HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR BUNNY :)
Now that you have decided that you want a pet bunny, here are some things you should know before you actually go and pick one out. I highly suggest educating yourself on everything that comes with purchasing your bunny. Here are just some of the things you should keep in mind:
Water: Rabbits need access to water. They can learn to drink from a bowl or from a bottle, but they NEED fresh water at all times. Water bottles are a good way of keeping their water fresh and clean, but sometimes (depending on the rabbit) they may prefer drinking from a bowl. Be sure your bunny is drinking water daily. If you notice your bunny is acting differently or isnʻt drinking its water, contact your vet right away.
Housing: Space is very important when choosing a hutch. You can take a look at my hutch page here. You should buy a hutch big enough for the bunny to live in comfortably. Try to stay away from starter kits at pet stores as they are normally way too small. I personally purchase my hutches from Trisha Broley here on the Big Island. Her and her husband do an amazing job at building hutches that fit your individual needs. I highly recommend contacting her for an appointment and an estimate. Rabbits need at least 4 times of their size in space, so make sure your bunny can stand up without touching the celling and can stretch on the hutch in any direction freely. Make sure it can be placed in a area where they will receive daily attention, a rabbit should never live alone in a basement or an area where no one is ever there, they need contact on a day to day basis.
Life span: Rabbits, depending on their size, can live anywhere between 5-15 years. Holland lops, being that they are a fairly small breed, can live up to 10+years with proper care. So before buying a bunny please take into consideration how long of a commitment you are willing to make for your pet companions.
Potty trainable: From personal experience my rabbits were potty trained very easily. Just locate the exact location that they designated in their hutch as their bathroom, place a litter box there with either some wood shavings or litter, and youʻre set. I tend to clean my rabbits litter box once a week to stay consistent with keeping the house smelling fresh. They need ventilation, so make sure they get enough air in their home as well.
Diet: High quality pellets containing a minimum of 16-18% protein and minimum of 20% fiber are recommended for a rabbits diet. We feed Purina3 Fiber to our Holland Lops. The ideal foods that are highly recommended by other breeders for rabbits include Timothy Hay, dark leafy greens, and rabbit pellets. Rabbits need a lot of hay for their intestines to digest their food. Another thing to keep in mind is this, because rabbits groom themselves they need hay to processes their fur thats accidentally ingested. A rabbit can die if their fur builds up in their body and isnʻt digested out of their system. So feed your rabbit hay!
Treats: Try to stay away from pet treats from stores. They are usually unhealthy for rabbits and can cause them to become obese if fed in excess. I sometimes feed fresh fruits as treats in place of store bought treats.
Health: A health checklist is a must when adopting any animal. Don't be in a rush to pick up the animal. Check for sign of sickness, you can recognize a healthy bunny by its alertness. A healthy rabbit will be active, not have a wet nose, and will most definitely be curious when they first meet you. Tips for recognizing a healthy bunny are as follows: look for shiny fur with no bald spots, check its eyes and make sure they are clear, check its ears and make sure they are free from any type of discharge. A rabbits teeth should be nice and clean, the bottom teeth should nicely tuck under the top teeth. They don't require vaccines in the US, but we do frequent the local vet for initial checkups or when an emergency arises.
Friendliness: This depends entirely on the animal's parents. Our rabbits have a great temperament and love being handled by humans. Rabbits are timid by nature, but we work with our rabbits on becoming sociable.
Good living conditions: Having a clean space is key to raising your rabbits. Also try to designate at least an hour a day for your rabbits. Rabbits enjoy naps throughout the day and are awake around dusk. This is perfect if you have school or a job to take care of throughout the afternoon. Rabbits of all breeds are quiet animals that enjoy soft and quiet voices, work with your children on handling a rabbit and having a friendly, respectable demeanor around these animals. Rabbits are definitely fragile animals, and should be handled with care.
Vet care: If you have no intention on breeding your rabbit, we recommend spaying or neutering your animals. Not only will it prevent unexpected litters, but according to the House Rabbit Society a spayed/neutured rabbit will live longer, have a more enjoyable temperment and will not spray around your house! We take our rabbits to Dr. Mina at the Maikaʻi Veterinary Clinic in Hilo, HI for their initial checkups and also if any other concerns arise throughout the year. Rabbits do not require vaccination, but I still recommend vet visits twice a year to ensure proper care of teeth and other concerns you may have.
Nail Trimming: This depends entirely on your rabbit and on how quickly his/her nails may grow. If you plan on showing your rabbit at your local rabbit shows, it helps if you manage their nails consistently. I use either a dog nail clipper, or a dribbler/sander. We found that the bunnies are less stressed when being trimmed with the dribbler as it files their nails down without the worry of cutting too deep.
Grooming: Our rabbits enjoy grooming. We use a small comb and groom them whenever we handle them. Grooming makes a rabbit both feel and look good.
Holland Lop baby Care: When taking a baby rabbit home, be sure to check its bottom several times a day, as they are still learning to care for themselves and groom themselves. If poop gets stuck on their fur you can gently wipe this area with a damp paper towel. Their bottoms are very sensitive, never pull their fur, but instead gently remove poop with a wet paper towel then dry thoroughly. Pay close attention to how much he is drinking and eating and do not change their diet suddenly. Changing their diet drastically can upset their stomach and cause diarrhea.
Cleaning ears: Cleaning the inside of the bunnies’ ears with pet wipes is good. Be careful when doing so, since their ears are very fragile. Donʻt get the inside of their earholes wet though, as it may sometime lead to an infection.
Bathing your rabbit: Rabbits clean themselves like cats so I do not recommend bathing your rabbit unless absolutely necessary. If they need an emergency clean then you just submerge that area in water, the part that needs cleaning. (Usually that is the hind end.) Make sure to dry them completely afterwards since a wet bunny can eventually lead to a sick bunny and thatʻs never good.
Health of your family
Because all pets are potential carriers of infectious diseases, always wash your hands and supervise your children hand washing before and after caring, holding or cleaning any pets and pets supplies or toys. Pregnant women and small children (under 5) or other people with weak immune system should contact a doctor prior to purchasing any pets, and should consider not having any pet.
For more information about keeping your animal and your family healthy check out this link here.