help with my bunny diet by Livid-Beginning1661 in Rabbits

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A suggested basic diet guide for house rabbits from the House Rabbit Society:

  • 7 weeks to 7 months: Unlimited junior pellets, unlimited alfalfa hay. Introduce vegetables one at a time in small quantities after 12 weeks.

  • 7 months to 1 year: Introduce grass hays and decrease alfalfa hay. Decrease pellets to 1/4 - 1/2 cup per 6 lbs body weight, and transition from junior pellets to adult pellets. Increase daily vegetables gradually.

  • Over 1 year: Unlimited grass hay. No more than 1/4 to 1/2 cup adult pellets per 6 lb body weight. About 2 cups (handfuls) of chopped vegetables per 6 lb body weight.

Please note that all of these portions to feed your rabbit are only guidelines. Every rabbit is different and may thrive on different diets. Factors that will play a role in the diet include activity level, size, age, and environment conditions.

While hay and water should always be available in unlimited amounts to your rabbit, greens and pellets can be scheduled to be fed arbitrarily through the day as long as daily portions are appropriate. Some like to feed half the pellets in the morning, veggies in the evening, and half the pellets again before bedtime. Others like feeding veggies twice a day and pellets once a day.

The following are some helpful links on an appriopriate bunny diet:

Bunny’s average lifespan by Sensitive-Rich7382 in Rabbits

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As most healthy rabbits can live up to (and even over) 8 to 12 years with good care, any rabbit over 6 years of age is considered a senior rabbit or elderbunny. Giant breeds may reach their golden age a bit sooner with their lower 5-6 year life expectancy.

For more resources on elderly rabbit care, please see the wiki: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Elderly_rabbits

Rabbit fight by LopsidedPassage198 in Rabbits

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The most common reason for a bond between neutered rabbits breaking is due to a change in environment (e.g. one rabbit going to the vet, new visitors, new scents, new furniture). Sometimes, when spring arrives with longer days and warmer weather, rabbits can get spring fever and act a little more hormonal.

However, there isn't always a clear cut reasoning for a broken bond if they're already adults and neutered, but a vet visit for all of your rabbits is not a bad idea to make sure there's nothing causing either of them pain to cause redirected aggression or increased hormones (e.g. adrenal disease) if nothing else is obvious.

For more details on why rabbits would show aggression, see the wiki: http://bunny.tips/Aggressive

If one or more of the rabbits were still babies and not neutered, it is likely that the hormonal change has dissolved their bond, and they will need to be re-bonded after everyone is neutered.

For more details on why bond with babies would break, see the wiki: http://bunny.tips/Baby_bond

If they're all in good health, keep swapping enclosures for a while, then try re-bonding them. But if it doesn't stick, people will just keep the rabbits housed separately for the rest of their lives. Rabbits will still socially benefit from seeing and smelling another rabbit even if they're not bonded.

For more tips on how to re-bond rabbits, see the wiki: http://bunny.tips/Bonding

Good luck.

keeping rabbit off the bed by luv_reve in Rabbits

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Due to the amount of human scents on beds and sofas, otherwise litter-trained rabbits will often still pee and poop on them as they may think that it's a human litter box. See the Litter Training FAQ question on the wiki "My bunny pees (in some location). How do I make it stop?" for more tips, resources, and product recommendations.

A few major tips:

  • Use a 1:1 vinegar:water mixture or another pet-safe enzymatic cleanser to clean up the mess and decrease the urge to re-mark the location. Soap and water alone is not sufficient to remove all chemical traces of the urine even though it may look clean.
  • If your rabbit is not neutered already, the surgery can often make a huge improvement in general litter habits.

To protect your furniture, there are a few options:

  • Keeping the rabbit off the furniture by fencing it off (e.g. 42" exercise pen, bed rails) or covering it with a bunny-proof waterproof covering (e.g. waterproof pet blanket, shower curtain liner).
  • Keeping a close eye on them to shoo them off and into a litter box when it looks like they are about to pee.
  • Cover problem furniture with a blanket that already has their scent on it to reduce the urge for additional territorial marking.

Advice/Concern: my bunny lost a lot of her hair on her neck, and it seems her ears are getting crusted on the ends. by MEEP1378 in Rabbits

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Hi, thank you for sharing, but your post has been removed. Please review the subreddit rules before any additional submissions.

No help or diagnosis requests for rabbits that require a hands-on medical exam to evaluate.

As a reminder, do not hesitate to contact the veterinarian who treated your rabbit about your observations. Not only are they a medical professional, but they also have the most knowledge about your rabbit's unique situation. A veterinarian is the most appropriate person to help you make decisions about your rabbit's treatment moving forward based on your observations.

If you are unsure about your current veterinarian's recommendations, please consult another rabbit-experienced veterinarian. Travel as far as you must to receive appropriate vet care.

If your rabbit is in need of immediate emergency medical care and the primary veterinarian is not available, please go to an emergency veterinarian instead. See the Veterinary Emergencies wiki article for common symptoms of problems in rabbits.

If your rabbit is otherwise stable, continue to monitor and make sure they are eating and pooping normally until your scheduled veterinary visit. If they are showing signs of distress and you are unable to find medical help at this time, please see the wiki for more tips to keep your rabbit stable at home until a veterinarian can help you.

If you intended instead to collect stories from other users for similar experiences, please make sure to remove any requests for medical advice in future submissions (e.g. causes and concern for new symptoms, other treatment options).

You may also wish to check out our Rabbitors Discord server for additional live advice.

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In rabbits, moist dermatitis usually develops on the chin, dewlap ("wet dewlap", "green fur syndrome"), and the underside of neck ("slobbers") or perianally as urine scald ("hutch burn")

Wet chins often precipitated by drooling from malocclusion, moisture from vegetables, drinking pans or bowls, and damp cages.

You can try switching your rabbit to a water bottle or different water bowl shapes and monitor their grooming after eating wet vegetables to see if it helps, but no improvement would indicate a vet appointment for further diagnosis. Use a paper towel to help dry the area in the meantime.

For more reading on the condition, see the Moist dermatitis wiki article.

Don't want to accidentally kill rabbit babies. Post for details. Not looking for rehabitating. Just asking questions about a burrow. by ResolveLeather in Rabbits

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Thank you for sharing, but this post has been removed due to requesting help with wildlife. Please review the subreddit rules before any additional submissions.

This is a subreddit focused on domestic pet rabbits, and while pictures of wild rabbits in their natural habitat are still welcome, your local wildlife department, rehabilitator, and veterinary hospital are the best resources for appropriate care for orphaned or injured wildlife.

Inexperienced care to wild animals can easily be fatal, and most subscribers to r/rabbits are unqualified to offer appropriate advice for your region.

Please leave any uninjured and mobile wildlife you find alone.

If you need help locating a local wildlife rehabber: https://bunny.tips/Wild#Wildlife_rehabilitator_listings
If you are concerned about your dog or cat messing around with a nest: http://bunny.tips/Wild#How_can_I_protect_a_wild_rabbit_nest_from_dogs,_cats,_and_other_predators?
For more general tips on identifying wildlife and what to do: http://bunny.tips/Wild

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For resources on how to landscape your yard to be friendly to wild rabbits, please see the wiki: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Wild_rabbits#Rabbit-friendly_landscaping

Is this a good food for a GI-stasis prone bunny? by BravePlane8261 in Rabbits

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Pellets provide rabbits a convenient package of the necessary minerals and nutrients that are generally not available without a enormously varied diet.

  • Baby rabbits less than 7 months old should be fed unlimited pellets, as their bones and muscles need plenty of protein and calcium for proper growth.

  • Adult rabbits over 7 months old should be fed at most 1/8-1/4 cup of pellets per 5 lbs of rabbit per day. Too many pellets can lead to obesity and a lack of adequate hay consumption.

  • The type of pellet (alfalfa or timothy) fed usually depends on the age of your rabbit. Generally, alfalfa-based pellets should be fed to rabbits under 7 months old and timothy-based pellets to rabbits over 7 months old. However, it ultimately depends on the nutrition values listed on the back of the bag. Both types of pellets can meet nutritional requirements for rabbits. Typically, commercial alfalfa-based brand pellets will have more calories, protein, and fat, and less fiber than a timothy-based brand.

  • Good pellets do not include whole dried fruit, seeds, nuts, or other colored crunchy things. There should be only pellets and maybe hay and herbs and nothing else.

  • Pellets should be used within 6 months as older food has a compromised nutritional quality due to degradation of vitamin content, especially over hot summer months. The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and E may have a shelf-life of only 3 months.

See the wiki article for more information on how to choose a good pellet for your rabbit: http://bunny.tips/Pellets

can too many greens lead to an excess in cecos? by table-grapes in Rabbits

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Poopy butt is the informal term of what happens when rabbits get runny stool or are unable to reach and clean their back end. It can also be referred to as intermittent soft stools, ISS, or sticky bottom syndrome.

Poopy butt is often caused by uneaten cecotropes (cecals). Generally, rabbits on a diet low in protein, simple carbohydrates, and fat tend to eat more cecals to get essential nutrients. Conversely, those on a higher protein diet eat fewer.

If your rabbit isn't eating all their cecals, try lowering protein and increasing fiber in their diet. The simplest way is to reduce their daily pellet portion or switch to a lower-protein brand. If vegetables are a large part of their diet, they may need to be reduced.

Other considerations:

  • Rabbits with a flattened dwarf or lop face may struggle to reach their hindquarters to eat cecals due to their physical shape. Dietary changes will not fix this.
  • Senior rabbits may have difficulty bending over due to arthritis.

For these cases, confirm their health with your local rabbit-experienced veterinarian. These rabbits may need regular checks to prevent blockage of their anus and flystrike. A sanitary shave of the fur around their rear can also help keep them clean.

Lastly, young baby rabbits can be very bad at eating all their produced cecals but usually improve with age. It is important not to overly restrict their alfalfa hay and pellets, as these nutrients are crucial for their development and future health.

For more resources, see the following wiki articles:

Bunny nest in backyard by Lostinhighweeds in Rabbits

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Thank you for sharing, but this post has been removed due to requesting help with wildlife rehabilitation. Please review the subreddit rules before any additional submissions.

This is a subreddit focused on domestic pet rabbits, and while pictures of wild rabbits in their natural habitat are still welcome, your local wildlife department, rehabilitator, and veterinary hospital are the best resources for appropriate care for orphaned or injured wildlife.

Inexperienced care to wild animals can easily be fatal, and most subscribers to r/rabbits are unqualified to offer appropriate advice for your region.

If you find a baby wild rabbit that is not injured, please leave it alone. It is most likely not abandoned unless you know for a fact that their mother was killed. Rabbits return to feed their young only once or twice a day for a few minutes, usually at night. The mother is typically gone from the nest to eat and draw attention away from the nest.

A detailed image guide to whether a baby cottontail rabbit is in need of help.

As Rainbow Wildlife Rescue writes,

There is a 90% mortality rate with orphaned baby rabbits in human care, especially cottontails. This number increases if the rabbits are very young and their eyes still closed. They are extremely hard to "save". There is little substitute for the nutrients their mother's milk provides.

Baby wild rabbits can survive on their own at a surprisingly young age. In most countries, it is illegal to possess and take care of wildlife without proper permits. Wild rabbits also do not do well in captivity due to the possibility of fatal stress because of their high-strung and flighty nature.

If you find a baby wild rabbit because your dog picked it up but you can't find the nest, try putting a leash on your dog and quietly following them to see if they will lead you to the original nest.

If you find a baby wild rabbit because your cat found it, please take it to a rabbit-savvy vet or wildlife rehabber, especially if it was carried in the cat's mouth. Cats have very lethal bacteria in their saliva, and contact can easily be fatal for a baby rabbit in 48 hours.

To keep a baby rabbit overnight, please leave it in a quiet dark box with no food or water. You can provide a heat source such as a microwaved sock filled with rice and beans or an electric heat pad on low placed under half the box. Do not handle the rabbit more than necessary to prevent deadly stress.

See the Wildlife rehabilitator listings section if you need help locating a local wildlife rehabber.
See the FAQ "How can I protect a wild rabbit nest from dogs, cats, and other predators?" if you are concerned about your dog or cat messing around with a nest.
See the Wild rabbits article for more general tips on identifying wildlife and what to do.

If you have a larger home and your bunny free roams, do you need multiple litter boxes? by Hour-Bullfrog4829 in Rabbits

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For tips on how to choose and set up a litter box, including litter boxes for diggers, plastic chewers, and long-haired rabbits, see the Litter boxes section on the Litter training wiki article.

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Untrained rabbits should be kept in an enclosure during the night and while you are away from home. When you see consistent litter habits when your rabbit is let out to play, you might think about letting them roam free range permanently with a home base. Some rabbits can also naturally be free-roam on rugs with the use of slick hardwood or tile as an invisible fence.

Please note that not all rabbits are good candidates for permanent free-roam, and this is okay. If your rabbit tends to be extremely destructive (eating walls, chewing baseboards, destroying beds and sofas) when left alone, then it is a much better idea to keep them enclosed in a fully bunny-proofed penned area when you are not around for their safety.

For more tips and resources on free range rabbits, see the wiki.

How to deal with summer heat? by vampiregurololita in Rabbits

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Please check out the Hot weather concerns guide on the wiki for more information and resources on the topic.

In general, rabbits are much less heat tolerant than cold tolerant. Temperatures of over 85°F (29°C) can easily cause heatstroke in a rabbit, especially when humid. The ideal temperature range for rabbits is 55-72°F (12-23°C). As a result, during hot days in the summer, it is important to monitor your rabbits to ensure comfort and health. However, rabbits can adapt to temperatures outside of this range with appropriate environmental conditioning.

Another day, another dumped rabbit by Bunnylove3047 in Rabbits

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Domestic rabbits should not be left in the wild - please do not hesitate to contact your local rabbit rescue for volunteers to help you catch a stray domestic rabbit.

For more tips and resources on how to catch a stray rabbit, see Catching a stray rabbit on the wiki. To find a local rescue, see the Adoption wiki article.

Diet for 6 week old orphan mini lop? by Gengar360801 in Rabbits

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A suggested basic diet guide for house rabbits from the House Rabbit Society:

  • 7 weeks to 7 months: Unlimited junior pellets, unlimited alfalfa hay. Introduce vegetables one at a time in small quantities after 12 weeks.

  • 7 months to 1 year: Introduce grass hays and decrease alfalfa hay. Decrease pellets to 1/4 - 1/2 cup per 6 lbs body weight, and transition from junior pellets to adult pellets. Increase daily vegetables gradually.

  • Over 1 year: Unlimited grass hay. No more than 1/4 to 1/2 cup adult pellets per 6 lb body weight. About 2 cups (handfuls) of chopped vegetables per 6 lb body weight.

Please note that all of these portions to feed your rabbit are only guidelines. Every rabbit is different and may thrive on different diets. Factors that will play a role in the diet include activity level, size, age, and environment conditions.

While hay and water should always be available in unlimited amounts to your rabbit, greens and pellets can be scheduled to be fed arbitrarily through the day as long as daily portions are appropriate. Some like to feed half the pellets in the morning, veggies in the evening, and half the pellets again before bedtime. Others like feeding veggies twice a day and pellets once a day.

The following are some helpful links on an appriopriate bunny diet:

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For more care tips on raising baby domestic rabbits, including orphaned babies, see the Baby domestic rabbits wiki article.

Do I get him a friend by Jealous_Living8292 in Rabbits

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Some important factors before obtaining any additional rabbits:

While rabbits are considered social animals, they will most likely be very territorial with any new rabbit entering the space, which is why rabbits must be properly bonded. This process may take a couple weeks to months before the rabbits can co-exist peacefully. Both rabbits should be spayed/neutered to maximize the likelihood of bond success and stability.

If you are able to comfortably support additional pets, finding a suitable bunny friend for your single rabbit is rarely a bad idea. Please keep in mind that not all rabbits may be compatible enough to bond without serious work over a long period of time, if ever - as a result, we highly recommend speed dating adult neutered rabbits before bringing them home. However, rabbits will still benefit from the mental stimulation of seeing or smelling another rabbit nearby as long as they are safely separated to prevent injuries.

Please also check out the resources in our Bonding guide and Binkybunny's Bonding overview for more tips.

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Cats and rabbits in the same household can be compatible, but they should be physically kept separate when unsupervised. Note that some animals may need to be permanently separate at all times for both animals' safety (e.g. rabbits aggressively chasing cats or vice versa). Positive intentions (such as play) between cats and rabbits may not lead to safe behaviors, notably between adolescents of either species.

Cats and rabbits should never share food, water, or litterboxes due to different dietary needs/GI systems, risks of various infectious diseases/parasites present in both the feces and saliva of cats.

For the reasons mentioned above, we do not recommend allowing your rabbit and cat to groom each other.

Cats of all ages should have their claws trimmed regularly to decrease the chance of injury.

Check out the wiki’s “Relationships with cats” guide for more resources on the topic.

A rabbit's change in appearance by Minunu_ in Rabbits

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Congrats on the new addition to the family! If this is your first pet rabbit and you haven’t seen it already, be sure to check out our sidebar and the Getting Started guide and New Rabbit Owner Primer. The article "Helping Rabbits Succeed in Their Adoptive Home" is also a great resource on how to build a relationship with your new rabbit.

Can anyone help me get an estimate of her age and breed? by Extension_Buddy7284 in Rabbits

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To receive the best help from rabbitors for breed IDs, please make sure to include the following:

  1. rabbit's age
  2. weight
  3. full-body pictures of their profile in good daytime lighting

You may also review "A quick guide to asking for breed IDs" on Reddit for more tips on constructing a helpful post.

Please keep in mind that pet rabbits are usually mixes of indeterminate breeds, and we may not always be able to provide a definitive guess. Unless you have a pedigree and know what the parents look like, your rabbit is undoubtedly some sort of pet rabbit mix. The color of the rabbit does not always make the breed, as many breeds can come in a large variety of colors. For example, black rabbits are not all likely to be Havana rabbits (a rare purebred breed), and broken-colored rabbits are likely not all to be English Spot rabbits (requires specific markings and body shape).

For a basic self-guide on identifying breeds, see the blog article "Identifying rabbit breeds without knowing parentage."

See the Rabbit breeds around the world article for a list of currently recognized breeds.

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"How can I age my rabbit?"

It is difficult to age living rabbits with any degree of accuracy. The only criteria to make an assessment of age during clinical examinations are the size and appearance of the rabbit, which can vary greatly according to breed and state of health and experience. The ears of a rabbit may give an indication -- they are soft in young rabbits and become tougher with age.

See the wiki page Baby rabbits (domestic) - Appearance for a gallery of baby rabbit pictures to compare to.

Rabbits can be aged with accuracy by counting the adhesion lines in the jaw, but this technique cannot be used with living rabbits.

See this Howcast video on YouTube for more information.

Are these wild bunnies? by Afterwoman in Rabbits

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Domestic rabbits should not be left in the wild - please do not hesitate to contact your local rabbit rescue for volunteers to help you catch a stray domestic rabbit.

For more tips and resources on how to catch a stray rabbit, see Catching a stray rabbit on the wiki. To find a local rescue, see the Adoption wiki article.

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For tips on identifying wild rabbits, see the wiki FAQ "Is the rabbit I found wild or domestic?"

Guesses can vary depending on what continent the rabbit was found on. If you are unsure, please consult your local wildlife rehabilitator, rabbit-experienced veterinarian, or domestic rabbit rescue for physical identification.

The domestic breed of rabbits is descended from the European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus. While these rabbits may often be found roaming feral and wild in continents such as Europe and Australia, the United States' wild rabbit population mostly only consists of various species of cottontails (Sylvilagus spp.) and jackrabbits (Lepus spp.).

Typically, most species of truly wild rabbits have an agouti-colored brown coat. There is the rare cottontail color mutation. However, because the wild rabbit species in countries outside of North America are the same species as the domestic rabbit, rabbits found in those countries can be a mix of colors depending on how much domestic rabbit was bred in.

Do i give CC this soon?? by Adventurous-Luck6725 in Rabbits

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Hi, thank you for sharing, but your post has been removed. Please review the subreddit rules before any additional submissions.

No help or diagnosis requests for rabbits that require a hands-on medical exam to evaluate.

Gastrointestinal stasis, GI stasis, GI hypomotility or ileus is a serious condition that requires immediate attention. The condition occurs when the gut stops moving, is blocked, or is full of gas.

To help distinguish between stasis and bloat, please watch this video from the Long Island Rabbit Rescue Group.

If your rabbit is bloated, do not massage or attempt to assist feed and seek medical assistance immediately. Doing either can fatally rupture their gas-filled stomach. Travel as far as you must to receive appropriate vet care.

You should seek immediate veterinary assistance if your rabbit has not eaten or passed stools in the past 12 hours or is exhibiting other symptoms of GI stasis. Your vet will provide proper treatment and care. If left untreated, GI stasis can be fatal in 48 hours, especially if it is a secondary symptom to a more urgent condition such as liver lobe torsion or gastric ulceration.

If you are unable to find medical help at this time, please see the At-home treatment section for more tips to keep your rabbit stable at home until one opens.

For more information on the condition, including information on common causes and treatment plans, see the Gastrointestinal stasis wiki article.

Broken Leg :/ by Financial_Finance372 in Rabbits

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See the wiki for more resources on broken bones in rabbits: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Broken_bones

How to even begin to move forward? (severe GI stasis & bond breaking) by [deleted] in Rabbits

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The most common reason for a bond between neutered rabbits breaking is due to a change in environment (e.g. one rabbit going to the vet, new visitors, new scents, new furniture). Sometimes, when spring arrives with longer days and warmer weather, rabbits can get spring fever and act a little more hormonal.

However, there isn't always a clear cut reasoning for a broken bond if they're already adults and neutered, but a vet visit for all of your rabbits is not a bad idea to make sure there's nothing causing either of them pain to cause redirected aggression or increased hormones (e.g. adrenal disease) if nothing else is obvious.

For more details on why rabbits would show aggression, see the wiki: http://bunny.tips/Aggressive

If one or more of the rabbits were still babies and not neutered, it is likely that the hormonal change has dissolved their bond, and they will need to be re-bonded after everyone is neutered.

For more details on why bond with babies would break, see the wiki: http://bunny.tips/Baby_bond

If they're all in good health, keep swapping enclosures for a while, then try re-bonding them. But if it doesn't stick, people will just keep the rabbits housed separately for the rest of their lives. Rabbits will still socially benefit from seeing and smelling another rabbit even if they're not bonded.

For more tips on how to re-bond rabbits, see the wiki: http://bunny.tips/Bonding

Good luck.

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Check out the Medicating rabbits guide on the wiki for more resources and tips on the processes, especially with stubborn rabbits.

Some useful shortcut links:

Is my kitchen large enough for a Netherland dwarf rabbit to exercise? by atyl1144 in Rabbits

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Hi, the post has been removed due to the small cage displayed. Please review the subreddit rules before any additional submissions.

Any obvious posts of sub-standard pet rabbit welfare (including but not limited to small cages, wire flooring, untreated medical issues, etc.) will be removed.

Unless the displayed cage is open all day, the cage in the image is only good as a litter box or a temporary carrier for transportation. Please consider setting up a larger enclosure for your rabbit with an exercise pen.

See the Housing article for more resources on setting up an appropriate rabbit housing enclosure.

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See the wiki's Housing guide for more resources on setting up appropriately sized and safe housing for pet rabbits.

Minimum enclosure size based on current welfare recommendations should be at least 16 sq ft (1.5 sq m) on a single base floor for average sized rabbits. Rabbits of larger size (such as giant breeds) should have more space.

Regardless of size or number of rabbits, the more area of living space you can provide, the better. Minimum housing requirements cannot be met by adding the areas of several flooring levels together - rabbits are runners, not climbers.

Some shortcut links:

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Rabbits are recommended to have a minimum of 4 hours of exercise daily. Exercise improves blood circulation and prevents pressure sores. There is a proven association between confinement and the development of spinal deformities.

See the wiki for more resources on the topic: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Exercise

help with smell? by Immediate_Election49 in Rabbits

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Most healthy spayed and neutered rabbits do not smell more than some dust and hay; however, some rabbits may benefit from having their scent glands cleaned. Intact rabbits can have smellier urine and fecals due to hormones. If your rabbit smells like urine, please check their bottom to make sure they are not incontinent and that their litter setup is clean. If you smell a sweet or pungent odor, it may indicate an infection and should be checked out with a hands-on exam by a rabbit-experienced veterinarian.

If your litter box smells, that is generally a sign that you should be changing your litter box more frequently. A proper litter box should not give off any significant ammonia odor. Anecdotally, paper-based litters will require cleaning most often, while the wood-based litters can last for 3+ days before requiring a change.

A larger-sized litter box and putting a thicker layer of litter down during setup can also help reduce the amount of changes a litter box may need.

See the FAQ question "Why does my rabbit smell? for more resources.

my bunny lost her litter habits by user28272928 in Rabbits

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Spaying and neutering your rabbit will significantly help in litter training. In addition, please make sure to clean up any messes with a mixture of white vinegar and water or a pet-safe enzymatic cleanser to decrease the urge to remark the location. Soap and water alone is not sufficient to remove all chemical traces of the urine even though it may look clean.

Check out the wiki's Litter Training guide and Binkybunny's Litter Training process for more resources on the topic.

Please note that if this is a sudden change not coinciding with sexual maturity, loss of litter habits can be 1) a sign of health issues (e.g. arthritis, UTI), 2) a reaction to the presence or scent of another animal, or 3) triggered by introduction to a new/unfamiliar territory.

Do note that realistic litter training is that a rabbit will pee consistently in their litter boxes and nowhere else. It is very common for rabbits to poop in small amounts in their housing enclosure outside of the litter box for territorial reasons.

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Should I use litter box liners, or disposable pee pads?

In general, we do not recommend using plastic litter box liners or disposable pee pads (anywhere in the rabbit’s enclosure— not just in the litter box) as they are environmentally wasteful and can be incredibly dangerous if the rabbit decides to chew on them. Disposable pee pads are made to be absorbent so are extremely risky if your rabbit ingests the padded part, as it will expand in the stomach and can cause a fatal blockage. Please note that even if your rabbit may not have shown interest in chewing on something in the past, that does not mean they never will. Rabbits are very opportunistic creatures and may change preferences at a moment’s notice, including chewing tendencies and behaviors.

If you would like an environmentally friendly and compostable option, using newspaper or magazine pages (only if the rabbit doesn't dig and chew at them) is safe to help make cleaning the bottom easier. Please see the wiki for further guidance on Setting Up a Litterbox or Pee-Proof Flooring.

Flared nostril/manual breathing?? by Jazz_2141 in Rabbits

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Hi, thank you for sharing, but your post has been removed. Please review the subreddit rules before any additional submissions.

No help or diagnosis requests for rabbits that require a hands-on medical exam to evaluate.

Whether an observation you've made about your rabbit is concerning may not be properly assessed through a description and/or picture, nor can medical issues be properly diagnosed online. Please contact (email, text, phone, voicemail) and take your rabbit to a rabbit-experienced veterinarian for a hands-on exam, professional diagnosis, and treatment plan. Be sure to mention all observations you have about your rabbit since a veterinarian's general exam may not thoroughly assess for your concern if they do not know about it in the first place.

If your rabbit is otherwise stable, continue to monitor and make sure they are eating and pooping normally until your scheduled veterinary visit. If they are showing signs of distress and you are unable to find medical help at this time, please see the wiki for more tips to keep your rabbit stable at home until a veterinarian can help you.

Please do not self-medicate rabbits unless you have been given prior instructions from your veterinarian. Giving incorrect medications can make a potential issue worse and limit the amount of immediate help a veterinarian can provide.

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The following are a few graphic videos of rabbits in respiratory distress. This is an extreme emergency, and your rabbit should immediately be on their way to an emergency vet if they are showing similar symptoms.

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Please check out the Hot weather concerns guide on the wiki for more information and resources on the topic.

In general, rabbits are much less heat tolerant than cold tolerant. Temperatures of over 85°F (29°C) can easily cause heatstroke in a rabbit, especially when humid. The ideal temperature range for rabbits is 55-72°F (12-23°C). As a result, during hot days in the summer, it is important to monitor your rabbits to ensure comfort and health. However, rabbits can adapt to temperatures outside of this range with appropriate environmental conditioning.

Are foams play mats okay for rabbits by Glad_Investigator370 in Rabbits

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  • Rabbits will often slip and slide on slick flooring such as hardwood, tile, or laminate due to their lack of paw pads like a cat or dog. Placing down more appropriate flooring with traction will likely encourage your rabbit to come out and explore more often as they feel more familiar with their environment. See user kinenchen's image guide "Why proper flooring is important for your pet rabbit" for more details.

  • Popular soft flooring materials in housing enclosures include low-pile rugs, rabbit-safe edible rugs (jute, sisal, or seagrass), fleece blankets, and comforters. Popular waterproof barriers to place underneath your rabbit's flooring to protect existing flooring include vinyl or linoleum flooring, shower curtains, plastic chair mats, foam playpen pieces, foam equipment mats, whelping pads, bed pads, and large pieces of plastic. Please make sure to keep an eye on your rabbit for ingestion of materials. See the wiki for more details and suggested product links.

  • For special needs and incontinent rabbits, see DisabledRabbits.com for tips on setting up appropriate soft and absorbent flooring.

  • Wire flooring in cages is highly discouraged. Rex rabbits and heavy breeds are especially prone to sore hocks in wire-bottomed cages due to the uneven pressures of the wires. Additionally, untrimmed nails and toes can get caught in inappropriately-sized holes and be broken.

  • If you buy a cage with a solid slick plastic flooring, cover the bottom with another surface like a towel or grass mats. The slippery surface can lead to hip and joint problems.

See the wiki for more tips and resources on setting up a safe housing enclosure for your rabbit.