CARING FOR YOUR RABBIT

Rabbits are friendly, quiet pets that enjoy human company. They do need a great deal of handling to remain tame pets. When you are home to supervise your rabbit, he/she can be allowed free run of the house. However, they will chew cords and furniture if not stopped. A permanent cage is required to provide a safe environment for your rabbit when you are unable to supervise.

Feeding

Clean, fresh water should be available at all times.
Rabbit pellets - A good quality rabbit pellet may be offered daily but in limited quantities. The uncontrolled feeding of a pelleted diet can lead to obesity, kidney, heart and liver disease or chronic diarrhea. These result from the high concentration of carbohydrates, low fibre and high calcium levels in the pellets. Most rabbit pellets on the market have been designed with the increased energy requirements of outdoor or production rabbits in mind. Our house rabbit lives indoors; therefore these rabbits have different nutritional needs than outdoor rabbits. At WinRose we carry Bunny Basics Tâ ; these pellets are timothy-based pellets especially formulated for the house rabbit. They are high in fibre (29%), and lower in calcium, fat and protein. The Bunny Basics T® has a bright green colour and a fresh smell that encourages appetite. Make sure that you buy pellets that contain more than 18% fibre and that you only buy small quantities. Keep the pellets refrigerated or cool and dry to prevent spoilage. Old, rancid pellets can cause a rabbit to stop eating. If you must buy more than two months of pellets at a time, freeze the extra.

See our PRODUCTS page for more on Oxbow food & hay!

The following chart shows daily amounts to be fed to your adult bunny. Do not refill the bowl, even if the pellets are all eaten before the next day. Overfeeding of pellets is the number one cause of health problems that we see. Rabbits up to 8 months of age can have access to pellets free choice because they are still growing rapidly. For those young rabbits WinRose carries Bunny Basicsâ. For the pet rabbit over 8 months of age, feed the following maintenance diet:

Body Weight	Daily Amount of Pellets
1-2 Kg (2-5 lbs)	1/8 cup
3-4 Kg (5-8 lbs)	1/4 cup
4-5 Kg (8-11 lbs)	1/2 cup
6-7 Kg (11-15 lbs)	3/4 cup

Note: These food amounts are for the maintenance of the non-breeding, mature house rabbit

Hay - Timothy or Orchard grass hay should be offered daily in unlimited amounts. It is important that hay be available at all times for your bunny. Rabbits tend to eat small amounts of food frequently throughout the day and withholding hay for long periods of time can lead to intestinal upsets.

Only feed long loose strands of hay, not pressed cubes or chopped hay. The fibre in the hay is extremely important in promoting normal digestion and preventing hairballs. Hay also contains proteins and other nutrients essential to the good health of your pet. We do NOT recommend the use of alfalfa hay, because it will provide too much calcium and extra carbohydrates, which may lead to serious health problems, and digestive upsets.

Click Here for more information on Hairballs in Rabbits

Grass hay can be difficult to find. If you are not able to come to WinRose to buy your hay (we carry both Timothy and Orchard grass hay), you can try phoning the Manitoba Agriculture Representative in St. Pierre (1-204-433-7749) to receive a list of farmers around Winnipeg who sell grass hay. You may be able to buy a "flake" from a bale rather than the whole bale. Hay should be stored in a cool, dry place with good air circulation (don't close it tightly in a plastic bag). Discard wet or damp hay, or any hay that does not have a "fresh" smell. The best way to offer the hay is to use a hayrack on the outside of the cage. Your pet can pull the hay into the cage through the bars as desired. This keeps the hay clean and eliminates much of the waste.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO ALWAYS HAVE HAY AVAILABLE!

Remember, we are restricting the pellets and the hay is a major source of fibre and nutrients.

Fresh foods - These foods should be fed daily. Rabbits in the wild eat primarily grass and tough, fibrous leaves, bark and other difficult to digest plants. Their digestive tract functions best when it has to break down cellulose. If your pet is not used to getting any fresh foods, then start out gradually with the green leafy vegetables and add a new food item from the following list every week. If the addition of any item leads to diarrhea or unformed stools in 24-48 hours, then remove it from the diet.

Young bunnies should also be introduced to new foods gradually. However, once your pet is eating these foods, try to give at least 3 types daily. We find the addition of these fresh fibrous foods helps (along with hay) in the prevention of hairballs and other digestive upsets.

The following are all foods that you can try on your pet. The total amount of fresh food that can be given daily (once your pet has been gradually introduced to it as described above) is about 1 heaping cup, loosely packed, per 2.5Kg(5lbs) of body weight - Carrot tops, beet tops, dandelion greens and flowers (no pesticides, please), kale, collard greens, escarole, romaine lettuce (not leaf or head lettuce), parsley, clover, cabbage, broccoli (don't forget the leaves), carrot, green peppers, pea pods (the flat, edible kind), Brussels sprouts, basil, peppermint leaves, raspberry leaves, radicchio, bok choy, cilantro and spinach.

Treat foods - In a small amount, you can give one of these "treat" foods daily. Give 1 level tablespoon per 2.5Kg(5lbs) of body weight - strawberries, papaya, pineapple, apple, pear, melon, raspberries, peach, pear or dried whole grain bread. One can alternately give 1 level teaspoon per 2.5Kg(5lbs) of body weight of banana or dried fruit. Oats and oatmeal should never be fed. They are too high in carbohydrates.

Vitamin additives - These are not considered to be necessary if the rabbit is getting pellets, hay and fresh foods in the diet. In fact, the indiscriminate use of vitamins may lead to over dosage and serious disease. If you are unable to feed the diet as described above, then Doc's Rabbit Pellets® should be added to the diet as a source of vitamins and hairball preventative.

Night Droppings - It may seem strange to list this as a part of the diet, but these "special droppings" are an essential part of your pet's nutrition. During certain times of the day, usually in the evening, you may observe your pet licking the anal area and actually eating some of the droppings in the process. These "cecal pellets" as they are called are softer, greener, and have a stronger odour than the normal hard, dry, round waste droppings. Your pet knows when these droppings are being produced and will eat them himself. These pellets come from the cecum, which is part of the digestive system where fermentation of food takes place, and they are rich in vitamins and nutrients, which are needed by your rabbit to maintain good health. After eating these "vitamin pellets" he will redigest the material and extract all the necessary nutrients. This habit may appear distasteful to us, but it is normal and important for your rabbit. Occasionally, a rabbit will drop these cecal pellets along with waste pellets instead of eating them. They will be soft, brighter green, come in clumps and are misshapen, but formed and have an odour. This is not considered diarrhea, and if it only occurs occasionally, it is not considered a disease problem.

Housing Your Rabbit

Finding the right spot to keep your rabbit’s cage or hutch is extremely important. Rabbits do not tolerate drafts, moisture or heat. If you keep the hutch outside, the rabbit must be protected from wind, rain, snow, insects, and other animals. The hutch must be elevated and a garage, shed or barn would be a preferable location. The cage should be at least 14 inches high and minimum size required for various rabbit weights are:

1-2 Kgs (2-5 lbs.)	1.5 square feet
3-4 Kgs (5-8 lbs.)	3.0 square feet
4-5 Kgs (8-11 lbs.)	4.0 square feet
6+ Kgs (11+ lbs.)	5.0 square feet

Note: If you have a doe with a litter, you need an additional 2 square feet.

Remove soiled bedding and excrement daily, clean the cage weekly, and thoroughly disinfect the entire cage monthly or more often if necessary. At WinRose we carry a disinfectant called Quatsyl D plus, that is safe to use in all of your pet’s housings. This would be an excellent disinfectant for the bunny hutch. The preferred cage bottom is wire. This allows droppings and debris to fall through. If left in contact with rabbit’s legs, an infection of their hocks can develop quite readily.

Litter Training

Rabbits can be litter trained very easily. They are meticulous and will always relieve themselves in the same spot in the cage. When you bring your bunny home, put her/him in the cage immediately, observe your rabbit while it chooses a location to defecate and urinate. This is where you will place the litter box. You can use a cat litter box with pelleted litter, never use clay or clumping litter. Leave your rabbit in the cage undisturbed for 24 hours. This will allow the rabbit to become accustomed to its new home. During the next few days, allow your bunny out of the cage frequently for short periods of time, 15-20 minutes. During these times observe for lifting of the tail as this indicates that the rabbit is going to relieve itself. If you see your rabbit do this, put the bunny back in the cage immediately. If the rabbit has an accident, clean the area thoroughly and cover the spot for a few days, this is to prevent the rabbit from going back to the same spot to relieve itself there again. Never scold or punish your rabbit if it has an accident out of the cage, as this will only cause your rabbit to become anxious or aggressive. Gradually lengthen the period of time that you allow your rabbit out of the cage, allowing easy access to his/her cage, and your bunny should be completely trained in a couple of weeks.

Grooming

Good grooming, along with proper diet is very important. Brush your rabbit regularly, especially during the shedding seasons (spring and fall). This will also help stimulate circulation. Brushing rabbits with long hair is essential to prevent matting. If your rabbit has “hutchburn” (urine scalding) or faecal matter stuck in the hair, you can clip it off or bathe the affected areas. Normally, rabbits don’t require bathing unless they are very dirty or something is stuck to the hair. They groom themselves quite well on their own. If you need to bathe an affected area, use a hypoallergenic pet shampoo and thoroughly dry your rabbit. “Allergroom” is a good shampoo for bunnies. This is available at WinRose. Domestic rabbits need to have their nails trimmed monthly. This prevents overgrown nails from being torn off and makes it easier to handle your rabbit. Ask for a nail trim demonstration.

Dental Care

Rabbits teeth never stop growing and if the incisors (front teeth) are malaligned they will not wear down when chewing. The teeth will become overgrown and appear curved, horn-like or circular. Rabbits stop eating, or salivate excessively when the teeth are overgrown. The teeth can be trimmed on a regular basis, or they can be surgically extracted.

Spaying and Neutering

Male rabbits generally make better pets if they are neutered since many of them will exhibit mounting and aggressive behaviour if left intact.

Many female rabbits also become aggressive and can develop reproductive problems such as infections or cancer in their uterus. In fact uterine cancer occurs with high frequency in female rabbits. We recommend spaying to prevent these from happening. Spaying and neutering can be done after 4 months of age. At WinRose we use isoflurane gas anaesthesia during these procedures. This is an extremely safe anaesthetic for rabbits.

General Care

Rabbits can be house trained to a litter pan using pelleted litter. Daily exercise is very important to prevent hairball formation and constipation. Exercise stimulates the digestive tract to move food and hair through it. A rabbit's toenails need to be clipped monthly. At WinRose we do recommend that rabbits have an annual comprehensive physical exam. Generally rabbits are very hardy and do not require extra veterinary attention often. However, early detection of a problem by watching for subtle changes in eating, activity, droppings, etc. can prevent a small problem from developing into one that is much more serious.

Selecting Appropriate Rabbit Toys

Rabbits enjoy playing. They like toys that they can pick up, shake and throw such as bird toys and plastic cat toys, e.g. a hard plastic or twine ball with holes in it containing a bell, or a plastic bowl with a rim that can be picked and thrown, or a soft plastic squeaky toy. Cardboard boxes that they can play in and chew on may also be interesting for your rabbit. Other toys that your bunny will enjoy and are found in most houses are paper egg cartons, paper towel or toilet paper cores and wooden spoons. Rabbits also very much enjoy chewing on branches. Many bunny owners will give their bunnies branches from trees such as apple, pear or redwood. Be careful not to give your bunny branches from cherry, plum or peach trees as these are toxic to rabbits. Branches must be free from pesticides and insecticides. Cut the branches and allow them to dry for 1-2 months to allow insects to escape and fungus to dry up. Then clean them with a wire brush. Finally, wet and disinfect them with Quatsyl D plus.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to call one of the WinRose Team Members; they will be happy to answer your questions!


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