Did you get a rabbit for Easter? Then you'll need to know how to best care for your new pet.
Universal Press Syndicate
Indoor rabbits can enjoy outdoor time, as long as it's in a safe area that's supervised. |
Rabbit rescue groups have long warned that the gift of an adorable baby bunny to a child at Easter ends up as abandonment or neglect when the pet's novelty wears off. But while we recognize the problem -- and encourage the adoption of shelter and rescue-group rabbits who need homes -- we like to think parents will do the right thing and teach their children to respect and care for pets.
Rabbits are wonderful indoor companions. When properly cared for, rabbits are quiet, clean, playful and gently affectionate. To get the most from a pet bunny, make sure you're caring for the animal properly. Here are some tips:
Housing: Indoor rabbits are more fun! Your rabbit will need a home base of a small pen or large cage with food, water and a litter box. Rabbits do well with a plain cat box filled with a shallow layer of recycled paper pellets, covered with a layer of fresh grass hay. You don't scoop a rabbit box -- you change it completely, every day. (The ingredients you toss are great for your compost pile.)
Since some rabbits can be chewers, you'll want to make sure any rabbit-friendly area has electric cords tucked away and to deny access to the legs of nice furniture and the corners of good carpets.
Nutrition: Fresh water needs to be available at all times. For food, you can use high-quality commercial rabbit pellets for a base diet (read the label for daily portions and adjust it over time to keep your rabbit from getting fat). Your rabbit will also need as much fresh grass hay as he desires, and a cup or so every day of fresh green leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens, carrot tops and broccoli leaves.
An alternative diet: Skip the commercial pellets. Offer fresh grass hay at will and a wide variety of fresh green leafy vegetables twice daily. Treat your rabbit, too: Bunnies love little bits of fruits and root vegetables.
If you have storage space, hay is cheaper by the bale and lasts for weeks in cool, dry storage if protected from the elements. And stop throwing away veggie trimmings from meal preparation -- give them to your rabbit!
Health care: Get your rabbit spayed or neutered. In addition to keeping your rabbit from reproducing, you'll have a better pet. Unaltered rabbits can have behavior problems such as aggression and urine-spraying.
Your rabbit will need a wellness check, just as a cat or dog would, and a good rabbit vet will help you catch little health problems before they become big ones.
Check with your local rabbit rescue group for the names of veterinarians who are known to be good with rabbits.
Exercise and play: Make sure your rabbit is allowed time outside the cage or pen every day.
If you can't manage letting your rabbit roam at will indoors, block off a single rabbit-proofed room. A secure, supervised area outside is fine as well, but don't leave your rabbit unattended. Rabbits can be scared literally to death by cats, dogs and even jays and crows.
Rabbits love toys. Cat toys, dog toys, hard plastic baby toys and even the cardboard tubes inside toilet paper and paper towel rolls are fun for rabbits. Cardboard boxes stuffed with hay and treats are also fun for bunnies.
Once you've got the hang of rabbit care, think of adding another such pet. Rabbits are social animals and do very well in pairs.
Dr. Marty Becker, the popular veterinary contributor to ABC-TV's "Good Morning America," has been writing a syndicated newspaper column for more than a decade. Becker is also the host of "The Pet Doctor With Marty Becker," which airs on PBS stations around the country. He has appeared on Animal Planet and is a frequent guest on national network and cable television, and on radio shows.
Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of top-selling pet-care books, and a consultant to the Veterinary Information Network. Her Web log and column archives can be found at www.spadafori.com.
