Rabbit housing and feed

[Nikkumz]

I usually just put the apples, the only fruit they get, with everything else. Thats why i just dont do it every day, but your right you just have to watch them mainly cuz what some rabbits can tolerate, others might not.
Plus, the sides of our cage is chicken wire so they east the grass and other little bushes that stick throught the sides

 

[mandelyn]

The bigger house you can provide for them the better. When they play, they jump in the air and flit around in circles, which isn't possible in a traditional hutch. I let mine loose in the house for about a half hour a day, and a couple of times a week they go outside to play and munch on grass. Our yard is totally fenced, though they have found the wood pile to be an excellent place to hide out and scare me into thinking I've lost them. LOL

They have an average size house cage, but I know it's not enough for them. We're going to build a custom outdoor hutch similar to a chicken tractor, two levels, house up top with a pull out tray for cleaning, and access to the ground. We have a perimeter fence around the chicken house, so I was thinking about rabbit proofing the bottom and giving them daily access to that and locking them up at night. Not sure yet.

I got Flemish Giants, which need more space anyways than the average size rabbit, but I don't want to encourage the double chin fatness through lack of exercise. I'd like them to be healthy fat instead of inactive fat. LOL

 

[AEFarm]

We currently have 3 New Zealands that we raise for meat production. We keep them on a diet of timothy hay, pellets and various fruits and veggies. I actually integrated the rabbit hutch and run with the chicken coop. They play well together

Another thing you will want to provide is a piece of wood soaked in salt water for the rabbits to chew. They are going to chew something, might as well be something that gives them some minerals and isn't part of your hutch support structure

Rabbits are pretty hardy and able to handle cold weather as long as you keep them DRY! Heat is the bigger issue.

 

[fuzzlove]

ok i just spent and hour and a half trying to get into this web page so i could ask people who know what they are doing about my bunny fuzz. He hasnt been eating or pooing for like 2 or so days and its starting to worry me and there is no vet around me that will take rabbits. he still drinks water alot but he grinds his teeth alot and everytime i try and put food in front of his face he just grinds them more. me and my husband went to see the people we got him from yesterday and they gave us some of the food they were feeding him to see if he would eat that and he hasnt really touched it. my husband got him to eat from his hand last night but now he wants nothing to do with the food. Fuzz is a 9-10 week old lion head\\floppy. I really just dont know what to do. please Email me if you can help me at all. I cant get to the vet and this is really stressing me out, I'm 8 months pregnant and really cant be under alot of stress and i just dont know what i can do to get him to eat. Please help me and Fuzz. Email me at [email protected]

 

[AEFarm]

My suggestion would be some timothy hay. They will use it to grind their teeth down. Pack the hutch with it. Also, as bad as it sounds, rabbits will eat their own feces. They dont extract everything out of it the first go round, so make sure they are able to retain some in the hutch.

 

[fuzzlove]

he isnt pooping thou.. and i will go get hay as soon as my husband gets home. ill do anything to get him to eat.

 

[AEFarm]

Is he acting lethargic or does he still have some energy? When my rabbits were young they needed to be left completely alone to be comfortable eating. Now I can't get them to refrain from eating everything

My girls really need to go on a diet. When you pick him up is his stomach soft or does it feel hard?

 

[fuzzlove]

he still has some energy but nothing like the first few days we had him. his tummy is soft when i pick him up. he's just kinda lying around in his cage even thou the door is open.

 

[fuzzlove]

is it ok to give him some old fashion quaker oats or some dry bread with milk poured on it? ive read both are ok but im like... about giving him anything that will make his tummy hurt more.

 

[RabbitMage]

Oats yes, bread with milk no. I'd also get some Petromalt in him ASAP.