Undertake-a-Pet.com Weblog How To Take Care of a Bunny

July 27, 2023

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By Adrienne A. Kruzer, BBA, RVT, LVT
woman holding and taking care of bunny
David Prado / Stocksy
There are many causes rabbits have grown in recognition as pets (together with the enjoyment their large ears, gentle fur, and fluffy tails convey), and there at the moment are over 50 breeds of rabbits for bunny lovers the world over to take care of. Some breeds have particular concerns, however general, caring for any rabbit breed requires the identical fundamental gear and data. In the event you’re all for adopting a rabbit, or even when you have already got one, right here’s your information to what to know and should maintain your rabbit wholesome and joyful and ensure they stay an extended life.

Setting Expectations

The lifespan of a wholesome pet rabbit is between 5 and ten years, however to your rabbit to have a contented life, you’ll have to do your half in offering them with correct care. Rabbits have particular person personalities and provide superb companionship, however in change, they require area, common cleansing, correct diet, psychological stimulation, and veterinary care. Additionally they ought to have a rabbit buddy, so for those who’re planning on getting a bunny, you must ideally plan on getting two. A rabbit requires extra work than a hamster or guinea pig, so it’s essential to know every part that’s required to correctly take care of them earlier than deciding {that a} rabbit is the suitable pet for you.

What To Feed a Rabbit

Rabbits are herbivores, so that they solely eat plant matter, however the particular varieties and ratios of various plant issues are essential. As a younger rabbit, alfalfa hay ought to make up about 80% of your rabbit’s food plan, with some darkish leafy greens and fortified rabbit pellets making up the remaining 20%. As your rabbit matures into an grownup, you’ll wish to change your grownup rabbit from alfalfa hay to a grass hay resembling orchard or timothy hay. Restrict rabbit pellets to about 1/4 to 1/2 cup a day, however you possibly can present as much as two cups of darkish leafy inexperienced greens. You probably have a dwarf breed or different smaller breed of rabbit, you could have to lower the quantity of greens and pellets you present.

There are a number of uncooked greens that may be fed every day to rabbits, together with:

Alfalfa sprouts
Arugula
Basil
Beet greens
Bell peppers
Bok choy
Boston bibb lettuce
Brussels sprouts
Butter lettuce
Carrot tops
Cilantro
Clover sprouts
Cucumbers
Dill
Endive
Escarole
Fennel
Inexperienced leaf lettuce
Mint
Okra leaves
Oregano
Parsley
Pea pods
Radicchio
Radish sprouts
Radish tops
Purple leaf lettuce
Romaine lettuce
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Watercress
Wheatgrass
Zucchini

The next greens and fruits might be ate up a restricted foundation (a few times every week) to keep away from digestive points:

Apple (with the seeds eliminated)
Banana
Blackberries
Blueberries
Broccoli (solely the stems and leaves)
Calendula flowers
Carrots
Chamomile flowers
Chard
Clover
Cranberries
Cherries (with no pits)
Collard greens
Dandelion greens (pesticide-free)
Day lily flowers
Dianthus flowers
English daisy flowers
Grapes
Hibiscus flowers
Honeysuckle flowers
Kale
Marigold flowers
Melon
Nasturtium flowers
Nectarine
Orange
Pansy flowers
Papaya
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Plum
Raspberries
Rose flowers
Spinach
Strawberries
Watermelon

Additionally ensure to supply contemporary water from each a water bottle and a water dish. Rabbits will drink extra water for those who present a water dish, however select one that can’t be simply tipped over.

Spaying / Neutering

Rabbits sadly have a excessive prevalence of reproductive organ cancers, so spaying or neutering your rabbit is a good suggestion to maintain them wholesome. Neutering males may also assist lower territorial behaviors resembling aggression and urine marking, and when you’ve got each male rabbits and feminine rabbits dwelling collectively, getting them spayed and neutered will forestall an undesirable being pregnant. Not all veterinarians are ready and keen to carry out surgical procedures on rabbits, although, so you could want to do a little analysis to discover a vet close to you that treats them.

It’s excellent to spay or neuter your rabbit once they’re between 4 and 6 months of age, however the process might be carried out later in life as nicely. There’s at all times a threat when anesthesia is concerned, so focus on the professionals and cons of those surgical procedures along with your veterinarian to find out what’s greatest to your rabbit.

Rabbit Enclosure and Atmosphere

Rabbits aren’t the sort of pets that may simply sit in a cage. They require area to run, play and discover safely exterior their cages, in addition to an enclosed space to eat and sleep.

Relying on your house, your rabbit might be able to stay outside year-round in a hutch, which might be made or bought. Simply ensure your rabbit’s hutch is safe sufficient that predators like hawks and raccoons can’t get inside them. If you wish to let your rabbit run round exterior, use a harness and leash or x-pen to provide them some further area — however at all times carefully supervise them.

In the event you select to deal with your rabbit indoors, buy a big rabbit cage or make an enclosure out of a canine crate, x-pen, or giant storage container. Along with a cage, your rabbit must also have a rabbit-proofed room or space to run round once they’re not sleeping of their enclosure.

Rabbits don’t do nicely in environments above 77 levels, so that you’ll wish to restrict outside time when it’s hotter and make sure you present them methods to maintain cool. In the event you don’t have air-con, ensure your rabbit’s area has frozen water bottles, followers, and different issues that assist them keep cool.

Train & Enrichment

Rabbits like to run and play — actions which can be additionally good for his or her bodily and psychological well being. Present your rabbit with ample area every day to train, in addition to toys, meals puzzles, and different types of enrichment. Toys that your rabbit can choose up, roll, or throw are common choices along with toys that may be chewed. Preserving your rabbit’s physique and thoughts busy is essential for its general well-being, so you possibly can present psychological stimulation by stuffing hay and greens into empty rest room paper roll tubes, tissue bins, and store-bought meals puzzles.

Litter Coaching

Nobody likes to seek out urine and feces in all places, plus having a chosen space to your rabbit to remove waste matter makes your cleansing routine a lot simpler. Select a litter field with low edges so your rabbit can simply see and entry the realm and place it someplace your rabbit already prefers to urinate, resembling in a nook. A nook of an enclosure or room is a well-liked place for a litter field to be positioned, however rabbits additionally usually defecate whereas they eat, so you could wish to place your rabbit’s hay hopper in order that they’ve to sit down within the litter field whereas they eat.

Place absorbent, dust-free substrate within the litter field, and put a few of your rabbit’s feces and urine within the litter field in the event that they remove exterior of it through the coaching course of. This may assist entice and remind your rabbit of the place they need to go. Keep away from cedar, pine, or different wooden shavings which might trigger well being points for some rabbits. And don’t use clay or cat litter both; they’re unsafe for rabbits.

You may reward your rabbit with wholesome treats for those who see them utilizing the litter field however don’t punish your rabbit in the event that they don’t.

Rabbit Proof Your House

Select a rabbit-proofed room or space in your house to your rabbit to spend time in every day. In the event you can’t rabbit-proof a complete room, an x-pen can create a big area inside a room to your rabbit to run round in. Make sure that there aren’t any carpet, strings, or wires on this space that your rabbit may chew on, get tangled in, or pull up. Additionally, maintain canine and cats away from the area and canopy or shut up any areas the place your rabbit would possibly be capable to get caught, resembling flooring vents, areas below doorways, tables, or cabinets.

How To Deal with and Pet a Rabbit

Rabbits ought to by no means be picked up by their ears or scruffing. Each of those restraint strategies are anxious and might injure a rabbit. To soundly choose up your rabbit whereas additionally guaranteeing they really feel safe, place one hand below their chest and the opposite below their hind finish. Maintain the rabbit near your physique whereas supporting them. In case your little one needs to carry your rabbit, have them sit on the bottom to keep away from the rabbit by accident falling or being dropped. Don’t let your rabbit dangle whereas kicking their legs or restrain them so firmly that in the event that they kick their legs exhausting in opposition to a floor, they’ll injure their again.

To pet a rabbit, gently stroke their fur within the route that the fur naturally lies. Rabbits get pleasure from having their head scratched and their again pet, however particular rabbits might also get pleasure from having their chins scratched and even request a stomach rub by flopping over onto their sides.

Socializing

Whereas they are often held and cuddled, bunnies might reply fearfully at first, maybe with a sudden motion that might startle a small little one and end result within the bunny being dropped. For that purpose, a rabbit is probably not a perfect pet for teenagers below 5. In case your rabbit shouldn’t be well-socialized, gaining their belief might take a while. Tasty treats ought to be reserved to provide to your rabbit throughout socialization time, however endurance is the important thing ingredient. Transfer slowly and permit your rabbit to return to you, and keep away from grabbing or startling them. Sitting on the bottom in your rabbit’s play space encourages your rabbit to hop as much as you however allow them to come to you — don’t chase them. You may as well hand feed your rabbit their common hay and greens every day in the event that they aren’t used to being round folks in any respect. This may assist them study to belief you. Rabbits can nip, however they aren’t usually aggressive and usually tend to run away if they’re scared relatively than chunk.

Grooming

Some rabbits want extra grooming consideration than others, however your rabbit might require common grooming, together with brushing, haircuts, nail trims, baths, and ear cleanings. In case your rabbit has fur that usually tangles, has mats, or will get feces caught in it, it could require common brushing or haircuts. Most rabbits want nail trims except they spend sufficient time on surfaces that may naturally put on their nails down. Your rabbit might also want ear cleanings, particularly if they’ve an ear an infection, mites, or floppy ears. They normally solely want baths in the event that they get soiled and particular care ought to be taken to not stress, chill, or overheat them whereas bathing them.

Bunny Test-Ups

As of 2021, one vaccination is out there for rabbits in many of the United States: Rabbit Hemorrhagic Illness Virus (RHDV2). This vaccine shouldn’t be legally required like rabies vaccines are for canine, cats, and ferrets. Due to this, many pet house owners don’t suppose that rabbits want common check-ups with a veterinarian, however this isn’t the case. Rabbits ought to obtain annual bodily examinations similar to different pets so their vet can search for any adjustments of their well being and hopefully deal with them earlier than they grow to be issues. Your veterinarian will take heed to your rabbit’s coronary heart, lungs, and intestine sounds, look of their eyes, ears, and mouth, really feel their physique for any lumps or different abnormalities, watch them transfer across the room, and focus on their habits, atmosphere, and food plan.

Contemplate Adopting a Rabbit

Since many individuals don’t perceive on a regular basis required to correctly take care of a pet rabbit, many relinquish their rabbits to shelters and rescue teams. Whereas you should buy a rabbit from a pet retailer or breeder, you could wish to take into account rescuing a rabbit by adopting one as a substitute. Contact your native humane society, SPCA, ASPCA, or rabbit rescue group to see if any rabbits can be found for adoption. Even in case you are in search of a particular breed or age of rabbit, you could be shocked to seek out that actual kind of rabbit is close to you, ready for a brand new dwelling.