How to Take Care of a Rabbit

At present it is very common to adopt rabbits as pets, that tender little animal that, in addition to being beautiful, is sweet and affectionate. The necessary controls must be carried out by a veterinarian specialized in this type of pet. When buying it, you should be well advised on the characteristics and needs of your pet.

They are most active at dusk and at night and are very tolerant in coexistence with others of their species. The rabbit likes to be accompanied and in a special way with another of its kind. The ideal is that you have two, male and female sterilized if you do not want to be filled with beautiful bunnies.

What do you need to take care of a rabbit?

• Large and comfortable room.
• Hay, vegetables and vegetables allowed and feed for rabbits.
• Brush.
• Vaccines

Instructions for caring for a rabbit

1. The most common is that a rabbit lives around 10 years if it receives the necessary care, although it can also reach many more. At 5 months they already have sexual activity and as we all know the reproduction is very numerous. If you plan to stop reproduction, you should know that females must be sterilized before they are two years old. Males must be neutered to avoid aggression and for their life as a pet to develop more peacefully.
2. The rabbit should never be locked in a cage because it needs a place to go out and enter the place where it sleeps. You need a minimum space of 2 square meters to be able to entertain yourself, exercise and feel free.
3. It is very common for the rabbit to eat garden plants, gnaw the bark of trees and many things that can be dangerous for him.
4. It is very important to take care of the temperature of the rabbit, its body temperature which is around 39ºC and that of the environment it supports. If we see that it is too hot we can moisten its ears. We must observe that the rabbit acts normally, if we see it listless it is possible that it is suffering from the heat.
5. Its fur must be cared for, brushed depending on whether it is short-haired or long-haired. If your rabbit has short hair, you can brush it 3 times a week, but if it has long hair, you should spend more time brushing it every day. The rabbit cleans itself but at the same time it swallows hair at the time of the change of fur, those loose hairs that it swallows can accumulate in the stomach which is very dangerous.
6. The main food for a rabbit is hay. They should also eat vegetables and feed. It is good to feed them twice a day to order them and they must have water permanently to drink. When they eat hay, they wear down their teeth, which are constantly growing, so the hay must be of good quality so that their teeth can work by breaking the strands. The feed must be made for rabbits, not for other animals, it must not contain cereals that are why it must be purchased packaged to be reliable.
7. Among the vegetables, herbs and vegetables that you can eat can be Swiss chard, celery, artichoke, fennel, clover, carrot tops, beet greens and dandelion greens.
8. Fruits are a pleasure for rabbits, but to prevent them from gaining too much weight, it is advisable to give them no more than two or three times a week.
9. The following vegetables are prohibited: cauliflower, potato, onion, garlic. Seeds, nuts and cereals are also excluded. Cooked food, dairy, meat, etc.
10. The vet should see him at least once a month while the rabbit is young to check his weight, ears, eyes and teeth, as well as give him vaccinations. These are against common diseases such as Myxomatosis, Viral Hemorrhagic and Pasteur Ella.
11. You can cut his nails a little so they don’t scratch when picking him up, otherwise the vet will do it more easily.
12. The place where your rabbit lives should have all the necessary comforts such as a drinking fountain with clean water at all times. He also needs a bed made of straw or hay, no cotton or cloth, a place where he can relieve himself. The enclosure must be large, more or less 2 square meters per rabbit; if you have a couple with 4 square meters it will be fine. Must be able to get out, sniff and run. You can let him explore the house carefully so that he doesn’t gnaw things he shouldn’t, that he doesn’t bite cables or dangerous things.
13. It can interact with other pets if you get used to it since childhood.
14. Inside the enclosure you must place a tray where it will relieve itself; this can be filled with hygienic bedding or with pressed shavings. You should not put the pebbles that are used for cats or loose shavings because it can cause respiratory problems. These trays must be cleaned daily, they must remove the humidity that it has and once a week clean it in greater depth.
15. It is necessary to control the rabbit’s teeth, if the feeding is not adequate they can grow too much. Not only can you avoid it with the right diet, but also by giving it fruit tree trunks to gnaw on, this will cause the wear of the teeth to keep it as it should.
16. Do not stop taking him to the vet if you see that he has not eaten for 12 hours, if he has not defecated for this same time, if he has not urinated in 24 hours, if he tilts his head, if he has scabs inside his ears
17. Feeding changes should be gradual as rabbits are very sensitive to changes in diets. For example, if you buy the rabbit and want to change the brand of feed, do it gradually, if you are going to incorporate new vegetables and it is already used to others, do it little by little. As much as you think you’re doing it for their own good, the changes shouldn’t be sudden.

Tips for caring for a rabbit

• Never lock your rabbit in a small cage, as any pet must have freedom and space.
• Do not bathe it; clean it when necessary with a damp cloth.
• Feed it properly twice a day.
• Protect it from excessive heat.
• Leave things for him to gnaw: tree branches, wood, cardboard.