Rabbit Care Information

The Estimated Costs of Owning a Rabbit

Litter Training For Rabbits

Litter Training for Rabbits By Robin Rysavy, Chapter Manager Missouri House Rabbit Society in Kansas City Rabbits, by nature, choose one or several places to urinate and to deposit their fecals (round, hard pellets sometimes referred to as “pills”). They are creatures of habit and will usually return to these areas once they’ve decided on

Rabbit Proofing a Room

Before you allow your rabbit access to run and play in a room inside, you need to do some preparation to make sure the bunny is safe and your room, furniture, electronics, etc. are protected. You will have three goals you want to achieve: 1. Providing a safe area for your bunny companion to exercise

Hay and Digestion

The Importance of Hay in Maintaining a Healthy Digestive System in a Rabbit Understanding The Digestive System of a Rabbit A rabbit’s digestive system is very similar to that of a horse. Both have long digestive tracts that are specifically set up to break down and process cellulose, in the form of fibrous vegetation, such

Rabbit Related Websites

When searching for information on how to care for your house rabbit, or whether a house rabbit is even the right pet for you, you can run into a whole bunch of junk (or worse – websites describing rabbits as meat!). Here I have compiled some of the best of the web so that you

Hay & Dental Health

The Importance of Hay in Maintaining Good Dental Health As with most animals (and humans), teeth are used to break down food at the very beginning of the digestive cycle. For a rabbit, teeth play an even more important roll: teeth are the gateway to good digestive health – provided the rabbit has access to

Late Night Emergency Tips

As The Bell Tolls Midnight… The clock just struck midnight and as you are making your rounds to make sure everyone is tucked in before you turn in for the night, you notice that Benjamin Bunny doesn’t come running over for his nighttime treat. Upon further inspection, you realize he isn’t feeling well, but you

How Does a Bunny Cool Off?

Rabbits don’t pant like dogs. They don’t sweat like humans. A rabbit loses most of their body heat through their ears. If you have a bunny that is hot or overheated, it’s best to get a cool washcloth and gently wipe his ears If your rabbit is severely overheated, GET TO YOUR VETERINARIAN IMMEDIATELY so

Emergency Preparedness and Pets

I hurried home from work to try to beat the dark rain clouds that were heading in my direction. I had many things I needed to do, and wanted to feed all the bunnies and guinea pigs their night time salads before starting on my projects. As I headed to the refrigerator for their leaf

Tips for a Shedding Rabbit

Yesterday I received an email from Lisa, who wrote this: Question: Ryder is really ‘molting’ now. I did not remember rabbits shedding like this. I looked online, and it looks like they usually shed in the fall and after winter the most. Correct? We are now brushing his coat each day to help with the

Is Outdoor Playtime Safe?

Karen from Ohio posted a question online the other day. She has a rabbit who, thankfully, is housed inside, but wondered if it was OK for her rabbit to have some outdoor visits. Karen wondered if she should use a harness and just walk her bunny around, or if she should allow her bunny to

Water Bowl Flipped Over? Signs of Boredom

Have you found your rabbit’s water bowl flipped over? Do you catch them chewing on their cage? Boredom might be the reason why! Rabbit’s will often turn their water or food bowls over because they are bored and want to play with something. A lightweight plastic water dish or food bowl is easily picked up

Paralysis

Tiffy came into our home after being in 3 other homes the first year of her life. She was a very social bunny and a favorite with all who met her. She had an attitude and a strong personality which would benefit her greatly during the challenging last months of her life enabling her to

Head Tilt

Snowpea, a spayed female Florida White entered into foster care with the Missouri House Rabbit Society on a Sunday afternoon. The following Thursday, she went into head tilt. The information contained on this page is information that Snowpea’s caretaker has learned in the short time Snowpea has had head tilt. Thru lots of trials and errors, her caretaker has learned very valuable information

Caring For the Critically Ill

PARESIS/PARALYSIS Make sure the room is warm enough; sometimes paralyzed bunnies will have low blood pressure and may become cool. Watch for urine burn–may have to express bladder and bathe bunny’s bottom. Bag Balm or A & D ointment is good for urine burn after chlorhexidene shampoo is used to clean the bunny and he/she

Rabbit Teeth: How They Work

By Robin Rysavy, DMA in consultation with Brock Exline, DVM DENTAL ANATOMY Before one can understand how a rabbit uses his teeth, one must first understand some basics of the dental anatomy of a rabbit. An adult rabbit has 28 teeth. There are six incisors: two pairs of incisors on the “top” or maxilla (the

Never Declaw

Declawing Rabbits is Unnecessary and Cruel Here are some facts that you should consider before making a decision: 1. This is a PAINFUL operation and they have to walk on the surgery sites for several days while healing takes place. When a declaw is done, the bone that the claw is attached to is either

Environment and More

CAGE House rabbits should never be kept completely confined to a cage. Exercise is vital for the health of the rabbit. All too often we hear well meaning, but poorly informed, people describe rabbits as easy to keep because “they can be caged and don’t take up much space!” This idea has led to many

Care of Rabbits

The Missouri House Rabbit Society would like to thank Dr. Susan A. Brown for her permission to post her excellent articles. Rabbits make intelligent, friendly and quiet house pets. The average life span for a bunny is 7 to 10 years with records of up to 15 years of age reported. The following information is

10 Things To Consider Before Adopting a Rabbit

Rabbits can come in many different colors and sizes, from a 2 pound dwarf, to the 20 pound Flemish Giant. Rabbits also come in a variety of hair length like these Angora rabbits which require hair trimming a minimum of once a month. 1. Do you want a long-term relationship with a pet? Rabbits can

Analgesia – Pain relief

The number of rabbits kept as pets has increased dramatically over the last decade. The veterinary profession has made huge strides in knowledge over this same period of time and now an abundance of published and lecture material available to the practitioner. We now have veterinarians who have established themselves as “rabbit specialists”, however, there

Rabbit Eye Health

By: Susan Keil, DVM, MS, DACVO Pet rabbits may experience a variety of ophthalmic diseases. These ophthalmic conditions are often different than eye diseases of the dog, cat, or other pet rodents. The more common etiologies (causes) of eye problems in the rabbit include nutritional deficiencies, infections, environmental and management problems, genetic influences, and congenital

Behavior – The Things They Do and Why

By Joy Gioia First of all, it is crucial to have your bunny spayed or neutered at around 5-6 months of age, prior to him entering “puberty”. Rabbits behavior after their hormones change is often unacceptable for household living. Both males and females can spray urine to mark and claim items as their own and

Fur and Ear Mite

By Robin Rysavy, DMA, in consultation with Noella Allan, DVM A common problem often seen in rabbits is the presence of Psoroptes cuniculi (ear mites). These tiny parasites, a member of the arachnid family (includes spiders and scorpions), can cause intense suffering and illness if left untreated. Their life span is approximately 21 days. Psoroptes

Food and Diet

Rabbits make intelligent, friendly and quiet house pets. The average life span for a bunny is 7 to 10 years with records of up to 15 years of age reported. The following information is provided to help you enjoy a happy, healthy relationship with your little friend. In addition to this handout there are a