Table of Contents
How to Care for a Pet Rabbit Step 1: Set Up Safe Indoor Housing. Step 2: Bunny Proof Your House. Step 3: Provide Fresh Hay. Step 4: Provide Fresh Greens, Fiber-rich Pellets, and Fresh Water. Step 5: Set Up a Litter Box. Step 6: Provide Enrichment. Step 7: Groom Your Rabbit. Step 8: Bring Your Rabbit to a Rabbit-Savvy Vet.
Is it hard to raise a rabbit?
Rabbits are very hardy animals, easy to raise and extremely clean. They can stand a lot of cold weather, but they can’t stand very much of a wetting and hot weather gets them down. They wear fur coats in summer remember. They have to have clean feed trays and clean water.
Can I raise a single rabbit?
A single rabbit can live quite happily, as long as it receives enough social interaction and companionship from its human. In the absence of another rabbit, you, the owner, will have to devote a significant amount of time each day to keep your bunny company.
Can you keep a rabbit indoors?
Like dogs and cats, rabbits can live happily indoors. In fact, having a house rabbit has many benefits, not just for your pet, but for you, too. Being indoors can also help keep your rabbit healthy. Because rabbits are prey animals, they are very good at concealing pain and illness.
Are rabbits high or low maintenance?
Myth 1: Rabbits are great, low-maintenance pets. Reality: Although they don’t need to be walked like dogs, rabbits are anything but low-maintenance. Their quarters need daily leaning, and fresh food and water must be offered daily, including a salad of well-washed, dark-green leafy vegetables.
Do rabbits poop everywhere?
Although rabbits have latrine areas for toileting, they also mark their territory by spreading droppings and urine around their home. If you’ve had your rabbit from a young age, this often means your perfectly litter-trained baby rabbit will suddenly start leaving poop and urine all over the place.
Do rabbits poop a lot?
If you have a new rabbit, you might be surprised by how much poop it makes. You might even think that it is sick. However, keep in mind that rabbits do poop a lot. In fact, what might seem like up to a hundred or more little hard, round pellets a day is very common and normal.
Can rabbits be left alone for 8 hours?
Left with enough hay and water they can be left home alone safely while you are at work. Leaving them longer than 10–12 hours is dangerous. If their water bottle becomes blocked, they dump a bowl of water or if they run out of edible hay all puts the bunny at risk of GI Stasis.
Is it better to have 2 male or female rabbits?
They will be much happier living in pairs or compatible groups, and will become very lonely if kept on their own. It is easiest if rabbits are kept together from birth, but rabbits less than 12 weeks old will usually live together happily. The best combination is a neutered male and a neutered female.
Do female rabbits have periods?
Rabbits do not menstruate. If unspayed females start passing blood, they can bleed to death within a few days. Blood in the urine can also be a sign of bladder stones.
Should I cover my rabbit cage at night?
If you have your rabbits in a large cage or pen, then they’re less likely to develop respiratory problems but there isn’t a point in covering the pen anyway. If you want to keep your rabbits safe, then you should just avoid covering the cage with a blanket.
Do rabbits need vaccines?
Rabbits need vaccinations to protect against myxomatosis, Rabbit (Viral) Haemorrhagic Disease (R(V)HD) and a strain of R(V)HD – R(V)HD2 – all of which are often fatal and cause intense suffering to rabbits.
How big should a rabbit cage be?
On an average, a rabbit cage or hutch should at least be 4 times larger than the rabbit’s size. As a rule of thumb, you can get 30 inches x 36 inches for a bigger rabbit and 24 inches x 36 inches for a smaller one. The two-story condo-style hutches are much loved by rabbits as well.
Why you shouldn’t buy a bunny?
Rabbits are fragile. Bunnies are “prey animals,” so they get scared when they’re picked up. Because their bones are delicate, they can get hurt and even break their own backs when kicking to get away.
Do rabbits like to be cuddled?
Handling rabbits. Most rabbits love to be cuddled and stroked when approached in the right way. Few like being held or carried as being so high up from the ground makes them feel insecure, however, many will happily sit on your lap or snuggle up next to you for a cuddle.
How much does it cost to own a rabbit?
Expect to pay $20-$40 for a rabbit from a pet store, and $5-$20 for a rabbit from a rescue, fair, or 4-H club. Breeders vary in what they charge for their specific breed of rabbit. Some are cheaper than pet stores while others with rare breeds will charge closer to $100 for a rabbit.