How to Care for a Rabbit
By: Sara Sahebi
Holladay 2700
Table of Contents
iii
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iii
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... v
Chapter 1 Feeding Habits................................................................................................................ 9
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 9
Feeding Habits of the Rabbit from Birth till Teen ...................................................................... 9
Feeding Habits of the Rabbit from Teen till Adult ................................................................... 10
Feeding Habits for an Adult Rabbit .......................................................................................... 10
Health risks of an Unhealthy Diet ............................................................................................. 11
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 11
Chapter 2 Rabbits’ Exercise and Skeleton .................................................................................... 15
Introduction into exercise ......................................................................................................... 15
Exercise Schedule for a Young Rabbit ..................................................................................... 15
Exercise Schedule for an Adult Rabbit ..................................................................................... 16
Conclusion to Exercise Schedule .............................................................................................. 17
The Skeleton of the Rabbit ....................................................................................................... 17
The use of the Rabbit Skeleton and its parts ............................................................................. 18
Conclusion of the whole ........................................................................................................... 18
Chapter 3 Health ........................................................................................................................... 21
Introduction into Doctor Visits ................................................................................................. 21
Occasional Doctor visits ........................................................................................................... 21
Tips to Knowing if your Rabbit is Sick .................................................................................... 21
Conclusion of Health and Doctor ............................................................................................. 22
Introduction into Health and Weather....................................................................................... 22
Seasons of the year.................................................................................................................... 23
Conclusion to Health and Weather ........................................................................................... 24
Chapter 4 Reproduction in Nature ................................................................................................ 27
Introduction into Reproduction ................................................................................................. 27
General Rabbit Information about Breeding............................................................................. 27
iv
How To Care for a Rabbit
The baby rabbits Appearance.................................................................................................... 28
Whom you can breed and why? ................................................................................................ 28
Same Sex interaction................................................................................................................. 29
Conclusion as a whole .............................................................................................................. 29
Index ............................................................................................................................................. 31
Introduction
v
Introduction
Caring for a rabbit isn’t as easy as some may think. You must treat it with the same amount of
love and respect as any other animal. Specific rabbit requirements such as taking it to the doctor
and knowing the correct amounts to feed and exercise it are crucial when having a rabbit. This
manual will give you the guidelines along with other neat facts about rabbits. From the rabbits’
feeding habits, to the amount of exercise they require. With years of experience having my own
rabbits and hours spent of my own time to write this manual, my goal is to help people raise their
own rabbit.
Chapter 1
Feeding Habits
Chapter 1
9
Chapter 1 Feeding Habits
Introduction
When you first get a rabbit one of the first things the clerk will ask is, if you would like to buy
the cage and the food. Whether you agree or not to buy the food they will recommend you some
store foods such as LM Animal Farms, Bonanza, Russel Rabbit Foods, Natures Promise, or any
other brands that might be out there. Feeding the rabbit store bought food as a daily meal isn’t
good for a healthy rabbit diet. Here in Chapter 1 Feeding Habits we will talk about the rabbits’:




Feeding diet from birth till teen
Feeding diet from teen till adult
Feeding diet for an adult
Health risks of an unhealthy diet.
The goal of this chapter is to inform you of a long lasting healthy rabbit diet. So your rabbit will
survive years to come.
Feeding Habits of the Rabbit from Birth till Teen
After the baby rabbits are born they are will be getting their food strictly from their mother. The
rabbits will drink their mothers’ milk from birth till they are about 3-4 weeks old. The mother
will feed the rabbits approximately every couple of hours when born but will gradually decrease
to a couple of times a day. Then from about four to seven weeks of age the baby rabbits will
continue to drink their mothers’ milk but also a little bit of alfalfa (small plants) and some pellets
(store food) shown in figure 1. The mother at this age will on occasional deny the rabbits milk
forcing them to feed for their own. It’s important at this age to introduce the baby rabbits to a
small bit of hay.
Figure 1: Baby bunny being introduced to pellets.
10
How To Care for a Rabbit
Feeding Habits of the Rabbit from Teen till Adult
A rabbit is considered a teen from the age of 7-12 weeks. At this time the rabbit will be
completely off his or her mothers milk. The rabbits will eat solely plants and hay shown in figure
2. Hay is crucial during this stage because hay provides fiber needed to regulate the rabbits’
digestive system. Timothy hay (grass hay) is most recommended over alfalfa since it is lower in
calcium, protein, and fat. You may wonder why that’s bad to lower protein and calcium in a
rabbits’ diet? Will a rabbits digestive system is designed to collect nourishment by foraging from
low- nutrient foods, so high calcium, protein, and fat can damage its digestive system. At this age
the teen rabbits will still eat pellets but try to start limiting the amount of pellets consumed
because pellets are high on fat and are the number 1 cause of obesity in rabbits.
Figure 2: Teen Rabbit eating Hay.
Feeding Habits for an Adult Rabbit
At about 12 weeks the teen rabbits are now considered adults and are recommended to start
eating vegetables as shown in figure 3. At this age the rabbits will eat unlimited amounts of hay
and should be monitored at the amount of pellets he or she eats. Rabbits can eat a variety of
different kinds of vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, and anything that is a dark green color.
They can also eat fruits such as apples, tomatoes, and corn, watch out if you have a garden or
fruit trees the rabbits will eat your fruits and the leafs.
Figure 3: Adult rabbits being introduced to veggies.
Figure 4: Adult Rabbit eating.
Chapter 1
11
Health risks of an Unhealthy Diet
Weight is one of the biggest issues with rabbits. Maintaining a healthy diet is crucial for the
rabbit not getting overweight. To many pellets is the number one cause of obesity but pellets
aren’t the only way for a rabbit to get obese. Too much of any kind of food can cause the rabbit
to get obese such as figure 5. When a rabbit gets obese they can’t get the exercise they need to
keep their body in shape. Make sure you limit the amount of food that goes into the rabbit by
giving them a variety of different kinds foods including hay, vegetables, fruits, and pellets.
Rabbits should only be feed an average of 3-4 times a day not any more. If they do get sick take
them to a doctor right away before trying to fix the rabbit with your own hands.
Figure 5: An obese adult rabbit.
Conclusion
In conclusion make sure you to create a healthy diet for your rabbit. Feed the rabbits regularly
and they will have a longer healthier life that a pet lover like you hopes for. So when you go to
buy a rabbit and they offer you a bag of store bought food its ok to buy it but don’t make that
your only food source to give your rabbit. Learning about your rabbits’ food diet is the first step
to a healthier rabbit.
.
Chapter 2
Rabbit Exercise and Skeleton
Chapter 2
15
Chapter 2 Rabbits’ Exercise and Skeleton
Introduction into exercise
Rabbits as you may know are designed to run very fast in short bursts to dodge and escape
predators in the wild; this is why you often see rabbits leaping in the air and racing around
randomly. Because of this rabbits are required to have 4 hours minimum outside. Exercise helps
both young and older rabbits. In young rabbits exercise helps develop a healthy bone structure,
and in adult rabbits it helps maintain a healthy physique. In this section in Chapter 2 we will
discuss:


Exercise schedule for a young rabbit.
Exercise schedule for an adult rabbit.
At the end of this section of chapter 2 you should have a ground base of how often and long you
should allow your rabbit to run around outside.
Exercise Schedule for a Young Rabbit
As a baby rabbit some people might have the initiative to keep them locked in their cages. That
isn’t good for the baby rabbits’ health they could develop a physical or behavioral disorder.
Although it is good to monitor the baby bunny it when its’ playing outside, do not keep it in its
cage all the time. A minimum of 4 hours a day outside is highly recommended for both adult and
young rabbits. The first 2 hours should be in the morning and the last should be in the afternoon.
Younger rabbits tend to be more active and energetic, they will bite or chew on the bars of their
cage or on furniture if they are bored such as figure 1 where a young rabbit has chewed through
the mouse wire. That is the bunnies way of saying “let me run outside”.
Figure 1: Young rabbit chewed through wire of mouse.
16
How To Care for a Rabbit
When the rabbit is a baby though you must keep a close watch on him or her when let outside
especially at nights. Bigger animals such as cats, dogs, or big birds (all shown in figure 2, 3, and
4) will attack the baby bunny. Until the rabbits reach a certain age of teen-adult try to monitor
them when they are outside. Don’t leave the rabbits overnight or alone for to long, put them in
their cage or inside while they are still young.
Figure 2: Dog
Figure 3: Cat
Figure 4: Hawk
Exercise Schedule for an Adult Rabbit
When the rabbit gets older they have a less chance of getting attacked so leaving them outside
isn’t too worrisome. Still don’t allow dogs or cats around him or her if they aren’t used to the
rabbit already. Other bigger animals though are less likely to attack the rabbit once it has gotten
bigger. As an adult rabbit they are still required to have around 4 hours of exercise time
minimum, 2 during the morning 2 at night. You might start to notice though that elderly rabbits
tend to rest more instead of exercise. The elderly rabbits aren’t as energetic as the younger ones
and instead of running around they like to find a nice spot and lay down such as figure 5.
Figure 5: Adult rabbit resting outside.
That is completely normal for an elderly rabbit and should still be let out regardless. The fresh air
and little exercise the rabbits get still make a difference in its health.
Chapter 2
17
Conclusion to Exercise Schedule
Young and old are the basic difference in the exercise habits the rabbit might have. Other
differences include breed and de-sexed. Larger breeds tend to be less active than smaller or
dwarf breeds, while neutered or spayed rabbits slow down a little and put on weight more easily.
Nevertheless, both need approximately 4 hours of exercise to keep their body in shape.
The Skeleton of the Rabbit
In 1965 it was discovered that 51% percent of the rabbits skeletons are marrow, with 2/3 in the
flat bones and 1/3 in the long bones. Within those skeletons there are 23 types of bones that
make up the rabbits skeleton: Cranium, scapula, spine, fibula, tibia, femur, ilium, sacrum, caudal
vertebrae, calcaneus, tarsus, metatarsus, phalanges, ulna, ribs, radius, carpus, metacarpus,
sternum, cervical, vertebrae, atlas, mandible and maxilla all of which are shown below in figure
6.
Figure 6: Skeleton of the rabbit
18
How To Care for a Rabbit
The use of the Rabbit Skeleton and its parts
When it comes to aging for rabbits’ arthritis is very common, you may notice older rabbits
starting to slow down and rest a lot more. Gentleness is also a must when considering a rabbit.
Due to the rabbits soft skeletal structure if you drop or squeeze a rabbit to hard they can break
their back or dislocate their limbs. The two most unique parts of a rabbit are its hind legs and its
ears.
Hind legs
A rabbits hind legs can run extremely fast, but cannot sustain a full run for very long. Their
main method of escape is to run fast in various directions (which they can do quickly because of
their light weight) in the hopes to evade their pursuer before it is too late. Depending on the
breed the rabbits can run as fast as 47 mph (jackrabbit fastest rabbit in the world) or 27 mph
(snowshoe hare), but the average house rabbit if you’re chasing it can run 20mph. Now that is
fast!
Ears
Another interesting unique part of a rabbit is its ears. Rabbits have very good hearing due to their
long and broad-lobed ears. They are able to hear many more sounds than humans cannot. It is not
documented just how far rabbits can hear although it has been shown that they can rotate their
ears up to a 270 degrees span and can monitor more than one sound, from multiple directions.
Rabbit’s ears are not only for hearing, but also for heat regulation. Their ears make up 12 percent
of their total body surface area, allowing them to release heat when they are too hot. Rabbits
don’t do well in very hot climates, so they need their ears to help them when it’s hot.
Conclusion of the whole
Rabbits are very different then us human skeletal ways, they relay on different parts of their
bodies more then we do. Ways such as their ears helping them release heat or their hind legs
running fast in all different sharp directions. Furthermore, like us rabbits need a good amount of
exercise to develop their legs and skeletal muscles. Make sure your rabbit gets plenty of exercise,
let them out when you are watering your plants, reading a book outside, or doing some BBQ, any
kind of excuse to let them out and enjoy the fun with the family can benefit both of you.
19
Chapter 3
Health
Chapter 3
21
Chapter 3 Health
Introduction into Doctor Visits
Lucky for you rabbits don’t need that many shots or vaccines like dogs and cats do, but being on
the bottom of the food chain rabbits are the weakest and can get sick easily. When rabbits get
sick they tend to hide their sickness very well, which is a good tactic when they are trying to
survive in the wild, but for household rabbits it’s a very bad habit. One tip of advice when you
get a rabbit find a veterinarian so when they get sick you wont have to be vet shopping in panic.
Occasional Doctor visits
It’s important when you first get a rabbit to go get him or her checked by a veterinarian such as
figure 1. The bunny may not be sick but it’s good to make sure he or she is growing properly. A
checkup with the vet an average of once a year benefits your rabbit from getting sick later on.
Another good reason to visit the doctor is to get the rabbit neutered before they start having
babies, which we will talk about in a later chapter.
Figure 1: Doctor checking rabbit annually.
Tips to Knowing if your Rabbit is Sick
Here are a few tips on finding out if your rabbit is sick and needs medical attention:
1.) Odd Behavior: If you see any odd behavior (if the rabbit normally greats you by
jumping up and down but now he or she is more quiet and down.)
2.) Tooth Grinding: if you hear a loud tooth grinding that is normally a sound of pain.
3.) Body Heat: Rabbits regulate their heat with their ears. Very cold or hot ears can mean a
fever or a drop in body temperature.
22
How To Care for a Rabbit
4.) Runny eyes or nose, labored breathing or chronic sneezing (a lot of sneezing): this
can be a result of allergies, upper respiratory infection, a blocked tear duct, or other
problems see your vet right away for medicine such as figure 2.
Figure 2: rabbit receiving medical treatment.
5.) Chin wet or drooling: usually a sign of tooth problems, you might also see a lack of
appetite and unable to eat hard foods such as carrots. Treat right away because this can
cause jaw infections or loss of teeth, which is difficult and expensive to treat.
6.) Loss of balance or head tilt: often called wry neck, typically an inner ear infection. Can
be cured quickly if treated right away.
7.) In one end out the other: A healthy rabbit will produce round and brown pellets.
Increasingly smaller, irregular shaped, or strung together pellets with fur can indicate a
problem. Hay is a good way to prevent these bathroom problems.
8.) Loss of appetite: Every rabbit has a bad hare day but if a rabbit repeatedly refuses to eat
its normal foods contact the vet to see what’s wrong.
Conclusion of Health and Doctor
We encourage you to observe your rabbit’s behavior, droppings, and activity level daily. Annual
doctor visit is a great way to find out if your doing a good job. Remember that each rabbit is
different and knowing what is normal for you rabbit might save its life.
Introduction into Health and Weather
In this section we will talk about what you should do with your rabbit to protect him or her from
getting sick during the different seasons of the year. First we will start off with the hottest season
of the year summer and then end with the coldest season of the year winter.
Chapter 3
23
Seasons of the year
Figure 3: Summer
Figure 4: Autumn
Figure 5: Winter
Figure 6: spring
Summer
Summer is the hottest season of the year and rabbits don’t tolerate the heat very well. They can
easily die of overheat. Make sure if you keep your rabbit outside in a cage that you keep him or
her in a shaded area with plenty of cool water by putting a few ice chips in it (2-3 small blocks).
Try having a fan running right in front of rabbits to keep their body temperature down. Spraying
the rabbits with some water can be helpful as well to keep their temperature down. Figure 3
shows a picture of rabbit during the summer.
Autumn & Spring
Rabbits do not hibernate so in the autumn they do what they normally do. This is normal weather
that they will enjoy so running and jumping around is common you should see no difference in
their behavior. Figure 4 shows a rabbit during autumn. Rabbits’ during the spring are also normal
with the exception of them multiplying. Around springtime is when the rabbits finish their
breading season and will feel more comfortable coming out and finding food with their young.
Figure 6 is a rabbit during spring.
Winter
For winter it gets very cold especially for rabbits. When you hear it’s going to be freezing or
below 20 degrees bring in your rabbit to either your garage or a warmer place. If you would
rather leave your rabbit outside put a sheet or a blanket on top of the rabbit and try to keep him
or her close to the house where there is a source of heat. When letting the rabbit exercise watch it
for about 2 hours then put him back inside. Figure 5 is a rabbit during winter.
24
How To Care for a Rabbit
Conclusion to Health and Weather
Health and weather are tied between rabbit and owner. The owner must be able to read their
rabbit. Learning their behavior is all is important to keep your rabbit healthy and connecting with
your rabbit.
25
Chapter 4
Reproduction In Nature
Chapter 4
27
Chapter 4 Reproduction in Nature
Introduction into Reproduction
A female rabbit is called a doe, and a male rabbit is called a buck. When they are referred to as
parents they are known as a dam and a sire. When it is their breeding time it’s called the
gestation period that is when the mother creates what is called a nest (a hole in the ground).
Same sex rabbits don’t tend to get along very well. After a certain age the parent rabbits will
attack the babies this is the sign that it is time for the babies to be on their own. Here in this
section we will talk about:




General rabbit information about breeding.
The baby rabbit’s appearance.
Whom you can breed and why?
Same sex interaction.
We hope by the end of this you can get a good knowledge of how the rabbit reproduction works.
How often you should expect them to have a litter of baby rabbits and what kind of response they
will have with the same sex interaction.
General Rabbit Information about Breeding
A baby girl rabbit also known as a doe is ready to start breeding at the age of 5 months. Contact
your local vet for more details about neutering. A boy or a buck is ready to start breeding at the
age of 6 months and will try to breed with any girl no matter the age even if she is too young to
produce young. If you plan on breading try to bread only rabbits of the same breed. A girl rabbit
can produce 6 to 12 babies per month as shown in figure 1 a litter or 6 babies and figure 2 a litter
of 8 babies.
Figure 1: a litter of 6 babies.
Figure 2: a litter of 8 babies.
28
How To Care for a Rabbit
The baby rabbits Appearance
When the baby rabbits are born they are pink, and furless such as figure 3. The babies will have
their eyes shut and will only be able to squirm around looking for their mother’s milk. When
born the rabbits will be in a ball of what is their mothers’ loose fur. They will spend most of their
time sleeping and waiting for their mother to feed them. They will look like this until they are a
couple of weeks old when they will open their eyes and start to grow some fur such as figure 4.
After a few more weeks they will be able to hop and around and interact with one another such
as figure 5.
Figure 3: Newborn bunny. Figure 4: Couple of weeks.
Figure 5: An older bunny.
Whom you can breed and why?
If you decide you would actually like to breed rabbits of your own there are a few things to keep
in mind:
1.) Keep the same breed of rabbits together, and different breads such as long eared rabbits
and dwarf rabbits separate shown in figure 6 and 7.
2.) Never breed brother and sister for genetic reasons.
3.) Mother to son is fine to breed.
4.) Father to daughter is also fine to breed.
5.) Breeding cousins is also fine to breed.
Figure 6: Long eared rabbit.
Figure 7: Dwarf rabbit.
Chapter 4
29
Be careful if you decide to breed make sure you have a good idea about genetics mixing colors
such as a black, white and brown rabbits could result in a mixture of colors.
Same Sex interaction
After the baby rabbits turn a certain age the same sexes will start to fight. The mother and
daughters, father and sons, brother and brother, sister and sister, etc. will start to attack each
other violently. At this stage its time to separate the same sexes from each other and let them find
their own partners. Although rabbits may not like interacting with the same sex of their own kind
they are very friendly sociable creatures and like to play along with other animals like squirrels
and guinea pigs. They always try to find someone to keep them company when you aren’t paying
attention.
Conclusion as a whole
Rabbits are very lovable passionate creatures. Keep in mind the mature age for both a male and a
female and plan on getting them neutered as soon as possible if you don’t want babies. If you
plan on breeding the rabbits keep in mind you will be receiving a litter of 6-12 babies each
month and we wish you the best of luck.
Index
31
Citation
Author, Unknown. January 28, 2012. Funny and cute rabbits. http://www.funnypica.com/funnyand-cute-rabbits-130-pictures-collection/
Author, Unkown. April13, 2013 myhouserabit. http://www.myhouserabbit.com/photos.php
Baccam, Ashley. February 11, 2011. 100 pictures of rabbits to bring you good luck this year.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleybaccam/100-rabbits-to-bring-you-good-luck-for-the-lunar-n
Vanderhoek, Zoe. August, 2012. Rabbitbreeders.us. http://rabbitbreeders.us/pictures-ofrabbits#cute
Mcleod, Lianne. April 12, 2013. Rabbit picutres/ rabbit gallery.
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/rabbits/ig/Rabbit-Photo-Gallery/
Index
33
Index
adult, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16
autumn, 23
baby rabbits, iv, 9, 28
Bigger animals, 16
breed, iv, 17, 18, 27, 28
Caring, v
diet, 9, 11
Doctor, iii, 21, 22
Exercise, iii, 13, 15, 16, 17
female, 27, 29
hearing, 18
heat, 18, 22, 23
hind legs, 18
household rabbits, 21
Loss of appetite, 22
male, 27, 29
neutered, 17, 21, 27, 29
obesity, 10, 11
odd behavior, 21
pellets, 9, 10, 11, 22
Rabbit, 1, iii, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18,
21, 27
sexes, 29
sick, 11, 21, 22
Skeleton, iii, 13, 15, 17, 18
spring, 23
Summer, 23
teen, 9, 10, 16
tooth grinding, 21
tooth problems, 22
vegetables, 10
Weight, 11
winter, 23
wry neck, 22