Tips for Successful Rabbit Care
2008-08-28

Tips for Successful Rabbit Care

Rabbits are intelligent, affectionate, social animals. They need the same or more attention as cats. And they are much more rewarding as a pet if they are house trained and kept indoors. Although it may takes you much trouble, if you pay more attention to this question, a rabbit would make a good pet for you. There are a lot of things to know about rabbits before you should make the decision to get one rabbit as pet.

Pet Qualities • Rabbits are social with gentle handling are generally quite tame. • They are playful and entertaining to watch. • Being social, they need a great deal of interaction with their owners and/or other rabbits to be happy. Daily playtime and exercise outside of their case is necessary. • They are not low maintenance - it takes a good deal of work to properly care for a rabbit. • Rabbit pellets alone are not a sufficient diet-- they need lots of roughage in the form of good quality hay and a variety of fresh vegetables. • They can be little trained. • They do need to chew, so lots of safe chew toys should be provided, and any spaces where the rabbit is allowed to run must be carefully rabbit-proofed. • While they are generally quiet pets, rabbits are not a good match for active young children who may not be careful enough when picking them up or playing around them. • Rabbits like to be near their people, but they often would rather not be held.

Tips of care your pet rabbit 1)Cage Your rabbit will need a large cage to move around in. Be sure they have a clean area to sleep, along with plenty of bedding. Make sure they have clean bedding every week. Their urine can be quite strong when they are not fixed. It is especially hard to clean up when you do not attend to it often enough. A little vinegar will help in the cleaning process. The urine is high in calcium. It does leave a chalky residue when it dries, so clean often so your furry friend stays happy. That and urine free. Once in awhile their paws may need to be cleaned before you hold them. 2)Food Food can be as easy or complicated at you want. Talking to a vet will help you decide what your rabbit needs but in general if you get a good pellet you're covering just about everything. But adding green stuff will add to your rabbit's pleasure. If you get a young rabbit, check with your vet before feeding any green food. Always feed in moderation. Some foods are better than others just like for us. Carrots will be at the top of the list along with apples. I learned only recently that rabbits like sunflower seeds the black ones are best. And to add to their fun give them a fruit tree branch to strip. It has a little nutritional value and entertainment with the added benefit of wearing the rabbit’s teeth down as they gnaw on the branch. 3)Water Add a bottle or bowl of fresh water. Make sure the bottle is clean. They have vitamin drops that you can add to the water each time you refill. Check with your local pet shop. You can add a small salt block or salt circle in their cage. They love to lick the salt. Rabbits love lettuce and carrots, so be sure to give them a few treats every few days. Alf-Alfa is also another favorite for a rabbit, so buy a bag and place some in their cage.

4)Being inside or outside? The House Rabbit movement has spread awareness of how suited rabbits are as house pets. Their easy toilet-training makes them perfectly safe to have inside the house and free to roam, but just like any small creature they need supervision. A house rabbit also needs a space of their own, rabbit-sized, for retreat when life in the human world is a bit much. Outside rabbits need plenty of room and just as much attention as house rabbits. A rabbit kept in his cage all day is a very unhappy rabbit and is more vulnerable to illness.

The most important thing for a rabbit owner is to be sympathetic. Rabbits aren't small, fluffy humans, but they do have emotions and desires. Keeping this in mind will make providing their care easier.