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The daily care of rabbits can intimidate many
people. Rabbits require different care from dogs and cats,
but not difficult care.
Housing
House rabbits need cages at least three to four feet long.
Diet
Rabbits should receive 1/4 cup of plain pellets (no seeds,
nuts, or colored tidbits) for every five pounds of weight.
Rabbits should get plenty of grass hay, the kind you feed
horses, every day.
Dark leafy vegetables should be given daily. If a rabbit stops
eating for 12 hours, seek medical care immediately.
Exercise
On average, rabbits require about 30 hours of out-of-cage
exercise a week. Toys like plastic baby keys or cardboard
cartons can entertain a rabbit for hours.
Spaying and neutering
It takes 30 seconds for a rabbit to get pregnant, 30 days
for a litter to be born, and only 30 minutes after delivery
of a litter before a rabbit can get pregnant again. Never
leave two unsterilized rabbits together.
A male and female will mate (even an altered male can impregnate
a female up to 30 days after being neutered) and two of the
same sex will fight.
It is very hard to sex infant rabbits so unless absolutely
positive, never house them together. Rabbits sexually mature
at around 22 weeks.
Litter Boxes
Rabbits can be litter box trained. Watch for which corner
the rabbit chooses to elimate in and then place a litter box
in that corner. Line the box with newspaper and fill with
grass hay or pelleted sawdust litters.
Don't use cat litter or pine and cedar shavings. |
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