Rabbit Care
Housing
Pet store cages are never appropriate for rabbits. They simply do not provide enough space or the quality life a rabbit deserves. There are many different ways to setup a great place for your rabbits. There are some rules to any setup that must be followed for your rabbit’s well-being both physically and mentally.
X-pens: Also called exercise pens or puppy pens, these are extremely versatile and easy to set up. They can be expanded by adding sections and arranged in a variety of shapes. It’s useful in the long run as you can use it for outdoor exercise, travelling, confinement, bonding, and more. Protect your floor with a patch of seamless linoleum, chair mat or other alternative that can’t be chewed, is easy to clean, and is not too slippery.
Wire Shelving Cube Cages: This is probably the most creative and fun habitat you can have for your rabbit. It can be any size or shape you want. This wire shelving is often called “Neat Idea Cubes” or “Creative Cubes” and can be found in almost every home-improvement store. You may need quite a few but they are inexpensive.
You can build the habitats tall with shelves or long or both. You can redo the setup in many customizable ways if you move or want to try something different. Connect the cubes with plastic cable ties (be sure to cut the long ends off or your rabbit will chew them). Office supply binder clips make excellent locks for the door openings you have.
Double Duty Rooms: Sharing a room with a bunny is called partial free-range as they have free range of their one area that you share. Some good places for sharing could be a breakfast nook, any room off of a room, bedroom or living room. The benefits to sharing can be enormous with your bunny able to get as much interaction as they want. It is essential for you to be very thorough when you bunny-proof the area.
Dedicated Room: If you have a spare room in your house, it could make a wonderful bunny space. This keeps rabbit stuff all in one area and protects the rest of your house. It also gives you free rein to be adventurous with the setup. You can build all sorts of exciting climbing and gymnasium equipment and your rabbit can have its toys lying out everywhere and pick its favourite spots to sleep.
This definitely is only suggested when you have at least a pair of bonded rabbits as human interaction is not built in to the room. Try to do some of your activities in that room so they don’t get lonely (for example, you could read in there, knit, talk on the phone, take a nap, or just go in there to destress from the hubbub of the rest of the world). In order to minimize isolation, keep the door open but put a baby gate up so they aren’t completely alone.
Entire House: This option obviously will require extensive bunny-proofing but would make your bunny so very happy. If they wanted, they could follow you everywhere. If they hear the fridge door open they may hop frantically over to get some lettuce. They may watch TV with you or sleep on your bed. It takes a lot of love to allow your bunny to roam your whole house but the interaction you get to enjoy from that is extremely rewarding.
Litter
Rabbits can be easily litter trained. Never use clumping or clay based litters in a rabbit’s litter box. These are very dangerous and if consumed they can cause major medical issues.
We recommend woodstove pellets. They are an economical and safe litter for rabbits. You may also use recycled newspaper bedding like Carefresh or Yesterday’s News. Pine or cedar shavings are not safe for rabbits as they release chemicals that can cause respiratory issues.
Maintenance
Litter boxes should be cleaned at minimum once a week. If you notice the litter box itself has any odor, vinegar can be used to sanitize it.
Clean food/water dishes with soap and water or with vinegar once a week.
Should your rabbit have an accident outside their litter box, use vinegar to clean it up. It is common to see a few poops outside the litter box and this is usually the result of the rabbit hopping in and out of the box.
Nutrition
Unlimited timothy hay – this is crucial for rabbit health. We recommend keeping a large amount of hay in the litter box (rabbits like to munch and poop). Be sure to top this up daily. Hay in the box will get dirty, so fresh hay daily is very important.
1.5 to 2 cups of ‘greens’ per rabbit per day. Safe greens include:
- Romaine lettuce, green or red leaf lettuce – should be the main staple
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Dill
- Dandelion
¼ cup of pellets per rabbit per day, max. Be sure to feed a good quality "pellets-only" brand. We recommend Martin Mills Adult Timothy or Oxbow Bunny Basic T pellets.
Treats such as banana, strawberries, raisins and Martin Mills rabbit treats can be given in very small quantities (i.e. one banana slice) a few times a week at most.
Fresh water – always provide fresh water every day (i.e. dump and refill the bowl) and please ensure the water bowl is always full. We recommend only bowls, not water bottles, as it is easier and a more natural way for a rabbit to drink.
Rabbit Proofing
Your rabbit must be let out of its pen each day for exercise. This is important for physical and mental health. Three to four hours outside the cage is ideal. To ensure your home is safe for your rabbit, please check the following:
- Electrical cords are not accessible or are covered by wire protector like PVC or other plastic tubing
- House plants: it’s best to avoid all plants, if possible. Many are poisonous. If you have plants please keep them up high and watch for falling leaves and other debris on the floor.
- Supervision: it’s important to keep an eye out for things like chewing and digging. Some rabbits really like to do this, while others do not. It’s best to keep an eye out to avoid damage to your flooring and furniture.
Health Monitoring
As prey animals, rabbits often hide signs of illness. As such, it’s important that you keep an eye out of anything out of the ordinary.
Not eating, not drinking and not pooping are major signs of illness and must be address immediately. Rabbits have a very, very delicate digestive system and any imbalance can result in major illness and often death.
If you suspect anything at all is wrong with your rabbit please contact a rabbit savvy veterinary immediately! It is imperative that you do not wait, as rabbits can be become seriously ill very quickly.
Veterinary Care
All rabbits should see a veterinarian at least once a year for a health check with a rabbit-savvy vet (not all vets are trained in rabbit medical care and they have unique needs). We always recommend that you speak with our own vet to deterimine what's best for your rabbit. Of course, if your rabbit appears ill or if you notice unexplainable behavioural changes, a visit to the vet is in order.
