Rabbit

Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are a highly social species that would naturally live in large groups. Their needs can be very misunderstood, for example, many people consider rabbits to be easy and cheap pets that are good for young children, leading to poor welfare conditions.

As a prey species, rabbits generally do not like to be picked up. They can react aggressively during handling as their natural instincts are telling them that they have been captured by a predator and to try to escape. We should generally limit handling where possible to reduce their stress levels and build a positive relationship with our rabbits. Training can be carried out to successfully health check rabbits without picking them up, for example, crate training and station training.

Did you know that rabbits were originally kept in hutches by the Victorians for meat? Sadly this habit has persisted ever since, but rabbits need far more space than this. They should have an enclosure that is at least 3m x 2m x 1m high. They naturally live in underground warrens and cover a large space above ground to forage and graze. Access to an outdoor space and/or large exercise pen is vital for rabbits to be able to hop, forage and binky.

As a highly social species, rabbits have been found to value companionship as much as they value food. They need companionship to survive and display natural behaviours such as allogrooming and sleeping next to conspecifics.

Rabbits would naturally consume high quantities of grass, which would make up the majority of their diet. As rabbits are very similar to their wild counterparts, we should mimic this diet as closely as possible. Ideally, rabbits should have access to fresh grass. If this is not possible then a good quality hay is a suitable substitute. We can follow the general guidelines of 85% grass or feeding hay, 10% greens and 5% good quality nuggets. The greens provided should ideally mimic the plants that they would consume in the wild, for example, dandelions, hawthorn, willow leaves. Fruit is very high in sugar and should only be given as a treat in very small quantities (e.g. one teaspoon once per week). A full breakdown of suitable plants and vegetables can be found on the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund website, which is linked below.

Handling requirements: Rabbits are a prey species, so being confident and calm around them is extremely important. Avoid standing over them, crouch down and allow them to approach where possible. Avoid chasing the rabbits around the enclosure to catch them, this is extremely stressful. Support their hind legs and backs whilst handling to avoid injury to the spine.

Latin name: Oryctolagus cuniculus

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