He is in a rabbit cage in a covered area.With food and water.
2006-10-01 03:42:28 · 12 answers · asked by mom52 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
First off, if it's a boy, do not get another rabbit to keep it company. Male rabbits are extremely territorial, and will fight to the death over the issue. There is nothing wrong with having just one bunny (after all, it just means that you can spoil him more!). I would definitely schedule a trip to a rabbit-savvy vet for a checkup and his yearly immunizations (there are 2)...but make sure the vet you choose is rabbit-savvy. Rabbits are extremely fragile when it comes to medicines that are used, and not all vets who claim to treat rabbits know the proper techniques or medications to use (just for your info, anything that is in the penicillian family, including amoxicillian, is deadly to a rabbit in even the smallest amounts).
For diet, you want the main part of his diet to be a high-quality alfalfa based pelleted rabbit food (Nutraphase makes a good one that is readily available at most petshops). His size will tell you how much of the feed to give him daily (for smaller breeds, it's usually 1/4 cup of pellets per day, medium breeds: 1/2 cup, and large breeds: 3/4 cup). Of course give him constant access to clean, fresh water (it doesn't matter if you give him water from a bowl or a bottle...contrary to popular belief, rabbits can drink just fine out of a bowl). You want to provide Timothy hay (hay should always be free-fed...you never want him to be out of hay, the roughage and fiber from the hay are too important for a bunny's health). You might be wondering what the difference is between the different types of hay. Alfalfa hay has a higher level of protein and calcium than Timothy. Alfalfa is recommended for bunnies under the age of 6 months, pregnant and nursing females, and bunnies over the age of 7 years. Timothy hay is the recommended hay for any bunny that doesn't fit in the other categories, because it doesn't have a high level of protein (adult bunnies don't need the extra protein unless they're pregnant or nursing). If you try the timothy hay, and find that your bunny just doesn't seem to like it, you can offer him an orchard grass blend. You can usually find it right along-side the other two, and it is just as good as Timothy hay. Rabbits sometimes prefer the orchard grass because it has more seed in it than timothy hay usually has, and because of the extra seed, it tastes a little sweeter to them (rabbits have a nutoriously sensitive sweet tooth!). Rabbits over the age of 6 months should also recieve a daily ration of greens (you want to try to give him about 2 cups of greens a day). Good choices include: romaine lettuce, watercress, escarole, bok choy, basil, parsley, cilantro, carrot tops, dandylion greens and flowers, broccoli, collard, mustard greens (in moderation...no more than about a cup per week), turnip greens, spinach (in moderation...no more than about a cup per week), kale (in moderation...no more than about a cup per week), endive, etc. If it's dark leafy green, it's probably okay for bunny (just stay away from things that can give you gas problems...if it can give you gas, it can give bunny gas, and that's not a good thing). Carrots are okay to give, but you don't want to over-do the carrots. Carrots are very sweet, and should be considered more as a treat than a veggie. You can give a little bit of fruit from time to time as a treat-you don't want to give more than about 1/8 of an orange or apple at a time though (too much fruit will give the rabbit the runs, which can lead to death very quickly). You can also give 1/4 of a banana (talk about adorable to watch...you should try it just to see what you're bunny looks like while eating the banana!), 4-5 raisins, a slice or two of pear, watermelon (just remove all the seeds first), papaya (very good for bunnies), pineapple (also very good for bunnies), etc.
As for toys, rabbits love things that they can chew, shred, and throw, and if it makes noise as they throw it, it's even better! Some suggestions include: baby rattles, baby keys (rabbits go nuts for these!), paper towel and toilet paper tubes, cardboard boxes, cat toys that are made from hard plastic and have the bells inside them, ferret toys that are made from hard plastic that have bells inside them, bird toys made from solid wood, veggie-based rawhide dog chews (as long as the first ingredient is a vegetable, it's a wonderful treat for bunny).
I hope this helps to get you started! The most important thing for the bunny, is to give him time to adjust to his new home. Spend time talking to him and playing gently with him. He should warm up to you pretty quickly! If you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail me directly at: kbviolin_98@yahoo.com.
You can also check out the House Rabbit Society's website at: http://www.rabbit.org/ They have a lot of wonderful information on their website that might interest you.
2006-10-01 18:47:15 · answer #1 · answered by Kellye B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A rabbit may be fine with just food and water but it needs a few other things too. Alfalfa hay is a good source of fiber and will improve your rabbits life span and health.also a salt and mineral wheel is important so it will get all the nutrition it needs to have a healthy digestive system.
2006-10-01 06:45:49 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, rabbits need many things:
human companionship
time to run around and exercise (at least 2 hours/day of supervised time out of the cage and more is better)
unlimited hay
plain pellets
greens
and they love fruit in limited quantities
In his cage there should be room for a litter box (yes they can be litter box trained), food and water bowls, a box to hide in, and some toys.
We have 3 rabbits and I am amazed at their intelligence and personality.
Here are three links that should be very helpful as you start learnig about your new bunny including tips on diet. And "hooray" for you for taking in this lost bunny.
http://www.rabbit.org/care/new-bunny-index.html
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/index.html
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/firstrabbit.html
and for good information on all aspects of rabbit care, try:
http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html
2006-10-01 04:07:39 · answer #3 · answered by Martha G 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They need plenty of social interaction and at least an hour of play time a day. That may mean letting it roam free in a designated room. Some things to chew on (like untreated wood) are smart so that the teeth don't grow to be too long. The nails will probably need to be clipped regularly as well. If it isn't already spayed or nuetered that will be needed as well to protect against certain diseases.
2006-10-01 03:46:09 · answer #4 · answered by LokiBuff 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You can buy toys and chew sticks at a pet store. Salt licks and honey sticks are also good for bunnies. There is a wide variety of treats for rabbits as well. Timothy or alfalfa hay are always good and should be given a little bit everyday.
Enjoy your new bunny.
2006-10-01 03:48:09 · answer #5 · answered by miakoda_05 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
rabbits love to chew some small limbs off trees apple,cherry are good .they also like to hide some straw or grass clippings in the cage .if you have it in a wire cage an wire on the floor something soild for him to stand on is good so his feet don't get sore
2006-10-01 03:50:44 · answer #6 · answered by dws22844 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know about entertainment, but they do like to hop around outside under supervision. Vet told me this though: Do not bath rabbit cause fur won't dry right and will get sick.
2006-10-01 03:51:21 · answer #7 · answered by krautlover2u 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hay is vital. It's as important as rabbit food. Are you making efforts to find it's owner?
2006-10-01 04:56:00 · answer #8 · answered by fenlandfowl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should take him to a vet to make sure he is healthy. Otherwise everything you need to know about house rabbits can be found on this website. http://www.rabbit.org
2006-10-02 01:08:23 · answer #9 · answered by sugarcarat 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
get him/her some company, guinea pig are ideal for rabbits, no good keeping 1 rabbit, they get very lonely
2006-10-01 03:47:12 · answer #10 · answered by spiritxx 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋