How to make the family pet rabbit happy?

Nearly all animals, in particular mammals, need somewhere that they will call ‘home.’ Whenever we have got cats and dogs as pets, most of them share a similar home as us, but still have a favoured place to sleep and be by themselves. Also, they will in some way mark their territory to let other members of their species realize. The U.k.s third-most preferred pet isn't as privileged. Family pet rabbits are frequently held in some sort of cage or hutch and frequently struggle to run about for hours or days at a time. The nature of such pets causes us to feel concerned that, if left to run free, they may possibly escape to never return or be killed by a predator, or both. This might be true on many occasions, yet imprisoning them for its safety seems a bit unjust.

Therefore, what exactly do we all do? Most of us create rabbit houses so as to give them what they require whilst helping them really feel as secure as is possible. Nonetheless, one popular oversight is usually selecting these kinds of rabbit houses for the improper reasons. Looking good or just being conveniently sized must be way lower on this list of main concerns. The pets which will live in them do not worry about what they look like. While in the wild, they live in holes they dig in the earth. Rabbits need to have room to manoeuvre around plus separate places for food, going to sleep as well as the toilet. And also they need some form of enjoyment, since they are usually kept alone as pets. Within the wild they can stay in huge social groups. They aren't dumb and can therefore get bored, which is able to bring on depression, stress, and after that fatality. Toys are useful, yet really do not need to be brilliantly coloured or high priced. Provided that the pets can pick it up plus throw it, causing it to generate some sort of noise, they’re happy. Letting them from their rabbit houses is also necessary. They must have a good run plus a hop each day, not only when it is convenient for his or her care givers (owners).

Quite a few people allow pet rabbits to have totally free run of the home, just like a dog or cat. Although uncommon, it's not at all daft. They like to poo in the same place, which means that may be toilet trained. Rabbits don’t produce noises or damage to many things. If perhaps kept locked up, they are going to gnaw on their surroundings, however, if left to run free, rabbits run much more than chew. Have a go, but keep track of them at all times, because they’re always searching for a hole or space to access someplace new.

Pet Rabbit Diet

Like with all pets, the owners of pet rabbits need to give them food, as well as shelter and companionship. Sadly, there is a lot of bad information and poor perceptions about what do rabbits eat. Looney Tunes’ Bugs Bunny is the main culprit for this, as this has convinced people all over the world that rabbits eat carrots. This is not the case. They do not dig for food, especially if there are things like grass and leaves around for them to nibble on.

So, if anyone ever asks you the question, ‘What do rabbits eat?’ the answer is grass, as their first choice, then things like hay, leaves, above-ground vegetables and even their own droppings! Yes, it’s true. To get the best nutrition out of their diet, they re-digest some of their food by eating their soft droppings. 

One also needs to know and remember that all rodents’ front teeth never stop growing. In the wild, rabbits eat lots of grass all day long and this keeps the teeth short. However, as pets, they often don’t get the opportunity to constantly eat, and one or more of the following problems can happen. Firstly, their teeth grow too long, causing ulcers in their mouths and reducing the ability to eat. Stress and death could soon follow. Another problem is that when they don’t have a constant food supply to chew on, pet rabbits turn to whatever is around them to chew on. Damage to wooden hutches is not the end of the world, but if they eat plastic or metal, serious health problems can arise. Also, house rabbits are highly adept at finding electric cables, expensive furniture or brand-name shoes to munch on, causing the owners inconvenience and expense. Seeing a rabbit chewing on a stick or a leaf does not mean that they are receiving nutrition from these. They love to, need to, chew just to keep their main front teeth short.

If you have a pet rabbit, it will eat almost anything you give it, but this doesn’t mean it actually likes it or benefits from it. Yes, giving it some carrot once in a while is fun and feels like you’re treating it, but you’re not. Too much of this kind of food will result in digestion problems and stomachache. Do the little chap a favour and give it what it should eat; grass.

Pet Rabbit Accommodation

Being one of the most popular household pets, rabbits are cared for and loved by children all over the world. Getting a new pet such as one of these adorable rodents is exciting for every kid. Many are so keen to spend time with them, and too young to understand, that they even want their new pets to sleep in their rooms. As we adults know, this is totally impractical. The animals are much cleaner than many people would give them credit for, trying to always use the same particular place as a toilet, but their urine smells and they defecate plenty of droppings during the night.

 

So, with a new pet comes a new house for it. Rabbit cages are known as hutches, and cheap rabbit hutches can be just as good as something fancy or expensive. The animals need plenty of room to stretch their legs (that means exercise, not just stretch) and enough space to segregate their toilet from their dining and sleeping areas. Other important things to bear in mind are the materials from which it is made (they’ll chew anything they can to grind down their ever-growing teeth) and the protection it gives from heat, rain and drafts. Hutch covers need to adequately protect the animals and also give them a sense of being able to hide away from everyone and everything. Even though they are very sociable creatures, they still need their own ‘alone-time.’ 

As mentioned before, there is no need to spend extra money on a hutch that is a fancy colour or has accessories and toys. Cheap rabbit hutches can still offer these little mammals enough of what they need. Saying that though, the tunnels and toys are beneficial to the psychological health of these wonderful pets. The ability to dig, climb and play are important to them, as is some kind of companionship, even if it’s from humans or other pets in the house. In the wild, they live in large groups. As pets, they are often kept alone, usually from the humans’ fear of them breeding. Ideally, any pet rabbit will get lots of attention, lots of time to relax alone somewhere cool and dark, a place far from their food and sleep areas to do their toilet business, and plenty of space to have a good run around and a jumping fit. It’s important that they get all of these every day. Rabbits kept 24/7 in fashionable hutches will not be as happy as those who spend some of their days in cheap rabbit hutches but also get to get out and mix with people, have a good poo and at least feel free, even if they aren’t.

 

 

What to Buy For Your New Pet Rabbit

Any new addition to a family comes with excitement and the urge to spend time and money on it. Whether the new addition is a baby, a car, or even a pet, it appears to be human nature for us to want to somehow spice up or treat the newcomer. For people who get a dog, it’s easy enough; collar, kennel, lead, bowls, even clothing. For cats, it’s not as easy, because they aren’t too keen on collars and leads and will sleep anywhere but where they’re supposed to. Britain’s third most popular pet is the rabbit. Rabbit accessories are available, but, like those for cats, not as plentiful or easy to choose. There are some, though, and these include things for their feeding, accommodation, and stimulation.

Probably the most popular of rabbit accessories is the cute food bowl and water bottle. There isn’t really much scope for making these simple things exciting or cute, but a colourful bowl or fancy water bottle won’t benefit the animal at all. However, they may make the owner feel happy.

Rabbit accommodation is a very important aspect of keeping them as pets. Sadly, all too often they are kept alone and spend all day and night in a cage or hutch that is not much bigger than the animals themselves. Hamsters’ size allows for whacky and fun cages to easily fit in an average-sized room. Tunnels, exercise wheels, and climbing places can all keep the little chaps busy during the night. However, if all this was replicated to fit the size of an average rabbit, it would take up too much space for most people. They too need this space to run around and have a certain location for their toilet. Unfortunately, all too often they don’t get what they need.

Finally, rabbits need stimulation. Like most mammals, they have complex brains that need to do more than eat, sleep and breed. In the wild, they have each other for entertainment and stimulation. As pets, it’s beneficial to give them something that they can play with. Any object that makes a noise when it’s dropped, is colourful, or could be chewed and makes a noise. Even though they are not as vocal or affectionate as a cat or dog, it doesn’t mean that they’re stupid or don’t need something to entertain themselves. Rabbit accessories are well worth buying.