The 5-Minute Veterinary Consult: Ferret and Rabbit ... [continue reading]

The typical diet for a pet rabbit consists of water, hay, pellets, fresh vegetables, and its own caecal pellets. Fruit and other treats are given only in very limited quantities, as they can cause obesity in a rabbit. Rabbits require a constant water supply as they dehydrate quickly. Most sources recommend 80% of the diet should be Timothy hay or another grass hay. Too many vegetables in a rabbit’s diet typically leads to diarrhea and other digestive problems. Pellets Rabbits are generally fed a pelleted feed available from pet stores, supermarkets, and farm suppliers. Pellets were origi... [continue reading]

I’m afraid of heard the same story too many times. “My rabbit has diarrhea and won’t eat.” “My rabbit died all of a sudden. What happened?” Often the rabbit in question is too young to be away from it’s mother. Let’s look at the early life of a rabbit to understand what is going on. A rabbit is conceived and born just 31 days later. It is born blind, deaf, and hairless. In warm weather, the baby rabbit will stay in the nest for just two weeks; three weeks in cold weather. Then it will nurse for a few more weeks. Although some breeders remove the ... [continue reading]

Having a pet rabbit can be such a rewarding experience. But with all the breeds, sizes and colors, how do you select the rabbit that is just right for you? This article will help you select that perfect rabbit. Choosing the right rabbit for you and your family can be a very exciting process. There are currently over 40 recognized breeds of rabbits. Many of the breeds have multiple varieties and colors. Rabbits range in size from 2 pounds to over 10 pounds. So the choices are very abundant. Many breeders give different answers regarding the preferred gender for a pet rabbit. This is compounded ... [continue reading]

One of the most important aspects of properly caring for your pet rabbit is providing him with a healthy, satisfying, and well-balanced diet. Fortunately, doing so is relatively easy, since there is general consensus about what is good for rabbits and a wide range of great food pellet options. Rabbits can also eat many of the fruits and veggies that you probably have on your dinner table every night (see below for recommendations and portions). Hay Hay is an essential component of a rabbit’s healthy diet. One reason why is that feeding a rabbit hay on a daily basis seems to reduce rabbit... [continue reading]

I find a common misperception among those new to rabbits that larger rabbit breeds are more excitable and smaller rabbit breeds are more calm and docile. Once you come to understand rabbits more, you will find the exact opposite to be true. Large rabbit breeds can honestly be called gentle giants. While it is true that they are heavier to lift and produce more “fertilizer,” their personalities are well suited for pet-hood. There are a few exceptions, of course. Checkered giants are both large and a bit excitable. But Americans, American chinchillas, Beverens, English lops, Flemish ... [continue reading]

Ideally, the top front teeth of a rabbit will lap over the front bottom teeth. Since rabbit teeth grow, this positioning allows natural wearing to occur as the rabbit eats his food and hay. Occasionally, the front teeth will butt. If the teeth are wearing normally (you don’t see any really long teeth), I would judge those teeth acceptable for a pet rabbit. Butting teeth is a showing disqualification, so if you are willing to accept a rabbit with non-problematic butting teeth, you may be able to adopt a gorgeous [otherwise] show-quality rabbit. Sometimes the teeth will butt or overlap the... [continue reading]