Written by SPCA Auckland
Rabbits can make delightful pets with the right care and attention. They are very sociableanimals and enjoy lots of attention from their owner. As well as being rather cute andundeniably lovable, they are also very intelligent creatures and can be easily toilet trained socan live indoors. If you are thinking about making a rabbit part of your family it’s important toremember it will rely on you for it’s every need and will require daily care and attention 365 daysof the year. The average lifespan of a rabbit is 5 to 10 years, but they may live as long as 15years.
Parents
Your children may well become bored with their petafter a few months. You will then become responsiblefor all its daily needs.
Choosing your pet
Some breeds of rabbit are too large for children tohandle. The smaller and dwarf varieties are moresuitable. The long haired Angora rabbit requires agreat deal of grooming on a daily basis.
Male or female?
Rabbits are social animals and in their natural statewill be found in family groups. One lone rabbit maynot thrive. Two or three young female rabbits could bea good choice, or a desexed female and a desexedmale. Two male rabbits may occasionally live happilytogether, provided they are from the same litter andare neutered. Unneuteredmale rabbits over the ageof three months will almost certainly fight. Either way,be sure to have your rabbit desexed.
Housing
Most ready built hutches are too small. In its naturalhabitat, the wild rabbit moves swiftly and may coverseveral miles in a day. To confine the domesticatedpet rabbit to a small hutch with little opportunity forfreedom is unnatural and may cause unnecessarysuffering. A good roomy hutch, a minimum of 1.5m inlength X 0.6m X 0.6m with two connectingcompartments is essential. One third of the hutchshould be enclosed for cosy, draughtfreesleepingquarters. The other twothirdsis for day time andshould have a strong wiremeshfront and sides to letin light and air and mesh floor to prevent escapes bydigging. Each compartment should have a separatedoor, well fitting with good hinges and catches, tofacilitate with easy cleaning. The roof should besloping and covered with roofing felt or tiles for goodweatherproofing and should overhang the hutch tokeep its sides dry and prevent driving rain fromsaturating the interior. The hutch should be on raisedlegs to give protection from predators and should be ina well ventilated, but not draughty position, out ofstrong sunlight. Facing the morning sun is best.
Bedding
A warm, comfortable bed is of the utmost importanceto animals that have to spend a good deal of their timein a hutch. The sleeping compartment needs a layer ofuntreated wood shavings or paper shred with a layer ofhay to provide warmth, insulation and the opportunityfor burrowing. Avoid wood chippings that may havebeen treated as these can be poisonous. Avoidartificial fiber bedding which can cause severedigestive problems or even death. Rabbits urinateheavily and tend to use one area for toilet purposes,you can place a litter try in this area for them to use. Besure to clean this out daily.
Exercise
A ramp or steps leading from the day compartment ofthe hutch to the ground of a strongly fenced enclosurewill provide a more natural environment for your rabbit.Sink the perimeter fence approximately 40cm belowground level or cover the floor area with mesh toprevent your rabbits burrowing out. An alternative is aportable enclosure approximately 2m long X 1.5m widewhich will enable your rabbits to have access to grassand an opportunity to run about. This enclosure shouldbe moved to a different area of grass each day. Part ofthe enclosure should be covered to provide shelterfrom rain or hot sun and water should always beavailable. To prevent your rabbit burrowing out thebase should be covered with wire mesh.At night your rabbit should always be shutsafely in its hutch.
Litter Tray Training
As rabbits usually soil only in one corner of their livingarea, it is possible to litter tray train them. This ishandy for owners who enjoy having them indoors forexercise. By keeping their litter tray or newspaper inthe same spot this can be achieved inside too. Therabbit will generally let you know where that ishowever! Do not expect your rabbit to be housetrained unless you have it indoors on a regular basis.Also ensure when inside that doors are left closedand cats and dogs are supervised.
Feeding
Rabbits need a diet consisting almost entirely ofvegetable matter. Variety is essential and the foodoffered must be fresh. Special pellets are availablefrom pet shops and form a good base for the dietwhich must include hay, green vegetables and grass.The green vegetables can include dandelions, puha,doc leaves, cabbage (in small amounts) and othergreen leafy vegetables. Iceberg lettuce is not good forrabbits as it causes diarrhoea. Vegetables such ascarrots, swede and turnips and small amounts offresh fruit such as pears and apples are also goodfresh food for rabbits.
- Fresh clean water should always be available –ideally in a dripper bottle. Remember to check thisoften in summer.
- Good quality hay is important and should be keptin a rack to avoid soiling.
- Use heavy containers for food to avoid spillage.
- Sudden change in diet can cause digestive problems.
- Do not feed rhubarb leaves, raw potatoes, potatotops, roots or seeds of dock or grasses fromroadsides where there is any possibility they havebeen sprayed with herbicides or pesticides.
Handling
Rabbits need firm but gentle handling from an earlyage. They should never be picked up by their ears.Place one hand under the chest, the forelegs grippedbetween two fingers, with the hindquarterssupportedwith the other hand, and then cradle the rabbit againstyour body. Never allow a rabbit to struggle violently asit may injure its spine. Remember rabbits havepowerful hind legs with strong claws and can kick andscratch if frightened because of mishandling.HealthRabbits pass two types of droppings. Hard fibrouspellets (usually excreted during the day) and softcaecal pellets (usually excrete during the night) whichare eaten again. This is normal part of the rabbit’sdigestive process and is in no way indicative of illhealth.
- Parasites/discharge – daily handling will give you achance to check for mites, sores, wounds,discharge from eyes, ears and nose. If anythingunusual is evident contact your veterinarian.
- Diarrhoea – if a rabbit has diarrhoea for more than24 hours, consult a veterinarian as there are anumber of serious issues which can causediarrhoea in rabbits.
- Nails – if your rabbit does not have the opportunityto wear it’s nails down, get professional advice onhow to trim them correctly. Care must be taken notto cut the blood and nerve supply. A paving stoneor a flat river stone placed in an area the rabbitregularly travels over may help reduce the need totrim nails as often though.
- Teeth – a rabbit’s front teeth (or incisors) continueto grow throughout its life. Overlong teeth must becut back regularly by your veterinary surgeon orthe rabbit will not be able to eat. Try to avoid theproblem by ensuring your rabbit has sufficient hardfood, as well as a ‘gnawing block’ such as a pieceof untreated wood permanently in its hutch – awillow or apple branch is a good choice.
- Vaccination – Our rabbits are vaccinated againstthe calici virus. This should be continued as anannual vaccination and your own vet will be able todo this for you at your rabbit’s yearly health check.