How to CARE for a RABBIT – Care Guide

The first thing to do when acquiring or adopting a rabbit is to take it to a small mammal veterinarian for a first review and confirm that your partner is in perfect health. In these cases, it is especially necessary to do a stool analysis, to verify that it does not have intestinal parasites, and a blood test and a physical examination, with which the veterinarian can check its general health.

Apart from the first visit, it is also vital to take him to the vet to:

• Stick to your vaccination schedule. Necessary vaccinate domestic rabbits against myxomatosis, a disease transmitted through fleas and mosquitoes; it is recommended to vaccinate them every 6 months, in spring and autumn. In addition, it is also good to vaccinate them against the viral hemorrhagic disease, especially if several live together. We also advise you to know What are the most common diseases in domestic rabbits.
• Comply with the deworming schedule,
• Every time you see him different, with a physical, mood and / or behavior out of the ordinary for him. Thus, before signs that you may be sick or feeling unwell (such as lack of appetite, sleeping too much, scratching a lot, diarrhea, etc.), it is advisable to call the vet to consult the necessary or go directly.

We also recommend reading this other post about When to take a rabbit to the vet.

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One of the most important characteristics of these animals is that the teeth grow continuously due to feeding traits of this species, so they have to gnaw a lot to wear them down, so that they don’t grow too big and cause problems.

For this reason, and for nutritional reasons, the hay It should be part of our rabbit’s diet, as well as we can put wood, cardboard, certain foods and other specific materials for this purpose, which can be found in pet stores, so that they can gnaw so that their teeth wear out daily.

It is also convenient that you check his mouth often to ensure their good health and thus be able to detect any symptoms of a possible oral problem, before it becomes complicated. It is also possible to brush its teeth with a specific, small and soft brush, but you should never use a toothpaste that is not specific for rabbits or rodents.

For more information about the care that you should carry out with your pet’s mouth, we recommend you consult our article on How to take care of my rabbit’s teeth.

Of course, food is also a key factor in the care of a domestic rabbit, it is vital so that it is well cared for and carries a healthy lifestyle, so you have to know well what foods they need and what they do not, as well as listen to the recommendations of the veterinarian who usually treats them.

The basic ingredients of feeding the rabbits They are, in order from greatest to least need:

• Clean and fresh water.
• Fresh hay.
• Homemade food for rabbits (cereals, vegetables and fresh fruits).
• I think for rabbits.
• Snacks or prizes for rabbits.

As we have indicated, these products are listed in order of necessity. Thus, a rabbit must always have clean water and fresh hay, then you will need the rest of the foods and it is best to choose those that are natural and fresh, complementing with some feed and, from time to time, we can offer you a prize or treat for you to enjoy. It is important not to overdo it with commercial treats that contain more sugars than necessary for the animal (for example, there are those that include many cereals and honey). Of course you will love them, but in excess they will make you overweight or obese, among other health problems. A good option is to accustom it to the prizes or treats being pieces of fresh fruit, for example a piece of apple.

If you feed it correctly, your rabbit will be healthy and many health conditions will be avoided. You can expand here the information about What do rabbits eat and about What do baby rabbits eat.

Another of the caring for a rabbit What is essential is regular brushing of their fur. Usually you have to brush the rabbit’s fur several times a week, but if your pet is of a breed with long hair, it should be done daily. With this, we will avoid knots in the fur and that hairballs can be generated in the stomach, which can be deadly for rabbits. Feeding them malt is also a good way to prevent these hairballs from forming. It is important that you get him used to brushing from a young age and always brush him with positive reinforcement, offer him rewards and never force him by keeping him off for a long time.

Conversely, you should not bathe rabbits, since they spend a lot of time grooming themselves. Although on very hot summer days, especially if we see them very overwhelmed, we can refresh the area behind the ears and the nape of the neck. And in case it is strictly necessary, for example because they have become very dirty, we can bathe them dry or use a damp cloth to wash only the dirty area. Learn here all about How to dry bathe a rabbit.

In addition, in the following oneHOWTO article you will find all the answers about How should your rabbit hygiene be?, from the baths, to the nails, to the care of his coat and how to clean his eyes and ears.

It is crucial to choose the best possible cage for our little companion. The cage for a rabbit should be as big as possible, depending on the space we have at home, with elements such as: adequate bars and floor, a wide door, a shed or bed, a drinking trough, a feeder, a container for hay, a toy, and so on. We can opt for a large rectangular cage, for a house for rabbits which is more spacious and may even have more than one floor or, for enable a room or stay to make it your home.

In addition to ensuring that it is a cage or an optimal space for the rabbit to move and have its space to sleep, eat, drink and relieve itself, it must be taken into account that this site requires a maintenance and cleaning suitable so that the animal can enjoy a good space and a good state of health, as well as to avoid bad smells and other problems in the house.

In these other articles you will see information about How to choose and prepare the rabbit cage and about How to clean a rabbit cage.

The rabbit is an animal that needs do a lot of exercise, so if we have it inside a cage, even if it seems large or spacious, we must take it out a few hours each day so that can run freely, either inside the house or outside, on a terrace, a balcony with protection in the bars or in a garden.

However, as long as we leave it loose we must be attentive in your footsteps or create a suitable environment so that the animal can walk, separating and protecting everything that our rabbit can gnaw. These animals have an innate tendency to bite and gnaw to inspect their environment, and if we do not pay attention we can discover damage in the house or they can even hurt themselves with some objects, such as dangerous cables.

Therefore, we recommend that you get a park for rabbits, which you can place in any large area of ​​the house, inside or outside, to let it run around and play for an adequate time, without worrying every second about household objects and objects. risks they pose. Likewise, we advise you to establish a good relationship with your rabbit and that too play with him the maximum of daily time that is possible to you. A good way to play is create a circuit where you have to walk, run or jump some obstacles to find small pieces of food that you hide.

It is also recommended spay or neuter domestic rabbits, for many reasons. In both the case of females and males it is a simple operation that will promote your health. If we don’t …