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New Rabbit Owners This page will explain what I tell all my new pet owners; things to look for, things not to worry about, general feeding guidelines, etc. By now you will probably have picked the breed you would like, the sex, the age, the color and all the other particulars that tickle your fancy. But before you go get the rabbit, there are these few things you ought to know and line up ahead of time. Page Topics:
Feed and Hay Feed -- Before you even pick up your rabbit you must have the feed and hay you will be purchasing on a regular basis lined up and ready to go. Pet rabbits are safe with about 15%-17% protein and less than 1% calcium. In my opinion, 14% protein is too low unless you use supplements and fresh cuts of the proper amounts of alfalfa hay, veggies and/or fruits. Rabbits can die if you feed too many 'goodies' (raw fruits and veggies). Keeping their gut balanced has to be monitored as every rabbit's gut is a little different. Just as in humans, some humans are more acidic than others and they have to be careful not to over load on acidic foods and drink where the next person can drink or eat those food or drink all they want and not be affected by it. I have tried several types of feeds under several recommendations of reputable breeders. From the very expensive to the very cheap. Having a rabbitry, we monitor what the overall rabbits are doing instead of rabbit by rabbit unless the rabbit has a drastic reaction to the particular feed. I have many not so good experiences with the feed stores and running out of feed and not being able to receive my order in time. So, I don't believe there is ONE feed that will be THE BEST feed for your rabbit. It all boils down to convenience, cost and what's best for the rabbit. Just find a local feed store, Tractor Supply or any COOP store should always be near by -- read the labels carefully or ask for documentation on the feeds and compare them yourself. I used to feed Blue Seal Show Hutch Deluxe feeds but because of the inconvenience and problems I have with my local feed store I switched to Manna Pro. There was an occasion where the only thing I could get was Blue Seal Hutch 17 and my rabbits didn't do well with that at all, almost all of them had loose stools. This was not just because I didn't gradually wean them onto another feed because once the initial shock to their system was over, they never bounced back after a couple of bags. The dates on the bags are to be of concern too. Make sure the feed is not too old -- more than a month. Some breeders even want feed only a couple weeks or less! With Manna Pro from Tractor Supply, my rabbits were in molt for 4 months. I was so disappointed but I went back to my local feed store and asked and begged them to make sure they could get Blue Seal Show Hutch Deluxe again and keep it in stock. The feed can have up to a 6 month shelf life according to Blue Seal Feeds. Some breeders/showing barns will not let their feed be that old. I have not had problems with this. Feed comes in in 50lb bags, which I don't recommend for the new pet owner if you only have one rabbit because of the loss of the nutritional value in the feed over time. If you are not showing or breeding a rabbit and having it as a pet, they don't need the high protein of 17%-18%. Local pet stores tend to be very high in their feeds at very low quantities. So for the pet owner that may seem to be the only option. One option you might think about is if another friend has a rabbit, you can split a 25lb bag and split the cost and save money on your feed. Feeds are safely kept in galvanized trash cans that run in several different sizes from 5 gallon to 30 gallon (holding 50lb bags). These cans keep the smell of the feed in so it doesn't attract mice. Hay -- grass hay (coastal, Bermuda, orchard, clover) is best, timothy is good hay and higher in protein but alfalfa is too high in protein unless you are feeding a low protein pellet. Again, it's all in the balance of diet. You can either buy a small bag of hay that will last about 1-2 weeks at a pet store for $7 or a full bale of hay that will last about 4-5+ months (you can store in a big galvanized trash can) for $3. The bale makes more sense to me. Most horse owners will know where to get your bales of hay. For one rabbit that will last a long time and the inconvenience of getting a bale of hay from a rural area won't be that bad. You may even be able to persuade a local horse stable to sell you one of their bales every 4 months. We get hay for our goats once a year and if kept in a dry covered (no access to sunlight) place the nutritional value stays. Be sure to smell and check for moldy dusty hay. And make sure new cut grass is not damp because mold will most likely show up later unless you thoroughly dry it (air dry on a hot day out of the sun, no need to open the bale either) out before storing it. Only get the sweet smelling hay free from dust and moldy smell. You can just pull a handful of hay away from the bale and you will either see dust or mold puff into the air or you will see grass stems or flower heads pop up in the air. The first cut from a farmer has more stems than a second or a third cut. That may not matter with rabbits. With goats it does, yet you may get a picky rabbit that doesn't like the hard stems over the softer grassy type hay. Some of my rabbits leave the grassy type and eat only the hard stems. Just keep that in mind. Picking Up Your New Rabbit and Taking It Home When you pick up your new rabbit, you will need to bring a carrier for your rabbit to safely travel in the vehicle with you. You will want to put the carrier on the floor board of your car for a more secure ride for the rabbit. For the larger carriers that won't fit on a floor board you may want to bungie cord it to the seat or seat belt of your vehicle so the carrier will not move as you drive home. By carrier I don't mean a clothe dog or a cat carrier, although that is OK if you are traveling a short distance and it can be washed. If you don't have a carrier, I really wouldn't recommend you holding the animal in your lap as you may have a mess in your lap upon arrival of their new home or you would be using it as an airbag in case of an accident. A carrier could be a small plastic dog or cat carrier that could be lined with something. These carriers can be found at Wal-Mart for a reasonable price and are recommended if you do not plan to travel much with your rabbit. An ideal carrier is a carrier with a mesh bottom to allow droppings and urine to go through, so the rabbit isn't touching their feces. You can order those on-line and I would recommend these if you plan to travel often with your pet rabbit or show rabbit. Single Carriers http://www.pointerhill.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=VJ2401&Category_Code=RABBITCARRIERS Double Carriers http://www.pointerhill.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=VJ2404&Category_Code=RABBITCARRIERS Quad Carriers http://www.pointerhill.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=VJ2407&Category_Code=RABBITCARRIERS Liners for Carriers -- Dog/cat papers or hospital bed liners (vinyl liners with a cotton pad). Newspapers tend to get messy and turns everything black from the urine bleeding the ink off the paper, but unprinted newspaper works well. All other above items can be found at PetSmart or Wal-Mart. The problem is that if you have liners for carriers that don't have a mesh floor, the rabbit will chew on any liner you put in there. Even with the mesh floor if there is a corner they can pull through the mesh, newspaper, cotton pads, they will chew it as a stress reliever or play toy. If you use shavings make sure they are not cedar or pine shavings. Hardwood shavings are recommended because they are not soft woods like pine and cedar and don't have toxic sap residue. Keep Rabbits Inside or Outside Have you decided whether you will have the rabbit inside or outside? What type cage will you put them in? Do you have other pets? If they are outside, is there an area that would be best away from neighborhood dogs, drafts, direct sunlight or nasty weather? I hear more about rabbitries and goat farms folding or going out of business because of the damage that the neighborhood dogs have done. Their may be leash laws but not everyone abides by them and the result is major fatalities. For pet owners, that's a gruesome thought let alone sight!! The same with having a rabbit inside, you HAVE TO monitor your dog at all times. In the wild a rabbit is the dog families food and even the gentlest of dogs have been known to take on an afternoon snack. Rabbits Adjusting to their New Home Rabbits adjust differently to new environments just as people do. To some it is very hard to adjust and to others it is nothing. Sometimes a rabbit may go off their food for a few days but as long as they are eating hay and drinking water still, that is a good sign. If they are not, you probably got a sick rabbit. Most breeders will give a new pet owner some pellets and hay to help with the transition of the new home. A new pet owner may not be able to get the feed that the breeder is feeding due to the location and availability of the type of feed. While you are 'switching' their feed it is wise to do it gradually with the feed the breeder provides. The gut of a nervous rabbit from being in a new environment needs all the tender care possible. Some rabbits carry higher stress levels which affect the production of flora in their gut. While some rabbits can eat new feed right off without weaning them off their old feed and seem to do fine, others are effected by the change. Hay is a big help in keeping the gut moving and cleaning it out. Fresh water is a must, rabbits don't need any new unwanted bacteria added to their gut already. Some rabbits may even be effected by the 'new' water and may not like the taste of chlorine, you can add a little vanilla extract at first and then wean them off. Litter Box Training Most Pet owners keep a rabbit inside the home and litter box train them. Rabbits tend to go in one corner or area of their cage where you can put the litter box and they will eventually get the message. Some pet owners have actually taken the feces and urine from their cage and put it in the litter box to give the rabbit a hint. Make sure it is their own as the smells of another rabbit will deter them from going where you want them to. Some rabbits catch on faster than others but generally they will most likely catch on. Praise them with a treat or petting when they do go in there box to reinforce the proper activity. Be mindful that rabbits will still have accidents. Careful not to use cat litter as the rabbits will nibble on it. Use organic matter as much as possible such as shredded paper (recycled printer paper), citrus rinds, hard wood shavings (cedar or pine shavings pose health risks to your rabbit). Keep the rabbit caged until it gets the litter box method down and then introduce it to a bigger room just like you were to potty train a dog. If the rabbit tends to 'go' in a corner of a room, put down another litter box or put food and water there so it will not be encouraged to go. Keep a schedule and less change in the environment as not to confuse the rabbit as to where their territory is. Spaying or neutering the rabbit helps with some of the 'territorial behaviors' such as urinating everywhere to claim their own territory. But I also have known pet owners who have spayed or neutered their rabbit and have not had results. Some rabbits are just more territorial than others as some dogs are. That could be the breed and then it could also be the individual personality of each rabbit. Clean the litter box with warm soapy water or warm water with very dilute white vinegar. A brush or a dish scraper will get out the calcium deposits/crystals in their urine. Don't use bleach or other tough cleansing sprays as it will harm the rabbit. That Urine Smell There are feeds out there that help with the Urine Smell that can be purchased at Tractor Supply (you will have to read the bags because most employees will not know what you are talking about). Tractor Supply feeds are manufactured by Purina and are good quality at a reasonable price. I DO NOT recommend PetSmart or local pet shops for feed because they charge an arm and a leg. But then again, if you only have one pet you don't need a 50lb bag of feed. If you keep a bag of feed too long it loses their nutritional value and the feed is no good. Tractor Supply will sell them in 25lb bags I think, so you may want to ask. Some folks line their cages with shavings to absorb some of the odor, make sure the rabbits don't have access to eat the shavings. I have also heard that putting vanilla extract in their water supply helps with the smell of urine. I have tried that and I don't see a difference. The best thing that I have used so far is 3 table spoons of baking soda in the drop trey or litter box to help with the odor. I clean my cages once a week and it makes a big difference when I use baking soda. The other alternative of course is to clean your cages three or four times a week. That will definitely keep the odors to a minimal. I would stay away from sprays or anything that is chemical for the safety of the rabbit and their gut. Like I said above, don't use bleach or other tough cleansing sprays to clean the dropping pans or litter boxes as it will harm the rabbit. Vanodine is a great disinfectant that works like bleach but doesn't harm the rabbit (you can only purchase this on-line or local rabbit shows with big name vendors). Vanodine may neutralize the smell some but not as much as baking soda. Key Essentials For a Pet Rabbit
Play Toys There are many types but only few safe play toys for rabbits since rabbits can chew their way through a plastic feeder. The best things I have found to keep your pet rabbit from being bored or stressed are the wooden chew sticks that you can get at Wal-Mart. There are also the cat balls with bells in them my rabbits love to roll around in their cages. I have yet to see them chew through the hard plastic ball to get the bell out. Everything else is either rejected or chewed through. Signs of Sickness Diarrhea is a huge sign of sickness and must be 'nipped in the bud' before it gets worse. A change in feed could cause this as well as too much protein or an off balanced gut causing enteritis and there are several other causes. Do not let two days go by because you may have a dead rabbit on the third day. My rabbit friend Salena has great suggestions based on her experience with this symptom. http://www.towerwebsites.com/websites/index.php?username=haashappeninhoppers&page=13 Snotty nose is another sign of sickness. It could only be a sneeze from too much dust from their food to a very contagious snuffles that the animal has to be quarantined and can die from. Eating has subsided is a sign of sickness, only if it continues into the 4th or 5th day. The rabbit may still be eating hay and drinking water. In that case they are going through a hormonal change, new environment adjustment or weather adjustment. If the rabbit stops eating hay and stops drinking you are in real trouble. It could be a fur ball too and they are having a hard time getting rid of the fur ball in one way/end or another. Also check their teeth, that they may not be broken or twisted and having a hard time to chew. Fecal droppings have subsided is a sign of sickness. Rabbits having to try to pass a fur ball has a hard time with this and you will have to aid them with natural enzymes such as papaya to help 'pass' it along. A good friend had a great concoction to help aid the rabbit in this scenario (click on the above link under diarrhea). Fecal droppings have turned to what looks like wet clusters of grapes is NOT a sign of sickness. But it does smell awful. This is called a Cecotrope a natural way a rabbit discharges high undigested nutrients essential for the rabbit's health. Most rabbits tend to 'drop' these in certain times of the day. Sometimes they are called night droppings. Why are they essential to the rabbits health? You may see the rabbits eating this and you are not to be alarmed. This highly nutritional snack is natures way of putting the right type of bacteria the rabbit need in their gut. Normal rabbit droppings look like dry round pellets (cocoa puffs). Coughing or Sneezing constantly is not a good sign. An occasional cough or sneeze is probably due to too much dust in their feed or hay or a hair ball. If they sneeze with much mucus coming out, you should be alarmed. If their fur on their front feet are matted it is probably due to them cleaning themselves and you should monitor this closely and see how much mucus there is for it could be snuffles. Bare spot on their fur is a sign of another rabbit biting, the rabbit rubbing or mites. Matted fur around the front feet is a sign of the rabbit cleaning themselves of mucus around the nose. There are more but those are the general signs to look for. Other Pets Rabbits have been known to get along with other pets such as cats and dogs but as I said earlier in the housing inside or outside section, cats and dogs are a natural threat to rabbits. Cats and dogs are natural predators and rabbits are natural prey animals so, naturally there could be a disaster at the expense of the rabbit. A new pet owner HAS to take the time to introduce new animals with other older animals for respect of the older animal -- this is his or her territory and they will do what they need to to defend it. I would never leave a rabbit outside the cage unmonitored even with out another pet due to electrical wires they can chew on but also, you never know when the territorial instincts might kick in for the other animal. Even a smaller docile cat or dog breed can be harmful to the rabbit so remain alert at all times and maybe after a year of consistent behavior you can leave them alone but I certainly wouldn't recommend it. I hope this answers lots of questions for the new pet owner. If you have any other questions feel free to contact me. If I don't have the answers myself, I will help you find them or point you in the right direction.
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Web Page Last Updated: 10/26/2008 |
