8 Tips to Best Care for Your Rabbit
Rabbits are great pets, and many people love adding a rabbit to their home for a variety of reasons. Rabbits are smart and loving and you can teach them to do tricks as well as walk on a leash. They are not hard to care for but there are some key tips and tricks that will make caring for your rabbit easier for everyone in your home.
If you are thinking of getting a pet rabbit or you already have one and think that there is a better way to do some of your daily tasks for your rabbit care. You will enjoy much happier hours with your pet rabbit if you are good at taking care of them and these tips and tricks will help you to care for your rabbit with ease.
Tips for the Best Rabbit Care
Here are 8 tips to help provide the best care to your pet rabbit.
1. Bunny Proof Your House
Free roam is great for providing exercise and enrichment, but they should be monitored or kept in a safe environment. Remove all wires, plugs, or anything that could be chewed on.
2. Have Enough Fresh Hay
Fresh hay should be the staple of a rabbit’s diet and should make up 85% of what they eat in a day. This keeps their teeth and guts happy. Young rabbits ( <1yr) should be fed alfalfa hay and adult rabbits should have timothy or oat hay. Hay should be provided at all times and should be regularly checked to make sure its not gone bad
3. Provide Fresh Greens
Fresh greens should make up 15% of a rabbit’s diet. This can be spinach, mixed greens, lettuce, cilantro, parsley etc. Contrary to popular belief carrots should only be given as a snack as it is high in sugar. Rabbits can have different preferences so experiment with different greens to see what your rabbit likes. These should be given fresh daily.
4. Use the Right Pellets
Rabbits should have access to good quality pellet food but this should only make up 5% of their daily food. Pellets provide essential micronutrients and minerals for their health.
5. Snacks
You can use fruits like bananas and blueberries or carrots as treats for your rabbit. These are high in sugar however and shouldn’t be a big part of their diet.
6. Use a Litter Box
Rabbits prefer to organize their urine and feces in one location and if you offer them a litter box, they will be more than happy to use it. This will keep their cage clean and help your rabbit to feel more comfortable in their cage. This can also help with the smell of your rabbit cage and make cleaning the cage much easier. Not everyone uses litter boxes, but this can make your rabbit much happier and healthier.
7. Offer Toys and Enrichment
Rabbits can get bored and get into trouble. This might lead to chewing up things that you don’t want them to eat, or it might even lead to excessive grooming and other negative behaviors. Cardboard boxes and castles are a lot of fun for rabbits, and they love chewing on these items and hiding under them. Rabbit toys can also offer up a lot of hours of fun and stimulation for your rabbit. Rabbits enjoy learning tricks as well and you can teach your rabbit lots of fun things to do to help with their mental well-being.
8. Groom Your Rabbit
Rabbits groom themselves but they can benefit from the bonding and comfort of having their pet parent groom them. Rabbits do shed a few times a year so you can help them to shed in a healthy way by grooming them. Your rabbit will be prone to ingesting its hair as it sheds, and you will want to avoid this since it can lead to digestive upsets.
You will also want to trim your rabbit’s claws regularly since this can help prevent them from curling into your rabbit’s paws. Some rabbits dislike having their nails clipped and you might need to take your rabbit to the veterinarian for this service.
Caring For Your Rabbit Can be Easy
Rabbit care does not have to be a struggle and you can use these tips and tricks to help you be the best rabbit parent ever. Caring for your rabbit involves making sure that their cage is clean, that they have the right hay and vitamins and greens each day. You will also want to be sure that your rabbit gets the mental stimulation that they need to be happy and healthy each day.
Caring for a rabbit is a lot of fun and everyone in your family can enjoy participating in the care of the rabbit that you have added to the family. Rabbits are sweet and loving and fun to own, and you will enjoy that they can be trained to do tricks and walk on a leash. Keeping your rabbit happy and healthy is no trouble at all when you use these tips and tricks to make caring for your rabbit easy.
Want to talk with a rabbit vet in Boston, MA about your pet? Book an appointment online at Boston Veterinary Clinic today!