Care Sheet
HOUSING: Rabbits can be indoor or outdoor pets. Indoors rabbits can be potty trained to use their cage, newspaper or a litter box. Indoors you can choose from several different types of cages to house your new rabbit in, there are cages with wire bottoms and cages where the rabbit sits in the litter. I personally prefer rabbits with wire bottom and a pull out tray. You can get cages with metal or plastic trays, either works fine as long as it is deep enough to hold the litter and feces at the same time, watch out for super thin pans. You will want to use some kind of litter in the cages to absorb moisture. Some examples of things to use would be pine shavings, cat litter, and newspaper. I personally buy a product in which is called “Yesterdays Mews” cat litter, it is made of recycled newspaper and it absorbs very well. If you choose to use pine shavings, aspen pine is more absorbent than the regular, and I usually add a handful of cedar shavings for absorption and I like the smell. Some people however have had issues with cedar shavings so beware too much can cause urinary tract infections. Housing rabbits outdoors is perfectly acceptable as well. When housing a rabbit outdoors, protection is an important factor. It is best if 3 sides of the cage are wood as well as a solid protective top and for the bottom to be well off the ground. A “hutch” is a very good way to go. The most important thing is to be sure that the rabbits are protected from both wild animals and weather. It is also important for the rabbit to have a shelter to get in and off the wire, this is added protection for the rabbit, a small nesting box or a shelter built off the cage itself would work fine.
FEEDING: A rabbit’s main food source should always be pellets, in which are fed in proportion to the size of the rabbit. A Netherland Dwarf rabbit should get about ¼ cup of food daily assuming it is within the breed standard and is approximately 2-2 ½ pounds in weight. A Holland Lop should get about ½ cup of food daily also assuming it follows the breed standard and is about 4lbs in weight. Large breed rabbits such as Satin’s, New Zealands, Silver Fox and Californians should get about 1 cup of food per day. Flemish Giants do not have a maximum weight and should have food offered at all times, no less then 2 cups per day. It is important however to feed Jr. Rabbit’s (rabbits whom are 6 months of age and younger) as much food as they will eat. If you do not feed the proper amount of food as a JR. the growth of the animal can be stunted and the animal will live a shorter life then those whom have proper nutrition. Along with Pellets a rabbit should have a source of roughage; a good source is horse grade Timothy hay, orchard grass, bunny brome, or grass hay. Roughage is very important to rabbits because they are unable to get rid of “hairballs” so they need to be digested; roughage helps with that digestion and helps to prevent hairballs from forming in the first place. It is not a good idea to use Alfalfa hay for the simple reason that their pellet feed is made out of alfalfa, too much of a good thing makes it not so good. On the rare occasion that your feed is made out of something besides alfalfa (will say so on the package) then alfalfa should be used as the source of roughage. As a treat rabbits can also have uncooked rolled oats, multi-grain cheerios, bran flakes and things of that sort…moderate it though! Rabbits will game excessive weight with these items. Fresh fruits and vegetables are good for your bunny as well. Carrots, apples, bananas, and Oranges, broccoli, cauliflower are all great examples. Dandelion Leaves, grass clippings, branches from fruit trees and blackberry leaves are good as a treat as well, but be sure they are washed and there are no pesticides on them. DO NOT feed your rabbit’s lettuce or large amounts of cabbage ESPECIALLY to young rabbits because these items will cause diarrhea and can be fatal especially to young rabbits. Avocado and Kiwi fruit have poisons in them that can kill rabbits as well, so steer clear of them.
WATERING: Rabbits should have a clean water supply at all times! A quart sized bottle works well and keeps the water clean if properly maintained. A water bowl works as well, just be sure to clean it out daily in order to be sure it has not been contaminated. If your rabbit is not eating well the cause might be a lack of good clean water, be sure that your watering system works well and your rabbits can get to the water supply at all times. For outdoor rabbits a dish is better used in the winter because a bottle will freeze and no supply is accessible, more water is added on top of ice in a bowl easily enough.
OTHER CARE: Rabbits do not require shots or other routine medical care. You will need to clip the rabbits nails every six to eight weeks. If you need help with clipping nails you can always set up an appointment to bring your bunny back to FCR and we will help you with this. Rabbits should be brushed and/or plucked during molting season to help ward off hairballs; hairballs can be fatal to rabbits! Feeding hay and dehydrated papaya or fresh sliced pineapple are also good during molting season to help with hairballs. Rabbits can suffer heat stroke in the summer, It is important to have good ventilation and a good way to cool down a rabbit in weather above 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Always make sure at least a good portion of the rabbit cage is not in full sun, and offer rabbits bottles with frozen water in them for the rabbits to lean against to get cool. DO NOT handle rabbits on hot days; this will make them very hot very quickly!
If you have any questions at all do not hesitate to call FCR for help or advice. I myself have had rabbits since 1984 and if I do not know the answer I will help you to find it. I am always open to helping and always offer a safe haven for bunnies who need to be rehomed, just give me a call and we will set up a time for you to come over!
FEEDING: A rabbit’s main food source should always be pellets, in which are fed in proportion to the size of the rabbit. A Netherland Dwarf rabbit should get about ¼ cup of food daily assuming it is within the breed standard and is approximately 2-2 ½ pounds in weight. A Holland Lop should get about ½ cup of food daily also assuming it follows the breed standard and is about 4lbs in weight. Large breed rabbits such as Satin’s, New Zealands, Silver Fox and Californians should get about 1 cup of food per day. Flemish Giants do not have a maximum weight and should have food offered at all times, no less then 2 cups per day. It is important however to feed Jr. Rabbit’s (rabbits whom are 6 months of age and younger) as much food as they will eat. If you do not feed the proper amount of food as a JR. the growth of the animal can be stunted and the animal will live a shorter life then those whom have proper nutrition. Along with Pellets a rabbit should have a source of roughage; a good source is horse grade Timothy hay, orchard grass, bunny brome, or grass hay. Roughage is very important to rabbits because they are unable to get rid of “hairballs” so they need to be digested; roughage helps with that digestion and helps to prevent hairballs from forming in the first place. It is not a good idea to use Alfalfa hay for the simple reason that their pellet feed is made out of alfalfa, too much of a good thing makes it not so good. On the rare occasion that your feed is made out of something besides alfalfa (will say so on the package) then alfalfa should be used as the source of roughage. As a treat rabbits can also have uncooked rolled oats, multi-grain cheerios, bran flakes and things of that sort…moderate it though! Rabbits will game excessive weight with these items. Fresh fruits and vegetables are good for your bunny as well. Carrots, apples, bananas, and Oranges, broccoli, cauliflower are all great examples. Dandelion Leaves, grass clippings, branches from fruit trees and blackberry leaves are good as a treat as well, but be sure they are washed and there are no pesticides on them. DO NOT feed your rabbit’s lettuce or large amounts of cabbage ESPECIALLY to young rabbits because these items will cause diarrhea and can be fatal especially to young rabbits. Avocado and Kiwi fruit have poisons in them that can kill rabbits as well, so steer clear of them.
WATERING: Rabbits should have a clean water supply at all times! A quart sized bottle works well and keeps the water clean if properly maintained. A water bowl works as well, just be sure to clean it out daily in order to be sure it has not been contaminated. If your rabbit is not eating well the cause might be a lack of good clean water, be sure that your watering system works well and your rabbits can get to the water supply at all times. For outdoor rabbits a dish is better used in the winter because a bottle will freeze and no supply is accessible, more water is added on top of ice in a bowl easily enough.
OTHER CARE: Rabbits do not require shots or other routine medical care. You will need to clip the rabbits nails every six to eight weeks. If you need help with clipping nails you can always set up an appointment to bring your bunny back to FCR and we will help you with this. Rabbits should be brushed and/or plucked during molting season to help ward off hairballs; hairballs can be fatal to rabbits! Feeding hay and dehydrated papaya or fresh sliced pineapple are also good during molting season to help with hairballs. Rabbits can suffer heat stroke in the summer, It is important to have good ventilation and a good way to cool down a rabbit in weather above 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Always make sure at least a good portion of the rabbit cage is not in full sun, and offer rabbits bottles with frozen water in them for the rabbits to lean against to get cool. DO NOT handle rabbits on hot days; this will make them very hot very quickly!
If you have any questions at all do not hesitate to call FCR for help or advice. I myself have had rabbits since 1984 and if I do not know the answer I will help you to find it. I am always open to helping and always offer a safe haven for bunnies who need to be rehomed, just give me a call and we will set up a time for you to come over!