hop to it - the rwaf guide to rabbit care

7/30/2019 Hop To It - The RWAF Guide to Rabbit Care

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The RWAF guide to rabbit care

Are Rabbits for me?

Inside or out

Hay! Feed me properly!

The importance of neutering

Two (or more!) is company

Preventative health care

Rabbit MOT keep your bunsrunning smoothly!

Grooming & coat careAggressive behaviourin rabbits

How to choose arabbit-savvy vet

And much more inside!

Kindlysponsoredby BurgessPet Care


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Kindlysponsoredby BurgessPet Care

1-Introduction

Rabbits can make wonderful pets so long as you keepthem in the right way! Watching rabbits running, jumping,playing, grooming each other and just being all-round

joyful creatures is a real delight. But they must be lookedafter properly: rabbits are hugely misunderstood pets andthousands suffer from neglect through lackof knowledge of their needs as a species.

ContentsHow to keep pet rabbits happy and healthy

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 ARE RABBITS FOR ME? 4

Chapter 2 INSIDE OR OUT? 6

Chapter 3 HEY! FEED ME PROPERLY! 13

Chapter 4 THE IMPORTANCE OF NEUTERING 18

Chapter 5 TWO (OR MORE!) IS COMPANY 22

Chapter 6 PREVENTATIVE HEALTH CARE 26

Chapter 7 RABBIT MOT KEEP YOUR BUNS 32RUNNING SMOOTHLY!

Chapter 8 GROOMING & COAT CARE 36

Chapter 9 AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR IN RABBITS 38

Chapter 10 HOW TO CHOOSE A RABBIT-SAVVY VET 40

Chapter 11 HOLIDAY CARE 43

This booklet is an overall guide to

keeping healthy, contented pet

rabbits. As well as providing clear,

accurate, up-to-date advice, we

hope it will help to dispel some of

the myths and misconceptions thathave led to so much neglect and suffering in pet rabbits. It is aimed

at anyone thinking of acquiring rabbits as pets, as well as existing

rabbit owners. This booklet covers the basics in detail, but theres

lots more information on our website www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk

Throughout this booklet we will keep referring to fundamental needs

of rabbits as a species - although they are different shapes, sizes

and colours, domestic rabbits kept as pets are fundamentally the

same as their wild cousins. Their basic nature and needs are thesame as those of wild rabbits, who live in large social groups and

cover an area equivalent to 30 football pitches a day!


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-Introduction

3

-Introduction

Because rabbits are preyed upon by many other species

(dogs, cats, foxes and even humans), they are naturally shy,

quiet animals who hate being held above ground level. They

do not like to be picked up and carried around, so children

should be encouraged to interact with them at ground level

instead. Gaining the trust of a rabbit takes time and effort. If

your child is looking for something soft and cuddly to pick

up then buy a fluffy toy, a rabbit is not for them!Wild rabbits live in colonies, never on theirown. Rabbits should be kept in neuteredpairs or compatible groups. Recent

scientific research has confirmed thatrabbits suffer from stress and loneliness ifkept alone: they value companionship asmuch as food -and you wouldnt keepthem without

They need plenty of space, including a spacious and safeexercise area that is permanently attached to their hutch orcage. In addition, theyd really enjoy free run of the garden(or bunny-proofed parts of the house!) when supervised.

Cages/hutches should be regarded as burrows to rest in aspart of a larger living area, not prisons!

Rabbits are often acquired for children (often

following displays of pester power!) but it is

essential to remember that the adult is always

responsible for any pet therefore at least one

adult in the household must be prepared to

commit sufficient time, energy and money tothe rabbits for the next decade. Rabbits are not

cheap and easy childrens pets!

Rabbits should be fed in a way that is as close aspossible to their natural diet: mostly grass or hay. In

fact, rabbits could live on hay alone, but werecommend providing some fresh leafy vegetablesand a small amount of commercial feed. The longfibre of grass or hay is vital to their digestive,behavioural and dental health.

RABBITS ARE ACTIVE!

ARESOMEONEELSE'SDINNER!

RABBITS

RABBITS LIVE ABOUT TEN YEARS

RABBITS ARE SOCIABLE!

RABBITS EAT GRASS(OR HAY)!


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Get with it! download our our new

Rabbiting On App

Don't miss our fantastic Rabbiting On App!

Available now from the Apple App Store for iPad and iPhone

The Best of Rabbiting On - a round-up of the best features

from recent issues, plus a few of our older favourites. You will

also find information on rabbit health and behaviour and great

advice on how to care for them.

If you love rabbits, you'll love Rabbiting On. Its a great App

for a great cause.


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What is the Rabbit Welfare Fund?


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The RWA and the Rabbit Welfare Fund run hand in

hand: the RWA is the supporters club for the RWF,

which is the only charity in the UK dedicated to

improving the lives of pet rabbits.

The RWFs current lead campaign is based around A Hutch is NotEnough: Far too many rabbits live alone and confined in hutches, and we

want to educate rabbit owners that this is just not the right way to look

after their rabbits: in fact, theres good evidence it is actually cruel to keep

a solitary rabit in cramped conditions. We have been successful in

persuading many retailers to stop stocking smaller sized rabbit hutches,

but there is a still a long way to go.

The RWF holds an annual veterinary conference to keep vets (and

owners!) up to date with advances in rabbit medicine; we run a help

line; we produce and distribute around 100,000 leaflets every year

and have a fantastic website which is accurate and up to date,

providing the best rabbit information available.

We are generally known as The RWAF, and have been

around now for over 16 years we are the leading

authority on rabbit care and information.

So if you love rabbits, and you want to see thingsimprove for them instead of being confined to a

hutch and lonely, then please join the RWA, or

donate to the RWF because together

we can make a difference.

BT MyDonate

The Rabbit Welfare Fund has registered with BT MyDonate. The website

will handle donations for us, and will ensure we get every penny raised,

including Gift Aid, without taking any commission, charging no fees, and

passing on the funds raised quickly so that we will get the full benefit of

interest on your donations.

The site will help our fundraisers, should they want to do a sponsoredevent, for example, and collect donations on a completely secure website

Find us on BT MyDonate

https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/rabbitwelfarefund

Find us on

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