-You have to make adjustments to a rabbit's environment to protect it from weather changes. Refer to posts that apply to you: Warming a Rabbit in the Winter or Cooling a Rabbit in the Summer.
-Rabbits won't eat if they cannot drink. Make sure the ball bearings of your rabbits' water bottles are not stuck. It's suggested to give outside rabbits water bowls/crocks in the wintertime because the balls in a water bottle freeze.
-Iceberg lettuce is not the lettuce of choice for rabbits, especially young ones.
-Feed store rabbit pellets are generally fresher and more nutritious than pet store rabbit pellets.
-Don't overfeed treats, especially those containing sugar, the sugar is bad for a rabbit's digestive system.
-Check your bunnies' fur and skin surface at least weekly, looking for any lumps, growths, or abnormalities.
-Most locales have an emergency night time veterinary service. What is yours and where do you have it posted?
-Carrots are high in sugar content, as is banana.
-Bunnies usually don't get dandruff. It is more likely to be fur mites.
-Fat-faced, big headed bunnies need feed containers they can get their heads in.
-Pet bunnies should all be neutered in the interests of behavior modification, improved health, and longer life...makes 'em a better pet.
-Pet bunnies probably should have on the order of at least an hour a day of supervised freedom to exercise properly.
-If a bunny licks you, it is his/her way of saying, "I love you." Has nothing to do with salt on your skin and/or perfume.
-Mounting behavior is not uncommon even among neutered or same-sex animals. It helps to establish a dominance rank order.
-High temperatures/humidity more likely to cause a rabbit's death than low.
-Some bunnies will eat foam rubber, necessitating risky (and expensive) surgery.
-Timothy hay given to your rabbits help to keep their systems clean of furballs, keeps their teeth in good shape, and they love it.
-Use hayracks so that the rabbit doesn't eat hay that they've urinated on as it will make them sick.
-Rabbits teeth continually grow. It's important to provide your rabbit with a piece of wood or something hard to chew on so that their teeth stay filed down.
-Always be sure your rabbit is kept dry and clean because they can get sick if exposed to a moist, damp, or dirty environment.
-Protect your rabbit from extreme changes in temperature.
-Never use cedar shavings as litter. Don't use cat litter in alitterbox because if the rabbit ingests it, it will make them ill.
-Pellet feed should have at least 18% or more of crude fiber. Colorful rabbit food is more likely high in sugar and less in nutrients that a rabbit needs.
-Rabbits usually sleep during the day and are most active at dawn and dusk.
-Unlimited amounts of stress can make your rabbit sick or even cause it to have an untimely death. Be sure that your rabbit isn't exposed to continual stresses.
-Do not put your rabbit's cage in a drafty or sunny area. If outside,always take precautions to protect the rabbit from the weather.
-Dried papaya or fresh pineapple can help move furballs though the rabbit's system.
-Pay close attention and be proactive with questions or aid to abnormal behavior in your rabbit. The sooner the problem is treated, the better chance of survival your rabbit has.
-(From Buck Jones) I add approximately one teaspoon of vanilla flavoring extract, real or artificial, to one gallon of drinking water in an effort to reduce fly strike and warbles by reducing the number of flies in and about our rabbits.
-Rabbits love to chew on electrical wires. All such wires should be out of their reach.
-A rabbit's field of hearing is 360 degrees. Their ears can turn individually to pick up the slightest noise. If you have an indoor rabbit, don't 'blast' the volume on your stereo or t.v. as it may hurt your rabbit's ears and frighten your little one.
-Their sense of smell also is extremely keen. Some cleaning products really bother rabbits because of that sensitivity.
-Soft grinding of their teeth, purring, or a buzzing sound is a sign of contentment and happiness
-Hard grinding of their teeth means they're in severe pain or danger.
-Rabbits are social animals in that they like to be in a place where they can watch things going on around them. That said, they also enjoy being able to 'get away from it all' when they want their quiet time.
-Before you let your rabbits loose in the yard, check the list of safe foods/plants in the Bunny 101 section to be sure your rabbit is safe.
-When you pick up a rabbit or if it kicks while you're holding it, cover its eyes with your hand and talk gently to help calm it down.
-Don't overfeed your rabbit. A fat rabbit has a hard time hopping around and cleaning itself where it needs it the most. It's hard on their hearts as well.
-Don't chase your rabbit. It will be frightened of you.
-Bunnies respond very well to praise and not well to yelling at them.
-Bunnies need to digest some foods twice therefore have two different types of droppings. They eat the softer droppings (cecetropes) and should not be discouraged as it's normal and necessary for the rabbit.
-When a bunny is frightened with their ears up (unless a lop) and eyes bulged, telling the little one "It's okay" and petting him/her will calm her down immediately.
-Stress breaks down a rabbit's immunity system.
-A bunny that stares straight ahead, doesn't move or eat and is quiet is probably in pain or sick.
-Check the soles of your rabbit's feet often to be sure there aren't any cuts or injuries.
-Pet bunnies, especially indoors or unable to dig or hop, need to have their nails clipped when necessary (approximatley every 6 weeks-give or take). Overgrown nails are painful and dangerous for a rabbit.
-You do not need to bathe your rabbit. They clean themselves as a cat does. Unless the rabbit has to have droppings cleaned off of him/her or can't do it themselves, best not to give them a bath. Rabbit's have oils in their fur that a bath with soap can get interrupt the balance. Some rabbits' skin is sensitive to soaps.
-If you do have to clean a bunny, use lukewarm water and best to spot clean. A rabbit immersed into a bath, especially one of too cold or too hot water, can be shocking to it and that could be fatal.
-Dehydration in a rabbit can put it into shock. No matter what, keep your rabbit hydrated if you have to syringe feed it.
-You should keep your rabbit pellets in a air-tight container to keep it fresh and not encourage other critters.
The 8th Edition of Rabbit Production byMcNitt/Patton/Lukefahr/Cheeke is considered the "Bible" for rabbit breeders, however, pet owners will also find it very informative.
Domestic Rabbits and Their Histories -- Breeds of the World by Bob Whitman
Care of the Domestic Rabbit by Dr. Chris Hayhow
Rabbit Health 101 by Kathy Smith
The Private Life of The Rabbit by R.M. Lockley (out of print-look through web for Used Books)
The Really Useful Bunny Guide by Caroline James
Rabbits for Dummies by Audrey Pavia
Rabbits and Hares by Anne McBride
The House Rabbit Handbook by Marinell Harriman
Why Does My Rabbit? by Anne McBride
Lop Rabbits as Pets by Sandy Crook. (An excellent book for rabbit owners of any breed.)
Your Rabbit: A Kid's Guide to Raising and Showing by Nancy Searle
Barron's The Rabbit Handbook by Karen Gendron
Rabbit Handbook by David Taylor
Barron's Hop To It by Samantha Hunter
The Rabbit: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet by Audrey Pavia
Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits: Breed, Care, and Facilities by Bob Bennett and Deborah Burns
Rabbits USA Annual Magazine
Cutting or TrimmingNails: http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=1657&forum_id=1
Safe Foods for Rabbits:http://earthhome.tripod.com/saferab.html
Determining the Gender of your rabbit:http://www.debmark.com/rabbits/sexing.htm
Is My Rabbit Pregnant?http://islandgems.net/palpating.html
Herbs for Rabbits:http://www.healthypetcorner.com/rabbit.html
Toxic Plants:http://www.adoptarabbit.com/articles/toxic.html
Rabbit Language and Behavior:http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html
Bonding Two or More Bunnies:[url]http://www.mybunnies.com/bonding.htm[/url]
GI Stasis:http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=2532&forum_id=1&jump_to=146939
The House Rabbit Society:http://www.rabbit.org/
Pictures of Rabbit Breeds:http://www.arba.net/photo.htm
GI Stasis: http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=2532&forum_id=1&page=10
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html
Diarrhea: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
Why Rabbits Eat Their Poop:http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
Runny Nose, Eyes, Sneezing: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sneezing.html
The 'Tooth' about Lagomorphs:http://www.geocities.com/billynock/TEETH.html
The Bunderground Railroad: http://mysite.verizon.net/vze27h5b/rabbitwisesbundergroundrailroad/
Pet Loss and Grief:http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm
Finding a vet in your area: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html
Rabbit References:http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html
Types of Hay:http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/diet/hay_grass.html
Mites:http://www.mybunny.org/info/mites.pdf
Spaying and/or Neutering Your Rabbit:http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/spay-neuter.html?
Preventing Fly Strike with Vanilla Extract:http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=1486&forum_id=1
Heat and Sun Stroke in Hot Climates:http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=864&forum_id=1
Pasturella: Symptoms of a cold, very serious respiratory infection. http://www.rabbit.org/care/pasteurella.html
[align=left]Third Eyelid: This is what it looks like: http://www.umich.edu/~urecord/9798/Nov26_97/eye2.jpg
Bunny Years Calculator: http://www.bunnyrescue.org/calcage.html
Litterbox Training:http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=7&forum_id=1
Toys:http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=407&forum_id=1
Rescuing Wildlife Rabbits and Baby Rabbits:[url]http://www.wildliferescueleague.org/report/nova_rabbit.html[/url]
Rabbit Eyes:http://www.mohrskc.org/hrswebpg24.html [/align]Dealing with a GeriatricRabbit:
[align=left]http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00408.htm
[/align]
[align=left]or http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/oakland/oldbun.html[/align]
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Binky: Expression of happiness by arabbit. "When a rabbit binkies, it jumps into the air and twists its head and body in opposite directions (sometimes twice) before falling back to the ground. http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk_binkies.html
Bunny Flop: Very relaxed rabbits will roll onto their sides or even on their backs. A favorite way to do this is tofirst twist one's head sideways, then fling the rest of the body into line so that the feet fly out to the side. This is called a "flop" and indicates a very happy bunny. A happy rabbit may lie on its side (or back), and stretch or wiggle or sometimes just hold still there. It may even roll its eyes a bit so that the white shows. When you first see this you will probably be afraid your rabbit is dead, because it looks pretty odd. If you rush over to give it CPR, it will quickly right itself and look strangely at you for disturbing a nice stretch. http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk_gazing.html
Some terms you'll see in the rabbit world:
4-H CLUB: An organization that teaches children how to care for and exhibit livestock.
ARBA: American Rabbit Breeders Association
Buck: Male rabbit
Broken: A variety that has a color in conjunction with white
Culling: Removal of undesirable rabbits from the herd
Dam: The mother of a rabbit
Dewlap: A fold of loose skin which hangs from the throat, common in does
Doe: Female Rabbit
Flat Coat: Fur lying to closely to the body. Lacks spring or body as noted by touch. Usually a fine coat coupled with a lack of density.
Fly Back: When the fur returns quickly to its normal position after being stroked toward the head of the rabbit.
Gestation: The time between mating and kindling of a doe, usually about 31 days.
Hock: The portion of the foot that carries the weight of the rabbit
HRS: House Rabbit Society
Juniors: A rabbit under 6 months old
Kindling: Giving birth
Kits: Baby rabbits
Litter: Young rabbits being raised by a doe
Luster: Brilliance/brightness of fur
Moult/Molt: The process of shedding fur
Nest: A whole in straw or hay, which a doe lines with fur, preparing for the litter to be born.
Nutri-Cal: A high calorie dietary energizer for animals who won't eat.
Open Coat: Fur that doesn't return to normal position when stroked backwards.
Peanut: A kit that is born with a dwarfing gene from each parent. With such a genetic make-up, they usually die within a few days of birth as they are unable to grow.
PETA: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Runt: Smallest kit of the litter, but able to grow as big as their siblings.
Rollback: Fur that gently falls back into position when stroked backwards.
Sexing: Determining the sex of the rabbit
Weaning: The separation of young from the doe. Ending the lactating and nursing period.
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Special Thanks to Pamnock, Buck Jones, and BunnyMommy for your contributions.
-Carolyn
