Rabbit care sheet

Bunny Behaviour

Rabbits are considered to be social animals and benefit from having a companion rabbit. There is little difference between bucks and does as pets; however, it is important to keep in mind that two adults who are unfamiliar to each other will tend to fight one another if introduced suddenly. Desexing your pet rabbit will help to decrease the risk of any fighting or aggression.

Rabbit Husbandry

Good husbandry is very important with rabbits, with many diseases being preventable with adequate care. Rabbits do well in a hutch or playpen that is either inside or outside in an undercover area that is free from direct sunlight, rain and windy drafts. If your rabbit is outside, they will need to have insect protection (netting or flyscreen) to prevent mosquitoes and flies from getting in (more on this below).

We recommend that each rabbit be provided with an absolute minimum floor space of approximately 120cm in length, however, the more room, the better. Newspaper can be used to line the bottom of the hutch, with a bedding substrate such as oaten hay on top of the newspaper. Bedding should be changed daily, or more frequently if it becomes soiled. This will prevent the cage from becoming too dirty and smelly.

Ammonia is produced in rabbit urine, and rabbits are sensitive to high ammonia levels in the air. Keeping their run clean and tidy helps to keep ammonia levels down and avoid potential problems.

Tip: Waste from the hutch makes great compost for the garden.

Outdoor Living

If living outdoors, you need to consider if your rabbit is protected from mosquitos and other insects. Mosquitos can carry the rabbit calicivirus and myxomatosis viruses and can potentially infect your pet rabbit.

Vaccination is available and recommended for both the RHDV1 and the RHDV2 strain of calicivirus, however, currently there is no vaccine available in Australia for the rabbit myxomatosis virus. For this reason, we recommend all outdoor hutches be fitted with a fly screen to prevent mosquitos from entering your pet rabbit’s hutch.

Rabbits are sensitive to the heat and may experience heat exhaustion when temperatures are in excess of 28°C, they are suddenly exposed to wide temperature changes, or they are forced to be in direct sunlight. In some cases, heat exhaustion can be very severe and can lead to death.

It is imperative to keep your pet rabbit cool on hot days, especially if they are living outside the house. Make sure to provide plenty of water and vegetables on hot days and ensure that the hutch is not in full sun and has plenty of shade throughout the day. Frozen water bottles can be provided as a cool object for your rabbit to lay against on a hot day.

Feeding Pet Rabbits

Feeding your rabbit and guinea pig the right foods is important for a range of things including healthy teeth and gastrointestinal health. Many of the problems we see in rabbits and guinea pigs are caused by feeding a poor diet, for this reason it is crucial that you ensure your pet is being fed appropriately.

What Does A Good Quality Diet Include?

A good guinea pig and rabbit diet will be high in fibre with moderate protein levels as well as provide some fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. This can be achieved by providing your rabbit with ad lib good quality grass or grass hay (such as oaten or timothy hay). This should make up 70-80% of your rabbits’ diet.

A small amount of a good pellet mix can also be fed and a range of fresh leafy green vegetables and herbs should make up the rest of the diet. Fresh vegetables and herbs that are appropriate to feed include but are not limited to Asian greens, watercress, cabbage, broccoli, carrot tops, celery leaves, silver beat, parsley, mint and basil. Fruits should be used as treat items only.

What Food Should Never Be Fed To A Rabbit Or Guinea Pig?

Foods you should never feed your rabbit include but are not limited to iceberg lettuce, onion, garlic, potato, meat, tomato plants, rhubarb and jalapenos.

Fresh Water

It is important that your pet rabbit has clean fresh water on offer at all times. This can be provided easily with a dripper bottle attached to the cage or a heavy bowl (so that they cannot knock it over). Many rabbits prefer bowls to drink from rather than dripper bottles.

Listed here is a general guide as to what to feed your pet, for more specific information and a tailored dietary plan for your pet please get in touch with us.

Litter Training

When you first put your bunny in their new home, they will choose a corner for their toilet. Scoop up the soiled material and place it in a litter tray. Leave the litter tray in their chosen spot and they should keep using it. Later you will be able to move the tray elsewhere and he/she will keep using it.

What Do I Need To Take My Rabbit To The Vet For?

Rabbits require regular veterinary care and check-ups. The following is a summary of what we recommend.

Vaccination

There are several viruses in Australia that can harm your rabbit. With the recent introduction of a new and improved vaccine (Filavac®) in Australia, we can now protect rabbits from both the RHDV1 strain and the RHDV2 strain of calicivirus. To prevent your rabbit contracting the potentially deadly calicivirus, it is important that your rabbit receives regular vaccinations.

The vaccination can be given to rabbits over 10 weeks of age, with an annual booster required to keep the protection up to date. It can be administered at the same time as their health check-up and all our vaccinations include a full health check. 

Sterilisation (Desexing)

We strongly recommend having your rabbit desexed for the following reasons:

• Prevents the development of uterine cancer, a very common reproductive disease in female rabbits.
• Reducing the risk of fights occurring if you have more than one rabbit.
• Decreasing aggression
• Decreasing urine spraying and unwanted reproductive behaviour (humping etc.)
• Prevents unwanted pregnancies.

Unfortunately, even with the best care problems can still occur and if you are at all concerned about your rabbit’s health or behaviour, please contact us. Keeping a watchful eye on your rabbit and learning to identify signs of illness or out of the ordinary behaviour is essential for their health and happiness.

Bi-Annual Health Check

We recommend bi-annual health checks for rabbits. At this time, your rabbit will receive a thorough examination to help identify any problems that are occurring. Your rabbit’s teeth will also be checked at this point and advice on prevention of dental disease can be discussed.

Rabbits make wonderful companions, and by following the above advice, you can help to reduce the chances of common problems occurring and ensure that your rabbit is receiving the care that it deserves.

Shopping List

• Hutch/cage
• Igloo hide
• Bedding substrate
• Worming syrup
• Lice & mite spray
• Litter tray
• Litter
• Shampoo
• Brush
• Nail scissors
• Carrier
• Hutch cleaner
• Food
• Hay
• Food bowl
• Water bottle
• Wood chews

Calicivirus in Rabbits and Myxomatosis in Rabbits

Calicivirus and myxomatosis in rabbits are two serious infectious diseases

They are most common during the warmer months of the year (spring until autumn).

Calicivirus and myxomatosis in rabbits cause death and are spread by insects such as flies, mosquitoes and midges.

What is calicivirus?

Calicivirus or Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHDV1) was first released into the wild rabbit population in 1996 by the Government. There are now two other strains present in Australia: K5 and RHDV2.

What are the symptoms of calicivirus?

Calicivirus attacks the liver and intestines and may cause bleeding. Most rabbits will die suddenly without showing symptoms. Other symptoms include fever, lethargy, poor appetite and in some cases, bleeding will be noticed. Unfortunately, there is no treatment. The time between the rabbit being affected & him starting to get ill is short, usually from 12 to 18 hours.

How is calicivirus spread?

Calicivirus is spread by contact with:

• Infected rabbits (in their droppings, secretions and urine),
• Contaminated food
• Clothes
• Insects
• Rodents
• Cages or equipment

The virus can live in the environment for up to three to seven months.

How do I protect my rabbit from calicivirus?

There is a vaccination which works against RDHV1 and K5. At this time there is no confirmed effective vaccination against RDHV2 but the latest recommendation is to offer as much cross-protection as possible:

• Kittens (baby rabbits): vaccinate at four, eight, 12 weeks of age, then every six months.
• Adults: two vaccinations two to four weeks apart, then every six months.

It is also important to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus by other methods:

• • Keeping your rabbit indoors, especially during the warmer months
  • Prevent access to wild rabbits
  • Regularly clean cages, bowls and hutches with 10 per cent bleach or 10 per cent sodium hydroxide
  • Control insects – if your rabbit is outdoors, cover your hutch with flyscreen. Don’t exercise your rabbit at dawn or dusk when insects are most active.
  • Remove uneaten food daily.
  • Limit contact between unfamiliar rabbits and clean yourself after handling unfamiliar rabbits

Revolution or Advantage may be useful in preventing fleas and other insects.

DO NOT USE FRONTLINE – this will kill your rabbit.

What is myxomatosis?

Myxomatosis is another deadly disease that affects rabbits.  It acts more slowly than calicivirus. In 1950 the disease was released to reduce the pest rabbit population, however the wild population has now become resistant. Pet rabbits, however, have no resistance and it will kill 96 to 100 per cent of affected rabbits.

What are the symptoms of myxomatosis?

Pet rabbits affected by myxomatosis suffer greatly. The main symptoms are:

• Swelling of the eyes
• Swelling of the ears
• Swelling of the genitals
• High fever
• Pus discharging from their eyes or nose
• Bacterial infections in the lungs

Most rabbits will die within 10 to 14 days. It is a slow, agonising death and as with calicivirus there is no effective treatment.  The only recommended treatment is euthanasia.

How is myxomatosis spread?

The virus is spread by contact with infected rabbits (in their droppings, secretions and urine) or by contaminated food, clothes, insects, rodents, cages or equipment.

The virus can survive for many months in the environment.

Avoid getting a new rabbit for four months after a rabbit has had myxomatosis.

How can I prevent myxomatosis?

Unfortunately, there is no vaccination available in Australia.

The only way to prevent myxomatosis is to take precautionary measures as outlined above for calicivirus – mainly aiming to reduce exposure to insects.

It is important to thoroughly clean any surfaces that may have been in contact with an infected rabbit with 10 per cent bleach.