Today, the rabbit is positioning itself as the third most common pet in homes. Therefore, it is not surprising that more and more information is sought on how to care for a rabbit, as long as our furry friend is with us for many, many years.
If you have just adopted a bunny, whether it is a baby or an adult, keep reading this article on our site where we will explain everything you need to know about how to raise a rabbit.
The pet bunny
Although rabbits are usually very loving and grateful animals, we must bear in mind that they are prey animals in nature, so that it is normal for our rabbit to have a more reserved or skittish character during the first few days or weeks, especially in breeds such as toy or dwarf rabbits, which, being smaller in size, tend to be more cautious.
Therefore, we must be patient with our rabbit, not overwhelm him and approach him with gentle movements until he has more confidence in us. However, if you have children and you are looking for a more tame and sociable rabbit from the beginning, we advise you to adopt a belier rabbit, also called a lop-eared rabbit, or its miniature version, the mini lop rabbit.
How to raise orphaned newborn rabbits?
Ideally, a newborn baby rabbit feeds on its mother's milk for the first few weeks of life. However, if this is not possible, we must prepare goat's milk in formula or some prescription formula for newborn cats, which are also suitable for newborn rabbits born orphans. Of course, never administer cow's milk, since it is not good for your digestive system.
If you don't know exactly how long your rabbit will live, it is best to Consult a veterinarian Never feed it unsuitable for their age, as they may develop diarrhea and consequently die of dehydration within a few days. You may also be interested in What does a baby rabbit eat?
From the third week of your baby rabbit's life, you can start providing hay, either grass or alfalfa. It is best to give it alfalfa, which contains a greater amount of nutrients and calcium, ideal for its proper development at this stage of its life. Of course, after 6 months, the use of alfalfa in rabbits is not recommended, since it can cause kidney stones and, probably, premature death.
Here we leave you more information about the Care for newborn rabbits.
What does the rabbit eat?
Rabbit feed should mainly contain these three components:
- Fresh food: One of the fundamental foods for a rabbit is fresh food. We are referring especially to green leafy foods, such as lettuce, Swiss chard, cauliflower, spinach, celery or kale, among others. It is advisable to give the bunny a handful of "salad" every day, along with its feed and hay. Here you can see a list of Fruits and vegetables recommended for rabbits.
- Feed or pellets: Feed, although it can be found in all pet stores, is not an essential food in rabbit diet. We have to think that it is a food that, in addition to being processed, is not available in nature. In fact, the feed is often used on farms to fatten rabbits for human consumption. This fact shows us that, if we give our rabbit too much feed, it can gain weight, which would generate a series of negative consequences for its he alth. It is best to give, at most, a tablespoon of pellets a day. Here we leave you more information about Rabbits with obesity.
- Hay: hay helps rabbits to file their teeth, as well as promoting proper digestion. The best thing is that they have unlimited hay. There are many types of hay, so if your rabbit won't eat hay, you can try changing the brand or type.
Despite the fact that some foods and fruits such as tomatoes, carrots, apples or mangoes are suitable for rabbits, avoid feeding them in abundance, since they contain a lot of sugar, which can lead to considerable weight gain in our pet.
Prohibited foods for rabbits
Not all foods are good for rabbits. For this reason, we recommend that you do not give your rabbit any of these foods:
- Avocado
- Bread
- Rice
- Cookies
- Walnuts
- Seeds
- Sugary cereals
- Corn
- Beans
- Oatmeal
- Ferns
- Lilies
- Laurel
- Reeds
- Poppies
- Daffodils
- Apricot
- Medlar
- Plum
- Peach
- Fig
- Custard apple
- Banana
- Banana
For more information, see this other article on our site on Forbidden Food for Rabbits.
The cage for a rabbit
The space where we house our furry friend is also very important. Rabbits need a lot of space to move, so the ideal is that the rabbit cage that we acquire is large enough for him. There are many types of rabbit cages, although the most common are:
- Indoor rabbit cages: these are the typical cages that we can find in pet stores. There are various sizes. Even if your baby rabbit is small, he thinks that later he will grow up, so if you take him a small cage, even if it is now quite big for him, after a while it may be too small for him.
- Outdoor rabbit cages: these are perfect if we have a garden in our house. In this way, your rabbit will be in direct contact with the ground or grass, instead of on plastic, which is much more comfortable for him.
- Hutches: if you adopt a pregnant rabbit, it is important to get a good hutch, which has everything you need so that our pet can be mommy with peace of mind.
In addition, you should provide your rabbit with a sheltering areainside her cage, such as a kennel. You should also not forget to incorporate the drinker, the bowl for food, an accessory for hay and a small corner to relieve himself in his cage, although you can incorporate the latter when he is a little older.
Even if your rabbit has a large, well-appointed cage, it's important to get him out of the cage at least twice a day so he can get some exercise. Also, rabbits are very curious and like to investigate everything around them. Out-of-cage time will also be a perfect time to play with your pet. Here we teach you how to play with a rabbit?
How to train a rabbit to relieve itself?
Over time, you will see that your bunny begins to relieve himself in the same corner. To start teaching your rabbit to relieve himself, it is best to put the corner right where he pees and poops So that your rabbit knows what to do there their needs, take some of their poo and put it in the corner. Also dip your pipi in a piece of paper and rub it lightly on the substrate of the corner. In this way, its smell will be impregnated in the corner.
At the beginning, it is also advisable to add a second cornerpost in a corner of the thing where he usually relieves himself, repeating the same process. When he usually pees and poops in the corner of his cage, you can try to remove the other one or leave it.
How to choose a corner for rabbits?
You should also bear in mind that there are different types of corner pieces and substrates on the market, as you can see in the attached image. What we advise you is that you choose a corner box large enough for your pet to fit in and to relieve himself easily.
