As fun and rewarding as it is, rabbit care is no easy-peasy job. Yes, rabbits make for delightful pets. They’re affectionate, social, smart and easy to train. But rabbits are also delicate and complex creatures, with specific, even high-maintenance needs that are not always easy to meet. So to help you start off on the right track, here are five quick tips for raising a healthy and happy bunny.
1: Keep the Hay Coming
The star of your rabbit’s diet is hay, not carrots. Rich in fiber, hay helps with your bunny’s digestion and reduces the risk of hair balls, obesity and diarrhea. It also contains silicate and lignin, which help keep his or her continuously growing teeth at a proper length.
That’s why hay should be available 24/7. Every morning, place a bundle in a hay rack or in a basket where it can hang above floor level and stay clean. Put some hay in her bed too, so she can sit and snack at the same time.
Not any kind of hay will do though. The hay you feed your rabbit must be fresh, dust-free and sweet-smelling. For the best quality, stick to timothy or brome grass hay.
2: Make Room for Exercise
Your bunny needs to engage in regular physical activity. So in addition to a shelter (hutch, cage or shed), set up or designate an exercise area where they can hop, jump, run around, play and explore.
You could go with a traditional outdoor exercise “run” or keep it indoors with a pen, enclosure or rabbit-proofed room (in this case, rabbit proofing means covering wires or cables or keeping them out of reach). What’s important is that the space is large enough, escape-proof, safe and easily accessible from the main shelter.
3: Handle with Care
Rabbits have fragile bones and are not inherently keen on being held, cuddled or carried around tightly. The key is to proceed with caution. Do not come up to her directly in front, as she won’t see you (rabbits have laterally placed eyes) and therefore might be startled when you attempt to pick her up.
When lifting him or her, be gentle but steady. Support their forequarters and hindquarters simultaneously, with one hand underneath the front side and the other hand at the back. Then bring him or her against your body to make them feel secure.
If your rabbit struggles to get down, carefully lower him or her to the floor. Practice lifting them regularly and soon enough they’ll feel comfortable with being handled.
4: Do it Yourself
You can extend your love for DIY projects to rabbit care, specifically playtime. While rabbits need a variety of objects that they can manipulate and move, you don’t have to buy fancy toys to keep them happy. You can actually make safe, entertaining and stimulating toys from stuff you have at home.
For instance, you could offer cardboard tubes (paper-towel or toilet-paper tolls) and old telephone books (without the glossy covers) as chew toys. Package treats in brown paper so she can “unwrap” them. Cut holes in cardboard boxes or remove the handles of paper bags and then set them up as hiding places. Or fill cardboard boxes halfway with shredded newspaper to create digging boxes.
5: Make it Smell Familiar
Rabbits do not only use scent to mark their territory; they rely on familiar smells to feel safe and at ease in new environments.
Going out of town? Whether you plan to travel with or board your rabbits, it’s important to put familiar-smelling items such as their favorite toys in the carrier as well as keep grouped/paired rabbits together. Just finished cleaning the shelter? Place a small amount of their used bedding in the toilet area. This helps reduce the stress your rabbit may be experiencing after the cleaning.
There is no single correct way to approach rabbit care; only you can determine what’s best for your little bunny. Once you identify and understand his or her specific needs, it’s mostly about ensuring all those needs are met. With such an adorable and lovable creature at your side, that’s a challenge worth embracing.
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