I'm considering buying a rabbit, what should I know?
- Rabbits can live to 8 or 9 years of age, worth bearing in mind especially if you are considering buying one for a child
- They are sociable animals, so like being kept in pairs. They should be handled regularly from a young age.
- They should not be kept with guinea pigs. This is because the dietary needs of guinea pigs and rabbits are very different, and rabbits can pass infections to guinea pigs.
- Rabbits need sunlight and exercise to remain healthy. Try to have a large cage for them, they should be able to take 3 good hops from one side to the other. Allow them to exercise as often as possible. Most rabbits won't stray far, and many voluntarily return to the hutch for security.
- They should not be kept in small, dark hutches in sheds/garages, away from sunlight.
- In very cold weather, ensure they have plenty of deep bedding to snuggle into, plus cover part of the front of the cage with some sheeting to provide protection against cold and wind.
I've heard that a good diet is crucial for a healthy rabbit, is this true?
One of the main reasons we see rabbits at the vets is from conditions resulting from a poor diet, typically by rabbits eating too much muesli-type dried food. To minimise the risk of them developing illnesses such as dental disease and obesity it is important to have a good understanding of what your rabbit needs.
Rabbits need a high fibre diet, and food needs to pass through their bodies twice!! So, they eat the hay and dried food, the food travels through the bowel, resulting in the rabbit producing a soft large motion called a 'caecotroph'. The rabbit immediately eats this, which then passes through the bowel again, then the rabbit produces small hard droppings that we find when cleaning the hutch out!!
Things start to go wrong when the rabbit doesn't eat the caecotroph - this sticky motion can stick to their bottoms, leading to sore areas and potentially fly strike (see later)
So, what do I need to feed my rabbit to make sure he has a good diet?
- Hay is a very important part of your rabbit's diet and there are lots of varieties available to buy. Good quality hay which is free of dust is ideal for your rabbit. It is very high in roughage, which is very good for their gut! Hay should be the main part of your rabbit's diet.
- Grass is also a very important factor of their diet. However never feed your rabbit grass mowings.
- Prepared rabbit foods should be fed as a complementary element to their diet with hay and grass forming the bulk of their food. A pelleted/nugget diet is greatly preferable to a muesli type diet. If you offer the muesli type, rabbits tend to pick out their favourite bits, leaving the calcium-rich foods. This leads to them eating too little calcium, their bones soften, especially in the jaw - so the teeth move and no longer grind against each other when eating, so they overgrow, leading to major teeth problems (see later). We would strongly encourage you to offer a pellet dried food from an early age (if your rabbit is used to eating muesli, it can be difficult to retrain them to eat pelleted food).
- DO NOT FEED TOO MUCH DRIED FOOD!! Ideally, offer a small amount once a day - so that once the rabbit has eaten it, if it is hungry it will eat hay, grass or vegetables. Some veterinary dentists advise not to feed any dried food at all...
- Vegetables - rabbits can eat a variety of vegetables and herbs which we have listed below.
Asparagus Curly Kale Basil Baby sweetcorn Fennel Coriander Beetroot Green beans Dill Broccoli Parsnip Mint Brussels sprouts Peas Parsley Cabbage Peppers Oregano Carrots Pumpkin Rosemary Cauliflower Radish Sage Celeriac Spinach Thyme Celery Swede Cucumber Courgette Turnip Watercress - Fruit - should be fed in moderation due to high sugar content:
Apple Kiwi Pineapple Apricot Mango Plums Banana Melon Peaches Blackberries Nectarines Cherries Blueberries Oranges
Does my rabbit need any vaccinations?
You can protect your rabbit by vaccinating it against two killer diseases:
Myxomatosis
- A disease which is frequently fatal.
- It is spread by biting insects such as fleas and mosquitoes which have previously bitten an infected rabbit.
- Symptoms seen include conjunctivitis, swelling around the head and genital area and eventually the rabbit will weaken, become blind and die.
We can vaccinate your rabbit from 6 weeks of age and booster injections are required every 6 - 12 months.
Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD)
- Sadly this is a very swift and efficient killer of rabbits with its victims dying in almost one or two days.
- It causes massive internal bleeding. Sometimes rabbits bleed from their nose or rear, but death comes quickly and in a lot of cases rabbits are simply found dead in their hutch.
We can vaccinate your rabbit from 10 weeks of age with booster injections required every 12 months.
Should my rabbit be neutered?
Yes, there are many benefits to having your rabbit neutered:
- To prevent unwanted pregnancies
- For health benefits - research has shown that more than 80% of entire female rabbits develop ovarian and uterine cancer before the age of 5 years. (Rabbits can often live up to 9 years).
- Neutered rabbits are less likely to show aggressive behaviour towards each other and humans. This is especially true of females.
- Neutered male rabbits will generally stop spraying. Mating behaviour is also much reduced.
What happens when my rabbit is neutered?
- We routinely neuter rabbits from 6 months of age.
- Your rabbit would normally spend the day with us on the day of the operation.
- It is NOT necessary to pre-starve them (as would be done with a dog or cat), just allow them to have access to food and water as usual.
- We generally use tissue glue rather than stitches on rabbits, so there are no stitches to remove.
- After the surgery, your rabbit is placed into a warm incubator until fully recovered from the anaesthetic. It is advisable to keep rabbits indoors the night after surgery to ensure they don't get chilled.
Common Health Problems
Dental Disease
Rabbit's teeth continue to grow 10 - 12cm every year throughout their lives and are worn down naturally with the diet they eat. However teeth that do not meet perfectly overgrow causing discomfort and difficulty eating. The molar teeth at the back of the mouth develop sharp spikes which rub against their tongue or cheeks and cause ulcers which are quite painful. The following symptoms are seen with rabbits experiencing dental problems:
- Reduction/ No appetite
- Drooling around the mouth and chin as well as their front feet from rubbing their mouth and nose.
- Nasal/ Eye discharge
- A change in your rabbits faeces e.g. consistency, amount passed and colour.
- Changes in food preference i.e. preferring softer foods
- Teeth grinding.
IF ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS ARE OBSERVED SEEK VETERINARY ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY
Flystrike (Myiasis)
This is a life threatening condition where flies lay eggs on the rabbit's fur around the bottom and once the eggs hatch the maggots eat the living flesh of the rabbit. Flystrike is often seen during the summer months but can occur any time of the year. The fly's lifecycle is so quick that within hours of laying the eggs, they hatch and the maggots feast on the living flesh of the rabbit. All rabbits are at risk but the more susceptible rabbits are:
- Overweight
- Long haired breeds
- Rabbits with wounds/ discharge
- Rabbits with diarrhoea/ loose stools
- Rabbits living in dirty/ soiled hutches
Prevention is always better than cure and the best ways to protect your rabbit include:
- Remove soiled bedding daily and clean the hutch thoroughly every week.
- Check your rabbits bottoms at least once a day.
- Apply fly screens to hutches and runs
- You can purchase an insecticidal ointment to apply to your rabbit's coat. Please ask us for further details
- Ensure your rabbit is eating a healthy diet
