January 28, 2010

A Guide To Looking After A Pet Rabbit

With such a loveable and gentle nature rabbits are great pets.Many rabbits love human interaction and enjoy being held and stroked.If you decide to own a pet rabbit you need to play your part in ensuring it is happy and healthy. Therefore, rabbit care care should be an important consideration.Rabbits are easy to look after and make a great addition to any family. To ensure your rabbit is healthy and happy try and follow some of these great tips.

Your new rabbit will need a safe, clean hutch with plenty of bedding for warmth. Make sure you can afford the cost of food and ideally buy a run so it has the opportunity to run around.The hutch will need to have adequate height to allow the rabbit to stand on its back legs. It also needs to be wide enough for the rabbit to hop around.In terms of space make sure the hutch is big enough to allow the rabbit to make at least 4 hops in any direction.Just like us, a rabbit likes to have a distinct area for certain activities, so make sure you allocate a space for sleep, a space for the toilet and a space in which to play.Don’t forget that if you have more than one rabbit the space should be increased accordingly.Bedding is important. Rabbits like to snuggle down at night and need to be kept warm.On the base of the hutch you should line it with newspaper and importantly you should use dust free straw.The location of the hutch is really important and you should make sure it is not placed in an area of direct sunlight, or open to draughts.During daylight hours your rabbit should be free to look outside the hutch. However, at night you need to cover the hutch so the rabbit cannot see predators such as foxes and cats.If your budget will allow you should buy a rabbit run. This provides a protected area in which the rabbit can run around and play.

A rabbit needs a specific diet and digestible and non digestible fibre is important.Rabbits digest their food twice, which is why this is important.Do try and avoid the mass market muesli type foods available as these can be high in sugar and starch which can lead to increased weight gain, obesity and even diabetes.To give your rabbit the very best chance in life feed it a specialist rabbit food product.Look for deals on specialist pet food on the internet or go to a pet food retailer.Your rabbit will love you if you also feed it treats like banana, apple and celery.

Rabbits really do make great pets, and these simple tips will go a long way in ensuring your pet rabbit has a long and happy life.

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