PET CARE Keeping rabbits (Part 1)

Give hop-along a happy, long life


Ask the vet
Esther Korteweg

Keeping rabbits
Part 1

Rabbits make great pets, but there are a few things you should bear in mind if you want to make sure you have healthy, happy bunnies. First off, remember that rabbits are social animals. In the wild, they live with lots of others, so if you’re thinking of getting a rabbit, get two – a rabbit on its own will be lonely. If you already have a rabbit on its own, it might not accept a new rabbit immediately, but do try. Sometimes it helps if the rabbit can choose its new friend itself!
Keep two female rabbits together, or two castrated males, or one castrated male and one female. The general advice is to castrate or spay a rabbit when it’s over six months of age. But be careful, because female rabbits can already be fertile from four months of age, and a male rabbit from five months of age.

Housing
Rabbits like to run and play. It’s not fair to keep them locked up in a small cage – it’s like prison for them. Make sure you give your rabbit enough space and let it out of its hutch as often as possible. A big pen in a grassy field where it can eat grass, dig and jump around would be perfect.
Make sure no other animals can get into the pen. To prevent your rabbit digging a hole and escaping, put some gauze wiring under the ground as well.
Your rabbit’s hutch should be above the ground (with a thick layer of straw inside during cold weather) where it can escape from rain, draught and cold. If your rabbit is not used to being outside, don’t put it outside in during the cold winter months; it’s better to wait until spring.
Most rabbits are house trained by themselves. If you keep your rabbit inside your house, it normally will go back to the cage to do its business. Put woodshavings on that spot, and clean it every day. The rest of the floor of the cage can be covered with straw, and should be cleaned once a week.

Handling
Handle a rabbit with care. A rabbit has very strong muscles but very weak bones that can easily be broken by a strange movement, a jump or a fall. If you want to carry a rabbit, always hold one hand in the neck (preferably get a big piece of scruff) and support the whole body with the other hand or arm.

Parasites
A rabbit can get parasites like fleas, lice, mites and ear mites. Stronghold or Advocate spot on (drops in the neck) work well for this. NEVER use Frontline on a rabbit: It can could kill your pet.

A sick rabbit
In the wild rabbits are prey animals. This is why a rabbit never shows to the surroundings that it’s sick unless it’s really bad, so a rabbit that is acting sick, is really sick! If your rabbit stops eating, is lethargic or has smaller or no droppings, it’s very important to bring it to the vet the same day.

Vaccination
Myxomatosis is a potentially deadly disease in rabbits. It’s caused by a virus that’s transmitted by biting insects like mosquitos and fleas. Even rabbits that are kept indoors can get the disease. Luckily, it is possible to vaccinate your rabbit against Myxomatosis. Because the vaccination only protects your rabbit for a few months, your rabbit should get vaccinations twice a year, in March/April and in July/August.

If all of the above advice is followed, your rabbit friends should have a happy and healthy life. And a long life as well, as they can live up to ten years!

Esther Korteweg is a veterinary surgeon in Claremorris Small Animal Practice. Feel free to contact her with any of your small-animal concerns on 094 9373955 or at living@mayonews.ie.