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    Rugby.jpg (23381 bytes)

Hare raising

 

It can be a 

Hare Raising Experience!

If you got an Easter Bunny for the kids here is a checklist to follow.  Rabbits are neither low maintenance nor cheap pets!  

 

Bring your rabbit in the house to make him or her part of the family like a cat or dog and enjoy his company for many years.  A young rabbit that is not spayed or neutered yet will be the most challenging to care for and this is why many cute "Easter Bunnies" are returned or abandoned by their owners.   

 

Here's what you need to do:

Have a sense of humor, a lot of patience and then...

 

Rabbit-Proof the House

 

Cover electrical and phone cords with tubing

 

Keep Household chemical, cleaners and other toxic chemicals in a latched cupboard

 

Place toxic plants out of reach (and this includes most houseplants)

 

Keep the toilet lid down to avoid drowning

 

Latch & close doors and windows

 

Remove items from the floor that should not be ingested

 

Install child gates on doorways into rooms that aren’t “bunny proof” - Note: they will chew right through a plastic gate - get the wood or metal gate instead

Temperature

 

50 to 75 degrees – Rabbits can overheat and freeze!  See page of tips on keeping your bunny cool at Buns in the Sun on this website.

Housing

 

Cage with solid floor or wire floor covered with a board, hay or towels to avoid sore feet (hocks)

 

It should be large enough for rabbit to stand up in, stretch and hop around - get the biggest cage you can find!

 

An Alternative is a puppy pen about 24" to 30" high that has 2 foot wire panels in width. There are lots of creative housing possibilities.  See the Bunny Digs page for ideas!

 

Bedding:  Timothy hay or straw

 

Locate it in a spot where there is traffic – not a damp basement, garage or attic.

 

Get them out for exercise everyday for a few hours!  Or fence an area around their cage where they can run. Many owners let their bunnies have run of the house like a cat.  

Food  (Also see Rabbit Diet)

 

Rabbits have about 6 millions taste buds so they have very good taste and enjoy variety!!! 

 

Hanging water bottle or heavy crock water bowl – change water everyday and twice a day is best.  You can get crocks that attached to the side of a pen, too.

 

Timothy hay is absolutely necessary for digestion.

 

Alfalfa pellets - we don't recommend them.  Instead, buy the following: fresh Timothy Hay and Timothy Hay based pellets.

 

Fresh veggies including carrots and carrot tops, broccoli, radish tops, romaine lettuce, beet greens, turnip greens; mustard greens and small amounts of parsley.

 

Fresh Fruit slices as long as rabbit isn’t overweight such as apples (not the seeds), pears, bananas, peaches/nectarines

 

Salt wheel

 

Chew toys

 

They can nibble on your yard if it is free of pesticides and poisonous plants 

 

Do Not feed them popcorn and other human treats - they can cause serious digestive problems possibly leading to death. 

 

For 6 pages of information on rabbit diet see Rabbit Diet-  There is information on diet, a diagram of the digestive system and lots more!

 Litter - See page on Critter Litter
 

Litter pan – natural litter (do not use cedar chips or clay kitty litters)

 

Do put timothy hay in litter box since rabbits will graze on in one end and will not eat soiled hay.

 

Rinse pan with white vinegar to control odor

 

Change everyday to eliminate odor

 

Litter box train your rabbit.  See the HRS web page on Litter Training

 

Hints from the Hare Salon:

 

Pedicure - Give your rabbit a toe nail clipping from time to time - get the side clipper type of clippers - not the front clippers - they don't work well.  See "Trancing Rabbits" to make it easier to do.

 

Hairbrush – for shedding hair.  Rabbits shed every other month with a heavy shedding every three months.  Brush with a soft brush.

 

Rabbit are so clean, they don’t need a bath.  But if they do for some reason, use a rabbit shampoo or a product for cats. Make sure the water is comfortably lukewarm in temperature. It is best to use the portable hose on your sink if you have one for cleaning the rabbit's bottom - never wash the entire rabbit.  

 

Scent Gland cleaning - if your rabbit starts to smell a little ripe, check out the scent glands.  First of all, a neutered or spayed rabbit isn't as smelly so it's one more reason to alter your rabbits.  The scent glands are on each side of the reproductive organs - just a slit in the fur.  They will get dried crusted material in them.  Gently clean out with a Q-tip.  Do not poke the rabbit.  You can use your hands, but be careful of sharp fingernails.

 

Flea dip products are toxic to rabbits.  If you must use one, get the mildest one you can find for kittens or ask an experienced rabbit veterinarian.  Frontline is toxic to rabbits.

 Fix those Rabbits!

I cannot stress this enough.  If you have a male and female rabbit couple, the female can have a litter every 31 days!  And, females can become pregnant the same day they give birth. You do the math!  It is a scary thought and scarier in reality!  See your vet about when to spay or neuter, between 4 and 6 months old for both males and females depending on the breed.  

See Too Many Rabbits for more information on how to sex a rabbit.

Photo Credit: Isn't "Rugby" a handsome boy from the San Diego HRS 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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