Rabbits as Pets


© Maureen Fleury
Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic

Nov 27, 2003


One of the less common household pets is a rabbit. Before you even think of asking Mom or Dad about keeping a rabbit, there are some important things you need to know.

Hang Outs
Rabbits are not like dogs or cats when it comes to room temperature or outdoor temperature. Dogs and cats can go out in the snow or survive hot summer days. In the summer, if the temperature is higher than 80 degrees, a rabbit will get sick. Be sure to keep a rabbit in the shade and in a cool breeze. A basement or garage with a fan is a good idea. If your house has air conditioning, this is even better! In the winter, a rabbit will get sick if the temperature is below 55 to 60 degrees. It is better to keep the rabbit indoors.

Rabbits are quite comfortable in a box or cage called a hutch. They can be kept indoors or outside if you live in a place where the weather is not too hot or too cold. You can keep them in a box with screens to give them air to breathe or you can use a metal mesh cage. If you do use a metal cage, you have to put a sheet of hard plastic or metal on the floor because the metal bars will hurt the rabbit's feet. The bottom of the cage should be covered with straw or wood shavings. Rabbit hutches should be cleaned out twice a week. This includes new hay or shavings, clean dishes and water bottle.

I've been told that some rabbits can be trained to use a litter box just like a cat. If the cage is large, the litter box can be placed inside. If not, some people leave holes in floor of a metal cage and put the litter box under the cage. Just remember that you still need to have an area of the cage with a solid floor so the rabbit won't hurt its feet.

What They Eat
Rabbits need lots of fiber in their diet. You can buy pellet food at the pet store and this will ensure the rabbit is getting a balanced diet and proper nutrition. In addition to the pellets, rabbits should have alfalfa or timothy hay for their digestion. Most vegetables are good as a treat, with carrots being the best along with broccoli, brussels sprouts or squash. Dried fruit is also a good treat and the same with fresh apples, strawberries or melon.

       

Go To Page: 1 2 3


Post this Article to facebook Add this Article to del.icio.us! Digg this Article furl this Article Add this Article to Reddit Add this Article to Technorati Add this Article to Newsvine Add this Article to Windows Live Add this Article to Yahoo Add this Article to StumbleUpon Add this Article to BlinkLists Add this Article to Spurl Add this Article to Google Add this Article to Ask Add this Article to Squidoo
Print Article Print Article
Email Article Email Article
View All Articles View All Articles

Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: View all related messages
3.   Mar 14, 2004 1:26 AM
In response to message posted by biogardener:

With having rabbits around you in your youth, you can certainly speak with autho ...

-- posted by mkfleury
2.   Mar 9, 2004 12:07 PM
I just wrote an article for children about a great way to keep a pet rabbit happy while getting your lawn mowed:

-- posted by biogardener
1.   Dec 20, 2003 2:59 AM
When it comes to knowing what to feed a rabbit, I became an expert at it at a very young age. In World War II, my father raised rabbits, not as pets but to eat. We would not have had any meat to eat ...

-- posted by biogardener



Join the latest discussions

For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Maureen Fleury's Pets topic, please visit the Discussions page.