THE CARE AND HUSBANDRY OF RABBITS

Rabbits have been popular as pets for centuries. They live, on average, four to ten years and are very easy to keep in a healthy state. They are usually very docile but can be nervous and will bite, scratch and kick if cornered and frightened or when frustrated.

ACCOMMODATION
They are best kept singly in the largest hutch you can obtain - measuring at least 36 inches wide, 18 inches deep and 18 inches high. This should be subdivided, 40:60, into covered and outdoor compartments, respectively. The entire cage-front should be removable for easy cleaning. A wire-netting or weld-mesh floor helps prevent foot-soiling. A hay rack should be provided, also a simple, easily cleaned water-bottle. A clip to hold pieces of fruit-trees or-bushes is a useful appliance. If the hutch is to be kept out of doors it should face out of the prevailing wind, and it should be adequately roofed and lined externally to prevent draughts and dampness. It should be sited in a sheltered position and is ideally placed in a garden shed in winter. A greenhouse or conservatory are NOT suitable places to house a rabbit hutch.

Litter in the hutch should be absorbent. Peat moss is best. Newspaper, woodshavings or sawdust are not suitable. Straw is a useful bedding material (shake out the seeds before placing it in the hutch) but shredded paper is not, because of the tendency of rabbits to chew (and swallow) their bedding. The hutch should be cleaned out at least twice a week.-

Cleanliness of the hutch is important, we recommend cleaning as necessary (usually twice a week) with Vetark Ark-Klens.

DIET
Grass is a welcome ingredient in a rabbit's diet. This is easily provided by a movable pen (escape-proof and predator-proof) to allow your pet to graze on your lawn. This pen should have a sheltered, shaded, water-proofed area containing the water bottle, and a wire mesh floor to prevent burrowing out. The pen should be moved frequently to allow access to all parts of the lawn and to encourage rotational grazing. Do not place your pet on a lawn that has recently been dressed or treated with herbicides or other chemicals.-

Good quality, sweet-smelling hay should always be available. Timothy hay is best. Buy this during the summer and store it in a rodent-proof, well-ventilated place. A warm bran mash is always welcome on cold winter mornings. Table scraps that can be offered include apple cores and peelings, dry bread crusts, raw potato and carrot and their peelings, and turnips. No single item of food should be fed to the exclusion of any other as dietary variety is very important. Brassica (cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale) and lettuce leaves and stalks are useful foods but should not be fed every day and never in excess.

Concentrated "mixers" and pellets are useful for feeding in emergency when your larder of natural food runs out but they should NEVER be offered as the sole source of food for your rabbit as there is quite simply not enough work for its teeth in these foods. "Russel Rabbit" is a mixture of concentrates and alfalfa grass and therefore provides enough roughage to keep your pet's teeth in good condition. If you use this ensure that your rabbit is eating all of the mixture, do not just top up the food bowl, check that the roughage fraction is eaten.

-Supplements are useful, especially for breeding and young rabbits, we recommend Vetark ARKVITS lightly sprinkled on the food. Rabbits suffer many teeth problems associated with poor levels of calcium in their bones. Rabbits are lagomorphs. This means that their teeth are constantly growing. Veterinary surgeons frequently see them with sore mouths and other disorders due to overgrown teeth. These can be difficult to treat but natural development can be encouraged by allowing access to hard foods, especially twigs and small branches from fruit trees.

By rule of thumb, if the fruit is edible and non-poisonous, either raw or when processed as juices, wines, jellies, jams or medicines, the whole tree is safe for a nibbling rabbit. Hawthorn, whitethorn, apple, pear and other fruit trees except flowering cherry and plum are all useful. Yew, laurel, laburnum, ivy, etc., being poisonous, should never be offered. This facility for chewing should be available EVERY DAY. It is as important as the provision of a daily supply of fresh water.

BREEDING
Rabbits breed very easily but should not be allowed to do so until they are over 4-6 months old. Introduce female to male for mating and not vice versa. Re-introduce the female after a week and, if she retires to a corner whimpering, she's probably pregnant. The gestation period is 31 days and the young are born bald, blind and deaf and are totally dependent on their mother until three weeks of age. Take care that the babies are not exposed to wind, draughts, strong sunlight or damp, and avoid stresses like the approach of predators, flying birds or prying children or the mother rabbit may kill her babies to protect them. If the female catches you "unawares" and makes a nest before you realise she is pregnant, remove the male immediately.

GENERAL CARE
Long-coated rabbits (Angoras) should be groomed daily (brushed and combed) and a check should be kept on the nails to watch for overgrowth. Elderly rabbits frequently have difficulties in passing their motions properly and their vents become badly soiled - keep a check on this in individuals over five years and offer extra roughage (bran mashes) to eat and use cotton wool and a mild solution of sodium bicarbonate or Vetark Tamodine Wound dressing, to keep the vent clean. This is especially important in summer when there is a risk of fly strike leading to maggot infestation. Skin diseases can be a major problem in rabbits. They are frequently prone to mite infestation especially along the back, on the shoulders and in the ears. Frequently, mange-like lesions will respond to mild insecticidal shampoos, but severe cases, or any case that fails to respond within two weeks, should be taken to the surgery (please ring for an appointment first) where the veterinary surgeon may advise a course of injections or special skin dressings. Feet can become ulcerated (bed sores) if the hutch is not cleaned frequently enough.

Obesity is frequently a problem in rabbits, especially females, and can predispose to many problems. Prevention is better than cure (see notes on diet above) but please consult your veterinary surgeon for advice if you are concerned about your pet in any way.-

Diarrhoea is potentially very serious, this is likely to require veterinary treatment but as part of this treatment Vetark Pro C or Avipro Plus can be extremely useful. These provide very useful 'support' whenever rabbits are taken to shows or brought home.

Vaccination is available for two fatal diseases - 'myxomatosis' and 'Rabbit haemorrhagic disease'.

Nobivac Myxo injection can be given to rabbits as young as 6 weeks old and annual boosters are recommended. In high risk situations 6 monthly boosters are advised.

Cylap HVD - (from Fort Dodge) vaccinated at 2.5-3 months old and boosted annually. If there is a high risk situation rabbits can be vaccinated earlier and then given a further dose a month later.

Please discuss your vaccination needs with your veterinary surgeon who will know what the situation in your area is at the time.

Join the: -British House Rabbit Association, PO Box 346, Newcastle, NE99 1FA

Rabbit Welfare Fund