Rabbit Care - Dispelling the Myths

I hope to dispel some of the myths about rabbit care and provide a brief guide on how to allow your rabbits to live the fullest, happiest, longest lives possible.

Basic Animal Welfare
The 'Five Freedoms' are a set of guidelines devised by the Farm Animal Welfare Council to help farmers ensure that their animals have good welfare. They are easy to understand and apply just as well to domestic pets, including rabbits, as they do to commercial animals. In the UK all animals kept for profit must have the following freedoms by law:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst
2. Freedom to exhibit natural behaviour
3. Freedom from discomfort
4. Freedom from pain, injury and disease
5. Freedom from fear and distress

In the rest of this article I will explain how each of the freedoms applies to rabbit welfare and what you can do to improve the welfare (health and happiness) of your own rabbits.

Freedom from hunger and thirst

This one doesn't take too much explaining - it simply means that you have a responsibility to provide food and water for your pet. You should buy a nice, large drinking bottle and fill it with fresh water every day, keeping it where the rabbits always have easy access to it. Wash it regularly to avoid a build up of algae. Feeding, however, is a little more complicated.

In order for rabbits to utilize the calcium in their diet effectively, and therefore keep their bones and teeth healthy, the ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the diet (Ca:P) should be 1:1. The best food for a rabbit is grass, which naturally has a Ca:P of 1. Good quality dry rabbit food will also have been formulated to have the correct mineral balance. However, this type of food is easily over-fed - rabbits should be given only a small amount each day and have plenty of space to hop around and burn off all that carbohydrate. The best, most natural way to feed a rabbit is to let them graze on your lawn, supplementing with hay and vegetation such as clover that would grow in their natural habitat. Many people like to feed extra titbits, which the rabbits almost certainly enjoy, but it is still important to consider the Ca:P ratio. In carrot tops for example it is 10:1 - very far from ideal.

Freedom to exhibit natural behaviour

Essentially this means allowing your rabbits to follow their instincts, as all animals get very distressed when they are unable to carry out instinctive behaviours. It is therefore useful to have some knowledge of how rabbits live and behave in their natural habitat.

Rabbits are natural grazers and in the wild might spend 6-9 hours a day hopping around, nibbling grass and other plants. They become bored, stressed and overweight when kept in a tiny hutch all the time. The hutch takes the place of the burrow and its size should reflect this. It must be tall enough for them to stand up on their hind feet inside it, as they do when listening for predators. They should be able to hop four or five times from end to end, and two or three times from back to front. This requires a really substantial size of hutch (say 2x6x3 feet for two medium-sized rabbits). Most of the hutches sold in pet shops are far too small to be welfare-friendly. The hutch also needs to have a dark, concealed area where the rabbits can hide when frightened, which may be often, because they are a natural prey animal and will be wary of strange sounds and smells.

In addition to the hutch rabbits absolutely must have a large run, also tall enough for them to stand up in. It is a good idea to have a lid on the run to protect them from cats and stop them escaping if the rest of the garden is not rabbit-proof. They should ideally have free access between the hutch and the run, as they would have between their burrow and grazing area. The best thing you can do, if possible, is to rabbit-proof the whole garden and let them roam free. This can be done with material such as chicken wire that they cannot gnaw through.

Freedom from discomfort

In this context discomfort refers to being too hot or cold and to physical discomfort such as from lying on a hard surface. The rabbits' hutch should have plenty of bedding, especially in winter, as in the wild large numbers of rabbits would huddle together in their warren for warmth. The bedding should be changed as often as possible, especially in the area that they use for their toilet, so they don't end up sitting and sleeping in pools of their own urine. As well as being uncomfortable this increases the risk of fly strike.

If the rabbits are kept in a run during the day, it should be placed in an area with plenty of shade because in the wild they are crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) and they will hide underground during the day to avoid the heat and brightness of the sun. If they cannot reach their hutch from the run then a box or smaller hutch should be placed in it to give them shelter from bad weather.

Freedom from pain, injury and disease

Rabbits can experience a variety of health problems associated with poor diet, exercise and housing. They can be injured by rough handling and also suffer from infectious diseases caused by parasites including bacteria and viruses. The first step towards securing the health of your rabbits is registering them with a veterinary surgeon.

Vaccination and good hygiene are the only ways to protect animals from infectious disease. The most common infectious diseases of rabbits are Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD) and myxomatosis (myxo). Both are caused by viruses and are almost always fatal. Vaccinations should be given at six weeks for myxo and twelve weeks for VHD, followed by boosters every twelve months. If the risk of myxo is high in your area the boosters may need to be given every six months. Vaccinations are expensive but you must be prepared to invest in them to prevent the suffering and untimely death of your rabbits.

Fly strike is a frequent killer of rabbits, even those that are very well looked after. It is extremely unpleasant, occurring when flies lay eggs in the rabbit's fur and their larvae (maggots) hatch and eat their way into the rabbit's skin. This condition is very difficult to treat and usually results in euthanasia. Flies are attracted to damp, dirty fur, especially when covered in urine or faeces. To prevent fly strike it is vital to keep your rabbits' fur clean and dry and check it regularly for eggs. This is especially important in summer when the fly population is at its highest - check the rabbits twice daily and go to the vet immediately if you think they have fly strike.

Conditions related directly to poor care include dental problems, osteodystrophy and sediment build-up in the bladder. Dental problems can cause a great deal of pain and discomfort and may make the rabbit stop eating altogether. Rabbits have open-rooted teeth, meaning they grow continuously at a rate of 1-2mm per week. A high-fibre diet is necessary to keep the teeth worn down; otherwise they will become overgrown and cut into the gums and cheeks. This causes pain and leaves the rabbit vulnerable to infection. The best way to provide a high-fibre diet is to let the rabbits graze on grass and hay. This can be supplemented with fruit-tree branches for them to gnaw on.

Osteodystrophy is caused by lack of exercise, obesity and poor calcium/phosphate balance in the rabbits' diet. Rabbits already have slender bones and this condition makes them even more prone to breaks and fractures. Gentle handling is important even if the bones are healthy, and can be demonstrated by your vet. The most important thing is to support the rabbit's hind legs so that they cannot kick out whilst they are being held, as this can easily break their spine.

The sediment that can accumulate in a rabbit's bladder consists of calcium salts, particularly calcium carbonate (CaCO). This is because there is no control of calcium absorption in their gut - they will absorb all the calcium they consume, and excrete the excess in their urine. A rabbit in the wild will frequently mark its territory by spraying with small amounts of urine. Along with hopping around while grazing, which helps to mix the bladder contents, this prevents CaCO pooling in their bladder. A rabbit kept in a small hutch will neither move around nor feel that it has much territory to mark and will therefore be prone to bladder problems caused by sediment build-up.

Freedom from fear and distress

I have referred to rabbits in plural throughout this article. This is because it is incredibly important to keep them in pairs or more. They are social animals, living in large groups in the wild, and rabbits kept on their own will always become lonely, stressed and miserable. This can aggravate health problems and make them withdrawn or aggressive - hardly properties you want in a pet. As two rabbits of the same sex are more likely to fight, the best plan is to keep a male and female together and have one or both of them neutered. Letting rabbits socialise is an important aspect of allowing them to exhibit their natural behaviour.

Protecting them from fear is not always easy. Most rabbits will be afraid of dogs and cats, although they have been known to get on well with them when kept in the same household. It would not be safe to assume, however, that if you do already have a cat you will find rabbits that won't be scared by it. You must of course try not to scare the rabbits yourself. They should be approached slowly and quietly, especially when they're not used to people, and should never be chased or grabbed. Taming is a slow process. If you do handle them it is not a good idea to pick them up and hold them in your arms as they are unlikely to feel safe and secure when that far above the ground.

Don't be put off

Although keeping rabbits may turn out to be more challenging than it seems at first, the efforts you put in can be well rewarded. They have endearing personalities and can become affectionate and playful with their owners. Putting some time into maximising their welfare will allow you to get the most love and enjoyment out of your pet rabbits.