Rabbit care Information
At a glance you will need the following for your rabbit:
a cage with 1sq ft of space per pound of rabbit, all wire is best
Water bottle- 32 oz is best
Food dish
Pellet food
a place for you rabbit cage to be located, out of direct sunlight, protected from snow& rain
a wooden block or other suitable item for your rabbit to chew
Raising rabbits can be an enjoyable venture. They are easy to maintain and cost less than some of the more traditional pets or livestock.
People choose to raise rabbits for either pets or livestock. The pet market for rabbits has grown within the last several years. You can now find rabbit supplies at almost any store that carries pet supplies. Rabbits make a good alternative pet for those people who have limited space or are away from home during the day. They do not require a great deal of effort to keep clean and are generally very healthy animals.
A pet rabbit will require a cage for housing. These can be purchased at many pet stores or can even be made easily yourself. If the cage is to be indoors you will need to be sure there is a tray in the bottom to catch droppings and urine. Some people put a rabbit litter box in the corner of the cage for this reason. He will also need fresh, clean water everyday as well as dry pellet food daily. For watering I recommend the bottle type such as you use for hamsters, only you need a larger one, at least 32 oz for one medium size rabbit. These bottles are easy to clean and prevent any spills from a watering dish. With the watering dish your rabbit can turn it over, which would leave him without water until you get home and leave moisture in the cage which can lead to smells as well as illness, or, he could soil it with droppings, urine or food, making it unhealthy to drink. He will need good healthy pellet food, which can be purchased at the local pet store or discount store. DO NOT FEED A RABBIT UNDER 6mths OF AGE VEGETABLES. Contrary to popular belief, this can cause major stomach upset that can lead to death. An adult over 6mths can be given fresh vegetables in small portions as a treat but do not feed iceberg lettuce or cabbage these are very bad for their intestinal tract. The pellet food actually contains all the nutrition that your rabbit will need so anything extra is just that, extra.
If you choose to place your rabbit's cage outside I recommend an all wire cage. These cages have very good ventilation and are easy to keep clean. The droppings will simply fall to the ground and actually be good for the soil. If you can, it is ideal if the cage can be suspended in some way rather than sitting on a stand. With a stand the materials used to support the cage soak up urine and get covered with the droppings. This is very difficult to clean and makes for an unhealthy environment. Rabbits kept outside need to be located in a shaded area out of direct sunlight. They also need protection from the wind, rain and snow. Protection from the cold is not really necessary because their coat is very well insulated and supplies all the needed protection. It is very important that your rabbit not get overheated, with their well insulated coat they do not expel heat very well and can overheat in temperatures that you may consider extremely comfortable. This is why they need to be in a well-shaded area out of direct sunlight.
Rabbits can make great pets and with good care can live as long as 15yrs. There are vet practices that treat rabbit illness and can even neuter your rabbit. There are no required vaccines for rabbits at this time and most vets in my area do not even have vaccines they recommend for them. This is because they are generally very healthy animals and do not contract the same illnesses as some other pets. You may have to look for a vet that treats exotic pets in order to find one for your rabbit.
Rabbits do not require baths but do need regular brushing and occasional nail trimming. These are easy to do. You can purchase brushes and trimmers made just for rabbits from the pet store or you can use the same ones that are made for cats. The cat nail trimmers and brushes can be found anywhere you find other pet supplies. The brushing helps maintain a healthy coat for your rabbit as well as help speed up the process of shedding the winter coat. Under normal conditions your rabbit should not need his teeth trimmed. This is needed only when they do not have sufficient chewable items in their living area. A rabbit's teeth continue to grow through out it's life so he must have something to chew to allow for proper wear of the teeth. Something as simple as a small block of wood works well. If his teeth become too long it will interfere with his ability to eat and to groom himself, both of which are not healthy.