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Rabbits can make excellent house pets if you take care of them properly. Many rabbits can be litter box trained thus enabling your rabbit to have more freedom around the house (supervised, of course).Diet is an extremely important part of good rabbit husbandry. Rabbit pellets of good quality can be offered to your rabbit, but should not the main portion of your rabbits diet. An unlimited supply of rabbit pellets, especially if it's the only food you feed your rabbit can lead to obesity, bladder stones, heart disease, liver disease and soft stools. Pellets are low in fiber, high in calcium and carbohydrates. Also, if you buy large quantities of pellets, it can spoil by the time you get toward the bottom of the bag. Keep pellets refrigerated or in a dry, cool place. Also try to buy pellets that are more than 15-20% fiber. A general guideline for feeding pellets is 1/8 cup/day for rabbits 2-4 pounds, ¼ cup/day for 5-7 pounds, ½ cup/day 8-10 pounds, and ¾ cup/day for 11-15 pounds. The best food to offer your rabbit, as it's main meal, is hay. Timothy hay or grass hay (but not alfalfa hay) can be offered in unlimited amounts (unless directed otherwise by your veterinarian). A rabbit's stomach cannot hold a lot of food so rabbits need to eat small amounts frequently through the day. Their intestinal tract and cecum can break down the hay and utilize the nutrients very efficiently. Try to use loose hay versus the cubed hay found in feed or pet stores. A flake of hay can last a very long time for one rabbit, so if you have friends or relatives with horses, see if you can get just a flake of hay from them. Bales of hay can spoil by the time you use even half of it. If you have several rabbits, then a bale of hay may be more cost efficient. Always give fresh hay morning and evening. Hay also helps promote good gastric motility so that hair ball blockage is less of a problem.
You may also supplement your rabbit's diet with fresh fruits and vegetables in small amounts. Check with your veterinarian or local House Rabbit Society for items that you can safely feed your rabbit. Some items are: carrots, carrot tops, beet tops, dandelion greens and flowers (without pesticides), kale, collards, romaine lettuce, parsley, cabbage, broccoli, raspberry leaves, strawberries, pineapple (fresh), apples, pears, raspberries, peaches and pears. There are many other items also, so again, please check with your veterinarian for a full list. On average, you can feed 1 heaping cup of vegetables per 5 pounds of body weight. For the fruits, you can give 2 heaping tablespoons per 4 pounds of body weight daily. Again, hay should be the main stay of your rabbit's diet. A salt or mineral block is not needed if your rabbit is on a good diet.
Rabbits need to eat something called cecotropes. Cecotropes are night droppings and different from regular stool droppings in that they are very rich in nutrients. A rabbit's intestinal tract has the ability to save nutrients that were not digested and put all these nutrients into droppings (cecotropes) and to then let the waste products of digestion form into stool droppings. Cecotropes are softer than regular droppings and rabbits will periodically lick their anal area and at the same time ingest these cecotropes. These cecotropes are high in nutrients (such as vitamins) and are needed to keep the rabbit healthy. If rabbits are not allowed to eat these cecotropes, your rabbit will lose these important nutrients in his or her diet and this can lead to problems. Overweight rabbits may have this problem, thus why you should try to avoid causing weight problems in your pet rabbit. Rabbits may not eat all their cecotropes and you might find them in with the normal hard stool droppings. This is ok, but you want to make sure your rabbit isn't having chronic soft stool or diarrhea. If you have a question regarding this and aren't sure if what you are seeing in your rabbit's cage or litter box is normal, please call your veterinarian.
Water, of course, should be always available and changed daily. We recommend sipper bottles instead of water cups in your rabbit's cage.
Pregnant, breeding, or young rabbits will need other diet changes. Please check with your veterinarian or House Rabbit Society for details.
Do not feed your rabbit grains (cereal, crackers, pasta), salty snacks, sugary snacks, chocolate, nuts or corn.
Housing for rabbits is also essential for good husbandry. Many people are now keeping their rabbits as indoor pets. Wire bottomed cages can cause sores on the feet. Ideally, a steel bottom, with or without bedding material, is a better choice. Cedar and pine shavings should never be used. Again, many rabbits can be litter box trained. You can put rabbit pellets in the litter box to encourage rabbits to jump in and use that area. Alfalfa or oat based litters can also be used. If you use food pellets as the litter, rabbits will not eat it as urine accumulates in the box, so have a food dish in your rabbit's cage with fresh, edible pellets. Clay litter should also be avoided.
Rabbits are susceptible to heat and cold. If you house your rabbit outdoors, always have a box lined with hay that your rabbit can snuggle in. If it gets particularly cold outside, bring your rabbit into the garage or even the house. For summer months, the cage should be in a well ventilated area under lots of shade. Iced water bottles in the cage can help plus lots of water for the rabbit to drink is preferred. Again, if it is extremely warm out, bring your rabbit indoors. Rabbits can easily overheat. Plus, in the summer, fly strike is common. Maggots can easily end up on your rabbit's skin then burrow under the skin.
Rabbits can be wonderful, long lived (7-8 years or more) pets if well cared for properly. There are many other recommendations to keeping your rabbit safe and healthy. Please contact your veterinarian or local House Rabbit Society if you are planning to adopt a rabbit. Once you know the information, you will be able to provide a good home for your new pet rabbit. Rabbits should have annual checkups, just like dogs and cats, every year by a veterinarian that is familiar with rabbits. Check with your local veterinarian to see if he or she works on rabbits. Don't wait until there is a problem to find a veterinarian to see your rabbit. Being prepared will save you a lot of frustration. If you take care of your rabbit, your rabbit will bring you many years of companionship and fun.
