Rabbit Care

Rabbits are personable, active, and social pets. They come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and coat types. Rabbits have a reputation for being shy and skittish, but once you’ve shared your home with a bunny, you quickly learn that they have a lot of wonderful companionship to offer!

Natural History

Domestic rabbits are descended from European wild rabbits. Unlike our American cottontails, European wild rabbits live in social groups and dig networks of underground burrows called warrens. They are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk and rest most of the day and night. Domesticated rabbits exhibit these same behaviors, even indoors. Domestic rabbits have a lifespan of 8 to 15 years of age and depending on their breed, they can range from 2 pounds to nearly 20 pounds.

Housing

Over the past few decades, pet rabbits have shifted from being primarily kept in outdoor hutches to being housed indoors. Indoor rabbits are safer from predators, parasites, and weather than outdoor bunnies. As we have invited rabbits inside, we have quickly come to appreciate how much rabbits enjoy being social, interactive parts of our families. Indoor rabbits should have a cage or confined space where they can be safely housed at night and when not supervised, and they should also have larger rabbit-proofed spaces for free ranging time. Rabbits are active animals that love to run and leap, and the more space they have for exercise, the better. Exercise pens such as those sold for puppies and dogs make excellent rabbit homes!

A rabbit cage should be large enough to contain a litterbox, food and water dishes, a hiding box, and hay. Many rabbit cages sold in pet stores are too small to comfortably house a rabbit; consider alternatives such as exercise pens (wire-paneled playpens usually sold for puppies and dogs). Rabbits are comfortable at typical room temperatures (60 to 75 degrees), but can become very stressed at temperatures of 80 degrees or warmer. Provide cooling objects like a frozen water bottle for your rabbit to lay near if their environment will be excessively warm.

Litterboxes

Rabbits naturally tend to be quite tidy and can be trained to use a litterbox. Boxes should be large enough for your rabbit to sit and lay in the box, and should have a low entrance with high sides. Good options for litter include paper pellets (i.e. Yesterday’s News), Carefresh bedding, or wood burning stove pellets. Avoid wood shavings like pine or cedar, and never use clay cat litter, clumping cat litter, or anything scented. Many rabbits will choose a corner of their cage or room to use as their potty spot. The simplest method of litterbox training is to wait for your bunny to choose this place and put a litterbox there. Many rabbits like to graze in the same place they defecate, so putting a hay manger or hay box adjacent to the litterbox can improve litterbox compliance. If your rabbit has a lot of room to explore, the more litterboxes that are available to him the more likely he will be to utilize his box rather than the floor. Lastly, spaying or neutering your rabbit can greatly improve litterbox usage.

Rabbit-proofing

Rabbits like to tap into their ancestral instincts, even when hopping around a bungalo or exploring an apartment. Digging at carpet, chewing on wooden baseboards and furniture, and gnawing through electrical cords are all common rabbit vices, especially for younger rabbits. Prevent access to certain areas of your home with baby gates. Keep baseboards blocked off or covered. Wrap electrical cords or lift them out of the range of your rabbit. Carpeted areas can be protected with plastic flooring designed to go underneath office chairs. Keep houseplants and cut flowers well out of reach of rabbits. If you have other pets who are not rabbit-friendly, be sure your rabbit is housed in a way that your other pets cannot reach them.

Handling

Rabbits in the wild almost never leave the ground- if they are being picked up, it is usually by a predator. This means that rabbits instinctually fear being lifted off the ground. With calm, gentle training, you can teach most rabbits to tolerate being picked up and held, but many rabbits never truly enjoy being snuggled unless it is on their own terms. If you do need to pick up your rabbit, be sure to support its sides and underneath its body so that it feels secure. NEVER lift a rabbit by its ears. Your veterinarian can demonstrate safe ways to hold and carry your rabbit if you have any questions.

Diet

The dietary needs of a rabbit vary throughout their different life stages:

Babies (7 to 12 weeks of age)

Unlimited alfalfa hay and alfalfa-based pellets, no fruits, and no vegetables

Juveniles (12 weeks to 6 months of age)

Unlimited alfalfa hay and alfalfa-based pellets, small amounts of dark leafy greens, and no fruit

Adolescents (6 months to 1 year of age)

Unlimited hay (75% alfalfa and 25% grass hay such as timothy hay); gradually transition to timothy-based pellets and decrease to ½ cup of pellets per 6 pounds of body weight; offer vegetables daily; no more than 2 ounces of fruit per 6 pounds of body weight per day

Adults (1 year of age and up)

Unlimited grass hay, ¼ to ½ cup of timothy hay-based pellets per 6 pounds of body weight per day; 1 to 2 cups of vegetables per 6 pounds of body weight per day; no more than 2 tablespoons of fruit per 6 pounds of body weight per day

Regardless of age, rabbits are reliant on the long-stem fiber from hay to maintain a healthy GI tract. Hay is also important for maintaining healthy teeth. A rabbit should eat a pile of hay nearly as big as their body each day!

Vegetables

The following vegetables are all safe, healthy options to offer your rabbit. Be sure that any greens collected from the wild are free from pesticides and herbicides. Introduce only one new vegetable at a time to be sure your rabbit tolerates it well. If any diarrhea develops, do not offer that vegetable again.

Alfalfa, radish & clover sprouts  Celery  Mint  Raspberry leaves Basil  Cilantro  Parsley  Spinach

Beet greens (tops)  Clover  Pea pods (flat edible kind)  Watercress Bok choy  Dandelion greens & flowers  Peppermint leaves  Wheat grass

Brussels sprouts  Escarole  Radicchio Carrot tops  Green peppers  Radish tops

 

Water

Rabbits should have free access to water at all times. Water bottles are convenient for keeping water clean and free of bedding and other debris, but rabbits drink significantly more water when it is offered from a bowl. Provide both a water bottle and a water bowl if possible.

Social time

Rabbits enjoy socializing, whether with their people or with other rabbits. If at all possible, rabbits should live with a bonded companion bunny. Bonded rabbits spend hours snuggling, grooming, and playing with each other, and it is hard to replace that amount of social time with human interaction. House rabbits should get at least an hour or two of time outside their cage or playpen to run every day.

Veterinary care

Rabbits are prey animals, which means they are especially adept at hiding any signs of illness or injury. Handy as this skill is in the wild, for our pet bunnies it means that diseases can go undetected until it is too late for us to help. Regular veterinary exams allow early detection of illness and also provide a chance to discuss your pet’s husbandry, diet, behavior, and changes that might occur as she ages. As of October 2021, we now routinely recommend vaccinating rabbits against Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV2).

Common diseases of rabbits 

Gastrointestinal Stasis (or GI stasis)

GI stasis is not a disese in itself, but a symptom of underlying problems such as dental disease, toxin ingestion, pain, stress, or infection. GI stasis is a syndrome in which a rabbit stops eating and stops producing stool. The rabbit GI tract is reliant on a constant influx of fiber (hay) in order to function normally and for the bacteria within the intestinal tract to thrive. As soon as a rabbit stops eating for any reason, the bacterial population becomes unhealthy and the rabbit starts to feel ill, stops passing stool, and can quickly become very lethargic and painful. Even a single skipped meal can be an emergency for a rabbit. Treatment of GI stasis involves pain control, hydration and nutritional support, and hopefully correction of the underlying cause of the episode of stasis.

Mange

Mange is a skin condition caused by tiny creatures called mites. The most common type of mange in rabbits is a condition called “walking dandruff” due to the large, white flakes of skin that are produced due to the infestation. Walking dandruff is caused by a mite called Chyletiella. Rabbits with walking dandruff are often quite itchy and their hair falls out in large clumps, usually beginning around their shoulders. This mite is uncomfortable for the rabbit and also can spread to other animals and humans. Treatment involves the use of a topical anti-parasitic medication.

Reproductive tract diseases

Female rabbits are quite prone to cancers of their reproductive tracts, with studies indicating that 80% of female rabbits have uterine disease by 6 years of age. We strongly recommend spaying female rabbits between 4 and 6 months of age to prevent them from developing reproductive tract diseases later in life.

Dental disease

Rabbits have teeth that grow constantly throughout their entire lives. Normally, their teeth are worn down by the abrasive fibers within their diet as well as by rubbing against each other. Rabbits may develop dental disease due to improper diet, abnormal positioning of the teeth (especially in short-faced breeds like Netherland dwarfs), or trauma to the teeth. If teeth do not wear properly, they can become elongated, leading to nasal discharge, eye discharge, pain when eating, or excessive drooling. Treatment of dental disease may involve correcting the diet, medication to address secondary infections, and/or grinding down of excessively long teeth.

 

Resources for Further Learning

Minnesota Pocket Pet Rescue Rabbit Care Guide: https://www.mnpocketpetrescue.org/rabbits

House Rabbit Society: https://rabbit.org/

Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society: http://www.mncompanionrabbit.org/

Why Does My Rabbit…? by Anne McBride

References

Quesenberry KE, Carpenter JW (eds). Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 3rd ed. St. Louis, MO: Saunders; 2011.

Pollock, C. Lafeber Vet. Basic Rabbit Care. https://lafeber.com/vet/wp-content/uploads/Basic-Rabbit-Care-2017.pdf. Revised 26 May 2016. Accessed 04 May 2020. As you can see, we now have many tools available to help manage chronic pain in pets.  For some patients, one or two of these therapies are sufficient.  For others, we’re using nearly all of these modalities.  If your pet is experiencing chronic pain, contact us today at (651) 645-2808 or group@stfrancisabh.com.  We’ll work with you to develop a plan that is best for both you and your loved one.

 

 

 

Content prepared by St. Francis Animal Hospital, 1227 Larpenteur Ave. West, Roseville MN. 55113