~Wooly Articles~ 

By Alissa Lane

RABBIT TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. Always make sure your rabbit has an adequate supply of fresh water, food, and hay.

2. Always keep your rabbit's cage clean, safe, and interesting (for the bunny!)

3. Spend lots of time with your bunny, stroking its head and speaking softly to it; nothing is more gratifying than a bunny's love!

4. Handle your rabbit with care and respect; treat bunnies as you would want to be treated.

5. Groom your bunny regularly to keep it looking its best.

6. Sometimes your bunny may bite you for territorial reasons or act afraid of you, but just forgive him and show him love; the rabbit will soon learn to trust you if you'll just give him some time.

7. Never let your bunny loose unsupervised or around predatorial animals.

8. Remind children that "Bunny" is not a stuffed animal, and it must be treated kindly.

9. Remember that your rabbit and/or its home will require special care during the hot summer months, cold winter months, and bad weather.

10. Despite your feelings or desires, always consider and do what is best for your bunny; he will definitely appreciate it!

CHOOSING A RABBIT

   Choosing a rabbit is really quite fun, but it is wise to have an idea of what you want before you go to buy a rabbit.  First, decide whether you just want a pet rabbit to keep in your house or if you are really into rabbits and you want to raise/show them for a hobby. 

   A pet quality rabbit does not come with a pedigree and most likely has some disqualification such as an unrecognized color, which makes it unable to be shown.  There is nothing wrong with these rabbits regarding health or anything like that.  They are simply unshowable; however, they are just as loveable and cute as show bunnies, and they make great companions!  You can expect to pay anywhere from $8- $50 for a pet quality rabbit, but the average price is about $15.  Pet rabbits are normally available from rabbit breeders & pet stores.

   Show quality rabbits are significantly more exspensive, being anywhere from $20- $200!  However, the average price is about $50 for a good show rabbit.  Show bunnies come with a three-generation pedigree and meet the ARBA Standard description of the particular breed at time of sale.  I say "at time of sale" because changes may occur in some rabbits such as a discolored toenail, which disqualifies it from being able to be shown.  Showing rabbits can be lots of fun, but it is also a lot of work.  We'll go into that later, though!

   There is one other type of rabbit called Brood quality.  These rabbits also come with pedigrees, but they are unshowable because of a non-genetic DQ.  However, these rabbits often produce great show rabbits!  It is often said among rabbit breeders that there would be no show bunnies without the brood rabbits!  So, if you are planning to raise & show rabbits, it is important to have both show & brood bunnies in your herd.  (More on raising rabbits later, too!)  Brood rabbits usually cost from $10- $50.

   So, you have decided what kind of rabbit you want.  Now, you need to decide what breed & color you would like.  Many breeds & colors are available, so I suggest looking up the American Rabbit Breeders Association (on my Links page) and reading about the different breeds.  

   Once you have chosen a breed, find a local breeder in your area.  If none are available, some rabbitries do ship rabbits, but I suggest to do this only if there are no other possibilities.  It is best to buy from a local breeder or find a rabbit at a rabbit show.  This way, your rabbit is getting the best care on the ride home, and you can see the rabbit before you buy it.  Also, you are able to meet the breeder and ask any questions that you may have in person. 

YOUR NEW BUNNY

   Let's start at the very beginning, before you even bring your new friend home.  First of all, you need to have a cage for your bunny to live in and a place for the cage.  You will also need to have a water bottle, food dish and a few toys for Bun.  If Bun will stay inside, you may  want to provide a litter box, too. 

   When you go to pick up your rabbit, bring a small pet carrier or a deep box with a lid (make sure you leave a breathing hole for Bun, though!)  Feel free to ask the breeder questions, and check the rabbit over to see that it is healthy and the correct gender!  Most rabbit breeders love to talk about their hobby, and especially enjoy encouraging new "rabbit people". 

   Once you and Bun are home, you may want to sit in a quiet area and just pet Bun gently, while speaking softly to him.  In this way, Bun will get to know you a little and feel comfortable with you.  Then, put him in his cage and let him get used to his new surroundings.  As you go about your day, remember to talk to Bun and take him out to play or be petted, so he won't feel lonely.  Bunnies love to bond with their owners, and as I've said before, "Nothing is more pleasurable than to have an adorable little ball of fluff just lovin' ya to pieces!"

HANDLING RABBITS

      Rabbits are naturally quiet & cautious, being prey animals in the wild.  Therefore, they are frightened very easily, especially when they are young or have been mistreated.  Rabbits love to spend time with their owners, but they expect to be treated gently and with respect.  Treating your rabbit harshly will only cause it to be scared and mean towards humans.  Spend at least an hour each day sitting with Bun on your lap, gently stroking its head or playing with your rabbit in a "bunny-safe" environment.  In an area that is closed in so Bun can't run away, sit down with your rabbit and let it run around.  You can also give it some toys to play with such as a cardboard box that it can climb on or run through.  Rabbits love tunnels!  Just be sure that the area is safe for Bun, away from predators, electrical cords, hiding places and any small objects lying on the floor that might be dangerous if Bun tried to eat them.

    Now about picking your rabbit up. . .  First here are some DON'TS:  Never pick your rabbit up by its ears!  Never pull your rabbits tail or ears!  Never abrubtly grab your rabbit or try to scare it!

    To pick your rabbit up, approach Bun quietly, speaking softly to him.  Then pet his head gently to calm him, and slightly pick up his chest with your right hand.  (At this point, Bun may be scared of being lifted and try to squirm and run away from you.  If he does this, wait a few seconds, and try again, speaking softly to him and petting his head.)  While still holding his chest, place your left hand under Bun's rump, and quickly but carefully scoop him up.  Hold him closely to your body, so he does't feel suspended in the air.  You can hold Bun with your left hand under his rump and your right hand petting him and steadying him.  Or, you can hold him in the curve of your right arm, carefully, with your left hand petting and steadying him.  To return Bun to its cage, simply hold him, firmly in your hands, with his head facing your body and his back to it's destination.  Now, carefully set him down in his cage.  Voila! :)

HOUSING

    Rabbits are normally kept in separate wire cages or hutches.  For Jersey Woolies, cages should be at least 2' by 2' in size.  Many cages have dropping pans underneath, but these are optional.  They are necessary if your rabbit stays inside, but if Bun is housed outdoors, a drop pan isn't really needed.  Cages should be at least 2 feet up off of the ground whether inside or out, to keep them protected and at your eye level. 

    The conventional way for rabbits to live in cages is to have a wire floor, supposedly making cleanup easier.  This is probably the best way for an inside rabbit, but place a board of untreated wood on the floor of the cage so Bun can sit on this.  (Sitting on the wire floor all day hurts the rabbit's feet.)  Line the drop pan with newspaper, and clean the wire parts of the cage at least once a week by scrubbing off the feces with a brush, and wipe down the cage & drop pan with an organic cleaning spray (mentioned below.)  For outside rabbits, I recommend using straw bedding.  There are other kinds of organic bedding, but straw is the cheapest.  I first line the wire floor with a couple of layers of newspaper.  Then, I evenly spread the straw about 4 inches thick.  (The straw will flatten a little after a day or to.)  Rabbits love this bedding because they can burrow in it, chew on it and throw it around.  It gives them hours of fun!  Also, you don't have to worry about sore feet.  To clean the cages, I scoop out the old straw into a barrel and add it to the compost pile.  The newspaper is discarded, but you could also use this in compost or at the bottom of a *lasagna garden bed.  I clean the cages out about once a week.  Once a month, I thoroughly clean the wire parts of the cage with an organic cleaning spray called Miracle II Soap.  You can also use Terra Cleanse.  (The websites for these products are listed on my Links page.)

*Reference to the book, Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza.  (Great book, by the way:)

    If Bun is housed indoors, place his cage in a room that is used often by you, so he will not feel lonely.  Also, make sure his surroundings are rabbit-safe.  If Bun stays outdoors, he will need protection from predators and weather.  If you only have a couple of rabbits, their cages can be situated on a covered porch or under a carport.  But, if you plan on raising rabbits, they will their own "bunny barn".  Here are some ideas for barns.  Of course you can use an actual barn or building, provided they have good ventilation.  Many rabbit breeders use these, and some even install electricity.  However, a new building can be expensive, we're talking several thousand dollars!  If you already have a barn, that would be great!  Another option is a greenhouse, but it would have to be temperature-controlled.  Rabbits can't take the heat & humidity of regular greenhouses.  Probably, the least expensive way to house your rabbitry would be to build a carport.  (A single carport would be fine for a good-sized rabbitry.)  To protect the rabbits from the weather, close in two or three sides of the carport with carport panels.  (You could even situate the carport where one side is up against another building.)  The panels don't necessarily have to come all the way up or down.  Just make sure that at least two sides are partially open to allow ventilation. A single carport costs less than one thousand dollars, much less than a building!

   Many people who are first-time rabbit owners wonder about housing more than one rabbit in the same cage.  First of all, NEVER house two bucks together!  Bucks are territorial and will fight each other.  And, NEVER house a buck and a doe together!  You don't want to end up with unexpected babies!  It is possible to house more than one doe together, but there are some rules.  There should be plenty of room for each doe to move around freely and space for each doe to be alone.  If the cage is cramped, the does will fight and be unhappy.  Littermate does can be housed together right away, but non-littermates must be gradually introduced by putting their cages close to each other and letting the two does play together in a neutral area for several days, until they are used to each other.  If the does are young, keep in mind that rabbits mature more quickly when they are housed alone.  Therefore, it is really best to give them their own cages.  Then, you never have to worry about fighting or health problems that may occur when housing two or more rabbits together.  Double hutches are available, and I love these!  It makes cleaning easier, but I have two does in one, and they have developed a bunny friendship!  It would be hard to separate them!  You can also just put two does' cages next to each other.  But, I don't recommend putting two bucks' cages next to each other, because it would irritate them.  Also, it's not wise to put a doe's cage and a buck's cage together because bucks will spray urine on the does.  Yuck!

~I hope these articles have been helpful to you, and God Bless You in your "rabbit adventure!"