How to Raise Bunny Rabbits

By Destiny Bearden, LRBA Youth Ambassador of the Year 2011

1. Give your rabbits fresh rabbit food and water every day. Rabbits need about one ounce of rabbit food per pound of body weight per day. They can also have about a tablespoon of treats a day. They can have any crunchy veggie we eat like broccoli, cauliflower, celery or carrots. They can also have peels off things like cucumber, apple, cantaloupe and watermelon. They love berries. They can eat dry oatmeal, cheerios, seeds like sunflower and nuts in small treat amounts. They can eat grass and hay. They can also have anything in the wild that bunnies eat like honeysuckle vines and such in REASONABLE amounts.



2. Do NOT give rabbits lettuce. It can give them diarrhea; then they dehydrate and die.



3. Provide a hard wood stick like oak or hickory. They chew on it and it keeps their front teeth from growing too long and gives them something to do. Provide other suitable toys to keep them from being bored. Do NOT give your rabbits treated wood at all!



4. Rabbits can NEVER be left in the sun, even on a not so warm day. They will get too hot and DIE!



5. Rabbits need shelter from rain. A wet rabbit will likely turn into a sick rabbit. Rabbits need shelter from winter wind/drafts also.



6. Rabbits do NOT need a bath. They bathe themselves like a cat.



7. Rabbits cannot take their fur coats off. In warm and hot weather, provide good ventilation and fans or air conditioning. Remember that tin roofs get hot making the bunnies underneath HOT!



8. Handle your rabbits often - it helps them bond with you. Groom them often. It helps keep them healthy.



9. Your rabbits need to be wormed on occasion. We worm ours once every 6 months. You might see crusty stuff in their ears which is a sign of ear and body mites. This also needs to be treated - an under the skin injection works best as it takes care of the whole body not just the ears and also gets ride of intestinal worms at the same time.



10. Get a good rabbit book. Try checking one out at your local library. Find out about ALL breeds of rabbits before you get one. Get all your rabbit equipment together BEFORE you get your rabbits. Think about the size of the rabbit, the space you have, the time you have to spend with them (some are very hairy and require MUCH extra grooming - some are near extinct and need preserving - some are for pets - some are for meat). Look up reliable sites for more information. Louisiana Rabbit Breeders Association is a good source: http://www.louisianarba.net/. Also, the American Rabbit Breeders Association: http://www.arba.com./



11. Don't pick up your rabbits by the skin on the back of their neck even though it does not seem to cause them pain. It does cause their skin to stretch out, separating their skin from their muscles, which is not healthy.



12. Do NOT keep around birds. If bunnies come in contact with ANY type of bird droppings you will have a dead bunny. This includes loose birds that may roost on top of your bunny cage or previously used cages that house birds or had birds in neighboring holes.