Looking after a pet rabbit

Here is some helpful information for you to know before purchasing a pet rabbit.

They need fresh water and exercise daily. You will need to make sure that your pet rabbit has clean water everyday. Rabbits also need exercise everyday in a safe grassy area.

Their diet consists of grass, apple, carrot, rabbit pellets and hay. Make sure that the grass hasn’t been treated with harmful substances.

A gnawing block is needed to wear down long teeth and bedding needs to be changed daily.

Although rabbits can withstand cold weather in winter its best to keep the hutch in the shed or garage, they can also get too hot or cold.

Many hutches sold are too small to accommodate rabbits. As they get bigger they outgrow their hutches so becoming house rabbits is very common these days just like keeping a cat and dog.

When deciding where to purchase a rabbit pet, the best place to buy them is directly from a show rabbit breeder or a private breeder. They will be pure breed rabbits that are a good size in accordance with the breed. The rabbit breeder regularly handles the rabbits so they are confident when being picked up. You will also get the chance to see the mother and father and the exact date of birth of the chosen pet rabbit.

You can also buy a pet rabbit from a pet rescue organisation, sometimes they are abandoned because their owners can no longer look after them or they are no longer wanted. There are organisations that rescue them and re-house them. The disadvantage of this is the rabbits may be aggressive because of how they have been treated by their previous owner.

In some cases you might be assessed first to see if you will be a suitable owner, someone will visit your home and see if the adopted pet rabbit will be living in a suitable environment.

The most common place to purchase a pet rabbit is a pet shop, it is also the most convenient. Most pet shops will get their rabbits from a commercial breeder rather than a private breeder this means they were mass bred solely for selling. They do this because there is a high demand for them so they want quantity rather than quality.

When buying from a pet shop, the rabbits are hardly ever handled so they can be nervous. You will also never know when the exact birth date was. When purchasing rabbits, only buy from a pet shop that is confident on the sex of the rabbit.

When buying your pet rabbit, it is important that the males and females are kept separately to ensure that the females don’t get pregnant.

It is very common for them to be neutered. Females can have several litter a year with up to 8 babies in each. Having females neutered will also protect them from cancers. For males having them neutered will prevent them from being aggressive.