Rabbit Care Basics

by Marie Mead

When a rabbit is treated as a valued family member, his intricate nature and unique personality will shine through. The bunny will be a surprise and a delight—and yes, sometimes a challenge!

Guardianship

Responsible guardianship includes a commitment to providing loving care for a bunny’s lifetime. Though a rabbit’s life may be shortened due to genetics, breeding, and individual characteristics, a healthy bunny can easily live eight to twelve years with proper care.
Rabbits are markedly different from other companion animals, and it’s important to research their care before bringing a bunny home. Just as important is determining if anyone in the family is allergic to rabbits or to the hay in their diet.
A rabbit’s safety, health, and wellbeing depend on an adult member of the family assuming full responsibility for the rabbit’s care.

Companionship

Rabbits are highly social, needing friends and playtime. They will bond with humans, cats, dogs, guinea pigs and, of course, other rabbits; the animals must be introduced slowly and carefully to ensure their safety.
Bunnies are most active at sunrise and sunset; they are usually less active during the middle of the day.

Prey psychology

Family members who are familiar with the behaviors of cats and dogs (both predators) are often bewildered by the responses of their rabbit, a prey animal. One moment the rabbit may be exhibiting her independent nature and the next she’ll be scurrying out of sight, afraid of something that—to humans—seems inconsequential.
Rabbits must feel safe. When they are scared, they may try to defend themselves by becoming aggressive and perhaps biting, or they may become paralyzed with fear or even die of fright. Because rabbits are easily stressed, it is important that human guardians understand prey psychology when working with a prey animal.

Veterinary care

Rabbits are complex beings with health issues different from those of cats and dogs; do not expect a standard cat and dog vet to know about rabbits. Even a vet who specializes in exotics (which includes rabbits) may not know how to treat all exotics. Finding a vet who is specifically knowledgeable about rabbits is essential to the rabbit’s health and welfare.
Before your rabbit requires medical attention, find both primary and emergency care veterinarians. Check with your regional rabbit rescue group or go to www.rabbit.org or www.morfz.com to get names of qualified vets near you.

Sexual maturity

Depending on the breed, rabbits can reach sexual maturity as early as two-and-a-half months (though four months is considered standard), which is why rabbit-savvy people encourage gender separation at ten weeks to prevent unwanted litters.
Human guardians should become aware of the factors and variables that affect sexual maturity for their particular rabbit. Such information can be obtained from a rabbit-knowledgeable veterinarian or rabbit rescue group.

Spaying/neutering

In addition to stopping the cycle of overpopulation, there are many good reasons for altering a rabbit. The surgery lowers long-term health risks, including uterine and mammary cancers in females. Spaying and neutering reduce behavior problems, such as spraying and hormone-related aggression, and also make it possible to litter train with respect to urine (it’s practically impossible otherwise).
A rabbit-knowledgeable vet should perform the surgery.
Male rabbits are neutered after their testicles descend (generally ranging from three-and-a-half months to eight-months old, depending on the breed). Most vets prefer to wait until females are five or six months of age before spaying, as performing the surgery earlier than that is technically difficult and may result in retained tissue.

Diet

Diet is based on the age of the rabbit and is influenced—as for humans—by individual characteristics such as activity level, predisposition to health problems, weight, stress, changes in routine, and other factors.

Rabbits are herbivores, with a complex and efficient gastrointestinal physiology that allows them to digest fibrous plant materials (which help promote the normal wearing of teeth). Veterinarians generally recommend that healthy adult rabbits be fed a high-fiber, low-calorie diet.

Grass hay provides the largest percentage of an adult rabbit’s diet. When possible, feed a mix of quality grass hay (timothy, orchard, oat, brome) in long-fiber form (i.e., not cubed or cut up).
Green leafy vegetables. Introducing one green leafy vegetable at a time, perhaps for two or three days, will let you know if the vegetable is tolerated by your rabbit. It’s recommended that a variety of greens be fed, such as kale, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, and fresh cooking herbs (e.g., cilantro, parsley, mint). Depending on your location, you may also have chemical-free greens in your yard, including clover and grass shoots. Feeding too many vegetables or ones that are high in sugar (e.g., carrots) may result in the rabbit not eating enough hay—and that can result in digestive problems.
Grass-hay-based food pellets—properly balanced and made for companion rabbits, not stock or breeding rabbits—are especially beneficial when a mix of quality grass hay is not available (poor soil conditions negatively affect the hay‘s nutritional content). Feed a limited amount, based on the bunny’s health, age, weight, and activity level. Feed a pellet that is devoid of grains, soy, corn, dried beans, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds.
Cecotropes are produced in the rabbit’s cecum and released throughout the day; the rabbit eats them directly from the anus. They are not fecal waste. These nutrient-rich capsules are a critical part of the rabbit’s diet, and your rabbit should always be allowed to eat them.
Fresh water on a daily basis is a must. Rabbits drink a large amount of water, disproportionate to their size.
Occasional treats are fun for your rabbit but overuse can lead to digestive upset, obesity, and other problems. Veterinarians generally caution against feeding any grain-based treats (e.g., toast, crackers, cookies), fatty treats (e.g., seeds or chips), or ones that have a high-sugar content (e.g., yogurt drops).

Bunny-proofing

Rabbits have continuously growing teeth—and they chew! They also dig. These instinctive behaviors are strong and training cannot overcome them.
Be proactive, watch your rabbit, and keep him from harm. Make breakables and chewables inaccessible—this is essential both for the safety of the rabbit and to prevent damage to your home. Never assume a rabbit’s lack of interest in an item means he/she will always avoid that item.

Socialization

It’s important for the adults in the family to model respect and teach their children how to develop a relationship with the rabbit.
There are several aspects of socialization, all of them based on trust. Playing with your bunny as well as holding, petting, grooming, picking her up to check for health problems, and traveling with her (including the necessary vet trip) are each a facet of socialization.
If your bunny is not socialized, many of these things will be very stressful for her. However, if she is handled properly and gently on a daily basis, then even stressful situations like going to a vet will not be as hard on her.
Always remember that proper handling is critical to the health and wellbeing of a rabbit. Learn the correct way to pick up and hold a rabbit and never, ever, pick a bunny up by the ears.

Housing

A good rabbit condo means the bunny will have room to stand up, stretch out, and move about. There needs to be room for a litter box sized to your bunny, as well as food and water bowls. Wire floors damage a rabbit’s body; therefore, it’s important that solid flooring be available in at least a portion of the condo.
Your rabbit’s house is his safe haven. Children and other companion animals should not be able to access (or stand over) your bunny’s home.

Location of home

Locate the condo in a place that keeps your rabbit safe but also allows him to watch his family. Rabbits are social creatures so it is recommended that they not be isolated.
Locate the home out of direct sun, away from heat vents and drafts, out of the way of rambunctious dogs and children, and away from high-pitched and/or loud noises.

Cleanliness of home

Rabbits like to have a clean house and litter box. They are fastidious creatures, grooming themselves (as cats do) unless a physical reason prevents them from doing so. A clean area also helps prevent illness.
Because rabbits are territorial, it’s easiest to clean their home when they are out of it. Otherwise they may exhibit what humans consider behavior problems, such as lunging or improper urination—rabbits’ ways of saying keep out.
A simple cleaning solution of vinegar and water is safe to use on surfaces in contact with rabbits; do not use caustic chemicals or those with phenols (a pine smell). Wash and dry the area, refill the litter box, refresh the water bowl/bottle, and fill the hay bin.

Litter box and training

Training with respect to urine cannot be established until a rabbit is spayed or neutered. Training a rabbit to deposit fecal pellets in the box requires consistency and patience, as they sometimes leave a few of the dry, nearly odorless droppings as territory markers.
Like children, young rabbits sometimes forget, so training is often easier to accomplish when the rabbit reaches the age of six months.
The box should be sized to the rabbit. Paper litters or wood stove pellets are good. Don’t use clay or aromatic litters (e.g., cedar shavings) or materials that rabbits will eat (e.g., wheat and corn litters).

Play spaces

Rabbits love tubes, low ramps, and boxes with holes cut into them.
Bunnies also love to race around a carpeted room, but please remain watchful when they are in these areas—sometimes a bunny will ingest some carpet fibers or a nylon thread, either of which can lead to serious medical problems.

Items for chewing and digging

In addition to grass hay, provide such things as wood that is untreated, non-toxic, and resin-free (e.g., unsprayed dried apple branches) and willow mats/baskets.
A simple digging box can be made from a covered box with a hole cut into the side, filled with paper litter.

Grooming

When rabbits molt, they should be gently brushed or combed to prevent them from ingesting too much fur when they are grooming themselves.
Long-haired rabbits do best with daily (at a minimum, weekly) grooming assistance from their caretakers so that their fur does not become matted.
If a rabbit’s fur becomes soiled with feces, it may be necessary to cut the feces mat out—be very careful that the rabbit’s skin does not come into the path of the scissors.
If a rabbit’s fur is soiled with urine, it may be necessary to spot-wash the area (making sure the rabbit is completely dry afterward) although the discoloration will remain until the rabbit molts.

Signs of illness

Each rabbit is an individual and may exhibit signs of pain and discomfort differently from his bunny companions. If you know what your rabbit normally does and how he or she acts throughout the day, you’ll know when your bunny is “off.”

As prey animals, rabbits instinctively hide signs of illness and injury—there may be no time to waste upon seeing a sign that something is wrong. Here are some ways a rabbit can show illness and discomfort:

Alteration in appetite or eating habits (not eating is a medical emergency)
Eating slowly, dropping food, and/or dribbling food or water
Drinking little or no water
Loud stomach sounds or completely silent stomach
Weight loss
Reluctance to move around; unusual body positions, such as hunching or an elevated posture to facilitate breathing
Teeth grinding, crunching, or clacking
Lethargy or unresponsiveness
Elevated or reduced temperature (normal temperature is 101°F-103°F)
Difficulty with movement; loss of coordination or balance
Tilting of head (when not looking down at something)
Change in fecal output, including change in size (smaller) or consistency (harder); diarrhea or cessation of fecal pellets signals a medical emergency
Change in cecotropes (becoming unusually soft and soiling the fur) or refusal of rabbit to eat normal cecotropes
Straining to urinate or unusual urine (e.g., blood in urine; sludgy substance)
Dribbling urine that results in urine burn (with possible infection)
Sneezing or coughing
Discharge from nose or eyes
Skin problems
Fur that is dirty or falling out
Discharge from ears or sour smell in ears
Lumps or bumps anywhere on body
Convulsions

There are resources that provide more detailed information about rabbits’ needs. To begin, check the Resources and Organizations page.