Rabbits

Water: Water is required for all living animals. A clean source of water should always be available. Water bottles should be cleaned daily with soap and warm water.

Temperature: Rabbits are extremely sensitive to heat. They should be kept at mild temperatures (mid 60's to 80's) away from drafts and heat ducts. During the hot summer months, they should be provided with shade if outside. Ice bottles may be necessary to keep them cool enough.

Cage: Rabbits are very curious creatures, and need to be kept in a cage when they are not supervised. A wire cage with a tray is the best. Ideally the cage should be as big as space allows, but at least 2 feet wide by 4 feet long by 2 feet high. This will allow for a litter box, play area, feeding area, and a sleeping area.

Litter Training: Rabbits naturally defecate in corners and usually in one area. This makes litter box training easy. The litter box should be easily accessible and have sides at least 3 inches high. Newspaper or a commercial cat litter works fine for the substrate. Rabbits pass two forms of feces. Regular feces are round and firm. Cecal feces, or "night feces" are produced daily from the cecum. They are long and moist. Rabbits usually need to eat these for proper digestion.

Sleeping Area: Rabbits like tight places to sleep. This is easily accomplished with a small box and a towel. The towel should be washed frequently.

Play Area: Rabbits love to play and are extremely curious. They should be allowed to have free time outside of their cage daily in a protected area. Do not leave your rabbit outside the cage unsupervised for any period of time.

Grooming: Pet rabbits should be groomed regularly. Hair balls can form in their stomachs or intestines. They frequently cause life threatening obstructions. Long fibers from hay help to prevent serious problems.

Health Care: Healthy rabbits need yearly exams. They should be examined regularly for ear mites and other external parasites. Also, they should have their teeth examined regularly. Overgrown teeth are very common and can cause serious health problems. Rabbits that do not eat for 6 hours or longer should see their veterinarian IMMEDIATELY. Anorexia can be caused by many health problems and can become fatal if not treated quickly.

Spaying and Neutering: Rabbits breed very readily if intact males and females are allowed to be together, even for very short periods of time. Males should be neutered if housed together or they will fight once they reach sexual maturity. Males should not be housed with females without first being neutered unless breeding is intended. Female rabbits should be spayed. Rabbits have a very high incidence of cancer of the uterus which can be prevented with spaying.