The Bunny Box

Health

Rabbits are prone to a number of health problems. I'm not going to try and deal with them all here, just cover some basics in health and care, but if you want more information please visit The House Rabbit Society's Health Section or The Rabbit Reference

Teeth

Rabbits teeth can be misaligned. When this happens, the constantly growing teeth don't wear down properly and can cause pain, infections and loss of weight through the inability to eat. The front teeth can be trimmed either by a vet or at home (get your vet to show you how). However, given the brittle nature of teeth it is advisable to get the vet to do the procedure, preferably with a tooth grinder. The back teeth however, are another matter, they're extremely hard to see and to reach, and need to be dealt with by a vet.

With all dental problems, early detection is vital for a happy outcome. Signs to watch for are drooling, swelling, change in eating habits or behaviour. If you want to know more about your rabbits teeth and dental hygiene the House Rabbit Society has a number of articles. I would also direct you to Holly and Whisper's personal pages to read about various treatments they had.

Nails

Like cats and dogs, rabbits need to have their claws clipped. Rabbits claws can grow very long and be extremely sharp. This gets uncomfortable for both of you. There are options available that help reduce the need to clip. Provide a cardboard box with a few entry and exit holes in it for digging. You'll be surprised just how quickly they can go through the bottom. One thing I've found helpful is to make a 2 storey 'house'. The ramp up to the second floor is covered with fine sandpaper. I've found these keep my need to clip to a minimum, and if you've ever tried to clip a rabbits nails, you'll take all the help you can get.

Skin and fur

Rabbits are prone to fleas, mange, ticks and lice just the same as any other animals, so keep an eye on them. I find the easiest way to do this is when I groom. Sultan, being long haired, requires brushing at least twice a week. This works well for me, as I use that time to do a once over them all. After the brush, I run my hands over them and use my fingertips to feel for any lumps, bumps or irregularities. The bonus is, they think it's wonderful. On the subject of grooming, I use a small cat 'slicker' brush on Sultan as this helps to break up mats in his fur. The others I generally just use my hand to groom. You'll find that long strokes over the body will remove a lot of hair. Also, rabbits molt a few times during the year, so be prepared for a scruffy look occasionally and a lot of loose fur flying around. A soft human hair brush works well for short haired buns.

Diet

Diet is extremely important. To get an idea why, have a look here. Hay should be available at all times as it provides roughage and reduces the chance of blockages. The easiest way to do this is to use hay in the litter box. I also put fresh hay in a cane basket for them twice a day.

Vegetables are the second most important part of a rabbits diet. An adult rabbit should receive about 2 cups of chopped vegetables per day. If your rabbit has been on a pure pellet diet, introduce the vegetables one at a time and in small quantities, until you're sure they aren't going to cause any problems. Once they're used to the new diet, they can be fed a mix of 3 different types of vegetables a day. Vegetables can include; Alafalfa, Basil, Bok Choy, Brussel Sprouts, Carrots and carrot tops, Celery, Mint, Pea Pods (the flat kind) and Raddichio lettuce. Never give the iceberg type lettuce as this has been known to cause problems in rabbits. I also give my rabbits a treat of 1/3 of a corn cobs each about once a week.

Pellets are the next part of a rabbits diet. Be careful here as most are aimed at breeding rabbits, so are very concentrated in proteins. A good pellet for a house rabbit will be low in protein (12-14%), high in fibre (18% minimum) and not sweetened with molasses. One brand that I have found in Australia is Peters Rabbit and Guinea Pig Pellets. Most brands I've seen in Australia either don't state the nutritional content, are sweetened heavily with molasses or so full of things like seeds and corn they cause more health problems than anything else. Peters pellets are available through both Coles and Woolworths. If anyone knows of another brand with a lower protein content in Australia that is readily available, please let me know.

One note on diet. Although the above outline is recommended by the HRS and all my buns do very well on it, each animal is different. I have heard of some rabbits that cannot tolerate any pellets without causing gastric and weight problems, and others that will experience similar problems if they even sniff greens. You need to find what works for your bun. For example, Mouse does very well on a high level of hay, greens and limited pellets but cannot tolerate fruits or carrot. As soon as soon as she has anything sweet she starts producing a lot of loose poops and cecal pellets. Cutting these out of her diet has helped enormously. If you want a list of plants that are toxic to rabbits, please visit the Adopt a Rabbit Toxic Plant

Heat

Rabbits don't cope well with heat, but the solution is simple. Keep a few plastic bottles of water in the freezer. When the weather warms up, put them around your rabbits area. They'll lay next to them and keep their bodies cool. I usually keep enough in the freezer to make a change during the day, especially in summer.

Baths

Rabbits do a pretty good job of keeping themselves clean so there is no need to bath your rabbit and a sick rabbit should never be bathed unless under medical advice. Bathing is stressful and since it's important that they are dried thoroughly, usually involves a hairdryer. Due to his long hair, Sultan gets quite a bit of poop stuck in the fur around his tail, so occasionally I will dampen his back end and dry him with a warm dryer. It's not something I do regularly and only if I can't brush him clean.

Vets

It is important that your vet understand rabbits. Until recently, most research has been focussed on breeding or laboratory animals, where the emphasis is not necessarily on cure. Once again the House Rabbit Society has an excellent page on what to look for in a good rabbit vet.

I would also suggest that you look for a vet who is willing to listen and won't get offended if you ask questions or present them with printed articles. I have found my rabbits get the best care when the vet and I can work together. The vets may be the medical experts, but YOU are the expert on your buns and you have an invested interest and the time to research and find the latest techniques. With a co-operative effort between vets and owners we can make a big difference in the way that rabbits are treated.

Sterelisation

Neutered rabbits are healthier, live longer and make much better companions, both for you and each other. An unsterlised female has a much high risk of cancer of the reproductive organs. A male will spray urine and fight. Both will exhibit agressive behaviour. So for everyone's sake, please get your rabbits sterlised.

It's important that this procedure be carried out by a vet with a good undertanding of rabbits. Check the House Rabbit Society's link I've given above in the Vet section and here

Play

Keeping your rabbits physically and mentally entertained is not as hard as it seems. A few toys and a large running area are all that's needed. Toys can be simple things like, empty toilet rolls, empty 250ml plastic bottles, untreated cane baskets, old towels (for the bunchers), boxes filled with shredded paper for digging, boxes for tunnelling in.. you get the idea. As you can see by the photo, Sultan loves tossing things around.

What I've done is use a large box (old fridge or tv box etc), cut two doorways, and put smaller boxes inside in a series of tunnels. Use your imagination and let the buns go wild renovating.