Rabbit Information
Rabbits are lovely animals and brilliant pets. They are great with children, are very sociable creatures and can have their own little personalities. They love human company and if treated properly will become extremely friendly.
Today, rabbits are one of the most popular pets to keep. They can live for anywhere between 6 and 10 years and can really become an addition to most families.
Due to their relatively long life, rabbits are not something to
take for granted, they are a long term commitment. So you
need to make sure that you are ready to bring a rabbit into
your life. Rabbits can vary a lot, from their size to their
shape to their colour. A female rabbit is called a Doe
and a male rabbit is called a Buck.
One tell tail sign when buying a new rabbit is a running
nose or diarrhea. These usually mean that the rabbit suffers
with sickness.
Where They Live - Indoors or Outdoors? That is the question.
Indoors..........?
Most rabbit owners want to keep their rabbits indoors. This sounds great at first, because it allows you to play and interact with your bunny, just as you would if you have a cat or dog. However, rabbits love to run about and hide behind things, under the sofa and behind the TV. This is dangerous, as rabbits nibble and bite things which could very easily be a television cable or something else which is similar. If you want to keep your rabbit indoors then you need to rabbit proof your home, and you must dedicate a lot more time to watching the rabbit and keeping track of where it is.
Rabbits can be trained in order to avoid this, you can in time teach it to avoid certain areas where wires may be and teach it to use a litter tray so that it doesnt make a mess of your carpet!
Outdoors..........?
Rabbits love the outdoors. It is their natural habitat! Rabbits love digging and running around, as they require space in order to exercise and stretch out their hind legs. Being outside allows your rabbits to have a nicer life in certain ways, it gives them fresh air and sunshine everyday. If rabbits do not get the chance to run around then they usually develop health problems.
Being outside however will require a
hutch and we usually recommend a run too. A hutch will provide your rabbit with protection from the weather and any local predators, but also, it gives your rabbit a place to make its own. The run will provide a nice open space for your rabbit to run around in, however, it will also provide the rabbit with protection from preying birds or foxes.
A rabbit hutch needs to be waterproof, and raised off the ground. This will stop any vermin being near to your rabbits. Waterproofing is a must as the hutches will be outside in the rain and elements for many years.
Rabbit Run
Having a
run for your rabbit is great for exercise! It allows the rabbit to move around and to stretch its legs. Rabbit runs can be separate and built into the hutches. Both have their own benefits and problems. Built in runs are easy and require no extra work for the owner, your rabbit can simple use it when it wants. However these are usually very small and can be limiting. Runs which are separate from the hutches require the owner to pick up their rabbit and place it into the run. This is the only thing the owner is required to do, however, the space of the separate runs are usually substantially larger and more spacious that built in runs. Also, when purchasing rabbit runs the number one safety issue is predators who may hurt your pet. This is usually foxes and so you need to make sure that you purchase a strong and sturdy rabbit run, preferably triangular design which gives great stability and cannot to turned over easily.
Where They Sleep
Rabbits hate the cold. If your rabbit is kept outdoors, then we recommend trying to keep them indoors as much as possible in the winter months, or if possible, moving the hutch into a shed or garage to provide to extra warmth and coverage. If this is not an option, and you don't want to bring your rabbit indoors, then you can buy rabbit friendly heated pads, which will be excellent for your little bunny in the winter months and allows you to continue having them outdoors.
In most hutches, the rabbit will have a small closed off compartment for it to sleep in. This will give it protection from the wind, the rain and the daylight, just incase they want to sleep during the day. Rabbit hutches are usually sprinkled with a few inches of wood chipping. Additional to this, rabbits should always have some straw for its bedding.
What They Eat
Rabbits enjoy eating lots of different things. In the wild, a rabbit will usually eat things like grass, leaves, fruit and vegetables. Feeding your rabbit is very important, making sure your giving them what they need to remain health and strong.
Your rabbit needs to be given Hay on a regular basis, as this is what it eats as part of its basic diet. Hay can usually make up for 75% of what rabbits eat day-to-day and is essential due to its fibre content. Also, as well as eating the hay, rabbits enjoy chewing the hay. This keeps them occupied and strengthens their jaws and teeth.
Giving your rabbit fresh vegetables and fresh fruit is also important. As this will give the rabbit some different things to eat throughout the day. Hay needs to be kept off the ground if possible and pellets, fruit and vegetables should be placed within a stable bowl, as the rabbit usually tries to throw its food around.
Keeping More Than One Rabbit
Rabbits are very sociable animals and do enjoy company. This can be from either humans, other rabbits or other animals such as Guinea Pigs. Rabbits usually don't mind who they receive their company from, as long as they receive lots of it!
If you only want one Rabbit, then make sure that you don't leave it alone all day. Make sure you are responsible, and make the effort to give your rabbit all the time and attention it needs.
If you are unable to give your rabbit much attention then you should really consider purchasing two rabbits, because this will be much nicer for your rabbit.
Rabbits and Guinea Pigs are another possibility, and usually become great friends. They will usually both play together in the run and keep each other occupied, which in turn will reduce the pets stress levels and aggression levels.
Rabbits also get on well with
pet chickens.
How to Handle Your Rabbit
Rabbits can be very fussy about being handled. They definitely enjoy being on the ground! When you need to handle your pet rabbit, always do it slowly. Take your time, stroke their heads and bring yourself down towards the ground, so your closer to them. Also, do not approach a rabbit from behind, as this will usually scare them and make them more unlikely to be picked up calmly.
So, approach your rabbit from the front, so that it can see you and knows that you are there. When picking it up, rabbits can wriggle and scratch, so make sure and be gentle but firm. The scruff of the rabbits neck is the best place to pick up a rabbit, this doesn't hurt the rabbit in anyway. Pick up your rabbit with one hand, and then cradle its bottom in your other, keep it close to your chest, which should reduce its chance to move and scratch. However, if the rabbit really doesnt want to be picked up and struggles a lot, then put them back down. In this case a rabbit could hurt you and can twist so much as to damage its own spine, so always take care.
