Grooming & Caring for  Rabbits

Many people think Rabbits are tough critters able to endure many extremes in weather and treatment, but that is far from the truth.

If you look at the structure and health of a rabbit, they are in fact very fragile little creatures.

A well cared-for rabbit can live 12 to 15 years and can produce many 'meals' for you and your family if treated well..

The following basics are necessary to know in order to care for and take care of your rabbits safely and to help keep them healthy and productive.

Shedding: Rabbits shed every three months, with each time alternating between heavy and light. So if your rabbit sheds a lot this time, it won't shed so much next time. That means you will have what I call a full shed every 6 months. Cages will need to be cleaned more frequently during this shed, and the rabbit will require more attention.

Rabbits lick and groom themselves almost like a cat, but rabbits can not spit up furballs like a cat, which leaves all that fur in their stomachs and the possibility of illness or death as a result of not being able to pass them.

The furballs can cause a stomach blockage or intestinal upset that can cause a rabbit to starve to death.

The rabbits diet and basic grooming and care can go a long way to prevent most problems in raising rabbits. Bulk and fiber is required. Hay is a must. A little dried fruit, as a treat will ward off most diseases and yes, even hairballs.

Rabbits shed in different ways. Some rabbits will take a couple of weeks or more to lose their old coat of fur. Other rabbits will get rid of their old coats all in one day. These rabbits are the ones that cannot be neglected once they start shedding.

You can often remove a very large percentage of hair by just pulling it out with your hand. It doesn't matter how you do this, by hand, comb or brush, but as a warning if you don't, your rabbit will do it him or herself during it's natural self grooming routine.

I read that some veterinarians suggest dabbing a little petroleum jelly on the rabbit's feet to aid in the elimination of hairballs.

Hair Care:

Shorthaired rabbits should be brushed with a cat brush or flea comb at least once a week.

Longhaired rabbits, should be combed out twice a week. In addition, Angora rabbits must be sheared every six months to prevent matting. These types of rabbits are prettyl to look at, but require a lot more attention than their shorthaired relatives, and I find them not at all practical in either the pet or meat market. I prefer to let the 'fanciers' raise these and I stick to the easier breeds to raise myself..

Bald spots on rabbits are quite common when they are shedding. In fact, some rabbits, shorthaired or longhaired, may get totally naked except for their face and feet. If these bald spots occur from shedding, they will begin to grow back within a week or two.

If soap is needed during a spot cleaning, I use a regular household type wash cloth with a little mild homemade soap on it, and follow up with a rinsed or clean cloth to remove the soap, just like you would give yourself a 'bird bath or wash up'.

Matted hair does not seem to occur in short-haired rabbits often. I can see where it could be a problem in longer haired rabbits. (Another reason to leave them to the fanciers) But should you find yourself having to remove mats from rabbit hair, do NOT cut the hair off with scissors. Use a mat rake. Rabbits have finer hair than cats and dogs, so while you may find those products useful, a mat rake designed for rabbits is a better and more efficient tool.

Fleas: Should you notice fleas on your rabbit, check our vetting page, and treat the animal, it's cage and surroundings accordingly.

Rabbits have very delicate and thin skin. Making them not only one of the hardest animals to flesh in taxidermy, but leaving them susceptible cuts, scraps and scratches from wires in their cages or each other.

Skin should be examined weekly and any problems taken care of before infection or weakening of the rabbits natural resources occurs.

Scratchy, flaky skin with bald patches is usually a symptom of skin mites or an allergic reaction to fleas. Cat flea powder clears up either condition. A veterinarian should be consulted for other skin irritations.

We treat cuts, scrapes etc, with a herbal antibiotic ointment that we make here on the farm and keep the 'wound' clean'. That means keeping the cage and sleeping quarters clean of a rabbit with any skin problems. We operate on the presumption that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Rabbits who spend all of their time caged or in human designed pens or houses need to have their toenails trimmed, in the same way as dogs and cats. Rabbits also dig, much the same as dogs and cats, and need to be provided a way to do this. We keep boards in their cages, pine and use hay for bedding so that the rabbit can follow his natural instincts in this. This helps to keep the rabbits nails 'naturally' trimmed.

It is important for rabbits raised on wire to be checked periodically. I make it a point to inspect each rabbit at least once a week as I clean and wash all food bowls and tend to the chores in the rabbitry. Rabbit meat is a large part of our diet so this care for me is an investment in one of our main food sources and is worthy of the time investment.

If the rabbit has light colored nails, they are very easy to trim. You can see the blood inside the nail and you clip just before that point. It is more difficult to see where dark-colored nails should be clipped, but it is still visible. We use a cheap pair of human nail clippers and just quickly trim away the nail, just as you would a human.

In the event of cutting in to far and causing the animal to bleed, there are products on the market that will stop the bleeding quickly. Stiptic powder, available in the shaving department at most department stores or pharmacies is the commercial product. Our answer here on the farm is cornstarch. I keep it on hand in all animal care areas and use it for everyone as a natural method to slow bleeding and assist in the scab formation of open wounds on the animals.

IF you use shavings or if the rabbit doesn't have the luxury of hay and wood, the fur on the feet may thin leaving the feet and exposed skin subject to wounding by urine burn, or by tearing on the wire that they rest on. In this case it would be a good thing to provide them with pieces of carpet, toweling or rags, old pieces of cut up blanket or something of that nature to rest on. .Keep those items clean to avoid infection.

During our weekly care we check our rabbits ears. We look for excess wax, mites and dirt. Each ear is swabbed out with a moist but NOT saturated cotton ball. NEVER use a q-tip to clean a rabbits ears. It's not necessary.  Ear wax can be wiped out with the cotton ball without any risk of damaging the rabbit or causing further problems.

If you suspect mites, a cotton ball moistened with a little olive oil. Repeat this treatment daily till you notice no mite activity.

Rabbits. teeth grow continuously and should be checked regularly to make sure there isn't a problem. Rabbits with straight teeth will keep them worn down with everyday gnawing and chewing on things like wood and hard bread crusts. We make and provide our own chew toys for the rabbits so that there is always something accessible for them to 'get their teeth into' here on the farm.

Rabbits with crooked or overgrown teeth, will need to have their teeth kept trimmed. If this occurs and is left untreated, the rabbit will not be able to eat and could starve to death. Your veterinarian can show you how to clip a rabbit's teeth or they can clip them for you. This is not something I do.

This information is intended for those pet owners who will inevitably read this.

Around here a rabbit rarely stays long enough for this to be an issue. If it becomes an issue, the rabbit is quickly consumed before it can do it any harm, and that trait is noted on it's parents breeding record. Don't sell a pet rabbit to a customer with crooked teeth. You're destined to cause heart break in some unsuspecting child.

I always look for clear and bright eyes in the animals each time I groom. Dull or listless eyes indicates a potential health problem and it signals that I need to do a closer inspection of the animal and look for problems or potential problems in that animals health.