New Rabbit Owners Guide to Caring for Your Rabbit

Rabbits make great pets because they are easy to look after, can be left while owners go out to work, and are generally safe for children to play with. But if you have not owned a rabbit before you will need some guidance on how to care for a pet rabbit, including what type of hutch to provide, what type of pet rabbit bedding to use, what to feed it and what medical care it may need. Read our short Getting Started guide to set you in the right direction.

Choice of Rabbit Hutch
A rabbit hutch needs to provide two main things for your rabbit. First, it needs to provide an environment in which your rabbit can feel safe and secure. It needs to provide protection from potential predators (if kept outside, or if there are dogs and cats in the household) and from extreme temperatures. The hutch should include a sleeping area which should be small and dark - mimicking a wild rabbit’s underground burrow. And it needs to contain suitable pet rabbit bedding to allow it to burrow into, which also promotes a feeling of safety.

Second, it needs to be large enough to allow your rabbit to stretch and move about freely.
So the size of hutch required will vary depending on the breed of rabbit, but if in doubt choose a larger rather than a smaller one. Rabbits prefer company and should ideally have at least one other rabbit in the hutch with them. The hutch you choose should be comfortably large enough for at least two rabbits. If you are acquiring baby rabbits be sure to choose a hutch that will be big enough when they reach adult size.

Hutches need to be kept well ventilated and dry - a significant challenge when most pet rabbits will spend the majority of their time inside their hutch and will go to toilet inside it. Hutches need to be cleaned out on a regular basis to help maintain dryness. If kept indoors, regular cleaning is essential to prevent odours getting out of hand. Maintaining dryness and controlling odour can be greatly assisted by choosing the right pet rabbit bedding materials.


Choice of Pet Rabbit Bedding
Pet rabbit bedding has two main functions. The first is to help maintain a dry hutch, absorbing urine and water spills. The second is to provide some insulation from the floor of the hutch (especially important if the hutch is located outside in cold weather). The third is to provide nesting material which also helps keep a rabbit warm while sleeping.

So in practice, the ideal pet rabbit bedding consists of two layers: an underbed of absorbent material covering the base of the hutch, and a top layer of soft nesting material to be used especially in the sleeping area.

For the underbed we highly recommend using an organic, naturally absorbent, dust free litter layer such as SmartBedz. Since rabbits will spend a lot of time exploring a sniffing the ground, looking for food, it is important that the pet rabbit bedding base is dust free to avoid eye and nose irritations. Natural straw can be quite dusty, but SmartBedz is dust-extracted and then compressed into pellets, creating a virtually dust free product. And since SmartBedz is made of straw, it is perfectly safe for rabbits to nibble on. SmartBedz is highly absorbent - up to 400% - and suppresses odour naturally by locking away urine from the air, preventing ammonia formation.

For the top layer, use any soft material which the rabbit can easily burrow into and pull round themselves. Soft pet hay is ideal, but some owners like to experiment with toilet paper or strips of fabric.

Choice of Rabbit Food
Your rabbit should have a fresh supply of hay, food and water at all times. Hay serves as both food and nesting material, and needs to be replenished daily to ensure there is always enough nesting material. Hay and grass should make up the major part of a rabbit’s diet although this can be occasionally supplemented with fresh fruit or vegetables such as carrots or apples. Fresh water should be provided via a drinker bottle (an open dish will be spilt or become contaminated). A food dish should be provided for food pellets or fresh food.

Registering with a Vet
It is a good idea to register your pet rabbit(s) with a vet who can arrange vaccination against rabbit diseases such as Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD) and Myxomatosis. These diseases require annual booster shots to maintain full protection, so being registered with a vet is highly recommended.

A vet can also give advice on other common rabbit conditions such as E Cuniculi, Fly Strike and overgrown teeth, allowing you to spot symptoms quickly.

Try to find a vet with a special interest in rabbits, as not all vets will have the specific knowledge and techniques necessary for treating rabbits. In the UK the Rabbit Welfare Association can assist you to locate a rabbit vet in your area.