Whether you are looking to keep a rabbit solely as a pet or you are interested in showing and breeding there will be a breed to suit you. There are over 100 different breeds of rabbit available today in sizes ranging from 1 kilo to over 10 kilos. Most breeds come in a range of colours with the more common breeds available in dozens of colours. Each breed has its own individual personality and temperament so whatever you're looking for there will be a rabbit out there to suit you.

Choosing a Breed

Rabbits are divided into two main categories - fancy and fur. Fancy rabbits are primarily bred and kept purely for their appearance as pets or show rabbits. Fancy breeds include Netherlands, all the lops, dutch, polish etc. Fur breeds (including the rex group) were initially bred for commercial purposes either for meat as in the case of the larger breeds such as californians and new zealands or for their fur as in the case of angoras (for their wool not their pelts), some rex, chinchillas etc.

The first decision to make is what sort of sized rabbit to choose. At one end of the scale are the Netherland Dwarfs and Polish which have an average weight of just over a kilo. At the larger end of the scale there are Flemish & British Giants, French Lops and Giant Papillons which weigh in at anything above 7 kilos. Apart from the aspect of being able to handle the rabbit (especially if a child is to handle the rabbit), larger rabbits obviously need much larger cages, more exercise and cost more to feed. There is a general rule however that the larger the breed of rabbit the friendlier it is.

Just as different people have different personalities so do different breeds of rabbit. As mentioned the larger breeds can be more friendly with some of the smaller breeds, especially the polish, being more lively and often nippier. Within each breed there will be variations of character depending upon how the animal has been bred and handled. Different breeders will be able to advise as to the different personalities of each breed but in general a well bred, well handled rabbit of any breed should make a suitable pet.

Another factor that influences the nature of the animal is the sex of the rabbit. As youngsters there is very little difference but once the rabbit becomes sexually mature the differences become more obvious. Females become more territorial and can become a little grouchy when they want mating. Males can start to spray to mark their territory and can vary from being very loving (especially my mini lop bucks!) to being a little nippy because they are frustrated. The nature varies widely and is very dependent on how well handled the animal is to start off with. Neutering will generally cure any problems associated with the onset of sexual maturity.

Buying your rabbit

Once you have decided what you are looking for in a rabbit then you can decide where to obtain your rabbit. If you just want a pet then it is often best to start looking at your local rescue centre. If you wish to obtain a show specimen or rabbits that will breed you a show specimen then you will need to approach a breeder or visit a local rabbit show and talk to breeders of the breed that you are most interested in. I do not particularly recommend pet shops as they generally know very little about the rabbits’ background and provide little advice on the care of the rabbit. There is generally very little after sales service and you go away with a rabbit that you cannot be certain of its nature, parentage or eventual adult size.

When you go to purchase your rabbit exercise common sense and don’t allow yourself to be talked into buying a lifeless, dull looking rabbit. Handle the animal and observe it in the hutch. The animal should be alert and the eyes should be bright. The body should feel firm and not bony. Feel free to check the coat for parasites, the teeth, the vent area etc. Avoid any animal that has a discharge from its nostrils, sticky front paws, runny eyes or diarrhoea. Ensure that the animal is old enough to leave mum and that it has been properly weaned.

Once You Get Home

Once you get home it is advisable to put the rabbit into its’ hutch with some food and water and leave it to settle into its’ new environment for at least 24 hours before attempting to handle it. This allows it to adjust to the totally different surroundings with the minimum amount of stress.

When you come to handle the rabbit talk quietly to it and don’t use sudden movements. Avoid approaching the rabbit from above as it will associate this with the action of its’ predators. Be firm and hold the rabbit against your chest supporting its back end. If you let its legs dangle then it is likely to kick (you might want to take the points off the claws as these can be very sharp on young rabbits) and struggle.

NEVER pick the rabbit up by the ears; use both hands to gently hold it round the middle and back end.

Situation of the Hutch

Rabbits will live quite happily outside in all weathers even when the temperature is below freezing as long as they have dry bedding and the hutch is not situated in a draught. When the weather is particularly cold pay attention to the water bottle freezing. The hutch can be moved into a shed or garage during very cold weather. Ensure that plenty of dry bedding is available and a sheltered area is provided. Covering the hutch with polythene to prevent rain blowing in is useful.

When the weather is warm remember that your rabbit has a fur coat! Try to sit the hutch in a shady location and ensure a good supply of cold water. Should you find your rabbit looking unhappy or even panting then spray it with cool (not freezing cold as this will cause shock) water and place it in a cool shady place. It is useful to freeze plastic bottles of water and these can be placed in the hutch for the rabbit to lie if it gets too warm.

When choosing your hutch always buy the biggest you possibly can so that the rabbit can exercise itself when shut into its hutch. There are laws as to the minimum size of hutch that you can keep a rabbit in. these generally say that a rabbit has to be able to fully stretch out in all directions without touching any part of the hutch. Obviously it is in the animal’s best interest to provide it with more than the minimum requirements. Indoor hutches can be of any design providing they are sturdy. Outdoor hutches need to be waterproof, raised off the ground, protected from foxes (who are surprisingly strong and crafty) and some sort of shelter provided from the wind and rain – either a sleeping compartment or a sheet that can be dropped over the front of the hutch.

Feeding

When you buy a rabbit it will have been fed on a particular type of food. Do not change the rabbit’s food until at least a few days after the rabbit has settled in. For this reason always ensure that you receive some food that the rabbit is used to eating when you buy it. After the rabbit has settled in you can start introducing other foods and vegetables in small quantities until the rabbit is used to them. When changing the rabbit’s food over mix a little of the new food with the original food, gradually add more of the new food each day (as long as the rabbit seems okay on this) until the food has been completely changed over. When choosing which brand of food to feed try to pick a mix which is high in fibre (not protein) and which looks like it has a lot of pellets, roughage (eg grass/straw etc) and flakes of peas, oats etc. Avoid highly coloured, fruity smelling mixes as these are just full of artificial additives. Remember that rabbits are herbivores and therefore do not eat meat or meat products of ANY description.

The rabbit should have access to unlimited fresh hay at all times. This must be removed should it get damp, soiled or mouldy and replaced with fresh.

All our rabbits are fed on large amounts of fresh vegetables as this is the most natural diet. The first thing our babies eat when they venture out of the nest are greens. If your rabbit has not been fed on vegetables then these should be introduced slowly in small amounts. NEVER feed lettuce, it has very little nutritional value and prolonged feeding can result in liver damage. Below are a few examples of suitable vegetables:

Carrots, cabbage, spinach, cauliflower. broccoli, curly kale, endive, dandelion (not large amounts as this is a diuretic), nettle, various herbs and twigs from fruit trees

Avoid feeding shop bought treats as these are often high in sugar with little nutritional value. If you want to give your rabbit a treat try one of the following:

Plain toast, Weetabix, All Bran, plain Cornflakes, dog biscuits, hard bread, potatoes. Left over vegetable or pasta/rice kitchen scraps can also beefed.

Remember that rabbits have personalities and may not like everything that you expect it to!

With regard to the dry rabbit mix a good estimate of how much to feed per day is 1oz of mix per pound of body weight. Obviously young, growing rabbits should be fed ad lib but as they become adults then this needs to be rationed as they will become overweight. This can lead to many health problems and should be avoided. Any breeder should be happy to advise as to the ideal adult weight of the rabbit that you have purchased. The mix can be fed all at once or split and fed twice daily depending on what is most convenient. Rabbits are grazers and in the wild would stop to nibble every few minutes so if you only feed once a day ensure that there is plenty of hay/straw around at all times for them to constantly nibble on. Try to feed the rabbit at roughly the same time every day.

Drinking

Rabbits are very hardy and can survive for several days without food but constant access to fresh clean water is essential. Rabbits do not need anything else to drink and never consider giving them anything that we might drink except perhaps plain tea. In warm weather be aware that some rabbits will not drink warm water from their bottle. The bottle may be full but if the water’s warm then it needs replacing. Bottles are preferable to bowls as these are easily contaminated and knocked over.

Exercise

Your rabbit should have some form of exercise every day. This helps it to stay fit and also adds interest to its daily life. At least an hour of exercise should be provided and this is best in an enclosed garden, a run (although most shop bought runs are too small) or even in the house under supervision. Just fetching the rabbit and sitting it on your knee will give it a bit of company.

Maintenance

Rabbits require very little in the way of general maintenance provided they are fed a good, high fibre diet and have regular exercise.

Nails – These should be checked every month or so and if necessary trimmed. They can be cut as short as possible provided you do not cut the quick ( the vein which can be seen running down the middle of the early part of the nail). Allowing the rabbit to run on a hard surface such as concrete will also help to keep the nails short.

Teeth – These should be checked at the time of purchase to ensure correct alignment as maloccluded teeth in a young rabbit are generally inbred and are very difficult to correct. Teeth should also be checked reasonably regularly as they can become mis-aligned due to several reasons. Sometimes it is in the breeding (if the breeder has used stock with/carrying bad teeth), if the rabbit is dropped it often lands on its face and damages or loosens its teeth, pulling on the bars of its cage (often a sign of boredom), chewing on something particularly hard etc. Ensuring the rabbit has plenty of roughage in its diet should help to keep its teeth worn down.

Coat – Your rabbit should moult twice a year as the weather changes but this is not always the case especially in rabbits kept in doors where there is central heating. Some may moult more and some less. During the moult it is helpful to the rabbit if you groom out the loose fur. A fine toothed comb is the best tool for this (see grooming on the Showing Rabbits page). At all other times it is not strictly necessary to groom the rabbit as it will look after itself (unless it is one of the long haired breeds in which case seek the advice of the breeder). If the animal has been treated for mite then there is no need to check the coat for these but otherwise these can be seen as tiny specks (appear white/ grey in dark rabbits and black/grey in light coloured rabbits). Provided the rabbit is healthy it can live quite happily with a few hay mites but these are not ideal in a show rabbit and also can occasionally cause problems (see health page).

More Than One Rabbit

Many people are of the impression that rabbits are sociable animals which to a certain extent is true but they are also territorial animals and this is sometimes the more dominant feature. If your rabbit is to be left in its hutch or on its own for the majority of the day then another rabbit is an option. If you have decided that your rabbit would like a friend then please be advised of the following although there are exceptions to every rule.Two males will not live together once they have passed approximately 12 weeks of age even if they are from the same litter. They can fight quite badly sometimes until one of them is very badly injured or even dead.Two females, upon reaching sexual maturity, may also fight as they become territorial. Occasionally two sister litter mates may tolerate each other.A male and a female will obviously mate once they are old enough and once the female is pregnant she will very often fight with the male.

 
If you would like to keep two rabbits together then the best option is to have them neutered and pair a male with a female although other pairings are possible. It is possible for rabbits to live with guinea pigs but remember that rabbits can give a very powerful kick so choose a small breed of rabbit and an un-neutered male rabbit may try to continually mate the guinea pig giving it no peace. Also guinea pigs require vitamin C in their diets and should not be fed on ordinary rabbit food.