose or is sneezing, rabbits don't get common colds and as they breath through their nose, a blocked nose could lead to breathing problems.
Teeth - Rabbits teeth are constantly growing, they can grow uneven or too long then rabbits will not be able to eat their food. Rabbits that stop eating could well be in pain due to overgrown teeth, get your rabbits teeth checked regularly I had a rabbit that had terrible teeth due to old age, my vet told me this some times happen when they get very old so be aware of this.
Tail - It is very important that your daily routine involves checking your rabbits bottom, Flies do lay eggs in rabbit fur and once they hatch into maggots they will feed on your rabbits flesh. It is a serious condition and is often fatal. Once they have eggs or maggots take your rabbit to the vets. To help prevent this keep your rabbits bottom and tail area clean and dry. Flies are attracted to wet, dirty areas, so the cleaner you keep your hutches etc the better. Weekly disinfecting your areas will help, also bear in mind some rabbits are more high risk than others, e.g the long haired, overweight rabbits who are less likely to be able to clean themselves properly.
Neutered
If you would like to keep more than one rabbit without them fighting or breeding, it would be a good idea to get your rabbits neutered. Neutered (or spayed) rabbits can be less aggressive and territorial. Aggression and urine spraying can be an issue with some male rabbits, as can aggression in females who are hormonal. If you do not intend to breed and would like to keep more than one rabbit, getting them neutered would be the best idea.
Settling in
Make sure you give your rabbit plenty of time to settle in on arrival without to much fuss, remember your rabbit will have to get use to the different noises & smells.
Your rabbit will get use to you & your voice so ensure you speak to him or her daily especially when feeding & cleaning out.
It is not fair for your rabbit to spend a life of being shut in a cage or hutch, they deserve the best possible living conditions and the chance to move around They also need love & attention, don't allow your bunny to be lonely or bored.
If you make your new rabbit part of your family you will see how quickly the rabbit gets use to you & its new home, your rabbit will soon become very friendly.
.
This is all bits of information that I hope you find helpful when deciding to choose your new bunny, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me & I will try my best to help x x x
The pet rabbit is available in many different breeds, colours & ranging in size. Rabbits are sociable pets appreciating the company of other rabbits and enjoy human company. A rabbit living alone will get bored and lonely unless you have plenty of time & attention to give to him/her. It is better to keep two together with a male & female being the easiest combination but both will need to be both neutered if you do not intend to breed.
Homing
Rabbits should not live in hutches all the time as they need space to run around, they need space to exercise in a run or secure garden if living outdoors. They can of course live indoors as house rabbits, but you will need to adapt part of your house to your rabbit. Rabbits need to dig and chew, you can buy lots of different toys & balls for your rabbit at a good pet shop or ebay. I find stuffing an empty toilet roll tube with hay gives a good hour of play for my rabbits.
Feeding
I think it is good to provide your rabbit with a varied diet, after all if we were fed on the same food everyday we would soon get bored!!
I always give my rabbits dry rabbit food or pellets, the benefits to buying pellets is that they all get eaten where as when you buy a mixture you usually get selective feeding when they tend to leave some of the food. They also have plenty of hay which as well as having nutritional benefits also relieves boredom in rabbits & at least one fresh item like apple, cabbage, celery or even a bag of dandelions. As a treat I allow them a digestive biscuit each & some times wholemeal toast.
Remember fruit is high in sugar so stick to the leafy vegetables most of the time.
Health Check
It is a good idea to get in the habit of regularly checking your rabbit to ensure they are & stay in good health
Nails - Need to be trimmed very regularly every few months.
Hocks - Some rabbits get a bare patch on their hocks, and sometimes it can become infected broken skin please check your rabbits hocks at regular intervals.
Ears - Keep ears clean and dry, if they shake their heads and scratch them often, then investigate and gain advice from your vet.
Eyes - Constant runny eyes may need vet attention, occasional wet eyes is usually caused by a scratch or a foreign body.
Nose - keep clean and dry, be suspicious if rabbit appears to have a runny nose or is sneezing, rabbits don't get common colds and as they breath through their nose, a blocked nose could lead to breathing problems.
Teeth - Rabbits teeth are constantly growing, they can grow uneven or too long then rabbits will not be able to eat their food. Rabbits that stop eating could well be in pain due to overgrown teeth, get your rabbits teeth checked regularly I had a rabbit that had terrible teeth due to old age, my vet told me this some times happen when they get very old so be aware of this.
Tail - It is very important that your daily routine involves checking your rabbits bottom, Flies do lay eggs in rabbit fur and once they hatch into maggots they will feed on your rabbits flesh. It is a serious condition and is often fatal. Once they have eggs or maggots take your rabbit to the vets. To help prevent this keep your rabbits bottom and tail area clean and dry. Flies are attracted to wet, dirty areas, so the cleaner you keep your hutches etc the better. Weekly disinfecting your areas will help, also bear in mind some rabbits are more high risk than others, e.g the long haired, overweight rabbits who are less likely to be able to clean themselves properly.
Neutered
If you would like to keep more than one rabbit without them fighting or breeding, it would be a good idea to get your rabbits neutered. Neutered (or spayed) rabbits can be less aggressive and territorial. Aggression and urine spraying can be an issue with some male rabbits, as can aggression in females who are hormonal. If you do not intend to breed and would like to keep more than one rabbit, getting them neutered would be the best idea.
Settling in
Make sure you give your rabbit plenty of time to settle in on arrival without to much fuss, remember your rabbit will have to get use to the different noises & smells.
Your rabbit will get use to you & your voice so ensure you speak to him or her daily especially when feeding & cleaning out.
It is not fair for your rabbit to spend a life of being shut in a cage or hutch, they deserve the best possible living conditions and the chance to move around They also need love & attention, don't allow your bunny to be lonely or bored.
If you make your new rabbit part of your family you will see how quickly the rabbit gets use to you & its new home, your rabbit will soon become very friendly.
.
This is all bits of information that I hope you find helpful when deciding to choose your new bunny, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me & I will try my best to help x x x