Care and Support

Your baby will leave with change over food, care sheet (below) and birth certificate as well as ongoing support as needed.

When you first get home, your new baby may feel frightened and will need to get used to being away from their mother and siblings, and also their new surroundings. For the first 24 hours, allow them to settle and become accustomed to their new home without disturbing them too much.

Feeding

Each rabbit leaves me with 7 – 10 days’ supply of change over food. Rabbits (particularly young rabbits) have very delicate tummies and a sudden change in food can upset them quite quickly, making them poorly. You will need to change over their food gradually!

For the first two days feed the food that I have provided and then over the next 6 - 7 days gradually introduce your food along with gradually reducing the food provided. By the 10th day they should be on their new food without any problems. If you wish to feed them on the same food I have provided, I feed my rabbits on a mix of Burgess Excel Nuggets with Mint & Harringtons Optimum Rabbit, along with Readigrass.

You must provide your rabbit with plenty of good quality hay every day - a guide for this is roughly the same amount to the size of your rabbit! Hay should make up 80 – 90% of their daily diet.

There is debate as to how young rabbits should be allowed greens and vegetables but personally I begin to introduce these at around three weeks when they begin to venture out of the nest. They will only need very small amounts when they leave me, you can increase this as they grow and develop.

Rabbits love greens, vegetables and fruit but they should not be given in excess. Below is a list of ‘safe’ foods you can give your rabbit and a list of items to completely avoid.

Love:

Carrots, broccoli, brussel sprouts, curly kale, spinach, celery, cabbage, cauliflower (especially the leaves!), asparagus, cucumber, courgette, parsnips, radishes, turnips, rocket, basil, coriander, parsley, mint, tomatoes, salad peppers, watercress, apples (not the cores), bananas, strawberries, raspberry leaves, blueberries, blackberries. Fruit and carrots should be given in moderation due to the high sugar content!

Big No No:

Potatoes and potato tops, lettuce (I personally avoid all), rhubarb (including leaves), tomato leaves & vines, cherry trees, eucalyptus, mistletoe berries, apple seeds. There are also other plants that are poisonous to rabbits so if your rabbit will have free run of the garden, please research different plants you have to ensure the environment is safe.

Water

Clean, fresh water should be available at all times. Algae tends to grow in water bottles so you should empty the bottle and fill with clean, fresh water daily. You will need to clean the water bottle regularly too to clear any algae that begins to grow. During winter months (if your rabbit is living outdoors) be aware that the water in the bottle will freeze and may need ‘defrosting’. Even though the water my not appear frozen, check the spout as that will usually freeze first.

Housing

Your rabbit can be housed both indoors or outdoors. My rabbits live outside and your baby will have been born, weaned and lived in the outdoors so they are fully climatised to this environment. If you choose to house your rabbit indoors and later down the line decide you would like it to live outdoors, you will need to be very cautious and aware of the climate as rabbits do not adapt well to sudden change in temperature from warm to cold.

If outdoors, always purchase a hutch as big as you can afford. For a mini lop, I would recommend a hutch no less than 4ft by 3ft. Rabbits cope very well with the cold but as mentioned above, you would need to keep checking their water bottle isn’t frozen and provide a cover to protect them from wind and rain. Also you need to ensure that the hutch isn’t positioned in direct sunlight, especially during summer months as the heat can kill rabbits.

Use plenty of wood shavings in the base of the hutch along with bedding such as straw or hay, particularly in the winter.

The hutch will need a thorough clean out once a week with all bedding being replaced. Rabbits can quite easily be litter trained which can help with ‘spot cleans’ as the litter tray can be emptied daily.

Exercise

Rabbits love running around and must be given the chance to do so daily. Make sure you have a large enough run or pen that is secure for them to exercise daily – they love tunnels and ramps to jump on and through too and makes their playtime more fun!

If you choose to house your rabbit indoors, make sure any wires or loose cables are out of the way to ensure the rabbits safety (and your house!) Above all, rabbits need your attention so company and fuss is a big part of their day. Be aware not all rabbits like being picked up or held, but still love fuss and cuddles so take this into account as you get to know your rabbit and their personality.

Health

Be aware that rabbits teeth constantly grow so provide your rabbit with items to chew on as this will help their teeth wear down naturally and evenly, as well as providing entertainment for them. Wooden toys and blocks can be purchased from any good pet shop (or make your own using solid wood) but please make sure you do not buy toys that are brightly coloured/painted or filled with unnatural material as these are dangerous for rabbits!

Rabbits nails also constantly grow too so ensuring they have exercise and ground to run on will help to wear these down naturally also. Occasionally their nails may need clipping so make sure you check these regularly as overlong nails can be painful and cause the nail to tear, resulting in bleeding.

Your rabbit will need annual vaccinations, just like cats and dogs. The main diseases they will need to be vaccinated against are Myxomatosis and RVHD 1 & 2. They are serious diseases – Myxomatosis if caught early can be treated to aid recovery but in most cases the rabbit will not survive, and with RVHD, there is no cure and is fatal.

Flystrike is when flies lay eggs on/in the rabbit, typically around the tail/anal area. This results in maggots that actually start ‘eating’ your rabbit. Keep your rabbits tail/anal/genital area clean and free from mess as well as regularly cleaning out their hutch.

One last thing – rabbits eat their poo! Not all poo, just particular droppings so don’t be alarmed if you see your rabbit doing this, it actually contains nutrition believe it or not!

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