Basic Rabbit Care
For a more in depth look at rabbit care, you can check out The Nature Trail website which is a plethora of rabbit information. This here links directly to the rabbit care section.
Cage: First thing to think about is a cage. You can use either a wire cage or a solid floor ex-pen style cage. If you're going to use a wire cage, try and get one that's at least 18 x 24. Also make sure there is a sliding tray for their poop/pee to drop through as it isn't good for rabbits to sit in their own pee and feces. Some will recommend getting a piece of board or something to give the rabbits a chance to rest their feet, but honestly, rabbits will usually just lounge on their stomachs on the wire and that is the same thing as they're not on their feet. The wire is pretty soft too and if it's the proper gauge, it shouldn't hurt the rabbits feet at all.
If you have the room and are getting a young rabbit (they are far easier to litter train), then definitely try the ex-pen. You can give them more space too which can avoid your rabbit becoming aggressive of its area as it matures. Here you can see a bunch of examples of the many ideas ex-pens owners have come up with: http://www.sandiegorabbits.org/housing/x-pen-living-can-improve-your-rabbits-life.
Another reason I recommend ex-pens for pet rabbits is because it includes them more in your every day life. We have a Flemish Giant rabbit in a large ex-pen style cage right in our dining room. As soon as I wake up, he is at the door waiting for his food. He can also see what's going on all day and will ask to come out when he feels like it by chewing at the part of the pen that opens. I can leave the ex-pen wide open as well, so he can return when he has to go to the bathroom and/or just doesn't feel like exploring anymore.
If you have the room and are getting a young rabbit (they are far easier to litter train), then definitely try the ex-pen. You can give them more space too which can avoid your rabbit becoming aggressive of its area as it matures. Here you can see a bunch of examples of the many ideas ex-pens owners have come up with: http://www.sandiegorabbits.org/housing/x-pen-living-can-improve-your-rabbits-life.
Another reason I recommend ex-pens for pet rabbits is because it includes them more in your every day life. We have a Flemish Giant rabbit in a large ex-pen style cage right in our dining room. As soon as I wake up, he is at the door waiting for his food. He can also see what's going on all day and will ask to come out when he feels like it by chewing at the part of the pen that opens. I can leave the ex-pen wide open as well, so he can return when he has to go to the bathroom and/or just doesn't feel like exploring anymore.
This is his ex-pen - it's 24" x 72" and even though that sounds huge, you'd be amazed how they can be easily hidden. We hid ours behind the couch, so it's not just this big cage out in the middle of the floor. The rabbits like being able to have a safe place too, so it works out for both parties.
Litter Training: If you're going to use an ex-pen you HAVE to litter train your rabbit. This shouldn't be too difficult if the rabbit is young - adults seems to be hit or miss though. The big thing is to make sure you have a litter pan that is big enough for your bun and then some. It has to be tall enough to catch spray as well. For my Flemish I used a dog litter pan (it's in the back there against the wall). For smaller rabbits, my favorite are these litter boxes that you can buy from Binkybunny.com here. They are the perfect height and can be cleaned easily - they don't retain any odor either. Kitten litters boxes work as well.
To get a litter box ready for use you should coat the bottom evenly with litter pellets (for what type to use look below under litter) and then lay fresh hay on the top. Bunnies like to munch on hay and it's a good enticement to use the litter. It also helps to keep the buns from any kind of staining or wetness. Some say buns like to eat hay while they go to the bathroom..maybe that's true too, but I see my buns pooping a lot while they're eating food too!
When you first bring your bun home,make sure you refine his living area. This means, give him his litter, his food, and water, and close the rest off. The pen should look like all litter box and a small area to step out of it. This going to teach bun to go in the litter box and will only be temporary. If you start a rabbit off with too much space they will just go where ever. I've seen some rabbits that won't even pee in the litter box if given too much space to start. And at bare minimum you need them to pee in that box even if poops are randomly placed around the pen (which happens). Another good trick if you can do it - is if you have a hanging food container - hang it above the litter. Bunnies poop a lot while eating and this is a good way to get some of those poops in the litter. Bunnies do not mind it at all. I see all of my rabbits lounging in their litters - so it's not like it's gross for them. It all goes to the bottom in the litter anyway, while they're sitting on top of that nice hay.
After the first day, you can give your bun a little more space. If they pee on the floor again, go back to square 1. If they continue to do well, keep giving them more space each day. My Flemish is a great example of this because his pen started tiny! He only had his litter and his blue cardboard box and that was it. So each day I was able to give him a little more space based on how well he did..and he barely even poops on the floor anymore. I think there will be like 4 max each day. He NEVER poops or pees in the house though which is the best part about litter training.
Litter: Yesterday's News by Purina is a good option. It's recycled, compressed newspaper and isn't dusty. Make sure you get it without scent as that smelly stuff can bother your rabbit's sensitive nose. This stuff is a dream to clean up. Just get a regular cat scoop and scoop out toe stuff that's been peed on with all the poop. I find the rabbits almost never pee on the entire litter bed, so you can save some money by not dumping the entire thing. Just add in some new pellets and make sure the remaining ones are not wet or funky. A cheaper alternative is to grab some compressed pine pellets at Tractor Supply. You usually have to toss the entire litter though as the pellets disintegrate. Never use cedar bedding!!
Food Pellets: Rabbits don't need much food. Don't give them a big huge bowl filled with food each day. Babies start off needing about 2-3 ounces of food a day which equates to only 1/4 cup. Adults need about 3oz..so sticking with a 1/4 cup will work. More than that and your rabbit will get fat and potentially unhealthy.
The pellets should be 15-16% protein, 2-3.5% fat, and 20-27% fiber for a mature dwarf. Salt should be included in the pellets - so make sure it is. All food bags have a make up list on a label. I get my food from a local feed supply store, make sure whatever you get - you can get year round so that you don't run out. Transitioning food can be dangerous as the rabbit's digestive system will not want to accept the new food. You will have to mix it half and half with the old and new good together for awhile before they will even adjust to it.
Timothy Hay: This is a huge component of the rabbit's diet and you need lots of it. Try to get it as fresh as possible and to avoid getting a commercial brand as they tend to sit on the shelf for a long time and not only lose nutrition, but gather dust. Dust is horrible for your rabbit and will cause excess sneezing, runny noses, etc. If you have to buy the commercial stuff, make sure you shake it out before giving it to your rabbit. If you have your bun litter trained, then you will just be putting fresh handfuls of hay into the litter each day.
Rabbits also enjoy mixtures that include other ingredients such as blue grass and orchard hay.
Fresh Food: Try and hold off on giving your rabbit any of these fresh foods until they are about 6 months old. At this point the rabbit's digestive system is mature enough to handle it without complication. Some people suggest giving rabbits fresh food each day, but I like to give it sparingly as you want to make sure they are getting enough hay. If they are full on pellets and veggies, they may be less likely to eat all their hay.
(Some of this list borrowed from http://www.coloradohrs.org/articles/diet_veggies_generic.asp - Go there to see more detail)
Good vegetation: raddish/carrot tops, dandelion leaves, parsley, stuff like that.
NEVER give these foods to a rabbit:
TOXIC: Dried Beans Onions Raw Beans such as Lima, Kidney, and Soy Rhubarb Leaves
Rich in compounds which destroy nutrients: Bamboo Shoots Bracken Fern Cassava Coffee Plants Lima Beans Maize Millet Sweet Potatoes Tea Leaves
High in starches which can cause severe digestive upsets, gas, and bloating, which can be deadly: Cooked protein-rich beans of any kind Dried Corn Dried Peas Grains other than as described above Jicama Nuts Potatoes (even the peel) Raw protein-rich beans of any kind Sweet Peas Whole Kernel Corn of any kind (fresh, frozen, or canned - even the husks around the kernels can cause impaction) Whole Seeds
Has no nutritional value: Iceberg Lettuce
Water Bottle / Bowl: This should be a no brainer! Your rabbit needs access to water all day. Use whichever works best for you. I have some that prefer one or the other. I'll let you know what the case is when you purchase the rabbit - which it prefers.
Toys/ Treats for Teeth: Rabbits love boxes and carboard to chew on. Some like toilet paper rolls, some like actual strips of cardboard to chew on. Some even like little cardboard boxes to hide in. Another good idea for a treat is to give the rabbit some willow sticks to munch on. This is important not just as entertainment to the rabbit, but also to keep their teeth trimmed. Rabbit teeth never stop growing, so they need to have access to a means to 'trim' them by chewing.
Litter Training: If you're going to use an ex-pen you HAVE to litter train your rabbit. This shouldn't be too difficult if the rabbit is young - adults seems to be hit or miss though. The big thing is to make sure you have a litter pan that is big enough for your bun and then some. It has to be tall enough to catch spray as well. For my Flemish I used a dog litter pan (it's in the back there against the wall). For smaller rabbits, my favorite are these litter boxes that you can buy from Binkybunny.com here. They are the perfect height and can be cleaned easily - they don't retain any odor either. Kitten litters boxes work as well.
To get a litter box ready for use you should coat the bottom evenly with litter pellets (for what type to use look below under litter) and then lay fresh hay on the top. Bunnies like to munch on hay and it's a good enticement to use the litter. It also helps to keep the buns from any kind of staining or wetness. Some say buns like to eat hay while they go to the bathroom..maybe that's true too, but I see my buns pooping a lot while they're eating food too!
When you first bring your bun home,make sure you refine his living area. This means, give him his litter, his food, and water, and close the rest off. The pen should look like all litter box and a small area to step out of it. This going to teach bun to go in the litter box and will only be temporary. If you start a rabbit off with too much space they will just go where ever. I've seen some rabbits that won't even pee in the litter box if given too much space to start. And at bare minimum you need them to pee in that box even if poops are randomly placed around the pen (which happens). Another good trick if you can do it - is if you have a hanging food container - hang it above the litter. Bunnies poop a lot while eating and this is a good way to get some of those poops in the litter. Bunnies do not mind it at all. I see all of my rabbits lounging in their litters - so it's not like it's gross for them. It all goes to the bottom in the litter anyway, while they're sitting on top of that nice hay.
After the first day, you can give your bun a little more space. If they pee on the floor again, go back to square 1. If they continue to do well, keep giving them more space each day. My Flemish is a great example of this because his pen started tiny! He only had his litter and his blue cardboard box and that was it. So each day I was able to give him a little more space based on how well he did..and he barely even poops on the floor anymore. I think there will be like 4 max each day. He NEVER poops or pees in the house though which is the best part about litter training.
Litter: Yesterday's News by Purina is a good option. It's recycled, compressed newspaper and isn't dusty. Make sure you get it without scent as that smelly stuff can bother your rabbit's sensitive nose. This stuff is a dream to clean up. Just get a regular cat scoop and scoop out toe stuff that's been peed on with all the poop. I find the rabbits almost never pee on the entire litter bed, so you can save some money by not dumping the entire thing. Just add in some new pellets and make sure the remaining ones are not wet or funky. A cheaper alternative is to grab some compressed pine pellets at Tractor Supply. You usually have to toss the entire litter though as the pellets disintegrate. Never use cedar bedding!!
Food Pellets: Rabbits don't need much food. Don't give them a big huge bowl filled with food each day. Babies start off needing about 2-3 ounces of food a day which equates to only 1/4 cup. Adults need about 3oz..so sticking with a 1/4 cup will work. More than that and your rabbit will get fat and potentially unhealthy.
The pellets should be 15-16% protein, 2-3.5% fat, and 20-27% fiber for a mature dwarf. Salt should be included in the pellets - so make sure it is. All food bags have a make up list on a label. I get my food from a local feed supply store, make sure whatever you get - you can get year round so that you don't run out. Transitioning food can be dangerous as the rabbit's digestive system will not want to accept the new food. You will have to mix it half and half with the old and new good together for awhile before they will even adjust to it.
Timothy Hay: This is a huge component of the rabbit's diet and you need lots of it. Try to get it as fresh as possible and to avoid getting a commercial brand as they tend to sit on the shelf for a long time and not only lose nutrition, but gather dust. Dust is horrible for your rabbit and will cause excess sneezing, runny noses, etc. If you have to buy the commercial stuff, make sure you shake it out before giving it to your rabbit. If you have your bun litter trained, then you will just be putting fresh handfuls of hay into the litter each day.
Rabbits also enjoy mixtures that include other ingredients such as blue grass and orchard hay.
Fresh Food: Try and hold off on giving your rabbit any of these fresh foods until they are about 6 months old. At this point the rabbit's digestive system is mature enough to handle it without complication. Some people suggest giving rabbits fresh food each day, but I like to give it sparingly as you want to make sure they are getting enough hay. If they are full on pellets and veggies, they may be less likely to eat all their hay.
(Some of this list borrowed from http://www.coloradohrs.org/articles/diet_veggies_generic.asp - Go there to see more detail)
Good vegetation: raddish/carrot tops, dandelion leaves, parsley, stuff like that.
NEVER give these foods to a rabbit:
TOXIC: Dried Beans Onions Raw Beans such as Lima, Kidney, and Soy Rhubarb Leaves
Rich in compounds which destroy nutrients: Bamboo Shoots Bracken Fern Cassava Coffee Plants Lima Beans Maize Millet Sweet Potatoes Tea Leaves
High in starches which can cause severe digestive upsets, gas, and bloating, which can be deadly: Cooked protein-rich beans of any kind Dried Corn Dried Peas Grains other than as described above Jicama Nuts Potatoes (even the peel) Raw protein-rich beans of any kind Sweet Peas Whole Kernel Corn of any kind (fresh, frozen, or canned - even the husks around the kernels can cause impaction) Whole Seeds
Has no nutritional value: Iceberg Lettuce
Water Bottle / Bowl: This should be a no brainer! Your rabbit needs access to water all day. Use whichever works best for you. I have some that prefer one or the other. I'll let you know what the case is when you purchase the rabbit - which it prefers.
Toys/ Treats for Teeth: Rabbits love boxes and carboard to chew on. Some like toilet paper rolls, some like actual strips of cardboard to chew on. Some even like little cardboard boxes to hide in. Another good idea for a treat is to give the rabbit some willow sticks to munch on. This is important not just as entertainment to the rabbit, but also to keep their teeth trimmed. Rabbit teeth never stop growing, so they need to have access to a means to 'trim' them by chewing.