Gilabbey Veterinary Hospital, Vets, Surgeons, Cork, Ireland

Rabbit Welfare

rabbit If you are considering purchasing a rabbit it is important to realise that a rabbit needs to be taken on as a family or adult pet. An adult should take overall responsibility for the care of any animal, and rabbits are no exception to this rule. Owning a rabbit can be a great way for children to learn the joys of pet ownership as well as developing an understanding of the responsibilities which it also brings. However, rabbits do not naturally enjoy cuddles and human handling, and it takes a lot of care and time to train a rabbit to accept this. Boisterous children can be alarming for a scared bunny, and it requires the supervision of an involved adult to ensure that this socialisation takes place without the rabbit becoming stressed. All family members should be aware that it is best to let the rabbit come to you rather than forcing him or her into close contact straight away. In this way your rabbit can build up confidence and hopefully come to enjoy human contact. Neutering also plays a very important role in improving the bond with your pet, although it is not a substitute for patience and calm handling.

Rabbits, if well cared for, should live for six to eight years, perhaps longer. As a result, any children involved in their care may find new interests or even fly the nest, leaving the adults in the family entirely responsible for the rabbit’s care and well-being. This fact should be borne in mind before deciding to go ahead and start keeping rabbits as pets. Recently there has been a change in the law regarding the welfare of pet rabbits which makes neglect as significant an offence as cruelty - rabbits need plenty of care and attention, and this is a requirement which goes on throughout their entire lives, even after their initially doting child carer has gone travelling around the world on a gap year!

Indoors versus outdoors

rabbits You need to decide whether your rabbit will live mainly inside or outside. Neutered rabbits are quite easy to litter-train, so living indoors can be an option. Certainly rabbits which live indoors are likely to receive more regular human contact and thus tend to be more companionable and interactive pets. It is important that your home is ‘rabbit proofed’ if your rabbit comes in at all. If your rabbit lives indoors however, it is very important that it still regularly gets plenty of exercise. You should have an outdoor run to allow lots of exercise in the daylight. Whether indoors or outdoors, your rabbit will need a hutch or personal area.

More than one rabbit?

Rabbits are naturally social animals and therefore they are generally happier when kept in pairs or small social groups. Neutering is very important to reduce aggressiveness between same sex individuals and also to prevent a ‘population explosion’. If you have a single rabbit or if you have lost one of a pair, it is possible to introduce a companion.

It is recommended that rabbits and Guinea pigs are not kept together, because unfortunately rabbits can be terrible bullies. When purchasing more than one rabbit we strongly recommend examination by a veterinary surgeon early on. It can be difficult to sex baby rabbits and it is easy for mistakes to be made in pet shops and by casual breeders. Unfortunately this leads to unexpected litters, often from related rabbits! Sexing of rabbits can be performed at the time of first vaccination.

Feeding

Many health issues for rabbits arise from feeding an inappropriate or imbalanced diet. As in the wild, rabbits should be fed mainly good quality grass and hay. As most pet rabbits are unable to perform extensive grazing and browsing all day, every day, a supplementary dry food is also recommended. Other items of fruit and vegetables can be given in small quantities.

The teeth of rabbits are different to those of cats and dogs as they grow continuously throughout their lives. Their molar (back) teeth are continually ground down during the chewing of the long fibres found in grasses. If we do not provide enough long fibrous material in the diet then their teeth will not receive the same wearing effect and they will become over long – leading to dental problems.
There are many brands of concentrated dried food available. For reasons explained above these should be considered almost as a supplement rather than the main component of the diet. These foods are important, however, and when choosing a diet it is important that it has been specifically formulated for rabbits as they have different nutritional requirements to other small pets.

We strongly recommend that the diet you choose is fully pelleted – i.e. all of the ingredients are milled together so that each pellet looks the same. This is because the vast majority of rabbits are selective eaters – they will pick out the bits they like and leave those they find less palatable. Unfortunately, the bits most rabbits leave are the ‘boring’ brown bits, which are in-fact the calcium impregnated grass pellets. Without these pellets the diets are very low in calcium. Rabbits have a very high calcium requirement – without a good regular supply, their bones become soft. This can lead to both dental problems and even broken bones. It is important, however, that rabbits are not fed too much dry food. Firstly, for reasons stated above, the slowly digestible fibres should be main source of nutrition. If too much pelleted food is offered, the rabbit may eat that in preference to grass and hay. Secondly, the rabbit may also neglect to eat it’s caecotrophs in favour of the dry food, leading to a dirty bottom and ‘fly-strike’. Thirdly, over-feeding can also lead to obesity which is an increasingly common problem in rabbits. As is the case with other animals and humans, being obese causes many health problems – specifically it results in reduced activity, leading to osteoporosis (brittle bones) and reduced ability to groom

Always make sure your rabbit has a plentiful supply of fresh water to drink. Some rabbits like a bowl and other prefer a bottle – do not suddenly change your rabbit’s water source. Water bowls and bottles should be regularly cleaned. Leaking bottles and spilt bowls will lead to wet bedding. When bedding is wet, foot sores and respiratory infections can occur – so bottles must be regularly checked and bowls should be heavy enough so that they are not constantly being knocked over.

Vaccination

There are two diseases against which we can vaccinate rabbits. These are myxomatosis and VDH. Both diseases are fatal and so vaccination for all rabbits is strongly recommended. Vaccinations also give us the opportunity to fully examine your rabbit on a regular basis. We can then discuss any management issues you may have and also pick up early on any health issues.

Disease in rabbits

It is worth noting that rabbits are ‘prey animals’. This means that in the wild they will not want to give outward signs of illness as this would single them out as an easy meal for a fox! They have a fantastic ability to hide illness until it may be too late to treat them. You should always be aware of the amount and type of food your rabbit is eating, how much it is drinking and the quantity and nature of the urine and faeces.

Regular handling will allow you to know your rabbit well and hopefully also allow you to pick up on subtle signs of ill health. Watch out for sticky eyes, nasal discharges, drooling, crusty ears, weight loss, coat changes change in shape of tummy and dirty or wet bottom.