Life-stage guide
Hay-first diet, space setup, litter training and gentle bonding.
Fireworks harm rabbits in two ways owners rarely anticipate: a panic injury during the event, and the gut slowing to a halt in the day or two afterwards. This guide explains why a bolt hole with two exits matters more than soundproofing, why a frightened rabbit must never be picked up, how to move an outdoor rabbit saf
A head tilt in a rabbit means the balance system on one side is misreporting. Two causes dominate and need opposite treatments: the parasite E. cuniculi and bacterial middle ear infection. This guide covers the mechanism, how peripheral and central disease differ, why a positive antibody test proves nothing on its own,
A rabbit that bites a live cable faces three injuries on three different clocks: the heart in the first seconds, fluid in the lungs over the next day and a half, and a mouth burn that reaches its true size days later. This covers making the scene safe, what to look for hour by hour, how to tell an electrical injury fro
A rabbit in a working room is at risk from mains cables and swallowed rug fibre far more than from boredom. This guide covers why rigid conduit is the only reliable cable answer, why a rabbit sleeping under your desk is behaving normally, how heat from office equipment builds at floor level, and what enrichment actuall
Neither of these viral diseases can be treated once it takes hold, so the whole answer is prevention. This guide covers what myxoma virus and rabbit haemorrhagic disease actually do, why RHDV2 differs from the classic strain and why cover against one is not cover against the other, the transmission routes that reach a
A rabbit that lunges at a hand in the hutch is defending a burrow, not a bowl, and the behaviour is reinforced every time the hand withdraws. How to tell territorial defence from hormonal aggression, fear and pain, why sudden aggression in a settled adult is medical until proven otherwise, how to read the ears and the
Do not splint a rabbit. Rabbit skin tears, pressure sores form within hours, and the restraint needed to apply a splint is the very thing that fractures rabbit spines. This guide covers why a rabbit can break its own back with a kick, the differentials for sudden hind limb weakness, correct lifting and transport, how t
Rabbits are burrowers, not den animals, and a hide with one entrance is a trap rather than a refuge. This guide covers how rabbits actually sleep, why the full flop is the best welfare indicator you have, what a resting place needs in terms of exits, sightlines, overhead cover and surface, how temperature moves a rabbi
Rabbits cannot vomit, so the overnight fast copied from dog and cat protocols empties a gut that must never stop and pushes a rabbit towards stasis before surgery even starts. What to ask a practice before booking, why an Elizabethan collar blocks caecotrophy and often stops a rabbit eating, how to build a recovery pen
Rabbits get up easily and down badly. A light skeleton attached to very powerful hind legs means a bad landing or a struggle can fracture the lower spine. Why rabbits climb, the four hazards at height, the flooring and layout changes that remove the motive, and what to do in the day after a fall.
Healthy acclimatised rabbits handle cold well; what kills them is wet, wind and a frozen water supply that stops them drinking and then eating, with gut stasis following within hours. This guide covers the winter coat and fermentation heat that keep rabbits warm, the hazards ranked, hypothermia stage by stage including
Rabbits and children can share a home, but not on the terms most families expect. This guide explains why a struggling held rabbit can fracture its own spine, why going limp is fear rather than affection, how to build a child-free rabbit territory and a floor-level contact model, what is realistic at each child age, an
Travel slows a rabbit gut from both directions: it reduces eating and stress hormones suppress motility directly. This is the plan that prevents stasis on a journey, from lining the carrier with hay and never changing the diet, through reading droppings at every stop, to the arrival setup, the look-alikes for a rabbit
Rabbits are prey animals that find being caught and lifted genuinely frightening, and a struggling rabbit can injure its own spine. Target training replaces the chase with a rabbit that walks into a carrier, steps onto scales and holds still for a check, using nothing more than part of its daily food.
Assisted feeding keeps a rabbit's gut supplied while a vet treats the cause. How to tell stasis from an obstruction, what formula to use and what to avoid, the technique that prevents aspiration, and the two numbers that show whether it is working.
Rabbits do not bark. They are near-silent prey animals, so any sound carries meaning. Soft tooth purring is contentment, loud tooth grinding with a hunched posture is pain and often gut stasis, a scream is an emergency, and wheezing is respiratory disease rather than a vocalisation.
Rabbit enrichment is not decoration. Continuously growing teeth, a strong drive to dig and chew, and a body built to run mean an under-stimulated rabbit chews your flat instead. The cheapest enrichment is also the most important, and almost all of it is free.
Rabbits ovulate in response to mating, so there is no infertile window and a doe can conceive again within hours of giving birth. This covers how to tell true pregnancy from a false one and from the gut stasis that mimics both, how to care for a pregnant doe, why a doe who ignores her nest all day is behaving normally,
A rabbit pulled from water is a veterinary case even if it hops away looking normal. The drowning itself rarely kills. Hypothermia in the first hour, gut stasis in the first day and aspiration pneumonia between twelve and seventy-two hours later do. This covers the rescue technique that will not fracture a rabbit's spi
Rabbit food packaging is written to sell. The ingredient list, the crude fibre figure and the shape of the food itself tell you far more than the pictures on the front. Learning to read three parts of the pack rules out most of the products that cause dental and gut disease in rabbits.
Rabbits have no dog-style socialisation window that closes on a date, but they do have an early period where handling shapes the adult, and a first year with several decisions that determine everything afterwards. This guide runs from the nest through the eight week rule, settling in, the habituation that matters, the
Rabbit eyes are large, exposed and easily injured, and the most damaging thing an owner can do is reach for the wrong drops. This guide covers the immediate response, the do-not list including why steroid products can cost the eye, what each sign actually means from corneal ulcer to retrobulbar abscess and myxomatosis,
Rabbit teeth grow for the whole of the animal's life and are worn down by chewing, not cleaned by brushing. Home dental care is a hay-first diet plus a weekly face, chin and appetite check that catches malocclusion and spurs early.
Flakes along a rabbit's back are usually fur mites appearing because the rabbit has stopped grooming there, and the reason is normally dental pain, excess weight or reduced mobility. This guide reads the distribution of scurf, separates fur mites from ear mites, ringworm, moulting and fleas, flags the zoonotic risk and
A healthy rabbit eats its caecotrophs directly and the owner never sees them. Finding them squashed in the hutch or matted onto the fur means either a diet too rich in starch and protein, or a rabbit that cannot physically reach round. This guide explains caecotrophy, separates the two causes by what is left behind, co
There is no correct bath frequency for a rabbit, because water baths cause chilling, panic injuries and skin damage. The real question is why the bottom is dirty. This guide separates uneaten caecotrophs from urine scald and true diarrhoea, links each to diet, teeth, joints, weight and bladder disease, explains the fly
A rabbit can die from a predator encounter it was never touched in, and the small punctures from a cat are the wounds most likely to be underestimated. This covers containment and transport without adding injury, the ten-second checks that set urgency, why every bite needs same-day antibiotics before it swells, how sna
The danger in moving house with a rabbit is not the journey but the days afterwards, when a stressed rabbit eats less and the gut stops. This covers preserving the scent map by not cleaning anything, changing nothing else at the same time, how to run moving day and the first 72 hours, how to tell normal settling from g
Hay is not a supplement to a rabbit's diet, it is the diet. A rabbit living on pellets is under-worn in the teeth and under-fibred in the gut, but cutting pellets abruptly can stop a rabbit eating altogether. The change has to be made slowly, measured, and monitored through weight and droppings.
Blowfly eggs laid on a soiled rear hatch within hours in warm weather, and the larvae tunnel sideways under the skin so the damage is always larger than the visible hole. This guide covers why flystrike kills through absorbed toxins even after the maggots are removed, the underlying causes that gave the rabbit a dirty
Grooming a rabbit is a health check with a brush in your hand. Why brushing during a moult is a gut-stasis measure rather than cosmetics, how to run the session on the floor without scruffing or flipping the rabbit, the ear, tooth, hock, scent gland and under-tail checks that go with it, how coat type and breed change
The first three days decide how a rabbit sees your home and are also when a stress-related gut shutdown is most likely. Keep the food identical, keep handling to almost nothing, and check that the rabbit is eating and passing droppings within the first hours.
Boredom and anxiety produce almost identical rabbit behaviour and need opposite treatment, and pain mimics both. This guide gives the baseline of genuine contentment, the tests that separate the three, why a frozen rabbit is frightened rather than calm, why trancing is a fear response, and the specific environmental ch
A rabbit is small, has a small circulating blood volume, and goes into shock quickly. Direct pressure, warmth and calm handling are what you can safely do at home. Restraint mistakes and delay cause more rabbit deaths after an injury than the bleeding itself.
Discover why rabbits are complex, high-maintenance exotic pets requiring a decade-long commitment. Learn about their specialized diet, veterinary needs, and life stages.
Discover why pet stores frequently misidentify rabbit genders and learn how to safely and accurately sex your rabbit at home to prevent surprise litters.
Bottle or bowl? Research and most rabbit vets now favour open bowls because rabbits drink more from them and it's a more natural posture. This comparison weighs hygiene, spill risk and hydration, and shows how to keep whichever you choose clean, full and reliable in a humid climate.
Rabbits are quiet, but they are not silent. From soft tooth-purring to angry grunts to a terrifying scream, each sound carries a clear message. Learn to read your rabbit's small vocabulary so you know when it is happy, annoyed, or in real danger.
Rabbits explore by chewing, which makes a free-roaming home surprisingly dangerous. This checklist covers the human foods and common houseplants that are toxic to rabbits, the warning signs of poisoning, and exactly what to do in the first minutes if your rabbit eats something it should not.
Rabbits are social animals that naturally live in groups, and most are happier with a rabbit companion than alone. This guide weighs the real benefits of a bonded pair against the honest costs and commitment, so you can decide whether adding a second rabbit is right for your home.
Rabbits hide illness and crash fast, so an emergency is the worst time to start searching for care. This guide shows you how to find and vet a rabbit-experienced clinic in advance, the questions to ask, and how to be ready so you can act within hours when it counts.
The wrong bedding can quietly harm a rabbit's liver and airways or cause a fatal gut blockage. This article compares safe substrates like paper and aspen against dangerous ones like cedar, pine, and clumping litter, and explains the difference between bedding and hay.
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus kills quickly and often without warning, even in indoor rabbits. Vaccination is the single best defence. This guide explains what RHDV is, how the vaccine works, when to start, and how to prepare for the vet visit.
Your rabbit's droppings are its daily health report. This checklist shows what normal pellets and cecotropes look like, which changes mean trouble, and why no poop for 8–12 hours is an emergency. Learn to read the litter tray and catch gut problems early.
Rabbits chew and dig by instinct, so a safe home is proofed, not scolded. This step-by-step guide covers securing cords, protecting baseboards and furniture, removing toxic plants, and redirecting chewing to safe outlets so your rabbit can roam without danger.
Outdoor rabbits face predators, heat, damp, and parasites that indoor rabbits do not. This guide covers building a predator-proof, weatherproof hutch and run, managing humid heat and typhoons, and knowing when it is simply too hot or cold to keep a rabbit outside.
The first week sets the tone for your relationship with a new rabbit. As a prey animal, it needs quiet, safety, and patience, not handling and excitement. This step-by-step guide covers setting up, what to expect day by day, and the early health signs that mean a vet call.
The first 48 hours after neutering decide how smoothly your rabbit recovers. This guide walks you through the first night home, keeping the gut moving, protecting the wound, and safely reuniting a bonded pair , plus the warning signs that mean phone your vet today.
Overgrown nails snag, curl, and change how a rabbit walks, but most rabbits hate having their feet held. This step-by-step guide shows how to restrain gently, find the quick, and trim little and often so nail day stops being a battle for both of you.
Myxomatosis is a devastating viral disease spread by biting insects, causing swelling around the eyes, face and genitals and a very high death rate. Learn how it spreads, the early signs to catch, and the practical steps and vaccination that protect your rabbit.
Rabbits naturally toilet in one spot, which makes litter training realistic. This step-by-step guide covers choosing a safe substrate, layering hay on top, placing the box where your rabbit already goes, and troubleshooting the most common litter-training setbacks.
Fresh greens are great for rabbits, but adding them too fast causes soft stool, gas and sometimes a dangerous gut slowdown. This step-by-step guide shows how to introduce one green at a time, what to watch in the litter tray, and when a change in droppings means call the vet.
Not every 'rabbit treat' on the shelf is safe. This guide sorts fruit, herbs and shop-bought snacks into safe, occasional and avoid, gives realistic portion sizes, and explains how treats fit around the hay-based diet that keeps your rabbit's gut and teeth healthy.
Grass hay should make up most of a rabbit's diet, but the label choices are confusing. This guide compares timothy, orchard, meadow, and other grass hays on fibre, texture, and who each suits, plus why alfalfa is a treat and not a staple for adults.
Free-roam, exercise pen, and hutch each suit different homes and rabbits. This guide compares space, cost, mess, and safety so you can pick a setup that fits your flat and your rabbit's personality, and shows how to upgrade over time.
Compare free-roam, x-pen, and cage housing for rabbits by welfare, safety, and real apartment constraints.
A rabbit emergency moves fast, so the time to prepare is now. This checklist walks you through exactly what to stock in a rabbit-specific first-aid kit, why each item matters, and how to use the basics safely while you get your rabbit to a rabbit-savvy vet.
Most shop-bought cages are far too small for a rabbit. This guide gives clear minimum sizes for the home base and exercise area, explains the three-hop and standing tests, and compares safe, cushioned flooring against surfaces that cause painful sore hocks.
Rabbits hide pain and crash fast, so knowing the true red flags saves lives. This guide lists the signs that mean go to a vet immediately , not tomorrow , including not eating, no droppings, laboured breathing and collapse, so you never lose critical hours second-guessing.
A bored rabbit chews skirting boards, digs carpets, and gets destructive. This guide gives you cheap, safe, homemade enrichment , foraging toys, dig boxes, and chew objects , you can build from household items in minutes to redirect that energy and keep your rabbit busy and happy.
Digging is a hardwired rabbit instinct, not bad behaviour , so the answer is redirection, not punishment. Learn why rabbits dig, how to build a dig box they'll love, ways to protect your floors and furniture, and when frantic digging in a female signals hormones and a vet visit.
Pellets are a small but useful part of a rabbit's diet , if you pick the right kind and feed the right amount. This guide explains how to read a pellet label, why plain beats muesli mixes, how much to feed by weight, and when to adjust for age.
Rabbits chew because they must. Here is how to bunny-proof wires and furniture, redirect the habit onto safe chews, and keep a bored bunny busy.
Rabbits speak almost entirely through body language. This guide decodes the joyful binky, the trusting flop, the warning thump, and the everyday nudges and chin-rubs , plus how to tell happy tooth-purring from painful grinding, so you can read your rabbit and build real trust.
Baby rabbits have very different needs from adults: they run on their mother's milk, then protein-rich alfalfa hay and pellets to fuel fast growth. This overview covers weaning ages, what to feed at each stage, when to introduce greens, and the crucial switch to grass hay as an adult.
Bringing home a rabbit is exciting, but they need very different care from cats and dogs. This first-year guide covers housing, a hay-first diet, litter training, handling, health checks and neutering, so you build good habits early and raise a calm, healthy companion.
Discover how to easily litter-train your rabbit with our step-by-step guide. Learn why rabbits are naturally clean, what setup works best, and how to troubleshoot common accidents.
Planning to bring a new pet home? Discover the honest lifetime costs of dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, and reptiles. From upfront setups to hidden vet bills, this guide helps you budget responsibly.
A rabbit eating hay, greens and a measured pellet already makes its own vitamin C and recycles B vitamins through caecotrophy, so most supplements duplicate work the caecum is already doing. This guide separates the few products worth owning, chiefly a recovery fibre formula bought before you need it, from the water ad
Most rabbit diarrhoea is not diarrhoea at all, it is uneaten caecotrophs, and the difference decides whether you have a this-week problem or a tonight problem. This guide gives the test that separates them, explains how the colon sorts fibre and why losing that mechanism is systemic, covers weaning enteritis, starch, c
