| Before getting any breed of rabbit think of why you have choosen them - for a pet, show or meat production.There are 45 different breeds to choose from - from a 2 pound Netherland Dwarf to the Flemish weighing in at about 20 pounds! Keep in mind they all require care and attention! Rabbits are very social animals, they need love and attention every day. Our Mini Lops live in all wire cages, most are 24" x 24" with a drop pan underneath. Flemish Giants need a solid floored cage or at least a resting board to prevent sores on their feet, they are prone to them because of their weight! The average sized Flemish cage here is 30" wide by 5' long with a height of 24'. Rabbits need FRESH water at all times, if a rabbit doesn't have water it will not eat. In winter months they must be watered several times a day,they can starve to death if they do not have it - snow/ice is no substitute for water. Fresh high quality rabbit pellets are all that is needed to feed them, as well as hay to keep them from getting hairballs. Pellets from a store such as Livesock Specialty Inc. are usually fresh, pet store food usually isn't.Pet store pellets generally have treats that rabbits will eat before eatting what is better ffor them. I feed one once per pound or about 6 ounces a day for a mini lop sized rabbit and I feed a little hay everyday also. Treats are just that, a treat to be fed once in a while, some treats they like are: dried bread, toast, cereal such as Cheerios, Chex (any that are low in sugar), carrots, leaf lettice, raisens, oatmeal etc. These must be fed only as treats - they will always beg for more. They must start to eat any new food slowly, in small amounts or they will have soft stools. Young rabbits under 3 months should NOT get treats. Diarreha can kill a rabbit. If any rabbit gets diarreah give it plenty of hay and old fashioned oatmeal, it usually will get them back on track. Certain times of the year a rabbit will shed it's coat, they must be groomed to help them molt. A rabbit can/will ingest large amounts of fur and it can sometimes fill the gut! They must be given hay to help the loose fur pass through the intestines, if not it can kill them. This page is only how things are done in our rabbitries, what works here might not work for you, please keep this in mind when caring for your rabbit. |
| Rabbit Care, how we do things... |
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