Rabbits make intelligent, energetic, and entertaining pets. Their friendly disposition, quiet demeanor, soft fur, and warm eyes have captured the hearts of rabbit owners for years. In general, rabbits are very affectionate and enjoy human interaction as well as the company of other rabbits. In fact, if paired with the right mate, a rabbit can form a close bond for life. Rabbits are most active at dawn and twilight and seek a quiet corner for a nap during the midday. This schedule makes them particularly well suited to working families. There are approximately 50 different breeds of rabbits with wide variations in size, ear length, and color. From the 15-pound Flemish giant, to the petite 3-pound Netherlands Dwarf, to the French lop with 10-inch long ears, there is a rabbit to suit almost every taste.

This huge bunny that Dr. Fisher is holding is a Flemish giant. One of the largest breeds of rabbit with males weighing up to 20 lbs!

Your rabbit needs a cage with plenty of room to play, rest, eat, and exercise. The bigger the cage the better, and the exact size depends on the size of your rabbit. Rabbits love the two-story "condo" cages with ramps connecting the different levels. Solid flooring is best, because a rabbit's feet can become irritated and inflamed if in constant contact with wire floors. If you must use wire flooring, provide a resting area of solid flooring that can be covered with a towel, carpet, or hay. With time and patience, your rabbit can be litter box trained. Place the litter box in a corner of the cage the rabbit has already soiled, and provide a safe litter such as hay, composite recycled newspaper pellets, or organic litter made from alfalfa or oats.

If you include bedding in the cage, appropriate choices include shredded paper (avoid shiny ads that can contain toxic substances), certain hardwood shavings, or composite recycled newspaper pellets. Cedar and pine shavings are not recommended, because they contain resins that can be irritating to your pet's skin, eyes, and mucous membranes. Aspen shavings, such as Oxbow Pet Products's Aspen Fresh, is an excellent bedding material for your rabbit. Hay can also be used as bedding.

Water is the number one nutrient requirement for all animals, and fresh clean water is a must for your rabbit. Water can be provided in a sturdy crock or a water bottle with a sipper tube. If your rabbit soils the water bowl or enjoys tipping it over, the bowl should be replaced with a water bottle. Water needs to be changed daily, and a bottle's sipper tube should be cleaned weekly.

Oxbow's Bunny Basics and Bunny Basics/T pellets have been designed with your pet rabbit's nutritional needs in mind. Bunny Basics, an alfalfa-based pellet with extra calcium and protein, is designed for growing rabbits younger than 6 months of age. Bunny Basics/T, a timothy-based pellet lower in calcium, is designed for the mature rabbit with lower calcium requirements. High-calcium diets have been incriminated in certain rabbit health problems such as bladder stones and sludge. When switching foods, make sure to make the change gradually to help prevent digestive problems.

The doctors at Pet Care Veterinary Hospital also recommend you feed your rabbit unlimited quantities of grass hay such as timothy, brome, orchard, or oat. Hay provides essential fiber, which helps maintain your rabbits intestinal health. Hay also prevents boredom by satisfying the rabbit's innate desire to chew, and it serves as an important means of dental health maintenance. Rabbits enjoy a cage full of hay in which to rest, snack, or play.

Your rabbit should also eat vegetables daily. It is important to introduce vegetables one at a time to make sure each agrees with your rabbit's digestive tract. Approximately, 1 cup of vegetables per 4 pounds of body weight daily is appropriate for rabbits. Some suggestions include romaine, butter crunch, or red leaf lettuce or other veggies including cilantro, parsley, carrot tops, collards, dandelion greens, and kale. Avoid gas-forming vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower.

The typical diet for the house rabbit includes free choice grass hay (timothy hay is preferred by most and should be available around the clock), 2 tablespoon to 1/3 cup of timothy-based pellets per day, and a cup of fresh leafy greens (figure 1). Avoid high carbohydrate snacks and treats—Please! The rabbit may like them but their gastrointestinal tract doesn’t!

In fact, the number one reason for soft stools such as those seen in the above image is feeding an inappropriate diet.

Many owners want to offer treats to their pet rabbits. A treat should be enjoyable to eat and provide interaction between you and your pet. When fed in limited quantities, herbs (fresh or dried) or fruits can be offered as treats. Pieces of banana or apple are favorites with rabbits. In order to prevent digestive upset, it's best to feed the same treats consistently.

The term "hairball" is used to describe a serious and common problem of rabbits in which the intestinal tract slows down and stops functioning properly. Gastrointestinal (GI) stasis, or ileus, is the preferred terminology for this malady, which can have a number of underlying causes including insufficient dietary fiber, dehydration, stress, pain, or other illness. The rabbit with GI stasis will be anorexic or have a reduced appetite. An affected rabbit produces very small stools or none at all and may be hunched and painful. This is a true emergency necessitating a visit to your veterinarian. Because insufficient dietary fiber is a common cause of ileus, feeding unlimited quantities of grass hay can help prevent this problem.

The fiber rabbits need for nutrition, proper digestion and to aid in normal dental wear comes from feeding grass hays. Variety is the spice of life and that includes the hay you feed your bunny. Oxbow Pet Products offers a variety of hays and Pet Care Veterinary Hospital recommends the timothy, orchard grass, oat or botanical hays for the adult rabbit. Botanical hay, Oxbow's newest variety, is a timothy hay with added dried herbs for flavor and so far our rabbit patients have given it an overwhelming paws up!

Some rabbits teeth are prone to dental problems such as overgrown incisors and molar spurs. Rabbits' teeth grow throughout their lives and can grow from 4 to 5 inches per year. Some rabbits have a malocclusion that results in improper wear of their incisor teeth. As a result, these front teeth may grow to a point at which they protrude from the mouth and make food intake difficult. In these cases, the affected teeth need to be trimmed on a regular basis or should be surgically removed. Molar malocclusion can result in painful points that irritate the tongue and cheek. Rabbits with molar spurs will have depressed appetites, and you may observe food dropping from their mouths as they attempt to chew. Feeding your rabbit free-choice grass hay stimulates constant chewing action, which helps wear down continuously growing molars.

This rabbit has overgrown incisor teeth. This is most likely the result of jaw misalignment
that the rabbit was born with.

This image shows some sharp, painful molar spurs on a rabbit (arrow). This will cause discomfort and a drop in appetite. Affected rabbits may pick up food with their mouths and then drop it or show signs of moist fur on their chin due to increased salivation.

Veterinarians strongly recommend that female rabbits be spayed and male rabbits be neutered around the age of 4-6 months. Females have an extremely high rate of uterine cancer at they age, so it is important to spay your rabbit while she is still young. Neutered males are less territorial, therefore less aggressive and less likely to mark their environment by spraying urine.

This rabbit was spayed when she was five years old and shows evidence of uterine cancer (arrows). Uterine cancer is very common in rabbits therefore we recommend that all female rabbits have an ovariohysterectomy (spay) preferably when they are less than one year of age.

Feeding Recommendations At A Glance

Growing Rabbits

Unlimited amounts of Bunny Basics in addition to free-choice alfalfa hay.

Mature Rabbits

1/8-1/4 cup Bunny Basics/T in addition to unlimited quantities of grass hay.

Rabbit Facts

Rabbits jump for joy when happy! This jumping action is called a "binky"
.
Rabbits often get along well with other household pets as long as they are introduced properly.

"Snuffles" is a common respiratory ailment of rabbits.

The act of a rabbit giving birth is called kindling, and baby rabbits are called kits.

House rabbits may chew on furniture, houseplants or electrical cords, so take precautions to prevent injury to both rabbits and household furnishings.

Any diet change with rabbits should be made slowly.

Average life span: 5-8 years
Maximum reported life span: 15 years
Average adult weight: Depends on breed
Gestation period: 30-33 days
Litter size: 4-10 kits
Optimal weaning age: 4-6 weeks
Approximate food consumption of adult: 50 g/kg (0.8 oz/lb)
Approximate water consumption of adult: 50-150 ml/kg (~5-15 tsp/lb)

References
Johnson-Delaney C: Rabbits, Exotic Companion Medicine Handbook, Lake Worth, FL, Zoological Educational Network, 1996.
Donnelly TM: Basic anatomy, physiology, and husbandry [rabbits]. In: Quesenberry K, Hillyer E. eds: Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery. Philadelphia, PA, WB Saunders, 1997, pp 147-198.
Jenkins JR: Rabbit medicine and procedures for practitioners: Rabbit dentistry. House Rabbit Society Veterinary Conference. Berkeley, CA, 1997; 35-37.
Jenkins JR: Rabbit medicine and procedures for practioners: Nutrition and nutrition-related disease of rabbits. House Rabbit Society Veterinary Conference. Berkeley, CA, 1997; 59-79.
Paul-Murphy J: Rabbit medicine and procedures for practitioners: Urinary tract diseases and disorders. House Rabbit Society Veterinary Conference: Berkeley, CA, 1997; 53-57.