General Care Guide!
Diet:
It is very dangerous to feed a rabbit new food suddenly. WillowWaters Rabbitry will provide you with transitional food upon sale.
If you wish to transition the feed, the first night you have your rabbit feed them 100% of their old feed. Mix the rest with the new feed at a 50/50 ratio until all used up, then fully transition to the new feed.
Feed a high quality pellet from a feed store like Country Vital Rabbit Pellet. Don’t use feed from a pet store as they often contain unhealthy fillers like corn.
Do Not Feed Rabbits the Following:
Beans (causes bloating)
Broccoli (causes bloating)
Cabbage (causes bloating)
Cauliflower (causes bloating)
Celery Stalks (no nutritional value, they can choke on the strings)
Commercial treats (too sugary)
Iceberg Lettuce (no nutritional value)
Grapes (toxic in excess, too sugary)
Raisins (toxic in excess, too sugary)
Up until 6 months: NO TREATS. I know it’s hard because they are so cute, but don’t do it. Their digestive systems are not used to it and they can die. Certain fresh greens LIMITED amounts once a week will be safe.
Up until 1 year: unlimited feed mix and hay. Plus fresh greens and veggies.
After 1 year: 1 cup of feed every morning or afternoon per day, plus hay and greens/veggies.
Throughout their life: unlimited grass hay. A good guideline is to put the same amount of hay in with the rabbit as compared to how big they are.
Unlimited water is very important, offer your rabbit a bowl of water (not plastic) and a water bottle.
What we feed our stock:
We make our own quality feed mix consisting of two base pellet, two chaffs, two high quality horse feeds, oats and sunflower seeds. You can purchase our feed off us at any time.
General Care:
Rabbits' nails must be trimmed every 4 weeks. Use cat nail clippers and have some corn starch ready (in case you accidentally trim too far down and they bleed). Failure to trim nails regularly can result in sore hocks for your rabbit, which are similar to bed sores.
Rabbits are prey animals so it will take them awhile to learn to trust you. Try not to handle them much in the first few days as this will stress them – a new home is enough stress as it is. Once the rabbit has settled in give it plenty of attention. In general, rabbits don’t like being picked up.
Rabbits love to play and are very curious. Some toys that are safe for them to use: toilet paper tubes, apple branches, pine chunks (not stained or treated), cardboard, plastic cat balls, plastic yogurt containers and hay blocks.
Bunnies produce a poop that looks like a small cluster of baby grapes called cecotropes. They normally do not dispense this in their litter box but on the bottom of the cage floor. You will usually see it in the morning. As they get older your bunny will eat it which gives them good bacteria in their stomach. When they are kittens cannot eat all of it just get a wet paper towel and wipe it up and throw it away.
Housing:
Ensure that your housing is designed to fit your specific breed and size of rabbit. In general, welded, galvanized wire is best for rabbits. Avoid hardware cloth as this quickly erodes or is chewed through by the rabbit.
If you have other rabbits, quarantine your new rabbit for 30 days to make sure no potential diseases are passed to the rest of your herd.
If your rabbit is an indoor rabbit then be sure to have an appropriate indoor cage ready to go with bedding. Avoid cedar and stained wood as these cause respiratory issues in rabbits. Keep food and water in a location free of drafts and direct sun. Ensure that nothing is touching the cage, as rabbits are prone to chewing (especially cords).
If your rabbit is an outdoor rabbit then be sure to have an appropriate cage or hutch ready to go with plenty of shelter from sun, wind, and the other elements. Rabbits do well in cooler weather, but not warmer weather (above 20 degrees c*). Direct sun can kill a rabbit in a matter of hours, and a wet rabbit risks hypothermia. Be sure nothing is touching the hutch or cage where a rabbit can possibly reach it, as your rabbit is guaranteed to chew anything it can reach or pull through the wire.
If you intend to house your rabbit on the ground, be aware that rabbits are diggers and climbers. Make sure to put wire on top of the dirt to avoid escape.
