Oh dear, I got a rabbit, now what? (pics)

Raised rabbits for many years...they are very easy to care for.

They can stay on wire. If you have cold winters you will need to keep him/her out of any drafts. Rabbits tolerate cold very well, but not the wind.

The only food they need is rabbit pellets which you can buy most anywhere. They do not need a salt block, hay, twigs or anything else to chew on though they may enjoy it like a toy. Go easy on the lettuce, or you'll give it the runs!

Their teeth DO NOT grow continuously. They grow a certain length and then stop, like yours and mine. Rabbits are not rodents, but rather in the family Lagomorpha.

Fresh water daily is a must.

I would not put the rabbit in with the chickens, though they may be able to coexist. Keep it in a rabbit cage, and it'll be fine. They are not social animals so he/she will be fine by himi/herself.

The easiest way to tell boy or girl is to flip it over when it is a few months old. If you see two testicles, you've got a boy! They are very obvious on adults, you won't miss them. You can determine sex much younger, but that requires pressing on the genital area to see if a penis or vulva appear. Since you're a newbie, I wouldn't attempt it. It takes some practice.

Breed wise, my first impression was that it was a New Zealand White, but without seeing it in person it is tough to say when they are still young -- many breeds have a red-eyed white color variety and they mostly look alike when young.

Constant handling is great, keep it up!

Rabbit manure is an excellent fertilizer, as previously stated.

Hope that helps. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions.
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Rabbit's teeth do indeed grow continuously through their lives. Working as a vet tech in an animal hospital that treats rabbits has taught me this. There were many times we had to trim the teeth on rabbits because they weren't given enough abrasive foods and/or stuff to chew.

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/2-6/tusks.html

If your bunnies have never had teeth trouble, it's because they're being well taken care of and properly fed.


Google it.
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Blessings-
Em
 
yes, rabbits are very well-known for teeth problems.
I will agree, though, that they are fairly easy to care for. But they are very social animals. They love attention and are very easy to litter box train. They just need to learn that that is the designated potty spot. Wire can be very bad for their feet, they need a spot to get up off the wires

warning graphic pic on this site:
http://www.exoticpetvet.com/breeds/rabbitexpectations13.htm
but that is what can happen to a rabbit kept constantly on wire
 
Maloclusions are genetic, so if your rabbits are having severe teeth issues then you have a bad line. Well-bred rabbits won't have teeth problems.
 
http://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/Default.aspx is another good site for basic bunny info.

I have an almost 7 year old Rex rabbit. She actually has a 4x4 ft puppy pen for her cage. She is litter trained (usually). Her pellets need to be limited or she will eat them nonstop, even with good hay available 24/7. She gets approximately 1 c of veggies/greens daily, but she was worked up to it and is used to it.

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Grass is still not good. I don't know about dried grass, just that it can give some nasty diarrhea.

Red cedar is awful for animals. DO NOT GET RED CEDAR CHIPS BY ANY MEANS!!!
 
What do wild rabbits eat? I swear I have seen them eat grass. Unless its cause they are wild and are used to it.
 
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They eat grass.
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Adult rabbits can have unlimited grass, while bunnies can only have a little each day.
 
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They eat grass.
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Adult rabbits can have unlimited grass, while bunnies can only have a little each day.

Next question is gonna sounds stupid but what is the difference between bunny and rabbit? I thought they were the same thing. And if they are two different things then what is a bunny rabbit?
 
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