Looking after your rabbit
Your rabbit will provide you with endless hours of fun, companionship and
entertainment for years to come but you must be prepared to put in a little bit
of work to ensure your rabbit is a happy, contented and healthy rabbit. Remember
you will only get out what you put in.
You will need a reasonable sized hutch ( big enough for him to
stand on his back legs and to take a minimum of three hops) with a waterproof roof and somewhere your
rabbit can shelter from the wind, sun and rain. An outdoor run or enclosure is
a good idea too as it gives the rabbit the chance to munch on grass and get
some exercise. However if you are showing your rabbit beware of grass stains.
You should line the hutch with sawdust or wood shavings of a
good depth as this adds to the comfort and protection of your rabbits feet.
A ceramic food bowl is best as anything lighter and your rabbit will enjoy tipping it over! A plastic drinking bottle will only cost a few pounds and is the best way to ensure a constant clean supply of water to your rabbit.
Diet
A rabbit’s diet is mainly grass and hay. You can also give pellets or mixes which are complete in nutrients and vitamins. Pellets are nutritionally better because rabbits will pick and choose what they like from a mix, losing valuable nutrients.
There are various feeds available on the market. Many
people prefer a pellet based feed as this is nutritionally balanced and avoids
selective eating. We personally prefer to use a mix such a "Chudleys Rabbit
Royale" as this contains a variety of flowers and herbs as well as the
normal "muesli" however care must be taken to ensure the rabbit eats
the whole mix so as not to miss out on ALL the nutrients. It is recommended that
dwarf breeds are fed approximately two ounces of "muesli" a day and
four ounces for larger rabbits - giant rabbits obviously need even more.
Because of the delicate dietary system of your rabbit it
is important, that you make any changes to the diet very gradually. This will
prevent your rabbit from gastric problems, which could lead to very serious
consequences. Please do not be alarmed if you find your rabbit eating its
droppings, they are believe it or not designed for this. You will notice that
the droppings it leaves at night are of a softer consistency - your rabbit will
eat these to ensure it does not miss out on any of the nutrition from its
food. (yes Rabbit Royale is so good you could eat it twice!)
.
Hay is probably the most important part of the diet. As well as keeping your rabbits teeth healthy it offers an excellent source of roughage and fibre. It will of course also keep your rabbit from getting bored and eating the hutch. Another good source of food which will help your rabbits teeth is dried out bread. We normally cut any stale bread into about one inch squares then pop it in the oven for long enough to dry it - don't worry if it over cooks slightly as a little charcoal is also good for them. Our rabbits love it - but beware if it is left in big pieces they generally wont eat it
Green food such as cabbage, greens, broccoli, kale, carrots apple
and fresh
herbs, are all a welcome tit bit however do not give too much as again your
rabbit will suffer gastric problems. Also if picking plants for rabbits from
hedgerows ensure they have not been treated with any chemicals.
***DO NOT GIVE LETTUCE, CUCUMBER OR TOMATOES TO YOUR RABBIT
***
Fresh water must be available 24 hours a day. In winter
check that it hasn’t frozen over. In the Summertime make sure the bottle is
cold and clear of green algae, after all would you drink from a container of green
water?
Most basic health checks you can do yourself quite easily. A healthy rabbit should have the following:
Eyes should be bright and colourful with no discharge.
Nose should have a regular twitch and not be runny. The rear
end should not be dirty.
Claws need to be trimmed every 2 to 3 weeks depending how much
time your rabbits spend outside wandering around and digging. A good guide is
to make sure that they don’t stick out over the fur.
They should be trimmed to half a centimetre from the beginning of the vein. This is easy to see on light coloured claws, although a little more difficult on rabbits with darker claws. Should you nip too far and make it bleed apply a little pressure with cotton wool to stop the bleeding. And don’t worry –it will always look worse than it really is and your rabbit will soon lick it clean! You can buy nail trimmers from any good pet shop, but if you don’t feel confident doing it, your vet will do it for a small charge and probably show you how.
Teeth should be checked regularly for even wear, and should be sharp and straight. The top teeth should overlap the bottom ones slightly. If you think the teeth look too long, give plenty of hay as it is the abrasive content of the diet and should help. If this doesn’t solve the problem, take your rabbit to the vet to have them burred down. Be aware if you notice that your rabbit gets some gastric problems and becomes a little dirty around his rear end, this could be a sign of dental problems and you should seek the advice of your vet.
Ears: Check regularly for wax build up, mites or any signs of scratching. a good healthy ear should be clear and pink all the way down. special care should be taken with lop eared rabbits.
Feet: the fur on a rabbits feet should be soft and thick like a deep pile carpet. sometimes a rabbit may have thin places or even in some cases bare patches, this can become very sore and can be avoided by having a nice deep bed of wood shavings.
It is very important that your rabbit is regularly groomed. This can mean anything from a strict cleaning regime (rabbits generally do not need bathing) to simply stroking the fur perhaps with a little witch hazel. It is the perfect opportunity to look out for any signs of ill health.
Snuffles- runny eyes,
sneezing, wheezing and /or a runny nose-anything similar to a cold in humans
should lead to a visit to the vet.
Myxomatosis- This disease (also known as mixi) was
introduced deliberately in Australia then later France as a virus to control the
number of wild rabbits. The disease is spread by insects or contact with
another carrier, so it can travel long
distances undetected. 4 out of 5 wild rabbits will catch the disease and
domestic rabbits are at risk too.
The only form of defence is
vaccination to protect against this disease, which is incurable.
Once your rabbit catches it, the kindest thing to do is to have
it put down.
Prevention is possible to a certain extent by keeping the hutch as clean as possible making it unattractive to insects.
Please please be aware that
if your rabbit has not been vaccinated great care should be taken when putting
rabbit into a run in your garden to ensure they do not come into contact with
any area where wild rabbits might roam.
VHD (viral hemorrhage disease) –
This is another disease introduced to control the
numbers of wild rabbits. It arrived in Britain in 1992 and is as devastating as
mixi.
Vaccinating your rabbit
yearly is the best weapon and it is a very rapid disease – once your rabbit has
it, it will likely be dead by the next day.
Flystrike- this is potentially lethal. The
main cause of this is a dirty hutch, causing the fur to mat with droppings.
Then flies lay eggs in the droppings, which turn into larvae after 24 hours.
These then burrow into the rabbit’s skin, which is painful and unpleasant and
usually leads to your rabbit being put down.
The best way to avoid this unpleasant illness is to provide a
good balanced diet and fresh water and practice good hygiene in and around the
hutch and run, and as mentioned previously handle your rabbit often to check his
coat.
Try to handle your rabbit as
often as possible, if your rabbit is very timid, it may take time. The best way
to solve this is when you go to the hutch to feed, try stroking its head whilst it is eating. The rabbit will associate you
with food and start to allow you to come closer and eventually pick it up. We
have also found that hand feeding its favourite foods (usually slices of apple
in our case) encourages the rabbit to come closer.
The best way to pick up your
rabbit is to put one hand at the back of its neck, holding but not pulling its
ears then put your other hand
underneath the rabbit’s rear end to support its weight.
Rabbits love to play. You can
give them tubes to hide in and crawl through as long as they aren’t too small
so your rabbit gets stuck. We have found that a plastic plant pot with the
bottom cut out is a great source of fun for our rabbits. A cardboard box is also a favourite for hiding in or
chewing up! If you put hay in an empty toilet roll holder you will find that as
well as providing the valuable nutrient you also provide your rabbit with a toy.
We also often put balls with bells in into the hutch as many of our rabbits
enjoy chasing them around.
You can also give an apple tree or willow branch for him or her to nibble and climb on. Make sure you only use these as as some other fruits such as cherry and plum are poisonous to rabbits.
Bunny Health Food and homeopathy
Blackberry or bramble :
General tonic, also helpful in pregnancy disorders, It is said to help in the prevention of miscarriage as are raspberry leaves
Chives:
This acts as a general tonic and appetiser
Wormwood:
fly repellent (boil the leaves then sprinkle them around the problem areas (mint plants are also said to deter flies)
Pennyroyal:
This is good for dust and lung complaints.
Tansy:
this is said to cure all ills
Mint:
Said to be good for infertility problems
Thyme:
Good for chest complaints
Parsley:
a general tonic. Also if bruised and steeped in vinegar will relieve mastitis
Rosemary:
a general tonic for the reproductive system
Sage:
increases milk flow
Coltsfoot:
relieves chesty colds
Common Willow:
relieves a fever and pain as it contains natural aspirin
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