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How to Care for a Bunny?
My friend's daughter no longer wants her rabbit. So, knowing my love for animals, they gave it to me! I have no idea how to care for a rabbit. What kind of cage do I need? What about toys? What kind of food do I feed? They gave it to me in a pet carrier and I have no idea what to do! I don't know what breed it is either. It is brown and small.
Well done for taking on a bunny in need!
Breed:
It doesn't really matter what breed the rabbit is. Although obviously the giant breeds tend to need more space than smaller ones!
Housing:
It is common for rabbits to be housed outside, although many people believe they are better off indoors. In the house they get more attention, you are more likely to notice if it gets sick or hurt, it will be safe from predators and vermin, protected from bad weather (extreme heat or cold etc)....
If you do house your rabbit outside you need to take extra care to make sure it is safe and comfortable. Most commercial rabbit hutches are absolutely crap! You need a solid wooden one, with strong, rigid metal bars. (NOT thin ply and flimsy mesh). The hutch must be properly insulated against heat and cold, and you may also need to insulate the water bottle to prevent it freezing in winter or growing algae in summer. Depending on where you live you may need to get your rabbit vaccinated, especially if it lives outside. In the UK we vaccinate against Myxi and VHD.
Indoors or out you need to make sure your arbbit has a large enough cage. Sadly, too many rabbits are confined in tiny cages and hutches where they can barely move, with no toys etc. They sit there bored and under-exercised day after day....
The minimum size for a cage for a single rabbit is 6x2x2 feet. This means at least 12 sq feet of floor space. The internal height of the cage should be about 2 feet to enable the rabbit to stand up fully on its hind legs without touching the ceiling. However, remember this is the MINIMUM so give bigger if you can.
Unfortunately, most commercial rabbit cages are far too small, to the point of being abusive. It is much better for the rabbit, and cheaper for you, if you can make your own.
There are two easy ways to make an indoor rabbit cage:
1) Buy or make a rabbit run (with a lid) from a petstore. Make sure it is plenty big enough. For the floor simply use lino or coroplast.
2) Build a c+c cage using storage grids and coroplast. (Bear in mind the cage will need to be 2 grids high for a rabbit.) I would suggest a 2x5 c+c.
For info on how to build a c+c, where to get materials etc check out http://www.guineapigcages.com You can also view "cages for other pets" in the photo gallery.
Even in a large cage the rabbit will still need time out every day to explore, exercise and play.
Inside the cage the rabbit should have enough space to move about freely, and lay out at full stretch. The cage must also be big enough for you to give some environmental enrichment (ie toys). Rabbits are easily bored by basic toys (eg balls) so you can buy more than you need and rotate them on a regular basis so they maintain their novelty value. Other good toys for rabbits include newspaper, old phone books, paper bags stuffed with hay or veggies, cardboard boxes and tubes, tunnels to run through, hideys (eg plastic houses). Rabbits also like to have a look-out area... if you get a tall enough cage you could add a shelf for your rabbit to jump on.
Food:
Again, sadly most rabbits are fed a totally inappropriate diet. The most important thing is grass hay (eg timothy hay) which should be available at all times, in unlimited amounts, so she can eat as much as she likes, when she likes. Hay is vital for proper digestion, wearing down teeth and preventing boredom.
Next, she should get a variety of fresh veggies every day. Avoid iceburg lettuce, potato or onion. Fruit can be given occasionally in small quantities.
Pellets - preferably pellets only, not a mix. Look for a good quality brand. Rabbits should only get a limited amount of pellets every day - they are the least important part of the diet.
Neutering and social life:
Rabbits should be neutered, even if they live alone, for health reasons. One of the most common causes of early death in female rabbits is types of cancer which are prevented by spaying. Neutering also helps to reduce unpleasent behaviours in both sexes, such as aggression, territory marking etc.
Rabbits are a social species so it is best to have a pair. Perhaps you could adopt a rabbit from a local rescue to keep yours company? Rabbits can live in same sex or mix sex pairs - but both should be neutered.
That is the absolute basics. For some great, detailed and more importabntly accurate info on caring for rabbits check out these sites:
http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/resources/index.php?section=leaflets.html
http://www.rabbit.org/
http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/rabbitcare.asp
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