The Best Way To Care For A Rabbit

GuestW — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 09:51:14 +0000

With such a loveable and gentle nature rabbits are great pets.They are really happy to be petted or stroked and over time a human can develop a great, interactive relationship with a rabbit.Rabbit care is important and by looking after your rabbit you are doing your bit to ensure it leads a long and happy life.A rabbit is generally an easy pet to care for, but before you adopt one you need to bear several things in mind.

Your new rabbit will need a safe, clean hutch with plenty of bedding for warmth. Make sure you can afford the cost of food and ideally buy a run so it has the opportunity to run around.Make sure the hutch you buy has enough space to accommodate a full size rabbit, with space to run and stand.It should also be wide enough to allow the rabbit to hop at least four full hops in any direction.Just like your own home the ideal hutch should be separated into distinct “rooms” with a space to play, eat, and use the toilet.Of course, if you have more than one rabbit you will need to provide a bigger hutch. Rabbits love to snuggle down at night and in the UK climate good bedding is very important. Line the hutch with newspaper and cover with dust free chippings and straw. All the bedding should be changed regularly (a great job for the kid’s pocket money!).The location of the hutch is really important and you should make sure it is not placed in an area of direct sunlight, or open to draughts.During daylight hours your rabbit should be free to look outside the hutch. However, at night you need to cover the hutch so the rabbit cannot see predators such as foxes and cats.If your budget will allow you should buy a rabbit run. This provides a protected area in which the rabbit can run around and play.

Nutrition is an important consideration when feeding your rabbit and they need to eat digestible and indigestible fibre.Rabbits digest their food twice, which is why this is important.Your rabbit does not need a high level of articicial sugar in its diet, so make sure you don’t feed it mass market rabbit museli.Search out a specialist rabbit food which contains the two essential fibres and you are giving your rabbit the best chance of a long and happy life.These specialist products are affordable and generally available from a specialist pet centre, vet or online specialist retail outlet.Rabbits love a treat, so offer it healthy and tasty snacks like fresh apple, chopped cabbage and juicy tomatoes.

Pets thrive in a loving home, and by following these simple guidelines you are playing your part in being a responsible pet owner.

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Pet Rabbit Care – Help For Choosing A Rabbit

Learn More About The Different Types Of Rabbit Food

GuestW — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:24:11 +0000

Most pet owners know that a rabbit’s diet will consist of things like water, pellets and vegetables. Fruit and other treats are given only in very limited quantities, as they can cause obesity in a rabbit. Your furry friend also needs a supply of water to prevent them from dehydrating, which is a common problem with rabbits. Now lets look at some more information to guide you in the right direction with your rabbit food.

Pellets

Feeding rabbits pellets is common practice and these are available from a wide range of pet stores, both online and offline. Pellets were originally designed for rabbit breeders for the purpose of providing as much food energy and vitamins as inexpensively as possible.

Hay

Of course, we all know that rabbits need some hay. A steady supply of hay will help prevent digestive tract problems in rabbits. Additionally, it provides a number of necessary vitamins and minerals at a low food energy cost. You’ll be hard pushed to find a rabbit that doesn’t enjoy chewing hay, and apart from anything else it is a great boredom solver.

Treats

Rabbit food also comes in the form of treats. But do bear in mind that treats can be very unhealthy if you give them out too often. In pet stores, you will often find that a lot of the treats are full of carbs and high in sugar. So, if you really want to treat your rabbit, you should feed them fruit.

Here is a helpful list of just some of the fruits that are best to feed your rabbit: Peach, Banana and Pineapple…and bear in mind that any seeds should eb taken out before giving it to your pet.

Like you already know, any sort of treats should be fed in moderation so that your rabbit doesn’t suffer health problems. A good tip is to make sure that the rabbit’s diet doesn’t consist of any more than ½ a tablespoon of treats each day. Just make sure your rabbit doesn’t get more than half a tablespoon of treats a day.

Just like with humans though, fruits don’t digest quickly, so don’t give fruit to your rabbit who is under 4 months old. The worst case scenario is when fruit can cause enteritis which can be deadly in a very short space of time.

While a common myth that rabbits should be given lettuce, this is not a good idea because it contains little to no nutritional value for the rabbit and again can cause enteritis, which leads to a quick death.

Cecal pellets

Although an unpleasant sight, some rabbits do eat their own faeces, so please don’t panic if you see this. The official name for these is ‘cecal’ pellets and they are actually an important part of a rabbit’s diet. Cecal pellets are soft, smelly, clumpy faeces, and are a rabbit’s only supply of Vitamin B12. Due to the design of the rabbit’s digestive system, they cannot extract some vitamins and minerals directly from their food, so that is why they eat faeces. Don’t panic though, as this is normal practice.

Learn More About The Different Types Of Rabbit Food is a post from: my Pet Kingdom

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Pet Rabbit Care – Help For Choosing A Rabbit

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The Best Way To Care For A Rabbit

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Learn More About The Different Types Of Rabbit Food