The complete

Mr Phiri’s Bunny Guide

Understanding Rabbits

Rabbits are complex animals to understand, especially to new owners. Understanding how their digestive systems work, body language signs and the correct foods to feed them can be one big headache. That’s why here over at Nibble we put together a concise and detailed Bunny Guide to help you understand the bare minimum things when it comes to looking after a rabbit.

Disclose, in no way shape or form am I a trained professional in the field of veterinarian work or anything of that kind. Just a young man that stumbled across a rabbit on my way home from gym and was forced to do a lot of homework for the last couple years. With that being said, please seek professional help should any problems arise with your rabbit, this is more a guide than expertise advise.

Thank you.

Food Guide

The ideal diet of a rabbit consists of 4 key things:

  • Hay & fresh grass - 85-90% of their daily diet should consist of Hay. Not everyone has access to fresh grass in a safe environment for their rabbit, but if you do giving them access to it will encourage grazing and exercise! Be careful with fertilizer and other chemicals that may be used on the grass that could cause harm to your rabbit.

  • Fresh Food - Rotate between 4-5 different fresh vegetables to give your rabbit daily. Some safe vegetables for rabbits are Romaine Lettuce, watercress, bell peppers, carrot tops, spring greens, celery, parsley & many more. Fresh vegetables are essential to give your rabbit the right nutrients & vitamins.

  • Nuggets & Pellets - Around a table spoon of nuggets alongside your rabbits diet is perfect. Nuggets can be very concentrated, which can lead to less hay consumption if they’re over fed. Try placing your nuggets inside toilet roles or hide them around your rabbits play area to encourage stimulation and foraging for them. We recommend staying away from ‘muesli style’ mixes. They can look very appealing, even to us, but carry little to no nutrition value for rabbits. We recommend boring, plain looking pellets as the safer option.

  • Water - Constant fresh water should be provided daily. We recommend using bowls instead of water bottles for hygiene and practicality reasons.

  • Treats - Treats should be fed sparingly. Overfeeding in treats can lead to gut & teeth issues. Small amount of fresh fruit like apples, Bananas or strawberries work just fine. If you REALLY want to treat your rabbit to something special, treat them to a packet of Nibbles! We provide in depth portion guidelines for all our treats.

Overall A balanced diet which is high in Fibre is a must for rabbits. Making sure the right foods are fed can prevent things like GI STASIS & dental disease occurring. More about GI STASIS later on.

Health Guide

Ensuring the health of your rabbits GUT and TEETH is essential.

  • GUT - Rabbits have a rather fast GI transit time, meaning from the time food is ingested it can be processed through the entire GI tract between 5 & 19 hours. With that being said, their high Fibre diet is what keeps the GUT moving, when their GUT stops moving, that’s is when GI STASIS occurs. More about GI stasis later on. To help prevent GI stasis occurring make sure your rabbit is fed the right foods, has the ability to exercise & is not under stress. Should GI stasis occur, there are immediate things you can do to help control the situation, refer to the GI stasis section - but if you feel like the situation is getting out of hand, immediately contact your vet or emergency exotic animal services.

  • TEETH - A rabbit has 16 deciduous (baby) teeth and 28 permanent (adult) teeth. You may notice only two upper incisors when looking at your rabbit’s teeth and this is because two of the upper incisors are smaller and behind the other pair. Incisors function to tear and grab the food. Rabbits teeth never stop growing throughout their life, but luckily their high fibre diet helps wear them down, through the right HAY and GRASS. Without the right Fibre in their life, their teeth can overgrow and lead to sharp spikes that may dig into their tongue or cheeks. In cases like this, the vet may need to file down their teeth to the right length.

GI STASIS GUIDE

The most common causes of GI stasis in rabbit is an imbalanced diet. An imbalanced diet can occur when a diet too high in carbohydrates and fat and too low in digestible fibre. Greens and grass hay contain digestible fibre, while commercially available rabbit pellets typically contain high amounts of carbohydrate. Rabbits eating large amounts of pellets or high-fat seeds and nuts have slow GI tract motility and often develop GI stasis as a result.

Identifying when GI stasis occurs:

  • Loss of appetite: The biggest sign of GI stasis is a partial or complete lack of appetite. Rabbits LOVE to eat so it would be obvious if your rabbit is not eating at all, but not so obvious if he is eating less.

  • Inconsistent passing of feces: GI stasis is not always readily apparent in rabbits. Since rabbits are prey animals, they tend to hide their pain to avoid looking vulnerable to a predator. Your own rabbit may do the same. One of the most recognizable symptoms of GI stasis is a decrease or complete stop of feces production.

  • Body language: Your rabbit’s overall body language will change. They will feel floppier and lethargic due to lack of food. Constant flopping and readjusting due to being uncomfortable from the gas in their stomach, a hunched over body posture and even completely hiding away.

How to treat GI stasis:

Should any 3 of these sign appear, take them to the vet. That would be the ideal solution to the problem, but I understand due to certain circumstances, the VET is not always an instant option so here are a few things you could do that could possibly save your rabbits life:

  • Critical - Care: Critical Care is a rabbit food formula in powder form. It provides rabbits with the essential nutrients to recover from an illness like GI stasis. It is high in fibre, low in carbohydrates and easily digestible. Always have a packet ready in case of an emergency to provide your rabbit with the nutrients they need in said scenario. It can be purchased online or in your local pet shop. Instructions for use and consumption are stated on the packet.

  • Hydration: Try syringe feed your rabbit water in the corners of their mouth. When your rabbit drinks less water with GI stasis, their body will draw water out of his GI tract and move it to other parts of his body in an attempt to stay hydrated. Rehydration will also provide your rabbit with much-needed nutrients. Careful not to be too forceful as stress to your rabbit could make the situation even worse.

  • Food: It is vital that you try and get your rabbit to eat as soon as possible. Fresh herbs can stimulate your rabbit to eat. Examples of herbs are mint, basil, and fennel.

  • Massage & movement: Massaging your rabbits abdomen may help. Gently placing your hand on the upper section of their abdomen and massaging downwards can help relieve pain and help pass any blockage that may be causing GI STASIS.

  • Time: Give your rabbit time. I know and understand that watching your rabbit in such discomfort is not nice, so giving your rabbit time and space sounds counterintuitive after everything that’s been said. Overall it’s for you to make a decision on whether you’re taking them straight to the vet from the first signs of GI stasis, trying a few home remedies and waiting it out or even combining the two. You know your rabbit best so your judgement and decision will always be the best call to make at the time.

Cleaning & Grooming Guide

  • Body Grooming: Rabbits groom themselves, very frequently, but at times human assistance is still needed. Not brushing them regularly can cause blockages in their digestive system from digesting too much fur. To prevent this, most rabbits need to be brushed about every 3-7 days. If you have a long-haired rabbit such as Lionheads, you might need to brush it even more often. Take into consideration that rabbits shed every 3-4 months, during those periods, the frequency of grooming would have to increase to near enough daily.

  • Nail Grooming: Don’t forget the nails! Every 3-4 weeks, give them a little trim to prevent injuries to yourself and your rabbit from them being too long. I recommend using small animal nail clippers instead of the usual ones we use.

Please DO NOT bath your rabbit. Submerging your rabbit in water is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. They may kick and thrash in the water which can injure them. Their thick fur is also hard to dry off once completely wet, causing them to struggle to regulate their body temperature. They might also go into shock from the sudden change in temperature. If needs be, a wipe down with a damp cloth on the overly soiled areas will do the job just fine.

Stimulation Guide

The best form of stimulation for a rabbit is a friend. Rabbit are recommended to be in pairs but that ideal scenario isn’t always the case. Whether it’s down to bonding issues as some rabbits struggle to bond with other rabbits, financial situation, double the vet & food bills as you’re looking after another rabbit or even a situation similar to mine, you found one! There are many reasons as to why many people may struggle to look after and keep two rabbits so don’t feel guilt if you’re one of those people.

Here are some things you can do to help stimulate them, whether their alone or in a gang of 10.

  • Toys:

    Giving your rabbit a wide variety of toys can help to keep your rabbit curious. From chew toys to balls and even teddies. Rabbits love toys!

  • Obstacle courses:

    There is a lot you can do with furniture to make a fun and stimulating environment for your rabbit. You can set up hiding spaces and tunnels underneath or even invest in a small cat climber which they can hop on and off to help give them a bit of exercise. You can even create a rabbit playhouse. Create a digging area inside, stacking other boxes around to give your rabbit a fun place to explore.

  • Foraging activities:

    With rabbits being natural foragers. They can get a lot of stimulation by using their little noses to find treats in their environment. Try sprinkling their favourite treats or pellets in the hay or around the room next time, watch them go crazy!

  • Digging areas:

    Rabbits are natural diggers and borrowers. In their natural habitat they live in networks of tunnels. Even though rabbits don’t need to dig burrows in your home, they still have an instinct to dig. If your rabbit doesn’t have a place to use this instinct, they’ll start digging into your carpet, bedding and other prized possessions. Something as simple as cardboard boxes on the floor or even digging matts will help ease your rabbit urges.

  • Train your rabbit:

    Rabbits are actually very intelligent animals. They have the ability to be trained to do a number of party tricks, including coming when they are called, giving you high fives and kisses, and learning to hop through agility courses. These adorable tricks help with your rabbit’s mental enrichment, as they learn to use their brain to figure out how to get treats. It’s also a great way to strengthen the bond with your rabbit.

  • Provide space:

    Rabbit’s need a lot of space. They need the space to hop around and exercise. Most cages and hutches sold online and in stores for rabbits actually not very suitable for rabbits. If your rabbit’s enclosure is less than 3-4 times the full length of your rabbit, then you’ll want to make some changes to expand the area they have available. This will help your rabbit stay entertained and avoid boredom even during the day. I’d suggest free roaming your rabbit. A few measures will have to be in places before hand such as cable covers etc, but once your house is rabbit proofed, let them roam free!