Care of Rabbits
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Introduction
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 home house pets.
Rabbits live an average of 5-10 years (potential life span, 15 years). Males reach breeding age at 6-10
months of age, and females at 5-9 months of age. Pregnancy lasts 29-35 days (average of 31-32 days)
and litters average 4-10 bunnies. (See Important Physiologic Values on the last page)
Diet
Feeding pet rabbits is easy because nutritionally complete and balanced commercial pelleted diets
are readily available. One of these pelleted diets and fresh water are all a pet rabbit requires.
Pelleted feeds tend to promote obesity in inactive pet rabbits. Commercial pelleted feeds were
originally formulated for rapid growth of rabbits raised for meat and fur. Inactive adult pet rabbits should
receive ¼ cup of pellets per 5 pounds of body weight each day.
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. The pellets should be stored in the refrigerator to prevent premature spoilage. Pellets
that will probably not be used within 2 months of purchase should be frozen immediately after purchase.
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 3-5 days.
Good-quality hay (grass, alfalfa or clover) and/or grass clippings 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 2-3 times weekly. These food items should not be offered in larger amounts
because they are water-rich and lack the nutrient density of the pelleted diets. Further, 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 salt licks for their pets, but experts do not regard this addition as a necessity.
Many rabbits love to gnaw and chew on their cage and on items within the cage. A well-boiled round
steak bone (marrow removed) and/or small dog chew toys are often accepted as challenging gnawing
substitutes.
Many veterinarians recommend adding pineapple or pina colada yogurt to the daily diet. Most rabbits
willingly accept the yogurt, especially if they are introduced to it at a young age. Yogurt not only
promotes and maintains the normal bacterial flora within the digestive tract, but the pineapple contains
an enzyme (papain) that is thought to help dissolve any hair that has been eaten (see section on
Hairballs).
Eating of Night Feces
Rabbits engage in relatively uncommon but normal behavior when they deliberately eat small, soft,
moist (often mucus-covered), light green fecal pellets directly from the anus. These special “night stools”
are especially rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. Rabbits must obtain these nutrients in this fashion.
This behavior is most often carried out in the early morning hours and is rarely observed by rabbit
owners. Sometimes, however, they choose not to eat the night pellets, and you may notice these slightly
different droppings in the morning.
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.
A rabbit’s spine is relatively lightweight and fragile. When a rabbit becomes frightened, it violently
struggles by powerfully kicking its back legs. The lightning-fast movements of the rear legs cause over-
extension of the lumbosacral (lower back) region of the spine, which frequently results in fractures or
dislocations. One should never try to overpower a struggling rabbit. If a rabbit violently resists physical
restraint, it should be immediately released and approached later when it has calmed down.
A soft-spoken, relaxed approach with rabbits works well. Covering the eyes and lightly stroking a
rabbit will usually result in a hypnotic-like trance that often renders them less prone to panic and injury.
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.
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 covered with Plexiglass or washable towels is recommended. The Plexiglass or
towels provide relief from constant and continual contact with the wire floor, helping to prevent hutch
sores on the feet (see section on Hutch Sores and Sore Hocks). A water bottle or ceramic crock, food dish
and a litter box 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. Further, they can be seriously injured by
biting into telephone and electrical cords.
Like cats, rabbits can easily be 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 with Plexiglass covering about ½ of
the floor’s surface area. 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.
Adequate shade and a “hiding spot” should be provided as well. Rabbits are typically anxious, wary
animals and are easily frightened. This is especially true of newly acquired pet rabbits and rabbits kept
for reasons other than as pets. A concealed area into which these rabbits can retreat when they feel
threatened is necessary to prevent injury that would result from excessive and futile efforts to escape
from the cage. Hiding provides a safe alternative to useless and often injurious escape efforts.
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.
Care of Orphaned Bunnies
Trying to raise orphaned wild rabbits (cottontails, hares, etc) is rarely a rewarding venture. Bunnies
are often orphaned when people unknowingly disrupt a nest. Lactating does (females) nurse their young
for only 3-5 minutes in the early morning hours of each day, giving the uninformed observer the
impression that the new mother is neglecting her litter or that she has abandoned it altogether. This is
how people mistakenly make orphans out of bunnies that are, in fact, being well and properly cared for by
their mothers. Causes for abandonment of the nest include agalactia (doe with no milk), mastitis (doe
with infection of the mammary glands), hypothermia (chilling) of the young, and physical disturbance of
the nest itself.
Whenever possible, orphaned bunnies should be placed with a doe nursing her own litter. Success is
most likely if the orphans are less than 2 weeks of age and within 2 days of the age of the litter
belonging to the foster doe. A drop of perfume or a pine oil-type scent applied to the nose of the foster
doe helps to prevent rejection of the orphaned bunnies. Orphaned bunnies under 3 weeks of age can be
fed warmed, supplemented, Esbilac (Borden). Two alternative formulas are included at the end of this
article. Substitute milk formula should be given slowly 2-3 times daily. Up to 5 cc (1 teaspoon) can be
given the first few days. The volume is increased slowly to 15 cc (1 tablespoon) the second week, and to
25 cc (nearly 1 ounce) by the third week. The anal area should be gently swabbed with a warm water-
soaked cotton ball to stimulate defecation and urination. Aspiration pneumonia, hypothermia and
diarrhea are frequent consequences of hand-feeding orphaned bunnies.
Surgical Considerations
Sterilization: Pet rabbits not intended for breeding should be sterilized at any time after 5 months of
age. Male rabbits (especially of the dwarf varieties) have a tendency to become aggressive upon
reaching sexual maturity. Neutering (castration) is the best way to reduce the severity of the problems
(biting, urine spraying) seen in sexually mature adult rabbits.
Female rabbits should be spayed to prevent unwanted pregnancy and uterine cancer. Uterine
tumors are the most common type in females and often associated with serious blood loss. Spaying
female rabbits may also help to prevent or reduce territorial aggression among females
Infections Requiring Veterinary Attention
Bacterial Diseases: Pasteurellosis: The bacterium, Pasteurella multocida, is the major infectious
agent of rabbits. It is most often transmitted among chronically infected does and their litters or between
breeding males and females. Bacteria most often reside in the nose, lungs and eye membranes, but can
spread to other areas of the body.
Pasteurellosis of rabbits may take many different forms. Respiratory disease, including pneumonia
and infection of the nasal passages and sinuses, is very common. Infections of the eye membranes,
middle ear, jawbone and uterus are most often the result of the Pasteurella organism. Abscesses are
also common and occur when the Pasteurella organism settles in a specific location. The rabbit’s body
responds to this invasion with an influx of tremendous numbers of white blood cells to fight the infection.
Pus results from the accumulation of dead and dying white blood cells and tissue cells in the area of the
infection.
Pasteurella infections may become incurable if untreated or improperly treated. Aggressive antibiotic
therapy with the appropriate drugs, however, especially if undertaken early in the course of the disease,
is often rewarding. Many antibiotics have great difficulty penetrating the relatively inaccessible sites of
most infections and the thick pus seen in rabbit abscesses.
Pasteurellosis is a persistent problem in most rabbitries and very difficult to eradicate. This disease
creates its most serious problems under conditions of malnutrition, overcrowding, poor sanitation,
temperature extremes, inadequate air circulation and other stressful situations.
Ideally, prospective owners should obtain their pet rabbit from a Pasteurella-free rabbitry, but this is
not always possible. Regardless of origin, all newly acquired pet rabbits should be thoroughly examined
by a veterinarian as soon as possible after purchase.
Abscesses: As mentioned in the previous section, rabbits are very prone to abscess formation. The
bacteria most often involved in these abscesses include Pasteurella multocida and Staphylococcus
aureus. Abscesses represent focal areas of infection and may be in single or multiple locations. The most
important consideration regarding this condition is the way in which abscesses must be treated. Because
the rabbit pus is roughly the consistency of toothpaste, lancing and draining abscesses are difficult and
attempts to do so may be futile. Abscesses should be treated as if they were tumors and be surgically
removed. In addition, an appropriate antibiotic should be given.
Respiratory Disease: Most respiratory diseases of rabbits are caused by the bacterium, Pasteurella
multocida, though other bacteria are often involved. In rare instances, the protozoan (one-celled)
organisms that cause coccidiosis colonize the nasal passages and cause respiratory disease. Respiratory
signs often include sneezing, nasal congestion and discharge, eye discharge, listlessness, inappetence
and pneumonia.
Respiratory disease of rabbits must be aggressively treated with an appropriate antibiotic
(determined by a bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity test) and for an appropriate length of time to
prevent relapses. Unfortunately, research has shown that the Pasteurella organism often resides within
pus in inaccessible areas (such as the nasal passages) and remains isolated from the therapeutic effects
of antibiotics. These “protected” organisms serve as a source for reinfection. For this reason, a total cure
for Pasteurella-related disease may be very difficult.
Eye infections are relatively common extensions of sinus infections in rabbits and should be treated
aggressively with systemic (body-wide) and topical antibiotics. This is important because the eyes are
connected to the brain by important nerves. If an eye infection goes unchecked, encephalitis (infection of
the brain) is a common and dangerous consequence.
Common signs of eye infections include accumulation of debris at the corner of the eyes, and soiling
of the hair below the lower eyelid. Obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct, which normally drains tears from
the eye into the nasal cavity, causes tears to spill onto the hair below the lower eyelid.
Long-term use of topical antibacterial ophthalmic ointment may correct nasolacrimal duct obstruction;
flushing is required in some cases.
Internal Bacterial Infections: Internal bacterial infections from a host of bacterial organisms are
common in rabbits. Affected rabbits show a wide variety of signs because multiple organs (liver, kidney,
intestinal tract, brain, etc.) are usually involved.
Laboratory workups (blood, urine, bacterial cultures) are vital to properly diagnose and monitor the
progress of these cases. Laboratory tests also help predict the outcome.
Rabbits suffering from these serious multiple organ bacterial infections (septicemias) must be
aggressively treated with appropriate antibiotics and proper supportive care (nutrition, fluids, etc.).
Recovery usually requires several weeks or more of treatment. If infection results in formation of internal
abscesses, a cure may be virtually impossible.
Venereal Spirochetosis (Rabbit Syphilis): Rabbit syphilis is a relatively rare sexually transmitted
disease caused by a slender, spiral bacterium (spirochete) transmitted by direct contact between infected
and uninfected rabbits. Transmission is more likely to occur in rabbitries than in a household. In fact,
exchange of bucks (breeding males) among rabbit breeders helps spread the disease.
Infected rabbits develop multiple raised, crusted and sometimes bleeding ulcers on the external
genitalia, around the anus, and on the face (particularly the nose). Affected rabbits remain alert and the
condition usually disappears after several weeks. Treatment is recommended and involves antibiotic
injections.
Fungal Disease: Ringworm: Ringworm is a relatively uncommon fungal disease in rabbits. It is
caused by an agent similar to the one that causes athlete’s foot in people. It is transmitted easily by
direct contact with fungal spores on haircoats, bedding and soil. It most commonly affects juvenile rabbits
and susceptible adults, usually causing multiple hairless areas with slightly reddened skin. These hairless
areas are often covered with a slight or heavy crust. The patches usually occur on the head, ears and
forelimbs.
Spot application of topical preparations can be used to treat a few individual areas, but oral
medication is required if ringworm affects much of the body.
Ringworm can be transmitted to susceptible people (including children). Caution should, therefore,
be exercised in handling rabbits with ringworm.
Viral Diseases: Viral diseases affecting pet rabbits are rarely identified. Fortunately, such
devastating viral diseases as myxomatosis are very uncommon in pet rabbits in the US. Rabies is virtually
unknown in pet rabbits.
Parasitic Diseases: Ear Mite Infestation: Ear mite infestations cause accumulation of a light brown
crusty material that nearly fills the external ear canal. The underlying tissues are usually very raw and
irritated. In especially severe cases, these sores may spread to adjacent areas of the head. The
infestation may be treated with ear drops, though injectable medication has recently proven highly
successful in treating this condition.
Cheyletiella Mange (“Walking Dandruff”): Most rabbit owners overlook the early signs of mange, a
parasitic infection of the skin by the Cheyletiella mange mite. As this condition worsens, however, the
accumulation of dried scale and scurf (“dandruff”) within the fur and limited hair loss (often in clumps)
become obvious. Affected rabbits may or may not exhibit increased scratching.
This parasitic problem is easy to diagnose and treat. An injectable drug works very well in
conjunction with a medicated shampoo to eliminate the offending mites and clear up the skin disease.
Flea Infestation: Fleas can infest pet rabbits whether or not the rabbits share the household with
other pets such as dogs and cats. Fleas suck blood and and cause anemia if present in large enough
numbers and if they are not eliminated from the environment. Topical flea products (powders or sprays)
formulated for use on cats are generally well tolerated by rabbits. They should be used in the same
manner as for cats. The manufacturers of these products have taken into consideration that cats (and
rabbits) habitually lick and clean themselves and, in doing so, may swallow small amounts of the product.
Poisoning, therefore, is unlikely as long as a product formulated for cats is used properly. Flea collars
should not be used.
Coccidiosis: Coccidiosis, caused by a protozoan (one-celled organism) parasite, is a disease of the
liver and/or intestinal tract. Rabbits become infected by eating food or consuming water contaminated
with feces from an infected rabbit. Signs depend on whether the disease is localized within the liver
(inappetence, diarrhea, death) or in the intestinal tract (weight loss, soft to watery feces, mucus and/or
blood in feces, soiled anal area, dehydration, increased thirst, possibly death). The relative severity of
both types of infection depends upon the number of coccidian eaten, the age of the rabbit, the strength
of its immune system, and other illness in the rabbit. Occasionally, the coccidian colonize the nasal
passages, resulting in respiratory disease (nasal coccidiosis).
Coccidiosis may be treated with sulfa drugs. Emphasis must be placed on prevention (good
husbandry and sanitation) of this disease in all rabbitries, since it can be difficult to eliminate in these
situations.
Pinworm Infection: Pinworm infections are rarely detected unless routine fecal examinations are
conducted. These worms reside within the large bowel and rarely cause difficulties in rabbits. Pinworm
eradication is somewhat difficult because a number of treatments and follow-up fecal examinations are
necessary. This parasite is not transmissible to people.
Maggot Infestation: Maggots often infest rabbits housed outdoors in non-screened enclosures.
Maggot infestation typically occurs in rabbits with back injuries or debilitating illness, or old rabbits with
hindquarters soiled with urine or feces.
Flies lay eggs on the soiled hair, and the hatched maggots begin feeding on the underlying skin and
flesh. In addition to removing the infesting maggots, the veterinarian must try to determine the
underlying cause of the infestation. This condition is best prevented, if at all possible.
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