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dont know anything about rabbits!!
i just got a new rabbit and i have never had one before so i know nothing about them! i know that they have to be kepy in shade but thats about it! i need to know how big the cage should be and what you need in the cage. what do they eat? i am also kinda afraid that everytime i pick it up it will bit me....i guess i think that cause my cat bits me...do rabbits even bit? i guess i pretty much need to know everything about them....so if you have the time, please tell me! thanks! i'll rate!
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Maybe give some free advice about: Pets?
Hiya,
I've been keeping rabbits on and off for nine years and my best friend breeds them so I know a little :P I reckon the best thing you can do is buy a book - 'my first rabbit' is good, Google it or search for it on Amazon.
Riight...they don't have to be kept in shade. Direct sunlight is not a good idea but they do like a little of it! The size of the cage depends on the size of the rabbit(s). A starter hutch, which you can buy from most pet shops, would be ideal at this stage but you may have to change it depending on how big he gets. Is he a dwarf, giant, or didn't they say? If they didn;t say then get a medium hutch, if he's gonna be a giant then get a big one (around 1m wide and .5 m back - you may have to get a dog kennel and attach a door for this) or one with two floors, and if he's a dwarf you could probably stay with the starter hutch always (around 2 foot wide, 1 foot back).
Bucks (male) are more likely to bite than females. You'll wanna get it neutered (talk to your vet) if you have biting/scratching problems. They may bite but are more likely to if they sense you are nervous. Pick them up very gently and slowly and be patient - they're very shy animals! Wear gloves if you're nervous.
They live anything up to around 7 years on average, but I've had one that lived to 9, one that lived to 4 and another that lived to 4 months, so you never know - they have VERY weak hearts as a general species so don't let the dog go near them if you have one!
They love anything vegetable-y. Cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, swedes, runner beans, grass (it's OK to leave the soil and roots on), dandelion leaves, broccoli, parsnips, potatoes, ANYTHING. Seriously. Some rabbits are picky though so it's just a case of feeding them a variety of vegetables and finding out which ones they like best. You can buy commerical processed food but it's not very good for them and makes them fat.
Rabbits, especially ones on their own, get pretty bored. Try hiding some food in the bedding as a little game! They're not keen on toys and they won't chase things, but they like a little climb every now and then.
They need LOTS of bedding. You can never have too much bedding in there, trust me. Paper shreddings, sawdust and hay/straw are all fine but don't go for newspaper because the ink is toxic.
Your rabbit will probably go to the toilet in one or two corners but it might take a while for them to establish that corner. Clean them out once a week at LEAST. They get very messy if you don't. Ssay you clean out on a saturday, scrape any excess poo and dirty bedding out every Wednesday - it'll help when you give a big clean out.
You'll need a run. They will have to go in it at least every other day unless it's rainy and muddy and stuff. You'll also need a water bottle, and also some cage disinfectant - available from any good pet store. Don't fuss with food bowls, they just use them as toilets. Entertaining but not nice :P
Your rabbit will need to go the vets a.s.a.p to be checked over and given it's injections. Rabbits from the age of two weeks can recieve injections (about £10-£20 each) against the two deadly diseases Myximatosis and VHD. These need to be updated annualy - your vet'll tell you more about that. Meanwhile, stroke your rabbit (gently - they're a lot more fragile than cats) every single day and spend time with him/her. Check her eyes out - are they runny? Noses and eyes should be clear and not runny at all. If they are, go straight to the vet because they are two main signs of Myxi and that's a very nasty disease that can kill. Check it;s ears and teeth and bum if you can for dirt and overlapping teeth, but if you're scared the vet can do that, don't worry! My bunny doesn;t appreciate my fingers in her mouth so I always leave that to the vet.
Claws can also be a problem. The vet will tell you if they're too long and can clip them - never do this yourself!
Cover your rabbit in a teatowel if it's very nervous - the dark will help it calm down. You'll need a plastic cage for taking it to the vet - they chew through cardboard ones in seconds - and can tempt it in with a carrot/grass/whatever it's fave food is if s/he isn't keen on being picked up yet.
The most important thing is to be patient. They're lovely animals but yeah, they do scratch when they want. They won't turn round and snap like a cat but they might nibble. You HAVE to handle her/him from the very start or, trust me, it'll be hell to get them to the vets every year! Don't feel sorry for them - they're often stubborn rather than scared of you :P Try to pick him/her up in an enclosed-ish area (such as inside the hutch) so they can't run away. If you're having trouble, find the fat at the back of the neck. Pull and put your hand under their bum. I know this seems horrible but it's actually the most comfortable way for them to be transported from the ground to your arms/a cage! Don't lie them down on their backs because it can damage the spine. Just cuddle or let them sit on your knee.
Rabbits eat straw. The bedding'll need to be replaced v. regularly :P Add more when it's cold, you can even buy special thermo-cotton wool stuff.
A breeze block would be a nice toy while s/he's still a baby - you know, those grey bricks with two great big holes in them? S/he can use it as a tunnel and a climbing frame! Wood blocks are also a good idea. Don't panic if the inside frames of the hutch get chewed - it's a natural thing they do to wear their teeth down. As long as s/he isn't chewing gaping holes in the cage you'll be fine :P
Don't be scared if s/he nips at your shoes while you're standing up and it's on the ground. It's just affection :) Watch out for bags - my baby bunny LOVES chewing plastic bags (such as the one the hay comes in)!.
Go into a pet shop and check out things you can buy for him, like treats, salt wheels, etc. I wouldn't recommend salt wheels though because they tend to corrode the bars of the hutch.
The water bottle will need cleaning around once a month or it goes green (God knows why but it does :P). You can use a baby's bottle brush and warm water for this.
Sometimes when it's really icy the water bottle will freeze. Put it in a tub of warm water and wait for the water inside to melt.
It's nice for the rabbit to have a cover over them at night - get a piece of lino or a plastic-covered table cloth (so it doesn't get damp in the rain) or even a bin bag and put part of it on the roof of the hutch, weighing it down with a couple of rocks, and then let the rest drape down over the bars of the hutch so it's darker and warmer inside. This also provides good shade during hot days.
It'll get fat if you feed it too much - your vet will tell you if s/he's overweight. If you're need feeding it enough, it may get aggressive over it's food, eat it very quickly or see desperate to get at the food. A typical baby rabbit could do with a cabbage leaf and a carrot at breakfast, maybe a long runner bean at lunch, and three or four cabbage leaves at night. Increase it a little as s/he grows. The most you will ever feed a rabbit isn't really that much. I once owned two giants (I mean giants...bigger than a jack russel dog) and they ate a cabbage a night each...yeah, that's a lot :P
Because they eat so much plant material and can't disgest it, rabbits sometimes eat their own poo to re-digest it and get all the goodness. Yeah, it might seem gross but that's what they do :) So don't be alarmed if you see it eating it's poo, lol. Oh, but the poo should be round and look hard/dry unless it's fresh. If it's sloppy or runny then s/he could have a tummy upset or an illness.
Finally, take lots of photos so you remember then always :) Rabbits are gorgeous animals and can grow really tame - mine runs to the bottom of the run to say hello if she's out in it and I walk into the garden!! - but it takes a while for them to get like that so be patient :)
Good luck and if you ever want to know anything else, feel free to email me at any of the addys on my profile!!!
Blessed Be,
Rach xxx
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get a book and read it
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I had a rabbit awhile back. I can tell you one piece of advice: Keep playing with it and taking it out and stuff. I eventually started to take mine out less and less, and eventually it got really mean and I couldn't even take him out when I wanted to, which was sad. So that's one thing I can say, if you keep taking them out al the time they stay used to people and they stay nice. Aside from that, I guess I'm not really a rabbit expert-I just fed mine normal rabbit food and kept its water full. Just wanted to warn you about the paying with them thing :) Good Luck
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Rabbitz do bite but i dont think they hurt and they dont bite as much they also need alot of atention and i dont own a rabjit but my friend does and the cage iz kind of big and it has kid of like a junggle gym for a rabbit so u could get it something,like that or if you go to a pet store ask someone the same thing you asked me
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Rabbits bite alright.. believe me. most rabbits are pretty well tempered though.. just so you know don't back um int o a corner.. and don't try gloves.. they scare the foo out of them.. You should consider going to a pet store because they will have everything you need there. Rabbits also make good scrap eaters.. we used to give mine all the salad extras after dinner as a treat.. loved it.. *shrug* oh yes.. and you will need some sort of thing it can naw on so that it's teeth don't grow too long..
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Heyhey! I have 2 Rabbits of my own. Their names are Tina and Seamonster. Anyway, I just got mine, too, and I know alot about them. First of all, dont be afraid to pick them up because the more gentle you are with them and the more familiar you are to them, the less likely they'll bite. Before you pick them up, pet them for a little bit, so they'll calm down. I mean, you would be scared if a gigantic hand reached up and just picked you up, right? As for the food, feed them carrots and some veggies. They also have rabbit food at local pet shops. Make sure that the cage is big enough so they can move around a little bit, too. Always feed it fresh food and give it fresh water so it will stay healthy. If you need anymore information, some pet shops sell books on how to take care of rabbits. I hope I helped.
xOo Nikki xO
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rabbits do but they cannot oly eat pellits they need vegatables and can be litter trianed(to do this have only one part of the cage with shavings in a box id it will only go there)and they need decent space to run around in.they must have shade and warmth.let it run around inside evry now and then.clean the cage out every week(this means washing it and stuff)to not run at it it will fear you and do not EVER have an extremly loud home.lops have worse hearing that straight ears.rabbits will sometimes play a game where you walk from it and it "tags" you.
Hope this helps(ilove bunnies mines called chocolate)
Solemnstar
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they eat carrots of course lol also, you can buy rabbit food at a pet store and i'm pretty sure they have toys and cages there. ask someone who works there and they can tell you everything you need to know.
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Hey,
Aw, I always wanted a bunny wabbit!! lol
Ok, It is best to get the largest cage possible - a minimum of 24" by 36" for smaller rabbits or 30" by 36" for larger rabbits is recommended. Two story cages with ramps joining the levels seems popular with rabbits too.
In the cage you need, chunks of hay, a water bottle with a spout, and a bowl with rabbit food.
Food: A rabbit's diet should be made up of good quality pellets, fresh hay (alfalfa, timothy or oat), water and fresh vegetables. Anything beyond that is a "treat" and should be given in limited quantities.
Yes, rabbit do nibble when they feel frighten ed but with your loving care they will love you!
Hope I helped :)
Pura Morena
xo0x adriana
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