#rabbit info

Text in the first image (in the picture are the german, french and english translation)

On the red background: European Rabbit - Cute but Dangerous

On the black background: These cute animals are among Australia's worst pests!

Text in the second image: Wild rabbits are also a huge threat. As a result of their rapid population growth, they strip whole landscapes clear of vegetation, leading to erosion. The indigenous rabbit-bandicoot (bilby) loses out. It is driven out of its natural habitat, both its feeding ground and its burrows. Bilbies are on the brink of extinction because of wild rabbits!

And also those guys (not) enjoying our 20 degree Celsius summer weather:

cute but dangerous,,, yeah

I will preface this post with:  DO NOT BATHE A RABBIT UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

If you do find yourself in need of cleaning a bun, first try a dry bath using cornstarch.

If that doesn't work, move to a damp washcloth to spot clean the area.

If the first two methods fail, use as little water as possible and try your best to ONLY get the dirty area wet.  Avoid getting the inner ears wet at all costs because it can lead to an ear infection.

Bunny baths are stressful for all involved and should only be used as a last resort.

Through a perfect storm of heavy shedding, something a bit too rich in his diet, and being a senior bun (turns 8 in December), Simon needed a bit of help getting his backside all nice and flowery again.

I gave him breakfast before I started because I knew that he would be cleaning himself off and I wanted him to have food to help him pass any fur he may ingest while doing so.

Once he realized that I wasn't trying to drown him in 1 inch of water, he started cleaning my forearm (that he was draped across like a fluffy little football) while I attended to the mess.  Here he is flicking water all over the wall while enjoying some groovy tunes on the radio.  He was fascinated by the radio, so spent most of his drying off time hanging out there.

Slowly getting drier.  Despite what the above pics look like, the only truly wet parts on him are his hind feet, butt, and tail.  The rest is just a bit of damp that splashed on the top coat (the undercoat and skin was dry).

Typically, it is suggested that you use a cool blow drier setting to help dry their fur, but given that I never use one myself, I think the noise from it would be more stressful to him than it would be worth.

Noogies and a temperature check to make sure the wet fur hasn't made him hypothermic (too cold a body temperature).  He's mostly dry at this point and his temperature was good.  A rough day for the little guy, but he's happily eating hay as I type this.

Ok, this post is to inform people about pet rabbits. Now some bunny moms and dads may know this information but when I first got my rabbit I didn’t know all these things and I needed to.

1. Picking up your rabbit- rabbits don’t usually like to be picked up, it can stress them out, so try and not pick them up unless you’re putting them somewhere, don’t pick them up just because. Also, when you’re picking your rabbit up from anywhere (especially their cage) MAKE SURE to support their back legs. I can’t stress this enough, if your rabbit gets frightened or upset due to you picking them up they may try to thump, and if they thump while there is nothing supporting their back legs IT CAN BREAK THEIR BACK.

2. Food- this is SOOOO important. When I first got my rabbit I just wanted to buy her all these fun treats you see marketed to rabbits... DON’T DO IT. Those yogurt bites or those bright cookies are NOT good for them, their marketing is completely wrong. They say you can give up to 3 a day???? No, they will hurt your rabbits digestive system because they are not built for that. They will eat the heck out of them but it can cause bad times later. Also, all those “fun blends” of food with dried carrots and corn and dried whatever are NOT good. You’re bunny may love it and it may look good for them but it’s NOT. Especially the corn, CORN CAN KILL RABBITS. You can feed your rabbits things like strawberries and apples (NO SEEDS) and carrots etc, but sparingly!!!! They enjoy them but they’re high in sugar. Leafy greens are ok to have a little more often but don’t overdo it! If consumed too often they can have diarrhea. For their food just use pellets, nothing fancy, I promise they will still eat them. AND LOTS OF TIMOTHY HAY!! This is an essential part of their diet, not only do they love Timothy hay, but it helps them digest their food. So Timothy hay should not be skimped it on, it should be the main part of their diet. If you’re wanting to know what treats to give them, my top brand is rosewood, it’s organic (a little pricy) and my bun loves it! I also would look at SOME products from Kaytee, they have some good ones (like Timothy buiscuts) and some bad ones (like the fiesta rabbit food)

Good:

And bad:

And of course also be sparing with these treats as well.

3. Socialization- when people get a rabbit a lot of times they’re infatuated with it for a little bit and then it just becomes another thing in the house. DO NOT DO THIS. Rabbits are very social animals who require attention, if they are neglected then they can get depressed and just bad in general. You need to socialize with you’re rabbit and bond with it! Get it some toys! (But toys won’t replace human interaction!) if you’re getting one for your kids, don’t let them not pay attention to them. They are not a game that you can get rid of once you’re tired of it.

4. Cage&litter box- get a spacious cage! I’m actually going to make mine even larger and just build one coming up soon, but rabbits need space to lay out and be able to hop. And example of a bad cage is the one in that video where the rabbit is jumping out of it:

That cage is wayyy to small. Also don’t get a wire bottom cage, would that be comfy to you? I line my cage with aspen shavings, they’re natural and they love them. Now to the litter box. A lot of the time pet stores sell litter boxes that look like this

This is NOT big enough. Rabbits love their litter box and if you’re cage does not accommodate one AT LEAST have a large one for when you’re rabbit is out and roaming. I got a large plastic one (that was probably meant for cats) at the dollar store for $1! My rabbit can flop all the way out in it and still have room! A litter box should have litter and Timothy hay.

5. When you’re rabbit is roaming- if you are home, let your rabbit roam! They are very curious and love to explore. Set their big litter box out and I also suggest getting them safe things, for example I have a cat house and a big pillow for my bun and she loves them! Also rabbits WILL chew on things, base boards, furniture, wires etc. So I suggest you get some protective coverings for the wires if nothing else, it can be dangerous if they chew on them especially if plugged in or ingested. If you want to limit where you’re rabbit can go, just get a play pen you can set out, big enough for them to run and play in! Fold it up when you’re done!

6. Behavior- There are many ways your rabbit can tell you how it’s feeling, some of those things are: thumping- this means you’re rabbit is scared/senses a potential threat or is upset

Binky- a binky is something rabbits do when they’re reallllyyyy happy don’t get scared if you’re rabbit does this, it will run and jump suddenly often twisting its body and head.

Flopping- if you’re rabbit flops it means that they are very happy and feel safe, flopping is a position that makes them vulnerable.

Chin rubbing- you may see your rabbit rub its chin on certain items, this is their way of saying “I like this, this is mine now”

Bunny butt- this is when you’re rabbit puts its bottom towards you and looks at you over its bottom, it’s basically just saying “I’m not feeling it”

Screaming- THIS IS BIG, if you’re rabbit screams it means that it is in terrible pain and needs to be assessed IMMEDIATELY.

Nipping/ biting- this is a little complex because nipping and biting can both be signs of aggression and agitation and need to be monitored however nipping can also be a grooming technique, for example my rabbit licks me if whatever she’s licking is bare (also, rabbits lick for affection, not salt!) but if she gets to a clothed part of me she nips because it’s like hair. If biting/nipping persists DO NOT EVER hit or “spank” you’re rabbit, they are fragile. If it is something that really needs to be fixed (I only recommend this in desperate situations because it can scare the rabbit) then each time you’re rabbit bites you, scream. Scream a loud, high pitched scream, not a long one either. This is what rabbits do when they get hurt so eventually your rabbit will realize it is hurting you.

Spraying- I don’t have as much knowledge on this particular behavior because my rabbit has never done it, all it is is marking territory but can be messy sometimes.

I am not a vet, however I have had rabbits sneak all sorts of food from me when I'm not looking. The strangest was when Tesla ate some of my spaghetti.

Do you know how many smarties she ate? In Canada smarties have chocolate in the middle but in the US they are a tablet candy. What she ate and how many is important in determining what care she will need. Typically rabbits can digest small amounts of random foods just fine.

It takes rabbits 24 hours to digest so her fecal pellets shouldn't look different because of the smarties yet. Are the pellets smaller, a different colour or sticky? If at any point she starts to have diarrhea you will need to offer her "bunny gatorade", I will add a picture of the recipe for that.

It's good she is drinking and eating hay, you could try offering some chunks of pineapple or papaya to her. If she refuses to eat that and stops eating hay I would recommend she sees the vet right away. I also recommend rabbit owners buy a product called "Critical Care" from their vet, it is very helpful in situations like this.

Bunny gatorade should help with the lethargy, the tooth grinding is likely due to stomach pain. When you listen to her stomach if you hear lots of gurgles it's a good sign that her gut is still moving and she has not gone into GI stasis. Personally I would check on her every two hours looking for any changes in behaviour. If she is still looking ill when the vet is open I recommend taking her incase she gets an intestinal blockage from the smarties.