Water
This should always be available, and changed daily. A dirty water container
can breed bacteria that cause disease. The container can be either a water
bottle or heavy bowl that is weighted or secured to the side of the cage
so that it does not tip over. Do not use medications or vitamins in the
water, as your pet may not drink if the taste or color is altered. If
your rabbit eats a large salad daily, you may notice he drinks very little.
Continue to offer fresh water regardless.
Vitamins
These are not necessary if your rabbit is on a healthy diet. In fact,
the indiscriminate use of vitamins may lead to over dosage and serious
disease.
Salt or Mineral Block
These are not necessary for a house pet on the described diet.
You may want to have one available for those animals kept outdoors in
warm climates and for breeding animals.
Night Feces
It may seem strange to list this as a part of the diet, but these "special
droppings" are an essential part of your pet's nutrition. You may, at
certain times, observe your pet licking the anal area and actually eating
some of his droppings. These are called cecal pellets. They are softer
and greener than the normal hard, round waste droppings. Your pet knows
when these droppings are being produced and will eat them. These cecal
pellets come from the cecum, which is part of the intestines where fermentation
of food takes place, and they are rich in vitamins and nutrients that
are needed by your pet to maintain good health. After eating these "vitamin
pellets", he will re-digest the material and extract all the necessary
elements. This habit may appear distasteful to us, but it is normal and
important for your pet.
Occasionally a rabbit will drop these cecal pellets along with the waste
pellets instead of eating them. They will be soft, but formed and have
an odor. This is not considered diarrhea, and if it only occurs occasionally,
it is not considered a disease problem.
Living Environment
Cage or Living Area
Some people confine their bunnies to a cage while they are not at home,
others use gated off areas (or corrals) while still others designate entire
rooms for their rabbits to roam in freely. The decision is a personal
one, and depends on what living arrangements work best for all concerned.
Our philosophy on cages is: the bigger the better.
Whatever your choice, your rabbits living enclosure must address the following
concerns:
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a) Space:
Your rabbit must be able to exercise every day (see our section
on exercise).
A typical 24"x 48" by 18" high cage provides little or no exercise,
as your rabbit can only hop once or twice before being obliged to
stop and turn. This kind of enclosure is adequate while you are
not home, but any rabbit living in it must be let out for 3-4 hours
every day.
A corral (approximately 2 feet by 8 feet) provides much more room
to move during the day, but does little to satisfy the curious and
roaming nature of your pet. Be sure to allow your bunny to explore
other areas of your house while you clean his corral, providing
mental stimulus and exercise at the same time.
A rabbit with his own room is usually quite happy and has room to
run, but may still be curious about other areas of your home and
as such he might happily run out of his room to satisfy his desire
to explore!
b) Cleaning:
The easier your rabbit's living space is to clean the better.
Cage bottoms should be made of non-porous plastic. Avoid wood, glass,
wire or other chewable materials. We do not recommend any kind of
mesh or wire flooring due to the serious risk of sore hocks and
abrasions. Corrals made of stainless steel can be placed over ceramic,
linoleum, cement or hardwood floors. To protect your rabbit (and
your floors), cover the floor with brown, white or newspaper that
can be removed daily (along with his or her stool and leftover uneaten
foods). If you do not cover your floor area, your floor may become
seriously stained from your rabbit's urine.
Dishes: All dishes should be impermeable to water and easy to clean
(or better yet, dishwasher safe). Hard plastic, stainless steel
or heavy ceramic bowls are ideal.
A note on surfaces, and bedding: Your rabbit needs a non-skid area
that is soft for his hocks, where he can rest comfortably. Towels,
blankets or pieces of carpet/throw rugs that can be easily washed
work well. Typically we recommend using the area in and around his
or her hiding box as the "softer" surface area, as bunnies most
often relax in these areas.
We do not recommend covering your rabbit's floor with bedding such
as pine shavings or corncob. Cedar shavings especially, but also
pine can cause liver disease in small animals. They also can irritate
your rabbit's eyes and respiratory tract. In addition, you do not
want your rabbit to accidentally ingest bits of his or her bedding
when eating fresh foods. Bedding materials such as recycled newsprint
or pine shavings should only be used in his or her litter box.
c) Hiding Spot:
Rabbits can be nervous by nature, and may jump or panic if startled.
They feel much more secure if provided with a place to hide. This
can be easily accomplished by providing a cardboard box within the
enclosure, with one side open, and all the other sides closed. Another
solution is to provide your pet with a "hammock style" roof by threading
a towel through half of his cage, so he can easily hide underneath
it. As previously mentioned, this is a good spot to provide a softer
floor surface.
d) Litter Box:
Rabbits can be litter box trained relatively easily. See our section
below on litter training.
e) Temperature, humidity and air circulation:
Rabbits should be kept in the coolest and least humid area of the
house. Studies have shown that bunnies kept in warm, humid environments
with poor air circulation had a dramatic increase in the incidence
of respiratory disease over those animals kept in cool, dry environments
with good air circulation. Damp basements are one of the worst areas
to keep your pet. For these reasons, we never recommend using an
aquarium or other enclosure with only one side open for air circulation.
The optimum temperature range for a bunny is 60°-70°F. When the
temperature gets even in the mid 70's, we start to see an increase
in drooling, and nasal discharge. If temperatures reach the upper
80's and beyond, and especially if the humidity is high, the potential
for fatal heat stroke is very real. On very hot days, when air conditioning
is not available, it is helpful to use a fan for air circulation,
and to leave a plastic milk jug or pop bottle filled with water
that is frozen in the cage for a portable "air conditioner." Please
keep fresh, cool water available at all times, as this will also
help to keep the body temperature down.
If your pet should actually experience a heat stroke reaction, try
holding an ice cube on the ear or gently wetting your pet down with
cool (not cold) water. If the heat stroke is severe, veterinary
attention may be necessary.
If your bunny is being kept outdoors in either cold weather, make
sure that part of the cage is sheltered from the wind and the cold.
For the winter it is advisable to use straw bedding in the sheltered
area for insulation and make sure that the water bowl is changed
daily as your pet can dehydrate rapidly if the water is frozen for
days. On hot days, the same enclosure will be too stifling for your
bunny, where he will need a cool, shady and breezy place to stay.
f) Exercise:
In order to remain healthy, all rabbits, like us, need to stretch
and move. Daily exercise of 3-4 hours is recommended to ensure favorable
digestion, good muscle development, prevention of obesity and boredom,
and just overall good health. You can provide exercise to your bunny
simply by letting him or her out of their cage for a while every
morning and evening, under your supervision. If you are not able
to supervise your rabbit, seriously consider a bunny-proof room
for him or her to live in.
TLC:
Rabbits are not solitary animals, but are very cuddly and friendly
and need interaction with humans, or other rabbits, to relieve boredom
and depression. If you are planning to include a rabbit in your
household, remember that he or she will need lots of daily TLC from
you and your family.
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Medical Problems
1)Sexual Maturity:
Females
The leading cause of death in the female rabbit is a cancer of the uterus
called adenocarcinoma. This is a highly malignant disease, and is left
undiagnosed; can spread to other areas of the body. This cancer is preventable
by having your pet spayed between 6 months and 2 years of age. The spay
procedure involves removal of the bunny's uterus and ovaries and helps
to prevent the occurrence of breast cancer later in life. Female bunnies
that become sexually mature may begin to bite or display other aggressive
tendencies, and we recommend having your rabbit spayed before this behaviour
becomes a habit.
Males
Some male bunnies, especially the dwarf varieties, may become extremely
aggressive when they reach sexual maturity. There may be excessive biting
and spraying of urine outside of the regular litter box area. The urine
may develop a very strong and unpleasant odor, due to the presence of
male hormones, and these little boys may not groom themselves well, developing
stained and messy tail areas. These males may start attacking other rabbits,
leading to serious bite wounds. The best solution to these behavioral
problems is castration (surgical removal of the testicles). This procedure
is recommended any time after 5 months of age, and again like their female
counterpart, before bad habits set in.
2)Overgrown Teeth
Symptoms of overgrown teeth include drooling, inability to eat, lethargy,
decreased stool production, excessive drinking, and eventually death from
starvation.
The cause? Rabbit's teeth grow constantly throughout their life and if
they are not lined up properly, they will not wear down evenly, leaving
small but long and pointy portions that will rub against the gum or tongue,
causing mouth infections, ulcerations and the inability to pick up and
eat food. Overgrown incisors (the front teeth) or molars (the back teeth)
are usually caused by congenital defect. Other causes can be injury or
trauma to the roots of these teeth.
These dental overgrowths must be cut periodically (anywhere from every
3-12 weeks). This procedure must happen before or as soon as the symptoms
occur. If you cannot immediately reach a veterinarian, feed you rabbit
soft and cut up food directly in his mouth.
A permanent cure to overgrown incisors is the removal of the incisors
entirely under general anesthesia. Rabbits are able to eat normally afterwards
and the teeth no longer have to be clipped. Molars on the other hand cannot
be easily removed surgically.
If your pet has these problems, please discuss the options with your veterinarian.
3) Gastro-intestinal stasis and "hairballs"
Fiber in a rabbit's diet is responsible for proper gastro-intestinal motility
(contractions of the stomach and intestine which move food down the system).
Any factor that contributes to decreasing the proportion of fiber in the
stomach or intestines will cause gastro-intestinal stasis (GIS). Excessive
ingestion of fur is one of these factors.
Rabbit digestion is relatively slow and ingested material can remain in
the stomach for up to 3 days. When your bunny licks himself, he swallows
fur (in especially large amounts during spring and fall sheds). Rabbit
fur is very fine and will accumulate in the stomach. This is normal but,
sometimes, when the fur is not mixed with sufficient fiber and fluid,
it can form a pasty clump in the stomach. Rabbits do not have the ability
to vomit, and so cannot bring up their stomach contents. If enough of
this pasty clump accumulates, the stomach motility will slow down. The
bunny feels his stomach is full and he will stop eating; this further
slows digestion, which will eventually slowly stop. Initially the stools
may appear clumped or they may be linked together with strands of fur.
Eventually they become smaller and smaller until they are not produced
altogether.
Your pet MAY still appear active, alert and lively for up to the first
week of this condition, even if he is not eating. Don't be deceived: he
has a serious condition and you should seek medical attention immediately.
If tended to early, your pet can be treated medically and the condition
resolved with a combination of force feedings, fluids and supportive medications.
If the condition is allowed to progress, long hospital stays and occasionally,
surgery will be necessary to alleviate the problem.
This condition can be fatal to a bunny so seek help early on. The best
prevention of gastro-intestinal stasis is a diet high in fiber (see section
on diet) and daily brushing (especially during shedding periods) with
a wire "slicker" type brush. And don't forget exercise: as mentioned earlier,
bunnies need to be active for three to four hours each day. This keeps
their digestive tract working well.
4)Pasteurellosis
The great majority of bunnies harbour a bacterium in their sinuses called
Pasteurella multocida. This bacterium doesn't cause a problem in most
bunnies with a healthy immune system. However, under certain stress situations,
such as poor diet, high environmental temperatures, poor air circulation,
overcrowding, moving, etc., this bacterium can reproduce rapidly and cause
a potentially serious disease.
Pasteurella may cause infections of the upper respiratory tract, uterus,
kidney, bladder, middle ear or lungs. Please have your pet examined if
you observe any discharge around the eyes, nose or anal area, or if there
is a loss of appetite, depression, diarrhea, head tilt, loss of balance,
or laboured breathing. Aggressive anti-biotic therapy is required to treat
this condition, so do not hesitate to contact your veterinarian.
5)Coccidia, an internal parasite
Your young rabbit may have internal parasites but not show any signs of
infection. The most common parasite found in young bunnies is coccidia,
which can cause diarrhea. Coupled with high stress conditions or other
disease, this parasite can debilitate your rabbit, mainly through dehydration.
We recommend a routine parasitology when you first have your rabbit examined,
as detection and treatment is easily administered.
6)Sore hocks
Sore hocks is a condition where the fur is being rubbed off the bottom
of the long portion of your rabbit's feet, exposing the skin. This unprotected
skin eventually becomes red and sore and can ulcerate and make scabbed
wounds. Treatment involves bandaging the affected areas, sometimes coupled
with antibiotic therapy, and a review of your rabbit's environment and
general health status.
Sore hocks usually arises from inappropriate housing, sometimes coupled
with obesity and inactivity. For this reason we no longer recommend any
wire or mesh flooring, and encourage you to provide your rabbit with a
soft resting place and adequate exercise.
7)Antibiotic reactions
NEVER attempt to use antibiotics without veterinary supervision.
Your pet's gastrointestinal tract is an extremely delicate organ, dependent
on large populations of healthy bacteria to digest the food. If antibiotics
are given indiscriminately, death may result from the lack of growth of
the normal bacteria in the gut and overgrowth of deadly bacteria.
Sluggish Motility in the gastro-intestinal tract: the Blocked Bunny
Extract from an article in the House Rabbit Journal
"My rabbit hasn't pooped in about three days. My friend says he has a
hairball and I should give him pineapple juice, papaya enzyme tablet or
cat hairball laxative to dissolve the hairball. This doesn't seem to work.
Why did he get a hairball and what should I do?"
The diagnosis of "hairball" is commonly made in rabbits. This condition
doesn't really exist in the opinion of a growing number of veterinarians
who care for rabbits. By that I mean the primary problem is not a hairball,
but rather a problem with sluggish modlity of the gastro intestinal tract
(GIT) leading to dehydration and impaction of material in the stomach
and cecum.
So how does this happen? One needs to understand that fiber "drives" the
digestive tract or, in other words determines the speed at which the ingested
food moves along. When there is an insufficient amount of this type of
fiber present, motility may be slowed. When the speed with which material
moves through the GIT is altered it can affect how quickly the stomach
and cecum empty. If the motility is reduced as in diets that are too low
in indigestible fiber/ then the stomach and cecum will empty slowly. The
rabbit eventually stops eating and drinking probably due to a feeling
of fullness in the stomach. When there is no food coming into the system
the GIT mobility slows to almost a standstill. Water is still needed by
the body and it is extracted from the stomach and cecal contents.
A vicious cycle is now set up. The longer the rabbit doesn't eat, the
more dehydrated and impacted the material in the stomach and cecum becomes
and the less the rabbit feels like eating. Add to this a diet too high
in protein or starch and the result can eventually be disastrous. Diets
too high in protein and/or starch can result in changes in the cecal pH
and thus the types of microorganisms growing there. These fragile communities
are altered, allowing the growth of bacteria such as Clostridium which
can result in death due to the production of toxins.
So where does the hair come from? Rabbits always have some hair in their
stomach contents. They groom themselves constantly and swallow the hair.
A true "hairball" is comprised of nearly 100% hair as in the cat or the
ferret. In the rabbit, the hair is mixed with ingested food in a mass.
As this material dehydrates, the larger particles are left behind (which
include the hair). The liquid stomach content gradually becomes a solid
tightly adhered mass. The stomach contents feel doughy and firm on palpation.
To sum it up: the cause of this condition is not the presence of hair
in the stomach, but rather a GIT motility disorder that results in firm
impacted stomach and cecal contents.. If we do not correct the underlying
problem, then this condition is destined to reoccur.
The following information is provided coutesy of The House Rabbit Society.
Their link is on our links page, if you would
like to learn even more about rabbit care.
Litter Training Your rabbit
By
nature, rabbits choose one or a few places (usually corners) to deposit
their urine and most of their pills. Urine-training involves little more
than putting a litterbox where the rabbit chooses to go. Pill training
requires only that you give them a place they know will not be invaded
by others. Here are some suggestions to help you to train your rabbit
to use the litterbox.
Age
Older rabbits are easier to train than younger rabbits, especially babies.
A rabbit's attention span and knack for learning increases as they grow
up. If you have a baby, stick with it! And if you are deciding whether
to adopt an older rabbit, or litter train your older rabbit, go for it!
Spay/Neuter
When rabbits reach the age of 4-6 months, their hormones become active
and they usually begin marking their territory. By spaying or neutering
your rabbit, he will be more likely to use his litterbox (as well as be
much healthier and happier).
Types of litter
House Rabbit Society recommends organic litters, made from alfalfa, oat,
citrus or paper. (Some brands to look for: Care Fresh, CitraFresh, Cat
Works, Cat Country, Critter Country) Stay away from litters made from
softwoods, like pine or cedar shavings or chips, as these products are
thought to cause liver damage in rabbits who use them.
Cleaning and Disposal
Clean litterboxes often, to encourage your rabbit to use them. Use white
vinegar to rinse boxes out. For tough stains, let pans soak. Accidents
outside of the cage can be cleaned up with white vinegar or club soda.
If the urine has already dried, you can try products like "Nature's Miracle"
to remove the stain and odor. To dispose of organic litters, they can
be used as mulch, or can be composted. Rabbit pills can be directly applied
to plants as fertilizer.
The cage
Use a cage large enough to contain a small litterbox (along with bunny's
food and water bows, toys, etc.) and still allow enough room for the rabbit
to stretch out. Place the box in the corner of the cage that he goes in.
With a litterbox in the cage, when the rabbit is confined to his cage
when you're not home, cage time is learning time.
Pills vs. Urine
All rabbits will drop pills around their cages to mark it as their own.
This is not failure to be litter-trained. It is very important for your
rabbit to identify the cage as her property so that when she leaves the
cage for the bigger world of your house, she will distinguish the family's
area from her own and avoid marking it. To encourage this, make the rabbit
the king of his cage. Try not to force him in or out of it...coaxe him.
Do not do things to his cage that he doesn't like, or to him that he doesn't
like while he's in his cage.
The running space
Even
if your goal is to let your rabbit have full run of the house, you must
start small. Start with a cage and a small running space, and when your
rabbit is sufficiently well-trained in that space, gradually give her
more space. But do so gradually! If you overwhelm her with too much freedom
before she's ready, she will forget where her box is and will lose her
good habits.
The method
Start with a box in the cage, and one or more boxes in the rabbit's running
space. If she urinates in a corner of the cage not containing the box,
move the box to that coRNer until she gets it right. Don't be concerned
if your bunny curls up in his litterbox - this is natural. Once she's
using the box in the cage, open her door and allow her into her running
space. Watch her go in and out on her own. If she heads to a corner where
there's no box, or lifts up her tail in the characteristic fashion, cry
"no" in a single, sharp burst of sound. Gently herd her back to her cage
and her litterbox, or into one of the boxes in her room. Be careful, however.
You don't want to make the cage -or the litterbox- seem like punishment.
A handful of hay in the box makes it a more welcoming place. After she
first uses the box, praise her and give her her favorite treat. Once she
uses the box in her room a couple of times, you're well on your way, as
her habits will be on their way to forming. As she gets better trained
in her first room, you can increase her space. Don't hurry this process.
And if the area becomes very big, or includes a second floor, be sure
to include more litterboxes, so as not to confuse her. Remember, as she
becomes more confident and uses fewer boxes, you can start to remove some
of her early, "training" boxes. Get your rabbit into a daily routine and
try not to vary it. Rabbits are very habitual and once a routine is established,
they usually prefer to stick with it.
How many litterboxes?
The more, the merrier, especially if your rabbit is a bit of a slow learner,
or is especially obstinant about where she wants her box(es) to go. As
her habits improve, you can decrease the number of litterboxes.
Special problems
Some rabbits love to kick their litter out of the box. You can get a covered
litterbox (with a hood) to help solve this problem. You can also try experimenting
with different litters. A second problem is that rabbits often back up
so far in the litterbox that the urine goes over the edge. Again, a covered
litterbox can solve this problem. Another solution would be to get a dishpan
or other type of tub with much higher sides. Still another solution would
be to get a "urine guard" to place around the back of the cage, to keep
the litter from spraying outside of the cage.
Compromise
If your rabbit continually urinates in a spot where there is no litterbox,
put his box where he will use it, even if it means rearranging his cage
or moving a table in the living room. It is much easier to oblige him
than to try to work against a determined bunny!
Facts and Fallicies about Treat Foods
That cute little whiskered face is so hard to ignore, especially when
your bunny sits up and looks so deserving of that special treat. And pet
stores sell a selection of rabbit treats "which are perfect for your precious
rabbit". Right? WRONG! Most so-called rabbit treats are the equivalent
of taking your rabbit to McDonald's, providing non-nutritious Junk that
can cause potential harm to your rabbit. Confusing the issue is that many
of these products use phrases that lead the buyer to believe that the
product is healthful: "nutritionally fortified," "doing right for the
environment," "natural feeding habits," "for nutritional variety," "the
finest selected ingredients." The addition of "feeding instructions" and
"guaranteed analysis" lend a caché of authority. Commercial rabbit treats
fall into several catagories: pellets, processed cereal kibble, mueslix
(dried seed/fruit/veggie mixes), cereal/veggie blends, and candies/sugars.
None confer an advantage over the fresh vegetable, high fiber pellets,
and unlimited hay diet.
Pellets
Chose a pellet that is high in fiber (20-25%) and low in protein (14-15%)
and calcium (<1.0%). Restrict pellet feeding (see guidelines in rabbit
health page under Diet) and feed plenty of fresh vegetables and unlimited
hay. Do not buy a pellet that contains seeds, nuts, or starch-rich cereal
kibble mixed in (see below).
Processed Cereal Kibble
These range from "Crunchy Puffs" to shaped products designed to substitute
for pellets. Some contain expensive extras that serve no benefit to your
rabbit, such as plant or herbal extracts and freeze dried bacteria. One
contains less than the National Research Council (NRC) requirements for
calcium. Another contains cheese flavoring! Supplementation with digestive
enzymes (proteases, amylases) normally is unnecessary because these foods
are highly digestible and because there is no evidence that healthy rabbits
produce insufficient levels of these enzymes; in fact, some of the most
important digestion is by the cecal bacteria. These kibbles tend to be
lower in fiber and higher in fat. They are also extremely expensive and
come with feeding recommendations destined to give a spayed or neutered
house rabbit obesity. The variety of colors and shapes are more of an
asthetic to the human buyer than to your rabbit. Again, fresh vegetables,
restricted high fiber pellets, and unlimited hay are healthier and easier
on your budget.
Mueslix
These are mixes which are made of seeds and grains. They are marketed
as "vitamin and mineral enriched," a "delicious energy provider," or "fortified."
They are made of carbohydrate and fat-rich seeds and grains such as oats,
milo, corn, peas, sunflower seeds, potatoes, peanuts, puffed corn, cornflakes,
popcorn, and dried fruits. They are often held together into "sticks"
with honey and other sugars, and are marketed with the explanation that
they supply needed energy and reflect the rabbit's normal diet.
In reality, a diet of vegetables, hay and restricted pellets provides
all the nutrients and energy your house rabbit needs. Seeds are high in
fat and are important for wintering animals. Your house rabbit has no
such need; in fact, the National Research Council recommends that domestic
rabbits receive no more than 1.5% of their calories from fat. Labels on
the back of these mueslix products list a minimum fat content of 4-5%;
the real value is probably greater.
Rabbit metabolism is geared for a low fat diet (in comparison, the average
human diet contains 35-40% fat!), and the excess is not burned but is
stored as body fat. Rabbits appear to be more sensitive to fat than are
humans, and in addition to obesity, the excess fat can accumulate in your
rabbit's liver and arteries (atherosclerosis). Veterinarians have reported
that rabbits fed seed-rich diets have a much higher incidence of fatty
liver disease (hepatic steatosis), which is often fatal. These seeds and
grains are also rich in starches. While some of this starch is digested
in the small intestine, much of it is not accessible until it reaches
the cecum. There it becomes a potent energy form for the cecal bacteria;
unlike cellulose fiber, which slows fermentation, starch in the cecum
is fermented rapidly and can lead to bacterial overgrowth, bloat, and
gi stasis.
Manufacturers claim that seeds and grains satisfy "the chewing urge."
While this is true, it is far safer and cheaper to satisfy that urge with
baskets, untreated wood, and cardboard boxes.
Cereal/veggie blends
These are grain products which maybe supplemented with dehydrated vegetables,
and shaped into a form which mimics a vegetable product. There is no advantage
to feeding these over the real vegetable. One product label lists three
different cereals before the dehydrated vegetable! The high carbohydrate
content of these snacks means they are robbing your rabbit of important
fiber and overloading him with sugars. These products also tout the vitamins
that are added back (due to processing); real vegetables will supply as
much if not more. With 2.1 ounces costing $3.09 ($24 per pound), a pound
of carrots and some cardboard provides a healthier and cheaper alternative.
Candies/Sugars
These can include everything from yogurt drops to sweetened papaya tablets.
The high sugar is the culprit here. Many rabbits have a sweet tooth, but
sweetness means a high content of sugars. As we discussed above, excessive
sugar is converted to fat, or will pass into the cecum where the bacteria
will use it for energy and then rapidly overgrow, possibly leading to
bacterial imbalance and gi stasis. The same can occur after feeding too
much fruit. Avoid feedinG yoUr rabbit simple sugars and instead stick
with nutritious treats such as vegetables and herbs; save the sweets for
an occasional raisin or banana snack.
Vitamin supplements
These are largely unnecessary. For nearly all rabbits, a diet containing
a variety of fresh vegetables, restricted high quality pellets, and unlimited
hay provides all the vitamins vour rabbit requires; many of your rabbit's
vitamins come from her normal ingestion of cecal pellets. While special
health situations may require nutrient supplements, these are best handled
after consultation with your veterinarian.
It is tempting to show your love for your rabbit by purchasing treats
for her. If you are in doubt, read the ingredient label; pay particular
attention to the list of ingredients (they are listed in order of abundance)
and the percentage of fiber and fat. Speaking as a nutritionist, my best
advice is to save your money and show your love with healthy treats like
vegetables, hay and untreated wood for chewing. And give plenty of pets,
which are of course free.
Rabbit-Proofing Your House
Rabbit Proofing one's home involves three things:
1) Preventing destruction of your property;
2) Protecting your companion rabbit(s) from harm; and
3) Providing safe and fun chewing alternatives for your rabbit.
Preventing rabbits from chewing on electrical cords is of utmost importance,
since rabbits can be badly burned or electrocuted. The consequences of
biting into an electric wire are too severe to risk relying on training
alone. Instead, you must take action to move the cords safely out of reach.
Some ways of doing this follow:
* Plastic tubing (similar to that used in fish tanks, or with
swamp coolers) from a hardware or aquarium store can be slit lengthwise
with a blade and the wire can be tucked safely inside. A harder, black,
pre-slit type of tubing is also available.
* Decorative gold and wood-grained wire-concealers that stick
to the base of walls come in strips, corners, etc., so they can follow
the shape of the wall. This is a more costly and time consuming method
than the clear plastic tubing above, but is more permanent, and rabbit
proof, as well.
* Wires can be run under or behind furniture or carpets in
order to hide them.
Most houseplants are toxic. Putting them on high furniture may not keep
a rabbit away. Hang them from the ceiling if you have an active bunny,
but watch for falling leaves! If you are unsure which plants may be toxic,
the House Rabbit Handbook (Drollery Press) has a complete list of poisonous
plants (indoors and outdoors), as do two back issues of House Rabbit Journal.
If a rabbit insists on chewing baseboards, edges of chairs, etc., a board
can be put over the places of temptation, making them inaccessible while
also providing an acceptable chewing surface. This method should be combined
with training your rabbit not to chew on these items.
Rabbits can't resist digging at the end of "tunnels" (any place that furniture
forms a narrow path to a wall). Lay a piece of wood or hard plastic at
the end of the tunnel, holding it down with the furniture on either side
to protect the carpet. You can also place a tub full of hay, shredded
newspaper, or a phone book, here as well for bunny to dig in.
Upholstered furniture and beds that are several inches off the ground
are wonderful places for rabbits to hide underneath. However, some will
burrow up into the soft underside and make a nest. A flat cardboard box
or frame of 2 x 4s, smaller than the area of the future base, will keep
the rabbit out, and won't be seen from human level.
Rabbits chew to exercise their minds, not just their teeth. Provide lots
of entertaining alternatives for your bun to chew on. If she enjoys chewing
a hole into the back of the couch, give her a closed cardboard box filled
with paper or straw, with a small hole in it to start, and let her finish
the job. Be imaginative!
Suggested Toys for Rabbits
Toys provide:
1) Mental stimulation
Without challenging activities to occupy your rabbit when you're not home,
your rabbit, especially a solitary rabbit, will get bored. This could
lead to depression and/or excessive destruction. The creative use of toys
can extend your rabbit's life by keeping him interested in his surroundings,
by giving him the freedom to interact with those surroundings, and by
allowing him to constantly learn and grow.
2) Physical exercise. Your rabbit needs safe activities to keep her body
in shape as well as her mind. She needs things to climb on, crawl under,
hop on and around, dig into and chew on. Without outlets for these physical
needs, your rabbit may become fat or depressed, or may create jumping,
chewing, or crawling diversions with your furniture.
3) Bunny proofing for your home. As is clear from the above descriptions,
toys are not just for your rabbit, they also keep your house safe. By
providing your rabbit with a selection of toys chosen to meet her age,
sex, reproductive status and temperment, you have fulfilled most of the
requirements of bunnyproofing your home. Some good toys to start with:
* Paper Bags and Cardboard boxes for crawling inside, scratching, and
chewing.
* Cardboard concrete forms for burrowing
* Cardboard roll from paper towels or toilet paper
* Untreated wicker baskets or boxes full of: shredded paper, junk mail,
magazines, straw, or other organic materials for digging
* Yellow Pages for shredding
* Cat toys: Batta balls, and other cat toys that roll or can be tossed
* Parrot toys that can be tossed, or hung from the top of the cage and
chewed or hit
* Baby toys: hard plastic (not teething) toys like rattles and keys, things
that can be tossed
* Children's or birds' mobiles for hitting
* "Lazy cat lodge" (cardboard box with ramps and windows) to climb in
and chew on. Also, kitty condos, tubes, tunnels, and trees
* Nudge and roll toys like large rubber balls, empty Quaker Oat boxes
and small tins
* "Busy Bunny" toys
* Rainbow slinkies
* Toys with ramps and lookouts for climbing and viewing the world
* Jungle gym type toys from Toys R Us
* A (straw) whisk broom
* A hand towel for bunching and scooting
* Untreated wood, twigs and logs that have been aged for at least 3 months
(apple tree branches can be eaten fresh off the tree. Stay away from:
cherry, peach, apricot, plum and redwood, which are all poisonous)
* Untreated sea grass or maize mats from Pier One or Cost Plus Imports
Living Arrangements
Cages
Rabbits were not designed to live on wire floors-they're hard on their
feet (which have no pads on them like cats or dogs). If you must use a
cage with a wire floor, you need to provide your rabbit with a resting
board or rug for her to sit on, otherwise she will spend all of her time
in her litterbox. You can find cages with slatted plastic floors, which
are more comfortable, or you can use a solid floor. As long as your rabbit
has a litterbox in the corner that he chooses as his bathroom, there shouldn't
be much of a mess to clean up.
Bigger is better! A cage should be at least 6 times the size of your bunny-more
if he is confined for a large amount of the day. You can build your rabbit
a two-store "condo" with the floors connected by a ramp-they love this!
An untrained rabbit probably should be kept in a cage while you're not
home to supervise and at night when you sleep. Rabbits are crepuscular,
which means that generally they sleep during the day and during the night
but are ready to play at dawn and at twilight. Be sure to let them out
during the evening when you are home, and if possible, in the morning
while you get ready for work.
A cage should be seen as the rabbit's "nest." A special place where he
can feel safe and secure. Make the nest enjoyable and she will enjoy being
there, even when the cage door is open! Keep it stocked with baby toys,
a synthetic sheepskin rug, a piece ofwood attached to the inside (like
a baseboard), and when you put him to bed at night, a nice veggie or fruit
snack.
Rabbits in the House
When your rabbit is better trained, and when your house (or the part that
your rabbit will have access to) has been sufficiently bunny-proofed,
your rabbit can be allowed free run of the home (or part of it) even when
you are not home. The more room your rabbit has to run around in, the
more delightful you will find her as a companion. Even when a rabbit has
alot of room to run around, he may still get bored. A bored rabbit is
often a naughty rabbit. If you don't make every attempt to provide your
rabbit with lots of entertainment, in the form of boxes, baskets, brooms,
sticks, magazines, phone books, grass mats, etc., then he will make his
own entertainment in your carpet, behind your couch or under your recliner.
Rabbits Outside
Always supervise your rabbit when she's outside. It takes just a few seconds
for the neighbor's dog to jump the fence and attack or frighten your rabbit
to death. Make sure that the grass has not been sprayed with pesticides
or fertilizers. Check the yard for holes in the fence and poisonous plants.
Under no circumstances should rabbits be left outside after dark. Predators
are often raccoons, skunks, dogs and occasionally cats. If you have an
outside enclosure that you feel is very secure, a rabbit can still die
of fright while a predator taunts the rabbit from outside.
Conclusion
We would encourage you to call the clinic if you have a question or problem.
A good publication that is well written and of interest to the house rabbit
owner is the House Rabbit Journal. Write to House Rabbit Society, 1615
Encinal Ave. Alameda, Ca. 94501.
Above all, enjoy your pet, give him or her your love and affection, they
deserve it and they will repay you with years of enjoyment and the opportunity
to see life at a slower, calmer "bunny pace".
Avez vous besoin d'assistance immédiate? Appelez au 514-486-5258
Need to reach us immediately? Call 514-486-5258
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