Rabbits come in a vast variety of sizes and colours, and can live over 10 years. They are highly social animals so MUST be kept with another rabbit<\/strong> \u2013 if kept alone they can become very stressed. Rabbits become sexually mature from 16weeks, so if keeping a male and female together, they must be neutered. Rabbits can form bonded pairs, and become devoted lifelong friends.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Traditionally rabbits were kept in small hutches but this is now unacceptable. They are energetic and intelligent animals who need space to run and play<\/strong>, forage and socialise. According to the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF), a minimum area for 2 rabbits together is 3m x 2m base and 1m high, whether indoors or outdoors. Many indoor rabbits get free run of a room in the house, and outdoor runs can be very large.<\/p>\n All rabbit housing must be secure<\/strong> \u2013 to prevent escapes and (when outdoors) to prevent access by predators. There must be a part that is dry and draught free, sheltered from weather and extremes of temperature, and away from loud noises. Rabbits should have an enclosed safe sleeping area with straw, hay or compressed paper bedding, and in their runs have space to run, jump, dig and hide, as well as toilet\/litter areas. Digging is a natural behaviour in rabbits which they should be allowed to carry out \u2013 you can provide a deep litter tray or pot filled with earth or sand. Tunnels, tubing and cardboard boxes can be added to runs to provide enrichment<\/strong>. Rabbits love to chew, so any wooden parts of the run should be checked regularly, and alternative chew toys or fruit wood branches<\/strong> can be supplied. Whether indoors or outside, the area needs to be rabbit proofed \u2013 both to prevent escape and to remove anything that the rabbit may eat \u2013 poisonous plants and electric cables being important examples.<\/p>\n For full details of indoor or outdoor housing the RWAF website is extremely helpful – https:\/\/rabbitwelfare.co.uk<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A healthy diet is one of the most important parts of your rabbit\u2019s care. An inappropriate diet can lead to obesity, digestive issues and dental problems<\/strong>. Rabbits in the wild spend a long time grazing and foraging for mostly poor quality food, and eat mainly grass. They need long fibre in their diet for their guts to work properly, and constant chewing is required to keep their teeth worn down, as rabbits\u2019 teeth grow continuously throughout life.<\/p>\n A good diet for your bunny would be:<\/p>\n So ideally this would be: unlimited good quality hay or grass<\/strong> (not alfalfa, no lawnmower clippings or frosted grass), a large handful daily of broccoli<\/strong>, kale<\/strong>, parsley<\/strong>, dandelion leaves<\/strong> or cabbage<\/strong>, and 2-3 tablespoons of commercial rabbit nuggets<\/strong> daily. Muesli type mixes are not ideal as your rabbit will tend to pick out the high sugar parts and leave the high fibre parts, contributing to obesity and digestive problems.<\/p>\n Remember that sudden changes to the diet can cause serious tummy problems which can be life threatening, so any new foods should be introduced very gradually.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As a prey species, rabbits tend to hide signs of pain or illness. It is vital to monitor your rabbits every day for any changes in appetite, droppings, activity and normal behaviour as reduction in any of these can be a sign of illness or stress.<\/p>\n Health problems that we see in rabbits are<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We recommend vaccinations for Myxomatosis<\/strong> and Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (RVHD). <\/strong><\/p>\n Myxomatosis<\/strong> is a viral disease spread via fleas or other biting insects from infected rabbits, or direct contact with infected rabbits. You may have seen infected wild rabbits with myxomatosis \u2013 they have swollen weeping eyes, nose and genitalia, cannot see and move very slowly. They progress to fever and an inability to eat or drink. The majority of rabbits will die as there is no specific treatment. Prevention is easy in the form of a yearly vaccine, combined with RVHD1.<\/p>\n RVHD1<\/strong> is a virus prevalent in wild rabbits which is rapidly fatal. Many rabbits show no signs of illness but are found dead, often bleeding from the nose or mouth. The cause of death is internal bleeding. It is caught from direct contact with infected rabbits, or contact with infected urine or faeces. There is no treatment for RVHD1, but the vaccine is a very effective way of preventing the infection.<\/p>\n RVHD2<\/strong> is a relatively new strain in the UK, again often causing sudden death. However the number of deaths is less than RVHD1, and some infected rabbits can recover. Due to the lack of signs, it can be very difficult to diagnose and has probably been widely underdiagnosed. It is again caught by direct contact with infected rabbits, via infected material in the environment or contact with carrier rabbits. The RVHD2 vaccine is very effective.<\/p>\n A combined Myxo\/RHD1<\/strong> vaccine is recommended annually, and an RHD2 vaccine should also be given yearly, although the two vaccines cannot be given at the same time \u2013 please contact us for further details. It is important also to treat fleas on your rabbits, and to prevent contact with wild rabbits.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rabbits are a very common pet nowadays, with many being kept as litter trained house rabbits. With some work and knowledge they make really friendly fun pets, but they are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3786,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rabbits"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Rabbit](\"https:\/\/www.parksidevets.com\/pets\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/05\/parkside-vets-rabbit-care.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/h6>\n
Rabbit Housing<\/h6>\n
Rabbit Diet<\/strong><\/h6>\n
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Health problems<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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Vaccinations<\/h6>\n