Rabbits need correct elements to keep them healthy.
The Five Freedoms click here
Basic needs of a rabbit.
1) Food = Unlimited hay (oaten, grass or timothy) Lucerne hay can be given up until a prox 6 months of age. Beyond this age the Lucerne hay is to rich in calcium for the little adult bunnies and is tuff on there kidneys. Fresh fruit and vegies and a small about of rabbit pellets (optional if they are getting enough Varity of vegies). Rabbits need things like wood to chew to ware down there teeth as there teeth continually grow and cause health issue later on in life if not kept short. Some trees are unhealthy for a bunny to chew. Untreated pine is better for them and if you are gathering it from a tree Please make sure it’s completely dead with NO sap at all in the branch as the sap will make your bunny ill.
2) Shelter = size of cage / hutch to suit rabbit size. 1 mtr by 70 cm would suit a Netherlands dwarf. Go up from there for bigger rabbits. Your bunny should be able to do 3-4 hops along the length of its cage/ hutch for it to be a suitable home for it. In this enclosure you should have room somewhere for your rabbit to hide/sleep out of the sun, wind and rain. Shade cloth or insect screen your cage to keep mosquitoes out. Mosquito’s carry deadly disease to rabbits. Rabbits are hardy little things but they are not indestructible we has humans keep these Rabbits in (what they think) small environments so we NEED to keep them clean to prevent disease.
Rabbits should be:
Eyes: Alert and bright. Free of any discharge
Nose: Dry. Sneezing and/or discharge are an indication of serious illness such as viral or bacterial disease
Ears: Perfectly clean. Dirt in the ears can signify that the rabbit has ear mites
Coat: Clean and lustrous. A dull coat indicates poor health
Belly: Nice & plump but definitely not bloated. A bloated belly is a sure sign of a digestive disorder
Genitals: Perfectly clean. Free of any of discharge or caked on poo.
3) Exercise = if you have a small cage a good idea is to teach your rabbit to have a harness and leash so you can take your bunny out to have a run around. Or have a long play pen for him to get self exercise. If you are looking to do rabbit hopping or agility having your bunny use to a harness and use to being out with it on is the first step.
Our club will not accept rabbits under 6 mths of age to participate because they are still developing and can easily injury themself.
4) Grooming = long haired rabbits require grooming minimum twice a week grooming to keep the fur knot free. Short hair rabbits require grooming once a week / 1 week and a half (depending on fur type). Nails of your bunny should me trimmed twice a year minimum.
These are the four things you need to keep in mind when buying or if you already own a rabbit.
If there are any signs of ill health to your bunny we recommend calling a rabbit savvy vet asap because rabbits hide there illness very well and its not until they are VERY ill is when they start showing signs of illness.
Types of rabbits for rabbit hopping
Rabbits that do well in rabbit hopping and agility are ones that have a short coat, ears that don’t drag on the ground ( lop eared rabbits are ok just not to have to long of ears), good conformation and not over 5-6kgs in weight.
The reason is long haired rabbits over heat. Rabbits that have bad conformation can’t push themself over the jumps or through the agility course correctly and can injury themself. And rabbits that are over 6 kgs have a lot of weight coming down on those front paws and can cause injury.
Pure breed or cross breed rabbits can do rabbit hopping and agility providing the above information is taken into account.
Types of rabbits for showing.
Pure breed rabbits the are best type of rabbits for the show table as the main element for the show table is TRUE TO BREED TYPE rabbits. The ANRA is a great website to take a look at each Breed standards.
http://www.australiannationalrabbitcouncil.com/breedstandards.htm
The Five Freedoms click here
Basic needs of a rabbit.
1) Food = Unlimited hay (oaten, grass or timothy) Lucerne hay can be given up until a prox 6 months of age. Beyond this age the Lucerne hay is to rich in calcium for the little adult bunnies and is tuff on there kidneys. Fresh fruit and vegies and a small about of rabbit pellets (optional if they are getting enough Varity of vegies). Rabbits need things like wood to chew to ware down there teeth as there teeth continually grow and cause health issue later on in life if not kept short. Some trees are unhealthy for a bunny to chew. Untreated pine is better for them and if you are gathering it from a tree Please make sure it’s completely dead with NO sap at all in the branch as the sap will make your bunny ill.
2) Shelter = size of cage / hutch to suit rabbit size. 1 mtr by 70 cm would suit a Netherlands dwarf. Go up from there for bigger rabbits. Your bunny should be able to do 3-4 hops along the length of its cage/ hutch for it to be a suitable home for it. In this enclosure you should have room somewhere for your rabbit to hide/sleep out of the sun, wind and rain. Shade cloth or insect screen your cage to keep mosquitoes out. Mosquito’s carry deadly disease to rabbits. Rabbits are hardy little things but they are not indestructible we has humans keep these Rabbits in (what they think) small environments so we NEED to keep them clean to prevent disease.
Rabbits should be:
Eyes: Alert and bright. Free of any discharge
Nose: Dry. Sneezing and/or discharge are an indication of serious illness such as viral or bacterial disease
Ears: Perfectly clean. Dirt in the ears can signify that the rabbit has ear mites
Coat: Clean and lustrous. A dull coat indicates poor health
Belly: Nice & plump but definitely not bloated. A bloated belly is a sure sign of a digestive disorder
Genitals: Perfectly clean. Free of any of discharge or caked on poo.
3) Exercise = if you have a small cage a good idea is to teach your rabbit to have a harness and leash so you can take your bunny out to have a run around. Or have a long play pen for him to get self exercise. If you are looking to do rabbit hopping or agility having your bunny use to a harness and use to being out with it on is the first step.
Our club will not accept rabbits under 6 mths of age to participate because they are still developing and can easily injury themself.
4) Grooming = long haired rabbits require grooming minimum twice a week grooming to keep the fur knot free. Short hair rabbits require grooming once a week / 1 week and a half (depending on fur type). Nails of your bunny should me trimmed twice a year minimum.
These are the four things you need to keep in mind when buying or if you already own a rabbit.
If there are any signs of ill health to your bunny we recommend calling a rabbit savvy vet asap because rabbits hide there illness very well and its not until they are VERY ill is when they start showing signs of illness.
Types of rabbits for rabbit hopping
Rabbits that do well in rabbit hopping and agility are ones that have a short coat, ears that don’t drag on the ground ( lop eared rabbits are ok just not to have to long of ears), good conformation and not over 5-6kgs in weight.
The reason is long haired rabbits over heat. Rabbits that have bad conformation can’t push themself over the jumps or through the agility course correctly and can injury themself. And rabbits that are over 6 kgs have a lot of weight coming down on those front paws and can cause injury.
Pure breed or cross breed rabbits can do rabbit hopping and agility providing the above information is taken into account.
Types of rabbits for showing.
Pure breed rabbits the are best type of rabbits for the show table as the main element for the show table is TRUE TO BREED TYPE rabbits. The ANRA is a great website to take a look at each Breed standards.
http://www.australiannationalrabbitcouncil.com/breedstandards.htm