Important information on keeping your rabbit happy and healthy as they settle in and throughout their life. If you have any questions or specific concerns, please ask.
Rabbits can make excellent pets, but they need a lot of care to make sure their needs are met. They’re happy living outdoors or indoors, but their environment needs to be safe and give them plenty to do. Well cared for, rabbits can live for 7–10 years.
As well as treating pets who are unwell, we try to prevent health problems wherever possible. This includes vaccinations, neutering, a good diet, companionship and socialisation.
Rabbits can be kept outdoors or indoors. They can live in cages or hutches, but they shouldn’t be shut in 24 hours a day. Rabbits are very active and need room to move around.
They’re most active at dawn and dusk, so letting them out only in the middle of the day doesn’t suit their natural body clock. Cages and hutches sold for rabbits are often too small. They should be at least 2m long and tall enough for your rabbit to stand up on their back legs. An attached run (2m x 2.5m) is ideal, but you’ll need to stop them tunnelling out.
Your rabbit’s home needs to be secure from predators, dry, well ventilated and free from dust and draughts. They need deep, fresh bedding to keep warm and feel secure. Soft straw is ideal, and paper or wood shavings are also good. You can use absorbent materials such as wood or paper cat litter pellets or pulped paper (Megazorb), as long as you also provide other material for warmth. Avoid sawdust and clumping cat litter. Change bedding when it’s soiled – ideally toilet areas daily and everything else once or twice a week.
If you keep a house rabbit, rabbit-proof the areas they can reach. Rabbits will chew wires, so move or protect them. They may chew other things they shouldn’t, especially when young, so supervise them and give them toys. Rabbits can be litter trained quite easily.
Rabbits are vulnerable to heat stress because they can’t pant effectively or sweat to cool down. Always give them a shaded area outside or access to a cooler room indoors.
Rabbits are hard-wired to be sociable and shouldn’t be kept alone. Rabbits kept in pairs (or more) are happier and healthier than rabbits kept alone, and studies have shown rabbits will choose company over food. Having a friend means sharing warmth, grooming each other, less stress and more confidence. Guinea pigs aren’t suitable companions for rabbits.
If you’d like a companion for your rabbit, please consider adopting a rescue bunny. Many rescue centres vaccinate, neuter and health check rabbits before rehoming them, and they’re very experienced at introducing rabbits successfully.
Regular gentle handling of young rabbits is essential for bonding and getting them used to people. Make sure children are calm and gentle. If your rabbit gets stressed while being handled, give them a break and try again later.
Wild rabbits mostly eat grass, and it’s important to copy this for pet rabbits. Hay can be fed instead of grass, but never feed grass clippings, as these ferment quickly and can be harmful. Good-quality grass hay should smell sweet and be dry and free from dust and mould. Your rabbit should have unlimited hay or grass, and this should make up 80% of their diet. Offer a pile at least as big as your rabbit every day.
Fresh vegetables and greens should be fed every day and make up 15% of your rabbit’s diet, roughly a handful twice a day. Vary what you give and feed small portions of each type of plant.
The best commercial rabbit foods are pellets rather than muesli, relatively high in fibre (over 20%) and low in protein (under 15%). Muesli lets rabbits pick out the bits they like, which has been directly linked to dental problems. Commercial food should make up the last 5% of your rabbit’s diet. For a medium-sized rabbit that’s around an egg cup a day. Overfeeding is a major cause of obesity.
Make any changes to your rabbit’s diet slowly, because sudden changes can cause digestive upsets, diarrhoea and gut stasis. Introduce new greens one at a time, in small amounts, over several days. If you’re changing to a new commercial food, increase the amount slowly over 4–5 days. Watch carefully for reduced appetite, diarrhoea or fewer droppings. Usually this is mild and stops after a few days without treatment. Contact the practice if you have any concerns.
Clean, fresh water should always be available. Rabbits usually prefer drinking from bowls rather than bottles, but bowls can be knocked over, so check them regularly. Heavy ceramic bowls are harder to knock over, and you can provide more than one, or a bowl and a bottle.
We vaccinate rabbits against three diseases: myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) types 1 and 2. These are highly infectious viral diseases that are usually fatal and have no effective treatment. They’re spread by insects, and RHD is also airborne, so vaccination is the only effective protection.
A combined vaccine can be given from 5 weeks of age. Only one dose is needed and your rabbit is protected after 3 weeks. Annual boosters are needed after that.
Neutering is beneficial for all rabbits. Male and female pairs seem to work best socially, but rabbits are famously fertile and can breed from around 4–6 months of age. Unneutered male and female rabbits shouldn’t be kept together. Neutering has many other benefits too.
Castrating male rabbits reduces urine spraying and makes litter training easier. Some unneutered males can be aggressive, and castration reduces or stops this, making them more relaxed with people and able to live with other rabbits.
Unfortunately, around 80% of unspayed female rabbits develop uterine cancer by the age of 5. Spaying them while young and healthy removes this risk, prevents false pregnancy and pyometra (womb infection) and reduces the risk of mammary (breast) cancer. Some unspayed females can be aggressive towards people and other rabbits, and spaying reduces or stops this.
All surgery and general anaesthesia carries risk, and the risk is higher in rabbits than in cats and dogs. But for most rabbits, the benefits of neutering outweigh the risks.
Rabbits can be microchipped, and given their talent for escaping it’s a good idea. The chip is injected between the shoulder blades, so it can be done at an appointment or while they’re under anaesthetic for neutering.
As a prey species, rabbits often don’t show signs of illness until they’re very unwell, so we recommend a vet health check every 6–12 months.
Check your rabbit twice a day, paying particular attention to their eyes, nose, ears, bottom, skin and feet. You can check their front teeth at home, but not their back teeth. Keep a close eye on what they’re eating and their droppings.
Rabbits try to hide illness or pain, so if you think something’s wrong, please contact the practice and book an appointment as soon as possible.
We recommend insuring your rabbit so they can get the best care if they become unwell or have an accident.
Time for your rabbit’s vaccination or health check? Book online, call us on 01723 513119 or message us on WhatsApp (we check it during opening hours). Our Pet Health Plan covers rabbits too.
