How do you learn to take care of your new pet rabbit?

Answer 1

give everyone food and water as needed (this is usually every other day or so, but as there are 8 things that need to be filled between 4 rabbits it is an everyday task)
-deliver treats and toys good toys include paper tubes (like toilet paper rolls w/o toilet paper) brown paper bags cut up in squares and crumpled (recrumple for more fun) some commercially made toys you can get in a pet shop paper tubes stuffed with hay blocks of untreated wood (not cedar) untreated willow twigs untreated apple tree twigs
treats include carrot tops, carrots, veggie drops, salt spools, hay, hay blocks, apple slices (moderation!), grapes, bananas -- all fruits should be given VERY sparingly
-clean cages as needed (this depends on cage and your rabbits litter habits) my rabbits have 1/2 wood floors and 1/2 wire floors in their cages and some go on the wire and some go on the wood, so the ones that go on the wood have to have their cages cleaned more of course. the 4th rabbit lives in a run which is on the ground so I have to get in their and shovel out the bedding (straw) and poop pellets. I also have to clean out her 'shelter' although not very often as she only uses it in the rain or when she's eating. Also one of my rabbits always goes in one corner so I put a litter box there and she goes there so then I just empty this I don't have to clean the whole cage everytime. If it even just starts to smell bad, CLEAN it out!!! Rabbits have much better noses/scent than we do and it can make them sick esp. if they have no where to go to escape the smell.

Answer 2

If you don't have a bunny, now is a great time to start to learn. If you do have a bunny, you can do a lot of research on line and buy a book (House Rabbit Handbook - Marinell Harriman, Drollery Press, $8.95 at regular bookstores, from www.amazon.com). I learned a lot when we first got bunnies, by joining a Etherbun, Yahoo group, which has 1,000's of members many of whom are very knowledgable.

A couple of things to remember: rabbits are NOT like cats and dogs and among other things, you will need to find a rabbit savvy vet. They are prey animals that can be skittish at first and almost never like to be picked up. They need unlimited access to hay and water and they are herbivores (no meat, dairy products). Treats like fruit should be limited and be sure you only feed your rabbit plain pellets. They also need about 3 hours of exercise a day outside their pen/cage and they do love attention, but usually on their own terms. They are also very smart and are wonderful pets!

These are sites that I find especially helpful:
House Rabbit Society: http://www.rabbit.org Also check chapter websites as top rabbit professionals advise chapters in their cities.
Rabbit References: http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html
Medi Rabbit: www.medirabbit.com
The Language of Lagomorphs: Very amusing and good insight into why your bunny does what he does
http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html

Good luck!

Answer 3

Buy a book (or get one at the library) about taking care of rabbits. You'll learn.

Answer 4

Best way is lots of research and the internet is great for that. I'll give you some links to get you started.

http://www.rabbit.org
http://www.ozrabbits.com
http://www.carrotcafe.com/
http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html

Good luck!