Rabbit Care Basics

Whether you’re hoping to adopt your very first rabbit, interested in fostering, or already an experienced bunny guardian, we kindly ask that you review the basic rabbit care information below before your phone interview.

Coming prepared helps make the conversation more productive and meaningful. It gives you the opportunity to ask informed questions, better understand what rabbits truly need, and ensures we can focus on finding the best match for both you and the bunny.

A little preparation goes a long way in setting everyone up for success — especially the rabbits.

Environment

Home Base (Minimum 4’ x 4’)

This is your rabbit’s primary living space — their safe, comfortable “home within your home.” It should include:

A large litter box with enough room for the number of resident bunnies.
Unlimited fresh hay in a feeder or in the litterbox
A bowl for measured pellets
A heavy water crock with fresh water (no bottles)
Rabbit safe enrichment toys for chewing, digging, and tossing
A hidey house with at least two openings (so no one feels trapped — and so humans can easily check inside)
Plush surfaces to protect their feet from developing pododermatitis

This space should feel secure, clean, and enriched — not cramped or barren.

Please see our page on Rabbit Housing for set up examples.

Exercise Space

Rabbits are athletic, active, intelligent animals who need room to run, binky, and explore daily. Creating a proper safe space where they can express their natural behaviors helps keep them healthy and live a happy, enriched life.

Rabbits need several hours of exercise each day - especially during their most active times (early morning and evening).

Bunny proofing the exercise area is crucial. Cover or remove all electrical cords, block access to unsafe areas (under beds, furniture) and protect anything that is not safe to chew.

Their larger exercise area should be:

Open enough for full-speed zoomies and happy binkies
Enriched with tunnels, cardboard boxes, cat trees, stairs,

Diet

Food Pyramid

Healthy rabbit diet food pyramid courtesy of
San Diego House Rabbit Society.

Diet

Hay

Timothy or orchard grass hay should be available 24/7 and make up 85% of a rabbits diet.
Hay allows rabbits to grind their teeth down and can help prevent dental disease in the future.
Hay is the best food for the GI tract, as rabbits require high fiber content to keep their intestines moving

Vegetables

Fresh vegetables should make up about 10% of the rabbits diet (approx 1-2 cups per 5lbs body weight)
Try to feed at least 3 types of veggies at each meal
Vegetables help promote a healthy GI system and can serve as an additional source of water
You can view a list of the best veggies on rabbit.org here.

Pellets

Pellets help supplement certain minerals and nutrients that your rabbit may be lacking.
Feed based on directions on the package.
Use only high fiber, timothy hay based pellets. We recommend Sherwood Pet Health or Science Selective.

Treats

Treats should be given sparingly.
Fresh fruit or timothy hay based treats are best.

Health

Rabbits are prey animals and hide their illness or pain.

It is important to have annual vet exams with an exotic veterinarian to check your rabbits overall health. Below are some of the most comment ailments in rabbits:

GI Stasis
This is where the normal movement of food through a rabbit's intestines slows or stops, causing the balance of gut bacteria to be disrupted, gas builds up, and the rabbit experiences significant pain. That pain then causes the rabbit to eat even less, creating a dangerous cycle.

GI Stasis is a medical emergency because rabbits can deteriorate within hours if they stop eating or producing stool. It is usually secondary to another problem, meaning something else triggers slowdown. This is why veterinarian intervention is so important.

Common signs/symptoms:

Not eating, or eating much less
Little or no fecal output
Lethargy or hiding
Teeth grinding (a sign of pain)
Bloating, or a firm abdomen
Hunched posture, or "pressing" their belly to the ground
Low body temperature

If your rabbit exhibits signs of GI Stasis, the treatment protocol is:

finding the underlying disease or issue
alleviating pain
- Gentle belly massage
rehydrate: encourage the rabbit to drink water. Can also soak leafy greens to increase fluid intake
assist feeding (only with veterinarian guidance)
monitoring behavior: track fecal output, eating and drinking habits, activity levels and behavior
get them moving - movement helps get the gut starting to move again

Respiratory Issues

Upper Respiratory issues can be referred to as "snuffles." If your rabbit is sneezing or has nasal or eye discharge, they should be examined by a veterinarian. Because different bacteria respond to different antibiotics, your vet will likely recommend a culture and sensitivity test to identify the organism and choose the most effective treatment.

A rabbit with lower respiratory issues may have symptoms such as loud, raspy breathing or pointing their nose high in the air in an attempt to get more oxygen. A rabbit showing these signs needs immediate veterinarian intervention.

Head Tilt

This is often accompanied by a loss of balance and the rabbit may roll. The rabbit may also have nystagmus (eye twitching).

A bacterial infection of the inner ear that affect's a rabbits sense of balance is a common cause. Other causes include a parasitic disease in the brain, or a stroke.

If your rabbit develops a head tilt, place them in a secure box, carrier, or laundry basket lined with rolled towels on all sides. This helps prevent injury and keeps them supported while you get them to your veterinarian.

E. Cuniculi (Encephalitozoon cuniculi) aka "EC"

EC is an infectious parasite that primarily affects rabbits. Studies show that 68-75% of adult rabbits have been previously exposed, but most do not display clinical signs of active disease.

EC can affect the kidneys, eyes, GI and nervous systems. It has a wide variety of signs that can include some of the following:

Nystagus (eye twitching)
Difficulty with balance and/or rolling
Excessive urine output or leaking/dribbling urinating
Head tilt
Neurological signs such as inability to use hind legs
Unexplained changes including seizures, deafness, cataracts or behavioral changes

Early detection has the most positive outcome. Treatment includes a 28 day course of fenbendazole. Due to this medication having the potential to cause bone marrow suppression, bloodwork should be done two weeks after treatment is started.

Please visit Common Medical Problems for more information on other medical issues in rabbits.

Monthly Checks

Getting to know your rabbit and their normal behaviors will go a long way. Being able to detect abnormal behaviors for your rabbit and early intervention always provides the best potential outcome.

In addition to annual vet exams, it is important to thoroughly check your rabbit every 4-6 weeks.

A monthly health check should include:

Nail trim - usually every 4-6 weeks
Ears -check for wax build up or mites
Teeth/Mouth - check for moisture, teeth alignment
Weight - keep a log of your rabbits weight so you will identify any variances
Check/clean the scent glands
Feet - check for sore hocks or hair loss
Nose - should be dry and free of discharge
Eyes - should be bright, clear and free of discharge
Temperature - knowing your rabbits normal temperature can help identify a potential issue

Rabbit Care Basics

Environment

Home Base (Minimum 4’ x 4’)

​

Exercise Space

​

Diet

Food Pyramid ​

Healthy rabbit diet food pyramid courtesy of San Diego House Rabbit Society.

Diet

Hay

Timothy or orchard grass hay should be available 24/7 and make up 85% of a rabbits diet.

Hay allows rabbits to grind their teeth down and can help prevent dental disease in the future.

Hay is the best food for the GI tract, as rabbits require high fiber content to keep their intestines moving

Vegetables

Fresh vegetables should make up about 10% of the rabbits diet (approx 1-2 cups per 5lbs body weight)

Try to feed at least 3 types of veggies at each meal

Vegetables help promote a healthy GI system and can serve as an additional source of water

You can view a list of the best veggies on rabbit.org here.

​​

Pellets

Pellets help supplement certain minerals and nutrients that your rabbit may be lacking.

Feed based on directions on the package.

Use only high fiber, timothy hay based pellets. We recommend Sherwood Pet Health or Science Selective.

​

Treats

Treats should be given sparingly. ​

Fresh fruit or timothy hay based treats are best.

Health

Not eating, or eating much less Little or no fecal output

Lethargy or hiding

Teeth grinding (a sign of pain)

Bloating, or a firm abdomen

Hunched posture, or "pressing" their belly to the ground

Low body temperature

​

If your rabbit exhibits signs of GI Stasis, the treatment protocol is:

finding the underlying disease or issue

alleviating pain

Gentle belly massage​

rehydrate: encourage the rabbit to drink water. Can also soak leafy greens to increase fluid intake

assist feeding (only with veterinarian guidance)

monitoring behavior: track fecal output, eating and drinking habits, activity levels and behavior

get them moving - movement helps get the gut starting to move again

​​

Respiratory Issues

​

A rabbit with lower respiratory issues may have symptoms such as loud, raspy breathing or pointing their nose high in the air in an attempt to get more oxygen. A rabbit showing these signs needs immediate veterinarian intervention.

​

Head Tilt

This is often accompanied by a loss of balance and the rabbit may roll. The rabbit may also have nystagmus (eye twitching).

A bacterial infection of the inner ear that affect's a rabbits sense of balance is a common cause. Other causes include a parasitic disease in the brain, or a stroke.

​

If your rabbit develops a head tilt, place them in a secure box, carrier, or laundry basket lined with rolled towels on all sides. This helps prevent injury and keeps them supported while you get them to your veterinarian.

​

E. Cuniculi (Encephalitozoon cuniculi) aka "EC"

EC is an infectious parasite that primarily affects rabbits. Studies show that 68-75% of adult rabbits have been previously exposed, but most do not display clinical signs of active disease.

​

EC can affect the kidneys, eyes, GI and nervous systems. It has a wide variety of signs that can include some of the following:

​

Nystagus (eye twitching)

Difficulty with balance and/or rolling

Excessive urine output or leaking/dribbling urinating

Head tilt

Neurological signs such as inability to use hind legs

Unexplained changes including seizures, deafness, cataracts or behavioral changes

​

Early detection has the most positive outcome. Treatment includes a 28 day course of fenbendazole. Due to this medication having the potential to cause bone marrow suppression, bloodwork should be done two weeks after treatment is started.

Please visit Common Medical Problems for more information on other medical issues in rabbits.

​

Monthly Checks

Getting to know your rabbit and their normal behaviors will go a long way. Being able to detect abnormal behaviors for your rabbit and early intervention always provides the best potential outcome.

In addition to annual vet exams, it is important to thoroughly check your rabbit every 4-6 weeks.

​

A monthly health check should include:

​

Nail trim - usually every 4-6 weeks

Ears -check for wax build up or mites

Teeth/Mouth - check for moisture, teeth alignment

Weight - keep a log of your rabbits weight so you will identify any variances

Food Pyramid

Healthy rabbit diet food pyramid courtesy of
San Diego House Rabbit Society.

Treats should be given sparingly.

Not eating, or eating much less
Little or no fecal output

Gentle belly massage