Keeping Rabbits Healthy
Getting a new rabbit and/or keeping him or her healthy might feel a bit tricky until you understand them more. However, you will catch on and they should quickly become loving members of the family.
Both for our family's health as well as our rabbits, we believe that preventing disease is always better than having to treat it. Keeping our bunnies and rabbits immune system strong as well as keeping their environment clean are the most important things we can do in keeping our fluffy friends happy and healthy. We want our bunny to live in an environment that we, ourselves would enjoy if we were a bunny. We want our bunnies to be happy and live long, healthy lives.
Here are some tips on keeping your rabbit healthy:
Just as with our health, the rabbits diet is very important. The things our rabbit eats, will be a big determining factor of his or her health. Eating grass is important for a rabbit, due to their continuously growing teeth, it wears them down and also helps to keep their digestive system healthy. Approximately 80%-90% of the rabbits diet should be hay or fresh grass. If your bunny is not breeding Timothy Hay is best. If you have a breeding doe, a mix between alfalfa and timothy hay is best. The alfalfa will help your does milk supply and help her have a healthy pregnancy. They also very much enjoy clovers and dandelions (with no pesticides). We also give our rabbits sticks, pine cones, and logs to chew on, they also love when we make them tunnels and houses out of cardboard boxes for them to hop through and chew on. See our Toys for Mini Lops blog. This keeps them happy and helps their teeth :) The hay/grass should be cleaned out from the bottom of the cage daily, to be sure that it is not dirty. Remember, keeping everything clean is the key to preventing illness.
See our blog on diatomaceous earth and herbs for bunnies. Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth is recommended once or twice a month in food and brushed into food to prevent any parasites as well as fleas/mites, which can shorten your bunny's lifespan. This is an easy and natural way to help your bunny.
Pellets that are 16% protein is best, if they are showing, you can go up to 18%. About 4.5-6 ounces of feed per day. However, young rabbits (6 months and younger should eat all the pellets they wish to eat). We use Manna Pro. They may be fed occasional fruits and veggies. We mix rolled oatmeal, raisins, barley, and black oil sunflower seeds into our pellets. You will want to read our list of foods that are safe and unsafe for bunnies. Too many sugary treats will be harmful to rabbits teeth and to their digestive system. When the bunnies digestive system or intestinal flora is off track, they will have diarrhea. Bunnies like consistency, like children, this makes them feel more stable and secure. So, feeding them at the same time each day, keeps them happier. You will also want to make sure that their water does not ever go empty. They need clean water continually throughout the day. You will also want to be sure that their water container is cleaned regularly and if it has a drip that it does not become clogged.
Rabbits that are over or under weight may suffer health problems. You know they are underweight if you can feel their spine and ribs easily. They should feel rounded and not sharp.
Exercise is very important for bunnies. They enjoy running, jumping, playing, and binkying around. They are very curious little ones. Having regular exercise will help them maintain healthy weight and good bone structure. Four hours a day is ideal for a bunny. Rabbits enjoy platforms, tunnels, holes to hide in, grassy areas, areas to burrow in the garden areas.
You will want to clip your rabbit's nails every six to eight weeks and brush them daily, especially when they are molting. You can purchase regular cat nail clippers, and trim your bunnies nails yourself. Brushing them will keep hair from getting in their nose and eyes and keep from many problems from forming.
Having a clean environment is crucial for bunnies in keeping them healthy. It is also important that you provide them enough room. A small or cramped area is not a healthy living condition for a rabbit, they love to stretch out their arms and legs as well as to stand on their hind legs and hop around a little in their cage or hutch. They should be able to easily turn around in their area as well. Cages should be 30" square or larger for Mini Lops and French Lops. French Lops enjoy at least 36" square generally. 24" x 36" will also work for a French Lop. A hutch of six feet long by two feet wide and deep is the bare minimum size required to keep two rabbits in to be sure you have enough room.
It is not recommended that the flooring of the cage be wooden, because it is very difficult to clean urine when it has penetrated into the wood; and it will become very smelly. Plastic or a wire mesh is best. You can also use a wire cage, but place a couple of plastic drying dish mats at the bottom of the cage for them to have a comfortable place to sit or stand, but their manure will still go through the crisscross pattern of the mat, so they are not sitting in their droppings. They can also easily be pulled out to be cleaned. Including a box to play in, in the cage, also gives them relief from the wire, and you can easily throw it away if it becomes soiled or chewed up.
Our bunnies love having a garden full of safe, fresh veggies they can eat to play around in. We let our rabbits out daily for exercise, to munch, and explore. Just be sure they are protected from predators and your fence is in good condition so they do not escape. Bunnies do enjoy digging.
Rabbits enjoy company, they do not thrive living alone. They enjoy other rabbits as well as people. If you are not able to spend time with them daily, we recommend a rabbit friend with them.
In order to have two rabbits in a cage that are not mating and consistently get along, it is best to spay or neuter them. Rabbits reach sexual maturity at around 4 months of age. Spaying and neutering will help. them with their health, as well as calming them; which will make them better pets. It reduces aggression, nesting, spraying, and mounting behavior when spaying and neutering. Females have a 95% chance of getting cancer if they are not spayed. If you spay them, that number goes down to almost nothing. The Lord made rabbits to mate and multiply, due to them being so low on the food chain. Because of this, if they are not mating, it is actually not healthy for them, unless they are spayed, so we recommend finding a veterinarian that specializes in exotic animals to spay or neuter your rabbit.
Rabbits like cool rooms and plenty of sunlight. They can get over-heated easily. They need to be in a room with good air flow and ventilation.
Rabbits are prey animals and tend to get frightened easily. Fear, helps them to survive in the wild. They will try and avoid any perceived threat. If rabbits are placed in situations where they are constantly fearful, the rabbit will become stressed, and this can affect his her her health, and even kill the rabbit. This is why you may have heard that bathing a rabbit can kill it. The trust the rabbit has for you is the determining factor. The more the rabbit is with you and socializing, the better pet, more calm, and loving he or she will be. Be sure not to introduce the rabbit to too much too quickly if you have just gotten a rabbit, it needs time to adjust slowly to new things.
A rabbit should not be left alone with a dog or cat, even if that animal is familiar with them. A barking dog can be very scary for a rabbit too. We have heard many stories of a rabbit dying in a cage, just because a dog scared a rabbit with his/her barking.
A relaxed and comfortable rabbit lays outstretched, is content, and interacts with you easily. When a rabbit is fearful, he will seek to hide in a quiet location. He or she will do this in a new environment, when startled from loud noises, when in pain, bored, doesn't have enough space or adequate food and water, misses companionship, or doesn't have sufficient ventilation or temperature in his or her environment. Basically, when the rabbit is fearful and unhappy. Getting to know your rabbit and applying these basic principles should help a lot.
If the rabbit is nervous, jumpy, aggressive, lethargic, tries to escape, is breathing heavy, has changes in eating or drinking, bites or shows any other behavior, these are warning signs that the rabbit is not happy as well. If you provide the bunny with secure hiding places, give him or her boxes, tunnels, newspapers, or other toys to play with, his or her own space....all of these things help your bunny to feel more comfortable, relaxed, and happy.
Rabbits that are picked up often from a young age, enjoy it as an older rabbit. Rabbits that are not regularly picked up do not enjoy it as they get older. The bunny needs time to establish a trust and bond with you, don't pressure him too quickly. First give the bunny time to adjust to the environment, then to you, then to any additional animals, people, or environmental factors.
We are often asked the proper way of picking up a rabbit. There are a couple of ways to pick up a rabbit. One way is to place your palm under the rabbit's chest and gently lifting its front legs off the ground, then softly setting him/her back down back feet first. If you are placing a bunny in a cage, it helps them and helps you to not get scratched placing them in back feet first.
You can also scoop the bunny up by curving his/her feet around, so he/she feels well-supported by the feet and then pull the bunny in towards your chest so he/she feels safe.
You can practice lifting your bunny and setting him or her back down and reward your bunny with a treat afterwards. Doing these things should help your bunny get used to the feeling of being picked up. Another way is to gently use the loose skin behind the rabbit’s neck to hold onto its scruff. You do not want to pick the rabbit up by the scruff alone, use your other hand arm to tuck the hind legs under the bunny and scrunch the bunny in a gentle “bunny ball.” When you grab the scruff of the neck, be sure it is a big handful, so hair is not pulled out and you are not pulling from just one area of the skin, but it is spread out further, so it does not harm the bunny. By using your other hand to support the rabbit and not holding it by the scruff on its own it will help prevent the rabbit from kicking out and potentially injuring itself, as well as scratching you. If you use the bunny's name often when picking him/her up or giving treats, they will learn their name faster and eventually come to you when you call him/her.
A rabbits spine is very fragile, and you will need to be very careful picking up and setting down a rabbit to be sure he or she does not fall to the ground, this can break the spine. Talking to your bunny, and being sure they are comfortable with you helps them feel secure during these exchanges as well.
When you come up to a rabbit to grab him or her, be sure to come towards them from the side and not straight in front of them. Since their eyes are on the side, this will scare them and you want them to trust you. Always be calm, gentle, and have slow movements with your bunny so he or she is not stressed, and does not see you as a threat, but trusts you. Loud noises startle bunnies and make them feel stressed. As you form this relationship with your bunny, you will have a happy, healthy bunny.
You will want to be sure that you have a safe carrying cage with good ventilation when transporting your bunny from one place to another as well. Travel cages are made for bunnies, just as they are for cats and dogs.
Dental Problems: All rabbits are prone to developing dental problems due to their constantly growing teeth. The most important thing you can do to prevent any dental issues is to give your bunny unlimited Timothy Hay. This helps grind or file the teeth down naturally so they do not have this problem.
Uterine Cancer: A common cause of death in female rabbits is uterine cancer. This can be easily prevented by spaying your bunny between 6-8 months of age. An un-spayed female can develop uterine cancer and it spread to different organs before it is diagnosed.
Ears, Eyes, Nails, and Teeth: Nails need trimmed about every 6-8 weeks. This is not a difficult task. Just look for where the quick of the nail is and cut on the other side of it to prevent any bleeding. It helps to place your bunny upside down on your lap and keep your bunny calm by talking to him/her while completing the task.
For any eye and ear infections, we highly recommend these natural drops: https://nixall.com/product/vetresponse-eye-ear-wash/ Apply the drops 2-3 times a day until it clears up.
Rabbits are intelligent, and inquisitive. They can be litter box trained, and become a loving member of the family. They enjoy exploring as well as cuddled and feeling loved. Take time to get to know your bunny and you and your bunny will enjoy long healthy lives together. We have read many studies about animals improving the quality of our lives as well.
Having a bunny is not difficult, but does require time and love on our part. Once you have a bunny for a while, you will get used to your bunny's behavior and all of this will become second nature to you and your new family member!
See our Taking Care of Mini Lops page for more information.
Of course, if you need to, always consult a veterinarian for more information on any of these health-related things. The advice on this page are things that have helped us and others we know, but always do what you feel is best.
