How to Raise Rabbits

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   1
   Feed your rabbit a healthy diet. A rabbit's diet should consist of grass and timothy hay or oat hay. More specifically, a rabbit should have an unlimited supply of hay. You can also feed your rabbit store-bought pellets. Leafy greens and the occasional low sugar vegetable are treats. One of the most trusted brands for pellets and timothy hay is Oxbow. Make sure that you get your rabbit the right kind of pellets (youth pellets if the rabbit is under 6 months, adult if the rabbit is older than 6 months).

   • High-fiber pellets should be offered daily, but in small quantities to prevent health problems. Rabbits under four pounds can be given 1/4 cup of pellets. As a general rule, you can add another 1/4 cup of pellets daily for every additional two pounds of body weight on your rabbit. ^[4]
   • Young rabbits can be given alfalfa hay, but alfalfa is not a healthy option for adults. It's recommended that you switch your rabbit to timothy hay before it reaches one year old.
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   Give your rabbit fresh water daily. It's important to change your rabbit's water every day to prevent bacteria from growing. Use a water bowl made of ceramic, rabbit safe plastic, or metal, as these are easier to clean.

   • Some pet owners prefer sipper bottles because they cannot be easily tipped over in the cage; however, rabbits get dehydrated easily with a sipper bottle. The sipper bottles can also collect germs at the spout. Remember rabbits can drink as much as a small dog, so a heavy water bowl that cannot be knocked over is best.
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   3
   Empty your rabbit's litter box every 1-3 days. This will not only reduce the risk of unpleasant odors, but it will also keep your rabbit healthy and happy.

   • If you are just starting out training your rabbit to use a litter box, you should be able to tell which corner your rabbit goes in to relieve itself. If you put some newspaper or a litter box down there, your rabbit will quickly learn to use the box.
   • You may want to scoop out urine-soaked litter on a daily basis to keep your rabbit clean and keep the litter box smelling fresh.
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   4
   Remember that rabbits are coprophagic. Rabbits excrete two kinds of droppings: fecal pellets (round, hard, dry waste product) and cecotropes (large, soft, light-colored droppings). The digestive system of rabbits requires that the animal eats its cecotropes in order to adequately absorb and digest the nutrients found in food. ^[5]

   • When cleaning out the litter box, remove hard, dry fecal pellets, but be sure to leave cecotropes behind. These "droppings" are an essential part of your pet's diet.
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   5
   Clean your rabbit's cage once every week.

   • Use white vinegar to clean your rabbit's litter box, or soak it for stains that are tough to remove. ^[6]
   • Spot cleaning should be done daily. ^[7] Clean the cage out while your rabbits are in the run.
   • Change soiled bedding daily. Straw makes an excellent bedding material and is easy to change every day.
   • Clean out the food bowl and change the food daily. Do not overfeed your rabbit. Food portions should be commensurate with the size and weight of your rabbit.
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   6
   Give your rabbit plenty of attention. Rabbits are social animals, and you will need to handle your rabbit gently and frequently in order for it to grow comfortable being picked up. ^[8]
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   Brush your rabbit at least once every week. Wool rabbits need their coats blown and brushed daily (never blow out coat with hot air). Carefully brush out mats, but never tug on the delicate skin. You can alternatively shear the coat to less maintained. Pay special attention to a wool breed's feet as wool grows on the foot in heavily wooled rabbit breeds. The wool can mat up and part the protective hair on the feet, leading to sores.

^[9]

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   1
   Remove mats with a mat splitter or mat rake.
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   Trim your rabbit's nails as needed. If you are uncomfortable doing this on your own, you may take your rabbit to a veterinarian or to an animal groomer to have this done. ^[10]
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   3
   Do not bathe your rabbit. Bathing can be very traumatic, and is unnecessary, as rabbits tend to groom themselves. If you notice a soiled area on your rabbit, you may want to spot-wash it with a wet towel, but do not submerge your rabbit in water as it can lead to shock.
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