❤️1. Spaying and Neutering
❤️2. Supplies and Housing
❤️3. A Rabbit’s Diet
❤️4. Rabbit Anatomy
❤️5. Summary

❤️Helpful Information About Rabbits!❤️

Please take a moment to go through this information to fully understand what it means to have a bunny <3 The information given here consist of images, written tips, website links, and info graphics!

If you already have a bunny and need EVEN MORE information, don’t worry! Please head to our AFTER ADOPTION page.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Spaying and Neutering is important!!

By far the most important advice we can give you (besides proper housing, and diet) about a rabbit is to spay or neuter them! Please refer to the images below as to why this is.

Just by the way… If you adopt from us, the rabbits already come neutered and spayed (meaning you save money)!!

Rabbits and Slippery Surfaces

If you have hard wood floor, tiles, or anything slippery that you keep a bunny on, you might want to consider getting a mat, rug, or blanket for them.

Rabbit do not have paw pads like you would see on a dog or cat. This means that bare floors (and especially stairs) are very dangerous for rabbits. A rabbit slipping can cause great damage like broken bones and fractures. Their bones are very fragile! Please note as well that a rabbit hops, so they land on their front paws and depend on them for stability. This can be hard for a rabbit who lives on slippery surfaces.

Slippery floors can cause other health issues, or make ones they already have, worse! A common issue in rabbits is sore hocks, which can be caused by flooring like that. Slippery floors can also make arthritis worse, cause a splay leg, and/or ruin their posture. All of these things can be difficult to fix, and even permanent!

Please care for your rabbits and give them a stable place to hop around safely that doesn’t put stress on their joints. Throw a few blankets or mats down for them!

Thank you to East Coast Rabbit Rescue for this information.

Supplies and Housing

Here are a list of links for products we highly recommend for you and your rabbit. Your local big chain pet store is probably NOT the best place to buy rabbit supplies!

Some good Youtube videos to watch are:

TOP 10 MISTAKES RABBIT OWNERS MAKE- YOUTUBE
TOP 10 REASONS TO NOT GET A RABBIT- YOUTUBE

  • The least expensive exercise pens are found on Amazon or Chewy. We recommend a height of 30” for your rabbit.

    FOLDABLE METAL EXERCISE PEN- AMAZON

    We recommend wood pellets for litter from any feed store or Tractor Supply $8-$9 for a 40 pound bag. If you can’t find this item, we usually have plenty here for adopters! Other than tractor supply, GreenTree and MegaZorb are good for litter pellets as well.

    PELLETIZED LITTER- TRACTOR SUPPLY

    We recommend high back litter boxes. We do not recommend a covered litter box. Though every bunny is different, so you have to find which litter box works best for your special bun!

    HIGH BACK LITTER BOX- AMAZON
    (For bunnies with normal litter box habits)
    HIGH BACK GRATE BOTTOM- AMAZON
    (For bunnies who throw stuff out of the litter boxes)
    LOW SIDES GRATE BOTTOM- AMAZON
    (For bunnies who chew the sides and throw stuff out of the litter boxes)

    For pet carriers we recommend a top loading, hard plastic type.

    PET CARRIER- AMAZON

  • If you have room to store a bale of hay from the feed store, it is considerably cheaper than smaller quantities purchased online.  A bale weighs about 100 pounds and costs about $40; thus $0.40 per pound. (Remember that rabbits NEED to have hay in their diet to stay healthy!)

    I recommend Oxbow Garden Select food Pellets found online and some stores.

    OXBOW FOOD PELLETS-CHEWY

    It would also be wise to feed your rabbit fresh greens and produce everyday (after properly introducing it to their diet)!

    RABBIT DIET: WHAT TO FEED A PET BUNNY

  • From any dollar store you can get: heavy water bowls/crocks; shower curtain rings and loop them together as an inexpensive toy; cardboard cat scratchers; a trash can for an inexpensive homemade hay bin; infant stacking cups are sometimes found here too.

    Here are a few helpful Youtube videos!
    TOP 10 RABBIT TOYS ON AMAZON
    HOW TO MAKE FUN RABBIT CHEW TOYS
    DIY FREE RABBIT CHEW TOYS

Water Bowls vs. Water Bottles

Rabbits need to drink a lot of water each day to stay healthy and hydrated, and even more water when the temperature rises. Studies have shown that a rabbit with access to both a water bowl and a water bottle will prefer the bowl. Thus, water bowls tend to be better than water bottles.
A rabbit drinks like a horse does which is by slurping up water. Lapping at a water bottle with it being above their head is an unnatural position and can be frustrating for a rabbit. There are no water bottles in nature. In the wild, rabbits drink from lakes, ponds and other sources that are on the ground.
You'll want a heavy ceramic crock for water or a water bowl that attaches to the pen/cage for those rabbits who really like to move things around.
Also, water bottles are much less easily cleaned compared to a heavy ceramic bowl. Water bottles can become slimy inside if not properly washed and rinsed regularly. They also may become clogged by fur or debris if not checked daily.
Like other animals, rabbits should be given fresh water daily. Filtered or bottled water is highly recommended. Have you tasted the water coming directly out of your tap?

Say yes to a water bowl!

DON’T HAVE YOUR RABBITS OUTSIDE!

We shouldn’t need to explain to you WHY they can’t be outside, but just in case you need to be convinced, to the right you will see a list of all the reasons why they can’t be put outside. Many rabbits are victims of all these horrible things and they are all terribly common. Domesticated rabbits don’t belong outside. That’s why there are wild rabbits and domesticated rabbits, two very different rabbits that require very different things. Even then, wild rabbits don’t live long outside at all even though they were meant to be out there. That alone should convince any bunny owner to bring their bunnies inside.

Information was collected from Rabbit Rescue Inc.

  • Whether the animals come to your rabbit or the rabbit comes to the animals, it can happen. DO NOT THINK THE ANIMALS CAN’T RIP OPEN THE CAGE. Because they can! Hawks are extremely fast and WILL snatch up your rabbit, even if there are bushes, your rabbit is not safe.

    Not only can these animals kill your rabbit by tearing it to shreds.. But it also can just scare your rabbit simply by existing. A rabbit can be LITERALLY scared to death.

  • Humans are already so cruel to each other. What makes you think they’ll spare your rabbit? It’s horrible what humans do. Don’t let your rabbit be a victim.

  • Ingesting any feces can be highly deadly to rabbits. Raccoon feces in particular though is lethal because it carries an intestine parasite that IS deadly to rabbits.

  • Soil can carry all types of bacteria that’s deadly to all/any animals. Don’t risk it, just keep your special bun inside the house.

  • When the rabbit is outside, how do you expect to know if anything is wrong with them? They are out of sight, out of mind. Don’t be surprised if your rabbit dies of something very preventable, but you weren’t there to notice that something was wrong in the first place.

  • Animals don’t know what plants to avoid and what plants are safe to eat. There’s many poisonous plants out there that rabbits can’t have! Pesticides are also very deadly to rabbits, or any animal.

  • Cats have a “poison” in their saliva that’s poisonous to any small animal. If a cat bites or scratches your rabbit, it can easily get overwhelmed with infection and die if it’s left untreated.

  • Rabbits have thick cozy coats. Extreme Southern California heat will give your rabbit brain damage or just kill them. Rabbits can very easily get hypothermia as well in the cold.

  • Rabbits are known for their burrowing! They can burrow very fast, which means they can end up in other neighbors’ yards where they might run into cats, dogs, or other animals.

  • Rabbits can’t ingest birdseeds, it will cause blockages in their system which can cause death. Seeds that fall from birdfeeders or indoor bird cages are dangerous for rabbits.

  • Possibly the worst and second most gruesome possible death on this list.. If an outside rabbit gets feces stuck on their bottoms, flies will not only eat it, but also lay eggs on the rabbit’s skin. Once the eggs hatch, the maggots will eat the flesh of the rabbit which will cause the rabbit to go into shock and die. It’s a horribly painful death. Please don’t let your rabbit be the one to die like this.

Rabbits and Children

It also comes down to WHY you want a rabbit. Is the poor bunny just an Easter toy for your children? Are you actually going to bother doing any research on them? Are you actually going to devote time to the rabbit?

Raising a child to care for animals and be gentle with animals is a beautiful thing that they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives. Of course, though, juggling these two responsibilities can be tough.. If you have good intentions and are willing to do the hard work, then please review the website linked below!!

RABBITS AND CHILDREN

A Rabbit’s Diet!

One of the biggest mistakes rabbit owners make besides housing, is diet. You can’t just feed them pellets all the time! Not only that, but knowing WHICH foods and treats to buy is important. PLEASE NOTE THAT PELLETS SHOULD ONLY BE 5% OF A RABBIT’S DIET. THEY NEED MOST OF THEIR DIET TO BE HAY TO BE HEALTHY!! Without hay, it will cause digestive issues, urinary issues, and the overall decline of your bunny’s health.

WHICH BRAND OF PELLETS IS BEST FOR RABBITS?-BUNNYLADY

COMPARISON OF RABBIT DRY FOOD- THE BUNNY HOUSE

BETTER NUTRITION, HEALTHIER PETS- SHERWOOD PET HEALTH

PELLET INGREDIENT COMPARISON- SHERWOOD PET HEALTH

Take a look at these pictures to fully understand which treats are good and which ones aren’t. A great natural treat to give your bunny in moderation is simply just fruit! Bananas, apples, grapes, and oranges (only little appropriate pieces for them) are all great treats for special occasions, AND it allows you to have more healthy foods in the house which improves your diet too!

Please especially look at the picture with the percentages of how much of everything should be fed to your bunny. It will help so much with knowing how to measure their diet out.

Rabbit Anatomy!

Overwhelming?

We understand that this information can be too much. Especially if you’re a brand new bunny owner! But please don’t let this information discourage you from getting one of our buns! Don’t overwhelm yourself. Get the pen, the pellets, the water bowl, the hay, some healthy treats, some healthy greens, and some toys (most of which will be given to you by us)! That’s just to put it simply. Bunnies are a lot of work, but they need love. Every bunny deserves a chance and a home. Once you get a bunny and have a special connection to one, all the work is completely worth it. Every bunny has their own personality that shines through once you take them home and connect with them. It’s a beautiful thing owning a bunny and having a prey animal trust you so much to where they’ll lay with you, lick you, and sit with you! Many people think rabbits are rodents, but they really aren’t, they truly have as big of personalities as dogs and cats!

Adopt Now!