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Lettuce Be Friends
I've designated this space on my
site, to inform people of how to care for rabbits. This
information pertains to "pet" people in particular as their experience
with rabbits is usually less than an actual breeder; however, it does
not mean that this information is of no use to breeders either...
all rabbits, pet or show, need to be taken care of!
I am hoping that having this written on my site will help people
understand that being a rabbit breeder with years of experience
(although definitely not claiming to know everything about rabbits by no
means :) gives me the knowledge to share with you how to properly take
care of rabbits. Since this is written by myself, this is how I
expect people to take care of rabbits I sell them :)
Thank you for
taking the time to read this!
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1. Rabbits need a well sheltered place to live. They can thrive in
the cold, however will perish in extreme heat. Whether it is hot
or cold outside, they need to be out of the elements such as snow, sun,
wind & rain. My experience with bunnies in the heat is that if there
is more than one bunny living together they tend to "pile up" instead of
staying apart to cool off. When you have more than one bunny living
together, pay extra attention that they are in a cool place. They run
the extra risk of overheating when they have others to cuddle with. In
general when pertaining to rabbits and temperature/weather, the rule of
thumb is if you wouldn't be comfortable, they
wouldn't be comfortable. Please use common sense :P
2. My rabbits live in wire cages. Their cages are clean as the
feces and urine fall through into trays. The bottom wire must be small enough for
their feet to be well supported (1/2 " X 1") and thick enough to properly support
their weight!!! Chicken wire is not an acceptable floor wire unless the
cage is on the ground and you want the reassurance that he won't dig
himself out. Chicken wire isn't strong enough to support the
rabbit properly nor is it small enough to properly support the rabbits
feet. Rabbits can chew through chicken wire, so don't
use it on the sides of the cage either, because one day when you go out
to your bun, he won't be there ;) I have had many people think that
French Lops can not be in wire cages because it hurts their feet. A lady
that bought some French Lops from me ended up selling them because it
was too much work to clean up after them because she had them in a
solid-floor hutch. Well, yes, that would be a lot of work, so I could
see her frustration! I don't know where she heard this because all of my
Frenchies are in wire cages with wire bottoms. (This is when they are
not out in their rabbit runs having fun digging and chewing the grass ;)
Frenchies have well padded feet which protects their feet. Of course,
common sense should kick in, the bottom wire of the cage must be smooth
and free from rust that might scratch or wear on the rabbit's feet. The
bottom wire must also be free from holes (bigger than 1/2" X 1" wire
that they are supposed to be on ;) that the rabbit can get his feet
caught in a break a leg!
3. Rabbits as a rule live ALONE. I get many phone calls from people wanting
rabbits to live together. I personally don't have much experience with
this as mine are all housed separately once they are properly weaned and
coming into bunny "puberty". RABBITS ARE VERY TERRITORIAL!!!
(Don't let their cuteness fool you ;) There is no guarantee any two
rabbits will get along. Spaying and neutering may help, but is still no
guarantee. If you want to introduce a second rabbit, I suggest (since
you are a responsible pet owner ;) you
have two separate living arrangements prepared for the buns in case they
will not get along.
(I am not saying it can not be done, I am simply stating there is a
possibility of them not getting along.) Best to be prepared then to
ignore that possibility all together. If this is the case, then you will
faced with another problem of owning two bunnies that you don't know
what to do with and having to find one of the bunnies a new home.
4. Rabbits need fresh water at all times. Of course, my biggest
challenge as a breeder is in winter. My experience with winter in
Saskatchewan ;) is that it is best to water the rabbits in plastic
dishes. At least then if/when the water freezes the rabbit at least has
ice to lick. A water bottle end will freeze up very quickly and there
isn't any ice that is assessable to them. Besides that, how the heck
would you like to try lick the metal ball on a water bottle in the
winter?!? (Didn't your mother ever teach you not to lick metal in the
winter???)
5. Rabbits need fresh food. Ration your
rabbit with pellets so they get a fresh serving every day. (Servings
vary from rabbit to rabbit obviously) Once out of pellets, the rabbit
can munch on the timothy hay you will give them regularly for fiber.
(Watch out for moldy hay.) Alfalfa hay is too rich and may cause
diarrhea! NO VEGGIES/GREENS 'til 3-4 months
old. (Introduce in moderation - this is a good example of where common sense should
kick in ;) Look on the internet to find all "safe" veggies for
your bunny if you want to feed your bunny a treat once in a while.
A girl once bought a rabbit from me and ignored my repeated requests for
her to stop feeding her bunny fruit. To make a long story short, the
rabbit died and the mother claimed I sold her a sick rabbit and was
adamant that they did nothing wrong. I requested for her to talk to
other breeders on this subject since she didn't believe the advice I
gave her was of any importance. Please take our (breeders) advice
seriously. We want what's best for the rabbits we sell. Quite
simply a rabbit's diet should consist of fresh water, rationed pellets
and free feed hay. It's simple & I promise bunny will be happy! :0)
6. This ones a biggie... when you first take your new bunny home, LEAVE IT ALONE
FOR A FEW DAYS in a quiet place to get settled and used to its surroundings!!!
That means don't haul it around all day, don't introduce it to the dog,
and the cat and all the neighbors kids! Rabbits are prey animals and can stress
quite easily if over handled. Please, please... I can't express this
enough! (Read our
Bunny Basics to better understand
why rabbits are the way they are!) Think of what the bunny is experiencing... a scary car ride to a
new place, a new cage that smells different than the one he knows,
different noises, new surroundings & possibly the smells of other pets. A scared rabbit can very quickly turn into a sick
rabbit! (I once had a lady buy a rabbit from me and her little girl
"well socialized" it the very first day. Then when the rabbit became
sick and perished she stated, "I never thought rabbits were so
sensitive." She had disregarded these very instructions. As a
breeder I hope people listen to my instructions
when I allow them to buy the rabbit. Once the rabbit is not in my care,
it's out of my hands and the purchasers responsibility to take proper
care of the animal. I was still responsible however for selling him/her
the rabbit in the first place so that's why I have to be picky about who
I sell rabbits too.
7. Do not "scruff" your rabbit unless
absolutely necessary! "Scruffing" your rabbit is when you pick up
your rabbit by the skin behind his head (basically at his shoulders).
The proper way to do this, again if absolutely necessary, is to ALSO
SUPPORT THE BUM OF THE RABBIT so the whole weight of the rabbit is
not on the skin you are holding him from!!! Sometimes you may need to do
this if the rabbit is resisting being lifted up and you need to keep
yourself safe from being scratched or bit, and also to keep the rabbit
secured properly before lifting him for his own safety. (This pertains
mostly to rabbit breeders who must handle may different rabbits.) Of
course if you have a pet bunny, your pet bunny will not enjoy this... so
don't do it! For one, IT HURTS if the bum is not supported properly.
Two, A RABBIT IS A PREY ANIMAL (never forget that!) and it thinks it's
being carried away by a predator! (Rabbit's actions make a lot of sense,
when you think like a rabbit ;) Your pet bunny is going to be more
scared of you if you start scruffing him all the time. Instead, put your
hand under the bunny's belly and lift while supporting his bottom at the
same time. Of course, if your bunny hops away from you when you put your
hand under his belly, gently pet your bunny's head or put your hand on
his back to make him sit still, then place your hand under his belly
(also supporting his bottom to pick him up). He may get startled if you
just put your hand under him to pick him up or it may tickle him! The
more you practice picking up your bunny properly, the more he will get
used to it and eventually will not hop away when you want to pick him up
:) I know some breeders "scruff" their rabbits regularly to try
carry more bunnies at one time at a show. (Their other hand isn't
available to support the bunny's bottom because it is already holding
another rabbit). Or this is just the way they pick up their
rabbits :S If you don't want to think about how it actually feels for
the rabbit to be lifted up by it's skin, then think about how you damage
the flesh and fur and how that'll affect it's appearance as a show
rabbit. I also think it looks awful to the people that have never seen a
rabbit show before and they see people scruffing rabbits. I often think
those people may think we all handle our rabbits like that and it looks
bad for the rest of us! Everybody knows rabbits are cute and cuddly
looking (again can be a misconception... the cuddly looking part anyways
;) so the public won't take well to those "cute" creatures being handled
anything less that nicely. (And rightfully so!) Being a rabbit breeder,
however, I can understand how they are difficult to handle at times and
at a show we need to get them from table to table for the judges to look
at in a timely manner. However, again as a rabbit breeder, I very seldom
carry more than one rabbit at the same time. (And if I do, I would carry
Hollands/Jerseys that can be picked up and held properly with one hand.)
I find there are always other exhibitors willing to help you carry your
rabbits if asked or tell the clerk you have more rabbits to bring up and
she/he will notify the judge to wait before placing any animals 'til all
the rabbits are brought up to the table. If this is how they carry their
rabbits at home without the timeline of a rabbit show to worry about...
I just don't know what to say :S Rabbits can't talk, so I'll be
their advocate :)
I personally am not a big "pet" bunny seller. If I receive an email
requesting the "smartest" rabbit, I'm not going to take this person
seriously. If you have purchased a rabbit from me and asked to return it
for whatever reason, don't bother emailing me again later to try and
purchase another pet bunny from me. (I DO take the rabbits back of
course) Chances are, if I had trouble with you before, I'm not going to
try doing it again :P Sound like I'm not easy to deal with? I'm easy to
deal with if I know you are responsible, serious to committing to
the rabbit and are educated with how to take care of a rabbit... then
I'll sell you a rabbit. Simple :) What it all boils down to is rabbit's
well-being. I do not sell rabbits at Easter for obvious reasons...
people might be buying on the whim without putting serious thought into
his/her new addition. In closing, I hope this page has been
informative and helpful. In reality rabbits aren't hard to care for and
can be very rewarding pets. As a responsible owner, however, you are
required to know all about rabbits to properly take care of your bunny!
Please... Lettuce
Be Friends :)
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