RABBITS
Companionship
Rabbits are naturally sociable animals. In the wild rabbits live in
groups, they do not live by themselves by choice. They enjoy company and get
very bored and lonely when kept alone. Rabbits spend a lot of time interacting
and grooming one another. They often seem much more relaxed when they have another
rabbit to look out for them, as rabbits are naturally prey animals and have
to stay alert for danger.
However introducing rabbits to one another is not always a straightforward
process. Rabbits are extremely territorial in the wild and would strongly defend
their territory from intruders. The same applies to the domestic rabbit.
There are a few basic rules we follow:
Adopting A Pair Of Rabbits
If you haven’t any rabbits already the easiest option is to adopt
a pair of rabbits which are already living together.
A Friend For An Existing Rabbit?
If you already have an adult rabbit and are thinking of adopting a
friend for it, the easiest combination to introduce is a male with a female
rabbit. We neuter all the rabbits that we re-home from the centre, however,
if you wish to introduce a female to your male he must have previously been
neutered to prevent persistent mounting. Males must be kept from unspayed females
for 5 weeks after neutering to prevent pregnancy.
Mixing Adult Rabbits
We would recommend that you have separate accommodation for both rabbits
so that they can be introduced gradually to one another and they can learn that
the other rabbit isn’t a threat to them.
Ideally it is best if you have two separate runs that can be put side
by side, or put a mesh divider in your existing run. This way the rabbits can
get used to being near to one another but can not actually get to one another
to fight. It is best to keep them like this for about a week before trying them
together. You can normally tell when they will mix okay by how well they are
interacting through the mesh.
When you first try the rabbits together it is best to eliminate territorial
behaviour by introducing them in an area where neither rabbit has been before.
It can be a good idea to put lots of tasty vegetables on the floor in the area
that you are planning to mix them in, to take their minds off one another a
little. If fighting breaks out separate the rabbits straight away and check
them over for any injuries. House them again in their separate runs and try
them together in a few days.
Often they will try to mount one another until they establish their
relationship. It is a good sign if you see them grooming one another because
this means that they have accepted their new friend. If they are getting on
well it may be possible to house them together in the same hutch that night
but if you are at all worried it may be best to separate them at night and try
them together the next day.
Once you have an established pair you will realize that all the effort
was worthwhile.
Accommodation
The larger and more interesting you can make the accommodation, generally
the better it is. Rabbits have strong back legs and love to run and jump so
you need to provide a large enough area for them to do this. They need a secure
area because they are good escape artists, often being good diggers and jumpers.
They also need protecting from predators.
Minimum Hutch Size: 150cm long, 60cm wide and 60cm high. (6ft x 3ft x 2.6ft)
Minimum Run Size: 2m square.
The run needs to have some form of shelter to protect the rabbit from
the dampness of the grass, provide shade from the sun and to give the rabbit
somewhere to hide. It is a good idea if the hutch is attached to the run although
this resticts it from being moved around to fresh grass. The best life for a
bunny is that of a house rabbit with access to a secure garden, although it
can take a lot of work to make your home rabbit proof as they are great nibblers!
Diet
Rabbits teeth grow an average of 3mm per week so it is extremely important
that they have a good diet to keep their mouths healthy. The best diet for a
rabbit is one that is as close to its natural diet as possible. Wild rabbits
spend 4 - 8 hours a day eating grass and other roughage. This is why their teeth
grow so quickly. they have to keep up with the rate that they are worn down
from all the chewing that they do. When rabbits spend 10 minutes eating concentrated
food straight from a bowl it means their teeth are not worn down quickly enough.
This is why many domestic rabbits suffer from dental problems that are very
painful for them. As well as causing sores in the mouth, the roots can also
grow upwards as well. Sometimes they can protrude through the tear duct which
is why sore weepy eyes can be caused by dental problems. All of this is very
painful for them, however it is very difficult to tell when a rabbit is in pain
as in the wild a rabbit doesn’t like to show pain as this will stand out to
predators.
The ‘Hay and Veg’ diet
We feed all our healthy adult rabbits a diet of good quality hay and
vegetables. We recommend this diet as it means they have to spend more time
eating, so therefore their teeth wear down at the correct rate. It also helps
combat boredom as the rabbit is spending more time doing what it should naturally
do. Of course grass is also very good but lawnmower clippings must not be fed
as they rot down too quickly.
Young, under weight or poorly rabbits we feed ad-lib ‘super rabbit
excel’ as well as hay and veg. It is very important that rabbits always have
something available to eat as they have complicated digestive systems which
stop working if they go for any period of time without food. If you notice your
rabbit is quiet, hasn’t eaten or hasn’t passed any dropping you must take it
straight to the vet as they deteriorate very quickly.
Adoption Charge
We charge £20 each for our rabbits. This includes the cost of
neutering and having their teeth checked under general anaesthetic by a vet.
We also vaccinate our rabbits against myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease
(cylap vaccine). These are annual vaccinations although it is recommended to
vaccinate against myxomatosis every 6 months if the rabbits live in a high-risk
area, be guided by your vet. This also includes insurance for the first 6 weeks.
All our rabbits must be re-homed to live with another rabbit and as
with all our other animals we do a pre-home visit, which normally takes 7-10
days.
Maintenance
IN CASES OF CRUELTY, NEGLECT OR IN AN EMERGENCY TEL: 0300 1234 999 (24 HOUR)