16
Mar
Rabbits at a glance - including companionship, accommodation, exercise, handling, feeding, healthcare, common behaviour and common problems
Simple facts
- Rabbits are lagomorphs, not rodents
- Rabbits are crepuscular – active at dawn and dusk
- Rabbits produce both hard droppings and caecotrophs - soft poo they take from their bottoms and swallow
- Rabbits teeth grow continuously through their lifetime
- The average lifespan of a rabbit is 8 to 10 years
- There are more than 60 rabbit breeds worldwide
- Rabbits have 360 degree vision, except for a blind spot in front of their noses
- Rabbits are gregarious and have a strong sense of hierarchy
Companionship
- Rabbits need constant companionship - from you or another rabbit
- Unneutered males will fight
- Unspayed females will usually fight, not always
- Best pairing is neutered male and spayed female
- Introducing rabbits is known as bonding and can take a few days to a few months
- Rabbits will usually bully guineapigs
- Rabbits can live indoors with cats and dogs if they are not aggressive
- A single rabbit will bond with their human owner and/or other animals
- Rabbits feel grief and mourn the loss of a partner
Housing
- Minimum hutch / cage size is 6ft x 2ft x 2ft
- Pine/cedar may cause liver disease - use wood pellets or paper pulp bedding
- Outdoor rabbits
- Need biggest hutch possible and attached exercise run (c. £200 - £300)
- Rabbits suffer from extremes of temperature – keep warm in winter and cool in summer
- Must be kept safe from predators
- Indoor rabbits
- Can be kept in a cage or free range (house rabbit)
- Rabbits can very easily be trained to use a litter tray
- Rabbit proof your house by protecting cables and plants
Exercise and handling
- Rabbits need to exercise frequently to maintain a healthy bone structure
- Rabbits like to play with toys, cardboard boxes and tunnels – they are curious and love to explore
- Rabbits don’t like being picked up and prefer to be petted at ground level
- Rabbits should not be handled by young children – if they kick out or are dropped they can break their backs
- Rabbits should be picked up by placing one hand under their bottom and the other under their tummy
- Rabbits should not be laid on their backs – this is stressful for them
Feeding
- Rabbits need lots of fibre to wear teeth down and keep digestive system moving
- Rabbits need to have access to unlimited hay (any kind, only feed alfalfa up to 1 year old) and should eat their own body volume in hay daily
- Rabbits should have approx. 1 eggcup of concentrate food daily (nugget, not mix)
- Rabbits should have a variety of fresh food daily, approx. 1 to 2 handfuls
- Good foods are dark, leafy vegetables such as spring greens, savoy cabbage
- Foods high in sugar e.g. carrots, apple, banana should be fed only as a treat
- Never feed ‘human’ food e.g. bread, biscuits, chocolate
Healthcare
- Rabbits need regular veterinary healthchecks and/or emergency care
- Rabbits must be neutered or spayed to avoid health and behavioural problems
- Rabbits must be vaccinated against VHD (yearly) and myxomatosis (6 monthly)
- Rabbits need their nails trimmed every 6 to 8 weeks
- Rabbits need daily brushing when moulting
- Rabbits can develop gut stasis and die within hours if they stop eating
- Rabbits should not be starved before an operation and must be syringe fed if not eating
- Most common health problems such as obesity and dental disease can be prevented by proper care
Common behaviour
- ‘Binkying’ – rabbit leaps in the air, twists and kicks legs out – an expression of happiness
- ‘Bunnyflopping’ – rabbit rolls on side or back when very content and secure
- ‘Thumping’ – rabbit thumps hind foot on ground when alarmed, to warn of danger
- ‘Nudging’ – rabbit nudges your hand or foot to request food or attention
- ‘Chinning’ – rabbit rubs underside of its chin on objects to mark its territory
- ‘Circling, Mounting and Honking’ – rabbit mounts or circles feet / object / other rabbit and honks (grunts) – rabbit wants to mate. De-sexed rabbits may honk and circle to request food / attention
Common problems
- Aggressive behaviour when adolescence hits – can be eliminated or greatly reduced by neutering / spaying
- Obesity – caused by too much concentrate food and not enough exercise
- Dental disease – caused by lack of hay in diet or genetics – more common in dwarfs and lops
- Flystrike – if rabbit has dirty bottom caused by obesity, flies lay eggs which hatch into maggots and eat flesh – check rabbits daily in the summer months, keep litter area clean and hang fly strips
- Destructive behaviour – caused by boredom, rabbit may overeat, pull its fur out, gnaw on hutch – provide a companion rabbit, more hay, exercise and toys
