From the lovely little small eared Netherland Dwarfs to the much larger New Zealand whites, rabbits make great pets and as there are estimated 1.7 million pet rabbits in the UK lots of other people think so too.
Originally brought to Britain by the Romans to be farmed for meat and fur, rabbits escaped and populated the countryside.
They are great survivors dieting on grasses and leafy weeds, producing numerous young and living in large warrens which provide security from their predators.
Rabbits have always interested humans and have become part of our folk lore as the Easter Bunny and Brer Rabbit stories show and there are examples from all round the world of the rabbits gods of Aztec culture and the trickster rabbits of Africa.
More recently rabbits have been bred for their looks too. The Dutch rabbit is a classic with its coloured head and body and white stripe across his shoulders.
The Lionhead has a beautiful mane and a wonderful personality and the Rex has a thick rich velvety coat – so luxurious.
However, despite all the varieties we have they are still rabbits and they each require the care that is necessary for their health.
One of the biggest issues for rabbit keepers is diet. In the wild, rabbits live on a very nutrient poor, high fibre diet and this is still needed for their domesticated cousins. Rabbits are known as hind gut digesters so in the morning and evening they pass out soft pellets which they eat again straight away (you won’t notice this as they just look like they are grooming) and so they digest their food twice. Later in the afternoon they pass out the hard pellets we are more familiar with.
They also have teeth that grow continuously to grind down these fibres and so if they are not given a high fibre diet rabbits end up with deformed teeth which cause so many dental problems for pet rabbits.
So what to feed them? – hay, hay and more hay! They can have a small amount of pelleted food (not loose cereal mix) but think of this as a treat rather than their main diet. Always have fresh water available and an occasional hard vegetable such as carrot or broccoli stalks can be given.
Rabbits need the company of other rabbits. It is easier when they are young to introduce new rabbits to each other as they may fight more when adult but a single rabbit is a lonely, stressed rabbit.
Rabbits also need space. A rabbit hutch is not adequate. You could have it as the sleeping area but attach it to a large run and make the run as interesting as possible with boxes to hide in, tubes to run through and jump over and digging areas to let your rabbit behave like a rabbit!
Better still have a rabbit shed with an attached run.
Health wise there are two main diseases that rabbits can be vaccinated against with a yearly jab:- VHD a nasty virus from the continent where often the first sign that there’s a problem is finding a healthy rabbit dead in the morning; and myxomatosis again a viral disease which can be passed directly from infected animals or by biting insects.
As we are approaching autumn and winter flies are less of a worry but check your rabbit is clean and wound free as fly strike occurs when flies lay their eggs on rabbits and the maggots then attack the tissue of the rabbit, a real emergency.
Lastly, play with your rabbit and socialise with it. They love company and they love working with you.
Give your rabbit all the care they need and you will be rewarded with a great fun pet.
