Care and feeding of rabbits

Rabbits are extremely popular pets around the world, and for good reason. They are a bit like small dogs: intelligent, full of personality, social, energetic – and incredibly cute!

Often, a rabbit is acquired as the only rabbit in a household, but in the wild, rabbits live in loose communities, not as loners. If you’re considering getting two rabbits, the best option would be a female and a neutered male, introduced to each other at a young age. An adult rabbit might be so territorial that it won’t accept a same-sex companion in its space at all.

There are many different types of rabbits

There are dozens of rabbit breeds and different breeds can interbreed.

Rabbit breeds are classified according to breed standards into different groups based on size and coat type. For example, dwarf breeds like the Netherland Dwarf weigh well under a kilogram, while giant breeds like the Flemish Giant can weigh up to 9 kg or more. Although there is a wide range of sizes, colors, coat types, and ear lengths, the basic care of all rabbits is the same.

A rabbit's lifespan is usually 6–9 years, but in the right conditions, a rabbit can live to be over 10 years old.

Pet rabbits have wild rabbit instincts

Wild rabbits live in large communities and create their own territories, which can be well over 20 hectares in suitable conditions. Pet rabbits also have wild rabbit instincts, so they too will form their territory. A pet rabbit's territory might be a designated enclosure, a room, or even the entire home – depending on what space the owner can provide.

Wild rabbits mark their territory using scent glands, urine, and droppings. If you see your rabbit rubbing its chin on a chair leg, it’s marking its territory, as scent glands in the rabbit’s lower jaw allow it to mark specific places and objects. Especially during the mating season, and other times, unneutered male rabbits might enthusiastically spray urine quite high. Additionally, a rabbit may mark its boundaries with droppings. The tendency to mark territory varies widely among rabbits—some are highly active in marking, while others don't engage in it at all. Both the intensity of the scent and the size of the scent glands can also differ from one rabbit to another. Fortunately, rabbit marking scents are usually undetectable to humans, but if a male rabbit is overly enthusiastic about marking his territory, neutering may help calm his instincts.

Tunnels and burrows – is there anything better?

Rabbits love digging! In the wild, rabbits dig tunnels with nesting chambers, so pet rabbits also follow their wild instincts by digging or at least trying to dig. They may vigorously scratch carpets and floors with their front paws, even if they can’t dig through laminate flooring. It would be wonderful to provide your rabbit with a deep digging box, perhaps filled with peat, where it could create more than just a crumpled carpet and floor noise.

Since tunnels, chambers, and nests are appealing and natural for rabbits, you can offer them various tubes, canopies, boxes, and huts where they feel safe. Remember to ensure that the nest places you provide are safe and sturdy enough for the rabbit. The best options are various tubes, huts, and nests designed specifically for rabbits, which are widely available in pet markets.

If you let your rabbit play outside in an enclosure without a floor, there is a great risk that the rabbit will dig a tunnel to escape. Therefore, an outdoor enclosure should have a mesh floor, or the edges of the enclosure should be buried deep into the ground. It's also good to have a roof on the enclosure – many birds of prey, foxes, and cats find rabbits an irresistibly tempting prey. The enclosure should always have hay and water available, as well as at least one roofed hut.

Do you speak rabbit?

Rabbits have their own language, which we humans can learn to interpret. Remember Disney’s Thumper rabbit, who thumped the ground with his hind leg? This is perhaps the most well-known rabbit gesture. A thump can indicate excitement, but it often serves as a rabbit's way of warning the community about an approaching predator or something else that scares the rabbit.

In a rabbit community, rabbits calm each other and strengthen their bonds by grooming each other's fur. If your rabbit does this to you, be happy: the rabbit considers you part of its community.

A rabbit might nudge you with its nose to get attention or perhaps a treat. On the other hand, it might also mean that the rabbit wants to get out of your lap – the interpretation of this gesture depends a bit on the situation.

Side leaps, high jumps, and crazy dashes indicate that your rabbit is in an especially joyful mood. When a small rabbit’s soul is full of energy and joy, it just can't stay in one place!

A rabbit can also show its displeasure. If it swats at you with its front paws like a boxer and even growls, it's strongly telling you to back off immediately. And you should, as a frightened or protective rabbit might even bite if cornered. Typically, such aggressive behavior is due to an unusual situation – by nature, a rabbit is not an aggressive animal. Perhaps your rabbit is extremely timid and just needs time, love, and patience? It’s also good to check if the rabbit has any pain that you haven’t noticed before.

When a rabbit is calm and feels safe, it might roll onto its side or even onto its back. Exposing its belly shows great trust. If you also hear your rabbit quietly grinding its teeth with contentment at the same time, it’s in a particularly blissful state.

Rabbit behavior includes many other gestures and sounds – you’ll learn to read your own rabbit’s "small talk" as you spend time with it daily.

Cage, enclosure, or total freedom?

A rabbit is an active and curious creature. In fact, movement is important for its digestion: too little activity can cause constipation in rabbits.

Constantly keeping such a busy and personable animal in a cage leads to a depressed and frustrated bunny. So, let your rabbit roam freely as much as possible every day. It doesn’t need to occupy the entire house, but it would be great to give it a room or two of safe space to explore.

However, a cage or enclosure is often necessary – it’s a safe place for the rabbit when the rest of the family is at work or school. It’s also the most logical place to keep the rabbit's water bottle, food dishes, nesting hut, hay, and litter box. Nesting huts can be placed elsewhere in the home too – variety is nice.

For a rabbit weighing 2–3 kg, the cage or enclosure should be 120 x 50 cm, and for a rabbit weighing 3–4 kg, it should be 140 x 50 cm. For giant breeds, even larger. You can never offer your rabbit too much space.

Rabbit equipment

You can get all kinds of fun things for your rabbit, from hammocks to rabbit toys, but at least these basics should be provided: a water bottle, a food dish, a hay rack, a nesting hut, and bedding or rag rugs for the living area floor.

A rabbit is naturally clean and can easily learn to use a litter box. Open cat litter boxes are popular among rabbits. A suitable bedding for the litter box might be Cunipic paper pellets – with some experimentation, you’ll find what works best.

What makes a home safe for a rabbit?

Curiosity leads rabbits to explore their environment by nibbling on anything they come across. Maybe an electric cord feels like a crispy branch? Or could that houseplant make a good snack? It's important to ensure that there’s nothing within the rabbit’s reach that could cause stomach troubles.

Other things that can be harmful or dangerous to a rabbit include open doors that invite escape, drafts that can cause colds, insecticides, and pets that might harm the rabbit. Excessive heat or humidity is also harmful. Creating suitable conditions isn’t rocket science – common sense and forethought are key.

What does a rabbit eat?

The rabbit's diet: 70% hay, 20% complete feed, 8% fresh food, 2% treats.

Optimal values for rabbit nutrition:

Calcium 0.6-1%
Phosphorus 0.4-0.8%
Calcium:phosphorus ratio 2:1
Fat 1-4%
Fiber at least 16%
Proteins 12-16%

70% Hay

Rabbits are hay-eaters, so hay is their main food. Studies show that rabbits eat more than 80 times a day, and to keep their digestion working properly, they must have dry hay available at all times. Dry hay typically refers to timothy hay, which can be thick-stemmed hay from the first cut of summer or leafier hay from the autumn harvest. Dry hay can be pure timothy hay, grassy meadow hay, or a mix that includes wild plants, herbs, flowers, or leaves. A tasty and high-quality option is alpine hay. The Cunipic series offers Naturaliss Alpine Hay, sourced from the clean mountain meadows of the Pyrenees, containing over 45 different types of grasses.

Whatever type of hay it is, the main thing is that it's of good quality, dust-free, mold-free, and tasty.

20% Complete Feed

There are many different types of complete feeds for rabbits. The most recommended are grain-free options, whose nutritional content meets the optimal values mentioned above.

Complete feed can be pelleted or a mixture of various plant-based ingredients. Both are fine, or you can combine both types for variety.

8% Fresh Food

Rabbits love fresh vegetables and fruits. Start introducing fresh food to a baby rabbit when it’s 12–16 weeks old.

An adult rabbit’s daily diet can include carrots, leaves, dandelions, herbs, and small pieces of fruit, but avoid giving too much sweet or starchy food. Avoid cabbage as well; it often causes stomach trouble in rabbits.

Always provide fresh food that’s been thoroughly washed. Check with your vet before picking wild herbs, and always choose those growing in pollution-free areas.

2% Treats

While it might be tempting to spoil your rabbit with treats, remember that treats should only make up a small portion of its diet. Offer them in moderation and always choose healthy, rabbit-safe options.

Water

Rabbits must always have access to water, which should be fresh and clean. The best way to ensure this is by providing water through a water bottle.

Fiber and Rabbits

Fiber is crucial for rabbits. Rabbits have a large and "lazy" digestive system that lacks significant muscular function to move food mass forward in the intestines. Dry hay is rich in long fibers that help with this process. Fiber helps move food mass through the intestines and keeps digestion running smoothly.

A diet with insufficient fiber can slow down the movement of food mass in the intestines, potentially leading to constipation and gas-related stomach pain. Clumped, looser-than-normal droppings can also indicate a lack of fiber.

In addition to long fibers, herbivores need short fibers, which are directed to the cecum. In the cecum, nutrients are stored in the feces. Herbivores eat these so-called cecotropes/night droppings to reabsorb the essential nutrients – it’s completely normal for a rabbit to occasionally eat its own droppings.

Dental Health

Rabbits' continuously growing teeth need constant work to stay healthy. When eating dry hay, rabbits move their jaws in a way that ideally wears down their teeth. You can often offer hard items for rabbits to chew on; leafy branches are more suitable, while dried bread should be offered less frequently (as it often contains a lot of grains and salt). However, the most important support for managing tooth growth is hay.

Other Rabbit Care Tips

Nail trimming should be done as needed, usually every 3–4 weeks. The best tools for this are nail scissors designed for cats and rodents.
Brushing may be necessary, especially during shedding seasons, but many rabbits enjoy brushing at other times too. Long-haired breeds require regular grooming. Angora rabbits also need to be sheared regularly.
Ear cleaning is done as needed. If there is a lot of wax in the ear canals and the ears have a bad smell, veterinary assistance is required.

Breeding

Breeding rabbits should be done thoughtfully, ensuring that there will be a home for every baby bunny. If a male and female rabbit are kept together, the male will immediately mate with the female after the birth of the young, which is extremely demanding for the mother rabbit. The most responsible action is to sterilize either both or at least the male to avoid continuous litters.

Rabbits do not have a regular heat cycle, so they can become pregnant at any time, even immediately after giving birth. Rabbits reach sexual maturity at a very young age, just a few months old. However, the first mating should be done when the female is nearing a year old, depending on the breed, and the male is over seven months old.

The gestation period is about 30 days, after which the female gives birth to 1-8 blind and helpless kits, depending on the breed. Smaller breeds typically have larger litters than larger ones. The female creates a nest from fur and hay, in which she gives birth to her litter.

Weaning begins around six weeks of age, when the kits are separated from their mother and placed in their own spaces to learn how to grow into adult rabbits. The young rabbits can move to their new homes when they are eight weeks old.

Enjoy your time with your rabbits!