Rabbits
Proper Care
A rabbit is an ideal pet! If you treat them with gentleness and the proper care they will become a wonderful addition to your family! A rabbit will normally live about eight to twelve years. The following are some tips that should help and both you and your pet rabbit.
Feeding Your Rabbit Never feed him any
lettuce or greens until he is at least six months of age! You musn't let him eat grass
until then either. His diet should
mainly consist of rabbit pellets and some coastal hay. You can buy your rabbit food any
local pet store. Young bunnies should
not be limited in the amount of food they want to eat. Give one ration at a time so you can keep track of how much
he is eating. Always keep some Coastal Hay on hand. A handful of hay is usually fed on a daily basis. Most fresh vegetables will cause diarrhea in a young rabbit which can actually kill them. This is why you need to wait until they are at least six months old before giving it to them. When you do start giving the rabbit some fruit or fresh greens, do it regularly so the his digestive system will become accustomed to them. If your rabbit should get a mild case of diarrhea, give him about one handful of dry oatmeal and a few drops of Kaopectate or a similar product. If it doesn't go away within the next thirty-six hours then you will need to contact your veterinarian. |
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The urine of a rabbit can range from a clear color to a dark orange color, don't
worry though, this is quite normal.
Rabbit owners sometimes tend to overfeed their pets. This is not at all good for
them. Please follow the guidelines that your vet gives you and you should not have
any difficulties with this.
Health
One thing a rabbit
really enjoys is gnawing! Their teeth are constantly growing so to help keep
them maintain the proper length have a piece of unfinished wood in the cage for
gnawing. If your rabbit's teeth are properly aligned, meaning that their top teeth are
overlapping their bottom teeth, they'll eventually wear them down when they constantly
chew.
Heat can kill a rabbit so during the warm months keep a frozen liter tonic bottle
that is filled with water in the cage for him to cool off with!
If you decide not to breed your rabbit, you may want to have it spayed or neutered
because approximately eighty-five percent of older female rabbits inevitably will develop
uterine cancer if they are not bred.
Home
You will need a separate cage for each rabbit that you
have. Always have it in a place that is dry and shady and very
well-ventilated.
A 24 inch by 24 inch cage is fine however, if your rabbit is a larger breed then he will
need a more appropriate sized cage such as a 24 inch by 30 inch enclosure.
You must always keep the cage clean. Wash it thoroughly and be sure to rinse thoroughly as well! You should also disinfect the cage at regular intervals.
Little Ones
If your rabbit is bred and little ones are born, when they are babies they don't have any fur at all and they keep their eyes shut. The Mother, or the doe, makes a little nest in the box that she gave birth in. Mom will dig a hole in the shavings and the hay. She'll then make a lining in it with her own fur! This keeps her babies warm. On the day they are born, you should take the nest box out and look all around in there and count how many babies there are. Naturally, remove any dead ones that may be there. Then return the babies to their nest again to be with their with their Mom.
Check the next day
as well to see if Mom has started nursing yet, if she has not, then remove the babies and
foster them to another Mom.
At six to eight weeks of age, remove the Mom and put her in another cage. Leave the
baby bunnies where they are. This will upset them a bit so try to calm them if you
can. If this is your intention, you can sell them between the age of six to eight
weeks.
Why You Need Toys
Toys for your rabbit are essential. They provide mental stimulation. If he has nothing to occupy himself when he is alone, especially a single rabbit, he'll get bored and he could then get depressed. The use of clever toys suitable for a rabbit will actually help him to live longer. He will stay interested in and curious about his surroundings.
Your rabbit needs exercise as well. Activities to keep him in good shape and healthy. He should have things he can climb on, dig under, hop up on, dig and chew into. If he doesn't have these things then your rabbit will become obese and also depressed and this can lead to undesirable behavior.
You should have a variety of toys chosen to according to your pet's age. sex, and temperament.
Another thing to do is "bunny-proof" your home or apartment. You can find some tips on how to do this at your local pet store or at the vet on your next visit.
The Right Type Of Toys
If your pet is eating plastic or cardboard toys the you obviously need to change to a different kind of toy that your rabbit won't eat.
Paper bags and cardboard boxes for your rabbit to crawl inside are good amusements for your pet. Boxes of shredded paper, junk mail, old magazines and straw are great "toys" as well. Oddly enough, they really like to have a Phone Book to shred up. Cat toys are good too, as well as parrot even baby toys and large rubber balls. They also enjoy things to jump on! Well, now you have an idea of what kind of toys rabbits might like. Personal preference is what you go by...if your rabbit likes any of the above toys, great! If not, experiment and see what your rabbit does like!.
If you decide to get a pet Rabbit, enjoy it and love and care for it!
Continued:
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