How To Take Care Of Rabbits As Pets

Introduction

Hello fellow bunny lovers, hope everyone is doing very well. I have been raising rabbits for many years and from that experience today’s article will be how to take care of rabbits as pets.

1. Providing Water: Keep it Fresh and Accessible

The first thing I’m going to talk about is water. Water should always be given 24/7 from a bowl. Drinking from a bowl is much more natural to rabbits as this is how they would drink in the wild. Drinking from a bottle takes a lot more effort for them to get as much liquid as they need, and rabbits need a lot of fluid to ensure that their gut is moving properly. I like to make sure that I dump out the old water, rinse it, and refill it twice a day. This just helps keep any hair or debris that might fall into it at a minimum.

2. Unlimited Hay for a Healthy Gut and Teeth

The next thing is hay. You’re going to want to make sure that you have unlimited grass hay available for your rabbit 24/7. Hay is vitally important to keep their gut moving properly, and it also helps wear down their ever-growing teeth. I provide hay in these hay boxes right above their litter boxes. This normally holds enough hay for several days, but I do like to pull hay to the front of the box about once a day. You can also read “what to feed bunny”.

3. Fresh Leafy Greens Every Day

The next thing is greens. Rabbits need fresh leafy greens on a daily basis. They need one cup of leafy greens for every two pounds of body weight. Leafy greens are different from harder vegetables like carrots. Vegetables like those are considered treats and should only be fed as such. Some leafy greens I like to provide are lettuces, kales, and herbs. You can also read “what vegetables can rabbit eat” or “herbs for rabbit” or “what types of lettuce can rabbit eat”.

4. Do Rabbits Need Pellets?

Some people do prefer to feed pellets along with the rabbit’s diet. However, veterinarians are actually finding out that pellets aren’t vital to your rabbit’s diet unless they require them for a medical condition. Please speak to your rabbit-savvy vet about your rabbit’s diet needs.

5. Treats in Moderation

Another thing you can feed is treats, of course, as this is completely optional and not required in a rabbit’s diet. Fresh fruit is a great option, as well as 100% dried fruit or dried vegetables like dried carrots. However, please note that rabbits should never have more than one teaspoon of fruit for every two pounds of body weight. I personally feed way less than this as I don’t want my rabbits getting too many sweets, as that is not good for their digestive tract.

6. Daily Exercise is a Must

Another very important thing for rabbit care is daily exercise. This is vitally important, especially if your rabbit is in a cage, pen, or room. Many people disagree on how many hours a rabbit should be out per day, so honestly, I just say let them out as long as possible and for several hours a day. Rabbits are crepuscular, which means they’re most active during dawn and dusk. For this reason, I tend to let my rabbits out in the evening as that’s when they are most active and when they get the most benefit from their exercise time. If your rabbit is free-range, a good thing to get them more excited about exercise is providing new toys like tunnels or hidey houses.

7. Attention and Social Interaction

And last but not least is attention. Rabbits need attention on a daily basis as they are very social creatures. The type of attention you give your rabbit is going to be different based on your rabbit’s needs and personality. Some of my rabbits love to be pet and will just sit there for hours as you pet them. Others of my rabbits have just wanted a couple of quick pets and then they’re done. If your rabbit isn’t a huge fan of being pet, you can do something called clicker training. Clicker training is a really good bonding exercise. It helps exercise your rabbit, increase the bond between you two, and is also very fun and stimulating for your rabbit.

Conclusion

That’s it for today. If you have any further questions, leave them in the comments below. You will find all information related to rabbits on this website, so please stay tune.