Care Advice

 We think its extremely important to understand an animal and thier needs before choosing to get one; therefore on this page we have provided information & links by valuable sources (Burgess, PDSA & Make Mine Chocolate) with some input from ourselves.  All of which provides the vital knowledge you need to know about owning a pet rabbit and also other pets such as guinea pigs, rodents, cats & dogs.

Please feel free to contact us for any further information required.

 Lil Furry Rescues Basic Care Advice/Info

Life span

Rabbits can live up to 10-12 years and most children will get bored of them within the first year.  It will be you (the parents) that will need to take over when or if this happens therefore getting a pet rabbit should be a family decision.

Behaviour

Most people look at rabbits as being cuddly animals but rabbits are prey animals.  Most rabbits don’t like to be picked up and must be picked up by always holding their back legs to prevent them hurting themselves. However, they can be sociable pets and will come to you when sitting in their play area with them and enjoy being stroked once they get used to you.

Baby rabbits can be nippy and stroppy in their teenage stage. The only way to guarantee you are getting a suitable, friendly pet is too get one over one year old; we advise this especially when adopting for children.

Company

Lots of people think it is ok to house guinea pigs and rabbits together, but they are very different animals.  They require specific housing conditions; they communicate in different ways and can pass disease to each other. Like people, rabbits need the company of their own species or they can get very depressed and lonely.  It’s always best to have a group or pair of rabbits, which is why we don’t home rabbits to live on their own. Having two rabbits doesn’t cost much more and the benefits you will see are great!

The best pair is a neutered male/female as they form strong, unbreakable bonds. Even two males or two females that have been together all their lives could fall out and not re-bond.

Bonding

If you have a rabbit already and are thinking about getting him/her a friend you are making the right decision, however you must know that it’s not a case of getting a rabbit and putting it straight in. Bonding can be tricky and should be done very gradually by people who are experienced with bonding. In most cases bonding takes a minimum of 4 weeks.


Diet

Contrary to belief rabbits do not live on carrots and lettuce. Carrots are very high in sugar and should only ever be fed as an occasional treat and lettuce does not hold much/if any nutritional value as it is made up of mainly water. Rabbits are not allowed iceberg lettuce as it can be poisonous to them but lettuce such as rocket or romaine can be fed, again as a treat.

Rabbits are fibrevores so need to have a high fibre diet, this diet should be made up of 80% hay so they must always have fresh timothy hay available to them every day (avoid alfalfa hay as this is fattening). Hay helps grind thier teeth down preventing expensive dental problems later on.

Alongside their hay they should be fed 25g per kilogram of body weight of a high fibre pellet such as Selective Science or Excel. Muesli food such as Wagg can cause bad dental problems in rabbits as it’s a sugary food and can also promote selective feeding which means that the rabbits only eat the bits they like, this is no good as they need to eat it all to get the nutrients they need into them.  Pellets are fully nutritious and support with grinding down the rabbit’s teeth (which grow all of the time).

Lastly rabbits should have a small amount of fresh veg (the equivalent of a handful per day). It’s always best to think green when buying veg as the greener veg such as broccoli and dark green cabbage have the most nutrients in. There are lots of do’s and don’ts to feed so if unsure of anything its best to ask a rescue or rabbit savvy vet

Environment

Rabbits need to be able to hop 3 times before getting into their bed area and also have room the stretch up on their back legs. It is recommended that a pair of rabbits should have access to a minimum hutch space of 6ft x 2ft single or 5ft x 2ft double and an exercise space of at least 8ft x 4ft at all times but the bigger the better. They should also have various toys to prevent them getting bored and to chew on. Things such as toilet roll tubes with hay in are good inexpensive boredom breakers and they love play tunnels. The best bedding to use for rabbits is sawdust, hay and/or straw however rabbits can be litter trained and sawdust can be messy if kept indoors so you can use newspaper with paper litter in their tray and hay in a hay rack.

Rabbits can live in or outdoors but those that live in should also have playtime outside when it’s warm so that they can get Vitamin D from the sun.

Temperature change from indoors to outdoors can affect a rabbits feeding routine so instead of bringing them in on a night instead its best to just use a protective cover. Rabbits also don’t like heat so try to keep your rabbits cool especially if indoors.

Health

We won’t go into great detail but we should mention that like cats and dogs there are diseases and parasites that can affect rabbits, however most potential health problems can be avoided or treated if caught early. To keep your rabbits healthy you should: feed a correct diet, keep them clean, have them vaccinated regularly and take them for a routine health check at your vets at least once a year. It’s often a good idea to set up a monthly payment plan or have your pets insured.

Neutering is important as it prevents unwanted pregnancies, can reduce hormones that may cause fighting, and in females prevents uterine cancer. Males should not be put with an unsprayed female until 4 weeks after their op.

You must check that you are not allergic to rabbits before thinking about adopting.


Rescuing Rabbits

We don’t need to give you any sob stories, most of you will already know of some of the bad circumstances rabbits can come from.

What we will tell you is that if looked after correctly rabbits are amazing creatures and far from boring so adopting a rescue rabbit can be very rewarding! There are benefits for you, the rabbit that is adopted and other rabbits that can be rescued because you have adopted. You gain the most suitable, new pet, instant returns if it doesn’t suit your needs or home life, unlimited advice, a free bonding service, we can give you all of the rabbit’s background info, we can guarantee sexes and males have been neutered meaning no unwanted babies.      

We do not profit from any adoption donations as the money you give goes straight back to helping other rabbits in need.

Home a rescue rabbit today and change its life, another rabbit’s life and your life ‘forever’!
  

 ~ Recommended by us ~

Westway Veterinary Group is a long established veterinary practice based in the west of Newcastle Upon Tyne with branches throughout the North east. Westway offers an excellent quality of care for your pet at a reasonable cost. We offer a one- stop service for both prevention and treatment of disease.
Westways has branches in:
♥ Sunderland
♥ Birtley
♥ Corbridge
♥ Crawcrook
♥ Gosforth
♥ Houghton Le Spring
♥ Newcastle Upon Tyne
♥ Stanley
♥ Whickham

We use a branch of Westways called Value Vets located in:
♥ Howdon/Wallsend (our vets) ♥
♥ Gateshead
♥ Seaham/County Durham

See website for more info: http://www.westwayvets.co.uk/
Or add Westway Vets, also "like" Westway veterinary group


 Rabbit Feeding Guide

Burgess Pet Care Guide

"This Care Guide will introduce all the important things you need to know in order to enjoy the experience of being a rabbit owner to the full!"

<<Click here!

As well as rabbits Burgess also give care advice for:
chinchillas, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, rats & ferrets.

 
Keeping rabbits & guinea pigs together:

RSPCA

Also see links at the side for more information and facts about
rabbits & other animals!
Information about DOGS, CATS & RABBITS!

Rabbit Diet & Excersise Advice: http://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-health-advice/pdsa-pet-fit-club/rabbit-diet-exercise-advice
(including a downloadable diet & nutrition leaflet.

Download quick referance care guide books for:
♥ CATS ♥ DOGS ♥ RABBITS ♥
http://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-health-advice/pdsa-pet-fit-club/rabbit-diet-exercise-advice

Alternatvly see: http://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-health-advice for health advice on: ♥ dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, budgies, hamsters, mice, rats, gerbils, ferrets & chinchillas ♥

Shocking Rabbit Diet Statistics:

The PDSA Animal Wellbeing Report (PAW) assessed the overall wellbeing of pets When it comes to the diets rabbits are eating, the Report revealed some worrying findings:

Disaster for UK Bunnies:
♥ 42% of rabbits eat less than their body size in hay or grass each day, with a further 3% not eating any hay at all.
♥ Owners most commonly use ‘common sense’ (22%) or ‘past experience’ with rabbits (18%) when deciding how to feed their pets, and this contributes to bad feeding practices and associated health problems.
♥ 10% of owners are giving their rabbits leftovers. Human foods that owners report feeding include cheese, cake, toast, crisps, chocolate
♥ 88% of owners give their rabbits carrots, but these should only be fed occasionally as they are high in sugar. The leafy tops however are high in calcium, which is beneficial.
♥ Rabbit muesli is another serious concern with 49% of owners reporting it is one of the main types of food that their rabbit gets.
♥ While 49% of owners think rabbits should have constant access to an exercise area outside their hutch, only 21% actually provide this.

Find out more about the state of our pet nation for:
♥ CATS ♥ DOGS ♥ RABBITS ♥ by reading the PAW Report: http://www.pdsa.org.uk/paw-report-pageturn/pageflip.html

Let's try to make the nation better for all animals!

What does a rabbit need? / What do you need to feed a rabbit? / Do you really want a rabbit?
^^ To find out what you have learned, click above ^^
What will you feed your rabbit?

Rabbits should have unlimited access to fresh grass hay.


Do not feed ice burg lettuce. Feed FRESH Romaine, Rocket or Green leaf. Herbs include parsley, mint, lemon balm, basil (some of which are included in Rabbit Royale). Fresh greens should be fed everyday in moderation, kale, savoy cabbage, dandilion (included in Rabbit Royale), spinach. To name a few!

Adult rabbits should have 1/4-1/2 a cup of good quality pellets. Junior rabbits should have unlimited junior pellets.

Fruit has lots of sugar in and should be fed small quantaties as healthy treats, good choices are apple, pear & blueberry

A list of suitable feeding options:

http://www.makeminechocolate.org/goodfoods.php

What will your rabbit need?
(accomodation/toys/litter box/food/hay/hiding box/food/water)
Which ones will you choose?
This page will help you decide:

DO YOU REALLY WANT A RABBIT?
This questionare will help you find out:
http://www.makeminechocolate.org/questions.php
If you would like a bunny, please let us know.
We can help you pick the most suitable pet bunny for your family ♥
 

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