Think Rabbit!
Information for Rabbit Owners
At A+G Vets, we have written this leaflet to ensure you and your rabbit get the most out of
each other. We hope that you find this leaflet useful & informative and it helps keep your
rabbit happy & healthy.
Nutrition
As pets, we keep rabbits in hutches, we provide a bowl of food and little bits of veggies and
hope this keeps them happy! Wrong! In the wild, rabbits would spend around 80% of their
day foraging for food, eating grass, grass and more grass – they do not need variety and
certainly any changes in diet can cause gut upsets.
The best way to feed a pet rabbit is to mimic the diet of their wild “cousins”, so if your rabbit
already eats a lot of grass & hay, then you’re on the right track straight away. If not, it is easy
to change to rabbit’s diet, although it should be done gradually over a course of 2 weeks.
The bulk of your rabbit’s diet should be made up of grass – either fresh, kiln-dried or hay.
This should make up at least 75% of their diet. The best hay is either Timothy or Meadow
hay; these have long strands which encourage proper chewing & grinding which is beneficial
for their teeth.
The next part of the diet should be green vegetables – such as curly kale, broccoli, cabbage,
(not lettuce) – this should make up about 20% of their daily ration.
Finally, you can supplement their “green” diet with a commercially produced feed. We would
recommend Supa Rabbit or Supreme Selective. These diets have the correct portion of
vitamins & minerals to ensure a healthy gut. This food should only make up a tiny amount of
your rabbit’s daily ration, less than 5%. An egg-cupful daily would be enough for a Dwarf
rabbit, split into 2 feeds. With commercial muesli diets, the rabbit needs to eat every single
piece of it, to ensure a balanced diet – that includes the little barley husks, which are always
left at the bottom of the bowl!
Caecatrophs – because a rabbit’s natural diet (grass) is quite difficult to digest, rabbits have
developed a very clever way of utilising all the vitamins & minerals from their diet. They
produce small, soft pellets encapsulated in a mucilaginous coating, called caecatrophs. The
rabbits re-eat these and reabsorb more nutrients. These caecatrophs should be eaten at
night and straight from the rabbit’s bottom, so should not be seen by humans.
If caecatrophs are present in large numbers or are not being re-eaten, this often means the
diet is too high in protein, carbohydrate & sugar and low in fibre. If a rabbit is eating a muesli
mix, this can have all these problems in one small bowl. This is easily changed by slowly
altering the diet back to a more natural grass based one.
Other reasons for an inability to perform caecatrophy would be:

Overweight – not able to reach its backend to remove the caecatrophs.

Small hutches – unable to stand upright to reach its backend.

Large dewlaps or folds around the backend.

Arthritis or spinal pain.

Dental problems such as incisor or molar malocclusion.
Environment
Most owners still opt for the traditional wooden hutch for their rabbits. This need to be large
enough to allow the rabbit upright on its back legs and unfortunately, most “starter hutches”
from pet shops are not large enough. The minimum size for a hutch should be 6ft x 2ft x 2ft
and a run should be 6ft x 4ft x 4ft, although a hutch & run can never be too big. Hutches need
to be raised on legs to give protection from damp and to deter vermin. The roof should be
sloped, to allow water to run off and covered with waterproof felt. Rabbits do not tolerate
draughts very well, so it may be wise to purchase a “space blanket” which will protect against
this.
You could also convert a Wendy house or shed with a cat flap to allow free access to the
garden, remember to have adequate ventilation, as these buildings can overheat rapidly in
the summer.
You should never keep a rabbit in a hutch permanently; they are very active animals and
need a minimum of 8 hours exercise per day. If you do not have a run and wish to allow your
rabbit free access to your garden, you must be prepared. Rabbits are natural diggers and
chewers, so nothing in your garden will be sacred! The fence needs to be rabbit-proof;
chicken wire dug 2-3ft underground, will prevent your rabbit from escaping.
As rabbits are naturally prey animals, they like places to hide. Items should as plastic
tunnels, plant pots or boxes are ideal for them to hide in. Ensure all edges are safe and not
sharp, which could cause injury.
If you prefer to allow your rabbit outdoor access in a run, this should have a wire mesh floor,
to prevent the rabbit from digging out. It should also be mobile so the area can be changed
daily to allow the grass to grow naturally. A shelter in the run will provide your rabbit an area
to hide in, if necessary.
Rabbits get bored very quickly and keeping them occupied is very simple. Varying the places
which they get fed or even scattering their food around will encourage them to forage. Hiding
food in toilet rolls or special food balls will also prevent them from becoming bored.
Preventable Problems
Like every responsible pet owner, you want your rabbit to live a long and happy life. There
are two main diseases which rabbits should be vaccinated against – Myxomatosis and Viral
Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD). Both diseases are fatal and all rabbits are at risk, even house
bunnies. Myxomatosis is spread through biting flies, so direct contact with infected rabbits is
not necessary. VHD can be spread by contact with infected items, such as hay, grass or
infected droppings (which may come from your shoes or clothing). The virus is surprisingly
resilient and can survive in the environment for months. To ensure the virus is not caught
from hay, you must purchase kiln-dried grass or dust-extracted hay. For further information
on vaccinations, please read our leaflet entitled “Rabbit Vaccination”.
The next preventable problem is flystrike. The proper term for this is “myiasis” and it occurs
when flies lay eggs upon your rabbit and the eggs then rapidly hatch into maggots,
sometimes within 6 hours. The maggots then bury into the rabbit, causing pain and shock.
Flystrike is often fatal and the rabbit should be brought to the surgery as soon as possible,
even out with normal surgery times.
Rabbits which are at a higher risk of flystrike would be:

Overweight – not being able to clean properly

Large dewlaps or folds around the backend

Long-haired

Arthritis or spinal pain.

Ones whose environment is not cleaned regularly.
It is very important to keep your rabbit’s living quarters clean and dry – flies are attracted to
damp, smelly conditions. Although even rabbits which live in clean conditions may develop
soiled hindquarters and may attract flies. It is important therefore that your rabbit is checked
twice daily, in the summer, including turning them up to look at their bottom.
Dental problems affect a large majority of rabbits. Rabbit teeth never stop growing and
require a high fibre diet to keep their teeth trim.
Unfortunately, many rabbits do not get that diet and their teeth become misaligned. Normally
the back teeth are the first to become a problem, lack of fibre in the diet causes the teeth to
become long and develop sharp edges, this then cause the front teeth to change position,
and possibly start to grow long & curl. Usually owners think that this is the only problem and
ask the vet to “clip the teeth”, when really the main problem is at the back of the mouth. A
good diet should prevent this problem and hopefully your rabbit will be able to avoid an
anaesthetic and dental treatment.
Rabbits’ nails should be checked regularly, as they will grow rapidly if they are on a good
quality diet. If your rabbit has access to the garden, then the nails may be worn down by
digging. If they are mainly in a run, then placing the run on slabs will help to keep the nails
down.
Rabbits don’t really get colds but they can develop respiratory problems, often called
“snuffles”. If your rabbit develops a runny nose, then you should make an appointment to see
the vet. Runny eyes can be the sign of dental problems, as rabbits teeth can grow inside their
jaw causing an impaction on the tear ducts, preventing the tears from being washed away
properly. It can also be the sign of eye infections or even something like a scratch or ulcer –
whatever the reason, your rabbit needs to see the vet. Rabbits can develop ear mites, like
cat & dogs. The main signs of ear mites are crusty areas within the ear, head shaking or
scratching. If you see any of these signs, then your bunny needs to see the vet. Do not be
tempted to pick the scabs out of the ear – it is very painful and your rabbit will not thank you
for it!
Neutering
It is a very good idea to get your rabbit neutered, whether they are male of female. Neutered
rabbits are happier and easier to handle. You can also keep rabbits in multi-sex households
when they are all neutered. It also helps if your rabbit is aggressive to yourself or other
rabbits. Female rabbits (does) are susceptible to uterine cancer and this is a common
reason for death in does over the age of 4 years. Please see our leaflet “Neutering Your
Rabbit” for more information.
Socialisation
Rabbits are very social animals and crave attention, either from other rabbits or humans.
Ideally they should be kept in pairs or acceptable groups. If you have a house rabbit, then
human contact is very important. A male & female combination works best, providing they
are both neutered which removes the risk of unwanted litters. However, neutered same sex
pairs can live quite happily too. Many people keep guinea pigs with their rabbits, as a
companion, this can lead to problems due to size difference, and it is very important to have
an area which the guinea pig can escape to if it feels threaten. Guinea pigs also have a high
requirement for Vitamin C, which is not found in rabbit food. Therefore it is best to feed the
rabbit, guinea pig food.
Introducing rabbits to each other can be a difficult time. Rabbits are very territorial, so don’t
expect to be able to put the new rabbit in straight away. Put the rabbits in cages near each
other, so they can sniff through wire - this will help them get used to each others’ smell.
Swapping litter trays will also help and placing face-cloths with the rabbit’s smell, in the hutch
can also help. Once this step has been completed, then the rabbits can have short periods of
supervised play, in neutral territory, whether neither has been before. Each day, the time can
be lengthened until the rabbits are relaxed together. The whole process could take weeks or
months and some rabbits may never take to their companion. Some rabbits will develop an
instant bond and this can be recognised by mutual grooming.
Finally
Rabbits are not a cheap & easy pet for the children – they require dedication and time.
Rabbits are now the third most popular pet, although many people are ignorant of their needs.
Societies, such as the Rabbit Welfare Association, are a wealth of information.
www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk
www.rabbitwelfarefund.co.uk