Rabbit Care

Rabbits need fresh water, grass, some grains and dry food, straw/hay, and other vegetables and herbs. They also need something hard to scratch and gnaw on to keep their claws and teeth short. Some hard, dried out grainy bread is best for this. A salt lick stone is also recommended as rabbits occasionally need a source of salt. They will know when they need it and will go for it themselves.

Dry Food

Adult rabbits can have 2-3 tablespoons of dry food each day. A mixture of pellets (lucerne) and grains is best. We give ours their dry food each morning and check on their water supply.
They also need straw or hay on a regular basis. If your rabbit's droppings are particularly soft, then they are in need of some fresh dry straw. Put the straw in a dry, sheltered corner of their cage (once it gets wet, it loses it's healthy qualities for rabbits).

Fresh Food

In the wild, rabbits eat a variety of grasses and plants. However, in captivity they rely on us to give them the variety they need. Below I have grouped together their main foods into two categories – what they can eat large amounts of and often, and what they can eat small amounts of and less often.

Large amounts and often:
A variety of grasses
Plantain
Sorrel
Young stinging nettle leaves
Comfrey
Carrots – all parts
Carrot weed (make sure it's the right one)
Endive
Chicoree

Small amounts and less often:
Broccoli – all parts
Apples
Parsley
Sunflower leaves
Lemon Balm
Dandelion*
Young mint leaves
Celery – all parts
Celeraic – all parts
Lettuce (cos or butterhead, avoid iceberg as there is too much water in it)
Kohlrabi with leaves
Pears
Fennel, dill, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, coriander
Corn - all parts of cob

We give our rabbits a handful of longer grass, picked from our back yard, sometime in the morning or during the day. At night we give them either carrots; something from the 'small amounts' category; dry, hard grainy bread to gnaw on; or a combination thereof. Each night we alternate between different things. If you give your rabbit the same thing every night, you may find that they will not eat it after three nights of it!

When picking any grass or other plant from a public area it is important to wash it well before giving it to your rabbit/s. This is because of the possible presence of dog or other animal urine or faeces which may be on the plants and which are harmful to rabbits.

*Dandelion can cause a bladder infection if too much is eaten and too often. You can choose to give your rabbit dandelion more often and monitor your rabbit's normal toilet area for signs of blood. If any signs appear, lessen the frequency and amount.

Do not feed your rabbit any artificially preserved produce or anything that has been frozen.

Likewise, do not feed your rabbit any produce that is old or mouldy. Remove any uneaten food from the cage after a day or two of serving it.

Poisonness plants – there are many plants and vegetables which rabbits should not eat. Among others – potatoes, rhubarb, cabbage, beans, anything from the marrow/pumpkin family, bulbous flowers, onions and garlic should be avoided. Despite this, a hungry rabbit will eat or at least try to eat anything that it is given, so don't rely on your rabbit to know what is good for it and what is not.

General health

In summer place a frozen bottle of water in your rabbit's cage so that it can keep cool. They are susceptible to heat exhaustion.

Rabbits eat some of their own droppings, often directly from their bottom. It is a special kind of dropping that they eat, which is full of necessary vitamins.

Parasites

Rabbits are susceptible to fleas and ear mites. They can 'catch' fleas from dogs and cats, but there is a special type of flea that likes rabbits, which carries a deadly poison (from wild rabbits?). A product like 'Revolution' takes care of both fleas and ear mites for rabbits.

Toiletry

Rabbits will generally only do their business in one corner of their cage and that corner should be cleaned out at least once a week.

Grooming

Rabbits are very clean animals, as they lick themselves like cats do. (And as with cats, people can be allergic to the saliva in their coat.) However, you can brush them if you wish. Their claws and teeth can grow quite long if they have nothing to scratch or gnaw on. Hard dry bread helps, but a commercial scratching stone doesn't hurt either. Their claws can be clipped, but be careful to not to clip too short as their flesh comes down into them. If their teeth become too long and interfere with their eating, a vet will need to cut them.

Activity

Rabbits are particularly active at dawn and dusk (grazing). They generally rest during the middle of the day, especially in summer, and should not be handled for long periods throughout the day. They need their space, especially if your rabbit is an outside rabbit and their cage is directly on the ground.

Sociability

Rabbits are very companionable animals and like to have one of their own for company. If they do not have a companion, make sure you say hello and give them a pat at least once a day. They do not like to be completely alone. Rabbits do not mix well with cats, dogs and other predator animals, as rabbits are prey animals. They are rather shy and easily scare from sudden loud noises. Rabbits are known to die of shock, so make sure they are in a place where they will feel safe and have some quiet.

Rabbits can be affectionate, but they are not affectionate and companionable like cats and dogs are. They are happy to see you whenever you bring them food, but they will not run up to you and lick you. When you are holding them, they may lick your skin. Some say that this is an act of affection, others say that it is the salt in our skin that they like.

Your rabbit will get to know you according to your smell, so if you change your deoderant or perfume, your rabbit will notice! It is best not to have anything on your hands that might have a strong smell, like moisturiser or onions. This will cover your natual scent and your rabbit will not respond to you the same.

Rabbits generally won't urinate or do their droppings on you when holding them. They generally won't feel comfortable to do so anywhere other than in their cage (at 'home').

Other sources of information:

House Rabbit Society (U.S.) - http://www.rabbit.org/care/index.html
RSPCA - http://www.rspcasa.asn.au/page?pg=399&stypen=htmlprint