Introduction to hutches available

Rabbit hutches can be purchased premade, or, if you are particularly adventurous, you can choose to construct your own. Rabbit hutches should be elevated off the ground and have waterproof tops to protect pets from inclement weather. At The Rabbit Hutch Shop you will find a wide range of rabbit hutches and runs that have been specially designed for your Bunny rabbit. A rabbit hutch is the best choice for a rabbit kept outside. The traditional rabbit hutch is a plywood box, one foot by one foot by four feet in size. Although rabbit hutches are typically used outside, they can be used indoors if space allows.

Choosing a Hutch

Whether you choose a rabbit cage or a hutch, be sure to keep your pet’s safety and comfort in mind, avoiding selections that are very small, contain wire bottoms, or have sharp edges. The traditional rabbit hutch is a plywood box, one foot by one foot by four feet in size. Bedding straw should be replaced on a daily basis and the hutch should be cleaned thoroughly each week. A rabbit should be able to stand on its hind legs and stretch out full length in the bed section of the hutch as a bare minimum requirement.

Pet

Pet rabbits should be protected from contact with wild rabbits to prevent infection and this includes the situation where wild rabbits might have contaminated the grass area where you might place a portable run for your pet rabbit. So before you bring one of us rabbits or any pet home really, just make sure you are doing it out of genuine love for the animal and not because of some holiday, or because its trendy. Rabbit hutches and runs sold in pet shops are often woefully inadequate for adult rabbits. This is especially true when people buy pet shop hutches along with a baby rabbit when they have no idea of it’s adult size. Also, keep in mind that if you’re buying a hutch for a baby rabbit, you should estimate how large your pet can grow up to be and do the math according to his full-grown size. Many people continue to keep their pet in a small hutch, perhaps sited at the bottom of the garden. Your veterinary surgeon can advise you on the vaccinations and annual boosters that are required to keep your pet protected.

Conclusion

Rabbit hutches can be purchased pre-constructed, or, if you are particularly bold, you can choose to construct your own. Although rabbit hutches are typically used outside, they can be used indoors if space allows. Wood rabbit hutches are the most common, with screened-in or wire-mesh sides. Looking at design in addition to size, you need to consider rabbit hutch design when determining your purchase. The roof should also be detachable to aid in the cleaning of the rabbit hutch. A typical rabbit hutch is relatively easy to build, offering your rabbit sturdy and reliable shelter, good ventilation and nest boxes where bunnies can be born.



By: Kate Riding

About the Author:

We all think of rabbits only as cute and furry animals. While they may be cuddly and affectionate, they do need time to get used to their surroundings. With given time, and adequate reinforcement, they will adapt easily. Rabbits enjoy the presence of humans but are less amenable to being held.

Rabbits are more intelligent than most people thought. They can be litter trained and can even be taught little parlor tricks to amuse others. There used to be a Japanese man who raised a rabbit called Oolong and it could amazingly balance tiny objects on its head as it hopped.

There are over 50 different breeds that are recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association. However, there are more varieties as some breeds like the Snowshoe hares are not on the list.

This is because as a professional association concerned with organizing them in fairly strict standards they have differentiated the breeds accordingly. With different features, sizes and colors specific to each breed, there are some similarities among all the rabbits irrelevant of their breeds. Rabbits belong to Lagomorphs species. Since they have constantly growing teeth they are often misunderstood as rodents.

Rabbits are highly prolific animals who produce large number of offspring. They live up to 10 years and mature in about 6 months and start breeding immediately. This is because they had survived in the wild being prey to a lot of predations. They have an innate instinct to protect themselves and this has helped in their survival over thoussands of years. Their gestation period is as little as a month and they produce a lot of kits – rabbit babies.

Unlike other mammals whose teeth shift but do not grow after adulthood, rabbit’s teeth keep growing through out their lives, To control the growth of the teeth, they keep chewing on anything and everything possible. That could be a problem for rabbit owners since they damage the furniture and other materials in the house. One of the favorite toys for your rabbit could be your shoe. This problem can be handled by consciously keeping the shoes out of reach.

To prevent the furniture from suffering additional damage, rabbit proofing of your home is advised. Owners should provide their rabbits with lot of chewable toys available in pet shops to keep them from exploring and chewing other items in the house. Another natural instinct of rabbit is digging because they live in burrows in the wild. This could be a problem with domestic pets, since they dig up the garden and damage your plants.

Rabbits are animals that stress easily. Due to stress, rabbits can suffer from a number of medical afflicitons. Rabbits can be affected bu loud noises and shrill voices. Children may not be aware that rabbits dislike to have their ears played with. They could even bite children if they are stressed.

Rabbits have a vision of close to 360 degrees to afford them a good view of possible predators. However, they do have a blind spot under their face that is approximately about 10 degrees. So, they could shift their heads frequently, and try to gauge the distance of objects through looking at the objects in different perspectives.

Rabbits need regular grooming. Though they are clean animals naturally, it is necessary to brush them often to avoid accumulation of fur balls in the intestine.

With more and more people choosing rabbits as their pets, it is clear that these small animals are gaining popularity and make good companions who amuse their owners well.



By: Moses Wright

About the Author:

Somebody asked:


We have a yard that is about 1/2 acre. At the end of our yard are trees. In the evening we sometimes see rabbits down there. What can we do to draw them further up into our yard? We love rabbits!
Thanks!

The typical diet for a pet rabbit consists of water, hay, pellets, fresh vegetables, and its own caecal pellets. Fruit and other treats are given only in very limited quantities, as they can cause obesity in a rabbit. Rabbits require a constant water supply as they dehydrate quickly.

Most sources recommend 80% of the diet should be Timothy hay or another grass hay. Too many vegetables in a rabbit’s diet typically leads to diarrhea and other digestive problems.

Pellets

Rabbits are generally fed a pelleted feed available from pet stores, supermarkets, and farm suppliers. Pellets were originally designed for rabbit breeders for the purpose of providing as much food energy and vitamins as inexpensively as possible. This is optimal when the rabbits are being bred for food or for experimentation.

Most sources recommend a minimum of 18% fiber, low protein (14?15%), and less than 1% calcium. Depending on the amount of vegetables available, an adult rabbit should be given between 20 ml to 40 ml per kilogram (? and ? cup of pellets per 6 pounds) body weight daily. Pre-adolescent and adolescent rabbits (7 months and younger) can be given as much pelleted diet as they can consume, although additional vegetables are preferable to additional pellets. An older rabbit (over six years) can be given more pellets if they are having difficulty maintaining a steady body weight. Timothy hay-based pellets are great for rabbits that have stopped growing and do not need to gain weight. Alfalfa-based pellets are best only for young, growing rabbits or older rabbits who are under-weight.

Hay

Hay is essential for the health of all rabbits. A steady supply of hay will help prevent gastrointestinal stasis and other digestive tract problems in rabbits. Additionally, it provides a number of necessary vitamins and minerals at a low food energy cost. Rabbits enjoy chewing on hay, and always having hay available for the rabbit may reduce its tendency to chew on other items. Timothy hay and other grass hays are considered the healthiest to provide the rabbit. As a persistently high blood calcium level can prove harmful to the rabbit, hays such as alfalfa and clover hay should be avoided. Alfalfa is also relatively high in food energy, and a constant diet of it can cause obesity in rabbits.

Treats

Treats are unhealthy in large quantities for rabbits, just as they are for humans. Most treats sold in pet stores are filled with sugar and high food energy carbohydrates. If an owner is determined to feed the rabbit treats, the best treat to provide it with is fruit.

Acceptable fruits (seeds and pits MUST be removed): Banana, Mango, Pineapple, Peach, Apple, Kiwi, Berries, Orange and other citrus fruits.

Pineapple, mango, and papaya all contain a natural enzyme which is thought to reduce hairballs.

Fruits or other treats must be given in moderation, as rabbits easily become overweight and suffer health problems. Their diet should consist of no more than half a tablespoon of fruits or treats per day.

However, fresh fruits should not be given to rabbits under the age of 4 months because their digestive systems are not always developed enough to handle the fruit. It can cause enteritis that causes death within 48 hours.

While a common myth that rabbits should be given lettuce, this is not a good idea because it contains little to no nutritional value for the rabbit and again can cause enteritis which leads to a quick death.

Caecal pellets

Do not be alarmed if you see your rabbit eat some of his feces. These are called cecal pellets, and are a vital part of his diet. Caecal pellets are soft, smelly, clumpy feces, and are a rabbit’s only supply of Vitamin B12. Due to the design of the rabbit’s digestive system, they cannot extract some vitamins and minerals directly from their food. At the end of their digestive system is an area called the caecum where cellulose and other plant fibers are broken down and ferment. After they have been broken down and passed, a rabbit’s digestive system can finally extract the vitamins from them.



By: Hagar Lagarto

About the Author: