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FIFE RABBIT RESCUE
Caring for your Rabbits...
Where can I get a rabbit from
Please adopt a rabbit from a shelter or rescue where possible. If you really want a baby rabbit, you can most likely adopt one. Buying rabbits from pet shops encourages people to breed rabbits. There are far too many rabbits being dumped already to warrant more being bred. Often you can see a rabbits true personality at a rescue, where it may have been handled daily, and is socialising with other rabbits. Many rescues also spay and vaccinate rabbits before allowing them to be adopted
Housing
The best housing for rabbits is indoors or a shed! failing that then a very large hutch.
Hutch size is very important and the bigger the better, you will be unlikely to get a suitably sized hutch in a pet store! Try to find someone who can build one for you, a minimum size of 6ft x 2ft x 2 ft . I have great hutches built for the rescue that are 6x 2.5x 2.5 they are just £140 and are far superior to any hutch you can buy at a pet store or online.
Hutches made of wood are the most common forms of keeping your rabbit warm and dry. They should be weatherproof and at the same time, well ventilated. If the hutch is outside as opposed to in a shed, extra weatherproofing will be necessary, such as a cover for the front of the hutch after dark and during wet weather. Rabbits can withstand cold, but wet is not for rabbits.
The hutch should be large enough to enable the rabbit to move around freely. A hutch on legs is recommended so the hutch is raised from the ground where it may get damp. The hutch should be long enough to allow the rabbit to take at least three consecutive hops and wide enough for it to stretch out. It should also be high enough for the rabbit to sit up straight without its ears touching the roof.
Ideally the hutch should have a separate bedding compartment where your rabbit can take shade from the sun and also shelter from bad weather. Rabbits are likely to be seen snoozing during the afternoon, and they like to stretch out to do this. Both compartments of the hutch should have hinged or lift off doors to allow the removal of your pet and for cleaning purposes.
Any soiled bedding should be removed daily and the entire hutch cleaned at least once a week. A litter tray can be provided for your rabbit and this makes keeping the hutch clean much easier.
The floor of the hutch should be covered with an absorbent material. A layer of wood shavings is ideal.Hay should also be on the floor of the hutch and used as bedding, in the sleeping compartment.
Company
Rabbit are happiest with a partner, castrated male and spayed female being the best match, once they are bonded they should be totally devoted to each other, and will cuddle up together, play together and groom each other. Always try to keep your rabbit together, when travelling to the vet for instance take them both, try to never separate them or you will break the bond.Feeding
A good supply of fresh good quality hay and Grass should be supplied on a daily basis, you may be able to get hay from a local farmer, but make sure it is at least six months old as freshly cut hay is not good for rabbits tummies!
90% of your rabbit's diet should be hay!
Hay bought from pet stores isn't ideal for your rabbits diet, so do try to find a local farmer or stables you can get hay from or see if anyone delivers hay in your area.
You can also feed a complete dried rabbit food, like Burgess Supa Excel or Burgess Excel Junior. This is preferred to a muesli type rabbit food, and stops selective feeding. Use a heavy weight ceramic/earthenware dish, as rabbits like to play games with lighter bowls! But most important for your rabbit's diet is hay and lots of it.
Rabbits love to chew on Apple Tree branches, it helps to keep their teeth in good shape too. Provide a branch as often as you can.
The most important thing that a rabbit needs is fibre! Rabbits are grazing animals and their digestive systems are set up for this. They need constant access to long fibre such as hay and grass, but this must be appetising. Don't buy the awful dry stuff in a bag from a pet shop. This is usually old, full of pesticides and fungal spores and is always over priced. Try and get organic, fresh hay in a bale from a local farm or horse food supplier. It's so much cheaper and much better for your bunnies. Also try and get hold of a horse feed product called "readigrass" this is just pure dried grass and is a fantastic source of both fibre and naturally occurring vitamins and minerals for your bunny.
After grass and hay, herbs are a great favourite in small amounts. It may take a little while for your rabbit to get used to them, but once he does, they will be really favourite foods. Of course you can grow some of these yourself! Coriander, parsley (curled and flat leafed), mint (all types), oregano (all types), dill, fennel, sage (all types), thyme (all types), camomile, chicory, lemon balm, basil (all types), chervil, Kale, spring greens, endive, radicchio, carrot tops, beetroot tops, broccoli (stems, leaves and head), cauliflower leaves, pea pods, Radish Leaves.
All are usually enjoyed and as long as they are fed as a mixture and never fed one item exclusively, which would again lead to an imbalance in the diet should cause few problems, if you have a garden, some weeds can also be used. Dandelions, (No Buttercups)
Clover (not red), dead nettle, dock weeds (before flowering), pieces of apple branches, and of course grass, will all add variety to the diet. Carrots, red apples (no pips), pears, bananas and parsnips can all be given in small pieces as a treat. Too much may lead to an imbalance in the rabbit's sensitive digestive system.
Dry Porridge oats is a great food for poorly rabbits and to help them gain weight.
Do not give your rabbit, lettuce, cucumber, potato, bread or biscuits.
Your rabbit will require fresh water at least once a day and their water bottles washed out daily, use a bottlebrush to reach all nooks and crannies! Water bottles turn green quite quickly if not washed out! Would you drink out a cup with green algae growing in it?
Exercise & Play
Your Rabbit needs daily exercise outdoors in the sunshine. Around 4 hours a day is best, maybe split up into morning and evening. Remember to give them a bolthole to run into if they want to hide and also a shady spot if they get too warm. Your rabbit may be cooler in their hutch in a shaded place in the garden when it is very hot. Supply some toys for them to play with, and lots of fresh water. Provide tunnels for them to play hide and seek and watch them have fun J
Handle and play with your rabbits as often as you can.
ToysMake sure all toys are safe. They must be untreated by chemicals, have no loose parts, and if the rabbit manages to chew something off, throw the toy away immediately. Here is a list of simple homemade toys:
* Old books or phone books
* Plush bunny to groom
* Old blanket or towel, to bunch up and rearrange
* Paper bag or box of hay (e.g., a cereal box or any small box)
* Plastic keys (the kind for babies)
* Piece of wood for chewing (untreated)
* Container (empty plastic butter bowl, etc.) with something inside to make it rattle
* Untreated wicker baskets
* Rolled up newspaper, paper grocery bags
* Cardboard toilet paper, paper towel rolls or paper cups (not the wax kind)
* Cardboard tunnels
* Untreated grass mats
* Set up an obstacle course. Use cardboard boxes, tunnels, and baskets. Just make sure it is not too high, for the rabbit's safety.
Myxomotosis
Your Rabbit needs to be vaccinated TWICE a year against Myxomotosis. Your vet can do a general health check at the same time. Myxomotosis is extremely difficult to treat so you really should have your rabbit vaccinated against it. Vaccination is quick and costs around £15/20 at a vet. It is rare for a rabbit to recover from Myxomotosis.
Blood sucking Insects (particularly fleas) spread the disease; this is a good reason to keep your rabbit's house as clean and unattractive to insects as possible.
Flystrike
Occurs months in the summer and can be fatal. If the rabbit's house isn't kept clean, the rabbit's fur can become soiled with droppings. The droppings make an ideal place for flies to lay their eggs. Within 24 hours the eggs will have turned into larvae and started to burrow into the rabbit. This is extremely painful and unpleasant for the rabbit and if not discovered in the early stages, it is likely your rabbit will need to be put to sleep. You can avoid the chance of flystrike by keeping the hutch clean and making sure that your rabbit's diet isn't too rich. If your rabbit has too much food, it won't digest it properly and this can lead to sticky droppings that cling on to its fur. You can use a deterrent on your rabbits coat in the summer months called "Rearguard" you can purchase this from your vet and is a small price to pay to keep your rabbit safe from flies!Claws
you will need to keep an eye on your rabbit's claws. If they are getting enough run space they shouldn't need clipping very often, but you will either need to learn to do this yourself or your vet or vet nurse can do it for you. .
Teeth
Rabbits teeth are constantly growing and teeth and mouth problems are very common among rabbits. Look for lack of appetite, wet under the chin and chewing in an odd fashion. If you notice this behaviour then see a vet right away. Even a short time off their food and rabbits can develop "gut statis" which is fatal if untreated.
Head tilt
is a condition rabbits suffer from quite rarely and is usually caused by an infection of the bacteria e.cuniculi. It is very serious; it is treatable but sadly not very successfully. If your rabbit walks in circles, appears unbalanced and dizzy or tilts its head severely to one side and keeps it there, see a vet immediately. Panacur is a rabbit worming treatment, which can help prevent e.cuniculi, is now recommended for rabbits around 3 to 4 times a year.
Rabbits eat their own poo! Don't worry about this, it is normal and healthy. Bunnies produce two types of poo. Round and fairly firm ones, which you will find in their litter trays and soft squishy ones called caecotrophs. The bunny will take these poos straight out of its bottom and eat them but they do this for good reason. They re-ingest these caecotrophs, as a way of getting "good bacteria" needed for the digestion of long fibre back into their systems. Occasionally you will see one of these more squishy poos in the litter tray. Don't worry, that's fine. You only need to worry if your bunny does not do any formed poos at all or has diarrhoea. That is very serious and needs veterinary attention.
Rabbits sometimes get skin problems. They moult a few times a year and this is quite normal. However, if your rabbits skin appears to have dandruff, is dry and flaky, or has any red or broken patches, or if the fur is coming out in large clumps, and is causing your bunny irritation, then see a vet. There may be an underlying health problem as rabbits rarely get skin mites and infections for no reason.
Many rabbit illnesses are very serious or even fatal. However rabbits being prey animals, hide their illnesses very well. So If your rabbits behaviour has changed, if it is quieter than normal or eating less, if it is huddled up at the back of the hutch then it is probably ill, don't "wait and see how it is tomorrow" take your rabbit to a vet the same day. A vet will be happier to see a healthy rabbit than one who is beyond help
Thumping: If a rabbit thinks it is in danger it will thump the ground with its back leg. This is an instinct from its days living in underground warrens. The thumps alert other rabbits to the danger.
Boxing: If your rabbit 'boxes' you with its front paws when you try to get near it, it is telling you to keep away. This behaviour either comes from a female rabbit when they have kittens or from a male when they think that you're a threat.
Chin-Rubbing: If you see your rabbit rubbing its chin on things it is simply marking out its territory. It has scent glands on its chin and although the smell it secretes lets other rabbits know whose property is whose, people luckily can't smell it!
Circling: When a buck is on the look out for a mate he might well go round in circles making strange droning noise.
Crepuscular: Rabbits are crepuscular which means that they are most active in the morning and evening. So this means that they will be especially pleased to see you in the mornings and evening!
Flattened: In a last attempt at hiding from a predator a rabbit will flatten itself against the ground pretending that it isn't there! You may find that a new rabbit will do this if you loom over the top of it because it thinks that you're dangerous.
'Play dead': This is actually the sign of a contented rabbit. It can look convincingly dead lying on its back with its legs stretched out.
'Ready for anything': Sitting up with bright eyes, nose twitching and ears up and swivelling round.
Screaming: A very frightened rabbit.
Spraying: Rabbits or bucks don't just rub things with their chins to mark territory, they will spray urine as well. Onto their hutch, a chair and even onto you!
Mounting! Rabbits do this a lot! Males and females mount each other they are not too fussy what sex the other is! Firstly they will do this to mate and secondly to dominate. And usually after the alpha rabbit has made it clear that he/she is in charge, the mounting will stop. While we are on the subject of mounting! Please, get your rabbits neutered. The last thing you want is a litter of rabbits that you can't get homes for. There are also a few important health benefits for you from being neutered. For the male rabbit, neutering would help to stop spraying and territorial habits. He would be more relaxed and not constantly looking for a mate!
Neutering your female rabbits is even more important, "Unspayed female rabbits have a very high risk of uterine, ovarian and mammary cancers. Reports state that more than 80% of unspayed, female rabbits will develop uterine/ovarian cancer from as young as three years. So spay your female rabbit and she will live a longer happier life.
Handling
Rabbits are on the whole fairly docile, but can bite if frightened. If rabbits are handled incorrectly, they can struggle quite wildly, which can result in serious injuries to their spinal cord. Lift your rabbit with both hands, supporting the hindquarters, and holding close to your chest. Never lift a rabbit by the ears. If it struggles when you handle it, carefully place the rabbit immediately on a firm surface, or back into the hutch. Be careful that it is in no danger of a fall during handling.
If your rabbit lives alone, it will benefit from as much human contact as possible. They adore being stroked, providing they have all four feet on the ground! If your rabbit dislikes being handled, transferring from hutch to run in a pet carrier is much simpler and less upsetting for the rabbit.
Pick your rabbit up from in front! Never from over- head, this will frighten it too much. Let it see you and see your hand approach it, then pick it up gently, talk to it reassuringly and quietly it may take a long take a long time but your rabbit will grow to trust you. He/she is relying on you totally for food and warmth.
Like most animals; your rabbits will be more relaxed and happier if you get into a routine when looking after them. Try to check up on your rabbits at roughly the same time everyday and keep feeding times regular.
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Enjoy your Rabbit...
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