It is common for rabbits to defecate and urinate in one corner of their hutch thus making cleaning easier.

Biting is rare but may occur when nursing young or with older bucks. They can however inflict painful scratches with their powerful hind legs if not correctly handled.

Sexually mature rabbits (over 3 months old) should be housed individually or be sterilised. Unneutered mature rabbits should be paired only at mating as they will often inflict wounds.  In fact, male rabbits may castrate each other (often only partially) and the wounds can get quite badly infected.

A rabbits lifespan is approximately 5-6 years, with records of some living up to 15 years. 

Does are induced ovulators, which means that once they reach 5 months of age they come and stay on heat until mating occurs. The act of mating induces ovulation and every 7-14 days the doe will go into a period of inactivity for 12 days when new follicles develop.

When carrying a rabbit over a short distance, it is best to grasp the scruff (neck skin) with one hand and support the hind quarters with the other hand.  When carrying a rabbit over a long distance, it is best to place the rabbit on your forearm with its head hidden in the bend of your elbow; better still, cat carrying cages are ideal.  At no time should a rabbit be lifted by its ears. If they are not held correctly, they will struggle, scratch the handler and may break their backs if they fall.

A rabbit’s cage should measure at least 1m x 2m x 0.3m. It should preferably be made of galvanised mesh and iron. If used as flooring, the mesh should be no larger than 10 x 25cm to prevent the rabbit becoming caught. Wood can be used as an alternative, but as rabbits are like rodents, their teeth are continually growing and they tend to chew the wood to wear their teeth down. 

Other considerations include:

• Absence of sharp edges
• Ease of cleaning
• Protection from climatic extremes by providing an enclosed portion
• Waterproofing
• Portability
• Provision of self feeders and dew drop water valves

One end of the cage should be enclosed with a small doorway to the rest of the cage so that they can nestle away from the cold, wind and rain.  Ideally, the whole cage should be set on the ground and periodically moved so that the rabbit can eat fresh grass.  Faeces and urine will pass through onto the grass, leaving the cage hygienic and also fertilising the grass. It is wise to use sawdust, hay or straw in the enclosed portion of the cage.

Rabbits can tolerate some fluctuation in temperature with 10-18 degrees celsius most desirable.  In hot weather, cages should be cooled by shade, suitable ventilation and overhead sprinklers.  They should be protected from rapid temperature fluctuations, excessive drafts and predators (especially dogs and cats).

We recommend feeding your rabbit commercial rabbit pellets because they are a complete balanced diet and can be conveniently fed into an automatic feeder.  This diet is often supplemented with hay, greens and other additives such as, cereals, fresh cut grass, cabbage, carrots, herbs and stale bread to increase the fibre in their diet. Fibre is important in a rabbit’s diet to reduce the incidence of intestinal disease and hair chewing. When feeding vegetables to your pet, it is very important to wash all chemicals off before feeding.

Fresh cool water should be available at all times, ideally from a dew drop valve.

It is not uncommon for a rabbit to eat their own faeces from time to time.  This is a normal dietary habit which usually occurs early in the morning when soft, moist ‘night stool’ droppings are eaten directly from the anus.  These stools are high in protein and vitamins and promote good health.

Any change in food should be done gradually, especially in young rabbits 4-12 weeks old as they are very susceptible to dietary upsets at this age. 

Rabbits require regular grooming with a soft bristle brush to reduce moulting. They also need nail trimming to keep their claws manageable. We also recommend using a fly screen in their cage to prevent flies and mosquitoes from entering the hutch and infecting your pet.

Rabbit teeth are continually growing, averaging approximately 3mm per week, and need to chew to keep them from overgrowing. Chewing hay can help to wear their teeth down and prevent any related health issues.

Typically, illness can be identified in rabbits by anorexia and inactivity.

Some other common symptoms and illnesses to look out for are:

• Malocclusion – overgrown incisors causing excessive dribbling, and trauma to the mouth and tongue.
• Diarrhoea, constipation and/or  swollen abdomen
• Pneumonia, nasal discharge, difficulty breathing, and/or runny eyes
• Nervousness causing head tilts, paralysis or loss of balance
• Infertility, perinatal mortality, mastitis, vaginal discharge
• Skin conditions – hair loss, skin swelling, dermatitis, or ringworm.
• Ear infections
• Obesity or weight loss
• Worm – tapeworm and pinworm are most common in rabbits.
• Coccidiosis – a parasite affecting either the liver or intestines causing weight loss, anorexia, abdominal enlargement, diarrhoea and/or death.
• Myxomatosis – a viral disease transmitted by mosquitos and fleas, causing runny eyes, swelling, and death.  
• Tumors
• Wounds

If you notice your rabbits displaying any of these symptoms, please contact us for treatment immediately.

We recommend sterilising your rabbit to reduce unwanted litters, aggression and fighting (in males). Sterilisation can also prevent persistent false pregnancy which frequently lead to uterine infection, blood poisoning and even death. This operation is carried out under general anaesthesia and can be performed from 3 months of age onwards.  

Pregnancy can be confirmed by a veterinarian at around 10-14 days post mating.

During the last week of pregnancy (26-30 days), a nest box should be placed in the cage. Unless the hutch has an enclosed section with a small retaining board, to prevent scattering of the young.  You’ll know when your doe is ready to give birth as she will start to remove hair from her forequarters and mammary region a few hours or days before to construct a nest. 

A rabbit’s average litter size is 7-8, with records of up to 22 having occurred.  The young are usually born in the early morning with the average birth taking approximately 1 hour. Complications are rare although some young may be stillborn or rejected from the nest. Cannibalism is rare and when it occurs, it is usually associated with dead or deformed young or a hyper excited first litter doe. Does are rebred as early as 2-4 weeks after giving birth, while they are still lactating & feeding their young but better growth and health is achieved if they are not rebred until 5-6 weeks post birth. Eight litters per doe per year are not uncommon but the quality of the progeny may be affected by breeding as many litters as this.

Does nurse their young only once a day, usually in the morning. Orphaned rabbits can be hand-reared, but it is difficult and mortalities are common. It is far better, if possible, to foster the young to another lactating mother rabbit if the litter is under 2 weeks of age and both litters are a similar age. Success at fostering is enhanced if perfume is used on the does nose and on the young. Weaning is best carried out at 5-6 weeks by removing the doe and leaving the young in their familiar surroundings.  This method has been found to greatly reduce the stress of weaning.

False pregnancy occasionally occurs following sterile matings, excitement by nearby bucks or mounting by other does. This is one reason why individual housing of breeding does and bucks is recommended.