The domestic rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, is a descendant of wild rabbits living in western Europe and northern Africa. In their natural environment, rabbits are gregarious and reproductively successful. They are completely herbivorous (eat only plants) and most actively forage in the twilight or nighttime hours. Rabbits use their claws to dig and burrow into the ground for shelter and protection. They rarely stand their ground when threatened but instead use their considerable speed and maneuverability to escape harm. Domestic rabbits or wild rabbits kept in captivity, however, can display an amazing degree of aggression when upset or threatened.
Domestic rabbits are bred and kept for commercial meat and fur, teaching and research, as indoor and outdoor pets, and for exhibition by rabbit fanciers. Rabbits make excellent pets. They are relatively easy to care for and can be litter box-trained. Their fastidious nature, unaggressive behavior and quiet manner make them increasingly popular house pets.
Rabbits live an average of 5-10 years (potential life span, 15 years). Pregnancy lasts 29-35 days (average of 31-32 days) and litters average 4-10 bunnies.
HOUSING CONSIDERATIONS:
Rabbits can be housed indoors or outdoors. Indoor rabbits should be confined to a suitable enclosure when their activity cannot be adequately supervised. A roomy wire cage with at least one-half of the floor's surface area covered with Plexiglass, boards, or straw is recommended. These floorings provide relief from constant and continual contact with the wire floor, helping to prevent hutch sores on the feet. A water bottle or ceramic crock, food dish and a litter box (optional) should be provided for the rabbit inside the enclosure.
Under no circumstances should rabbits be allowed total freedom within the home. Rabbits love to chew and can be very destructive to household furnishings. Furthermore, they can be seriously injured by biting into telephone and electrical cords.
Like cats, rabbits can be easily trained to use a litter box in the home. If the rabbit has already selected an area for elimination, the litter box should be placed in this location. It helps to place some of the rabbit's fecal pellets in the litter box to encourage its use.
Rabbits housed outdoors should be confined in roomy wire cages. The wire mesh should be just large enough to allow fecal pellets to drop through. A water bottle or ceramic crock and a heavy food dish should be provided.
Shade must be provided to prevent heat stress or heat stroke. All rabbits, even those housed indoors, are especially sensitive to high environmental temperatures. Adequate shelter must also be provided against wind, rain, snow and ice.
DIET:
Feeding pet rabbits is easy because nutritionally complete and balanced commercial pelleted diets and timothy hay are both readily available. The pellets should be offered at all times unless overeating and obesity have become problems. Clean, fresh water also should be available at all times.
The pellets should be as fresh as possible when purchased and should be purchased in relatively small quantities. Refusal to eat rancid pellets is a relatively common cause of inappetence among rabbits.
Fresh water should be offered daily, either in a bottle or in a heavy ceramic dish that cannot be easily overturned. Many hobbyists find the hanging drop-style bottles most satisfactory. The water container, regardless of the type used, should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected at least every 1-2 days.
Good-quality hay (grass, timothy, or clover) should be offered daily. Some researchers believe this practice reduces intestinal problems and the tendency to pull out and chew on hair.
Other food items (lettuce, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, carrot tops, beet greens, carrots, apples, etc) can be offered in small amounts daily. These food items should not be offered in larger amounts because they are water-rich and lack the nutrient density of the pelleted diets. Furthermore, many rabbits develop a preference for these items over pellets if they are offered in large quantity.
Rabbits can tolerate table food items offered daily if given in small amounts (no more than 20% by volume of the total diet). This is especially true of rabbits fed in this fashion from an early age.
Vitamin-mineral supplementation is not necessary if a pet rabbit is fed as outlined above. Some rabbit owners provide saltlicks for their pets, but experts do not regard this addition as a necessity.
HANDLING AND RESTRAINT:
Improper handling may cause serious, life-threatening injuries. Fractures and dislocations of the back, most often resulting in paralysis of both rear legs, are the most common injuries. These injuries also occur when rabbits are suddenly frightened and attempt to escape from a small enclosure.
Rabbits should never be picked up by their ears. If you are concerned about being scratched by the claws, place a towel over the rabbit's back and wrap it around the body to restrain all 4 feet before picking up the rabbit. An alternative method of picking up a rabbit involves sliding one hand under its breast bone and grasping both front legs between the fingers of this hand. The other hand is then gently worked under the rear quarters to fully support them as the rabbit is lifted upwards, in the same manner as cats are held and supported.
IMPORTANT PHYSIOLOGIC VALUES:
Normal Body Temperature: 101.5 - 103 F
Life Span: 5-10 years (rarely up to 15 years)
Breeding Age: Males, 4-12 months, females 4-12 months
Pregnancy: 29-35 days
Litter Size: 4-10
Weaning Age: 4-6 weeks