Outdoor Pet Rabbits

Now that the weather is turning a bit colder, you may be worried about your pet rabbit being outdoors. Here a few things to consider.

Rabbit fur is very warm. It's amazing how well a rabbit can tolerate cold temperatures.

Your rabbit must stay dry at all times. His ability to keep warm is totally eliminated if he is wet. I cannot overemphasize the importance of keeping your rabbit dry.

Your pet rabbit must have a place to get away from wind and draft. If you pet rabbit is inside an unheated shed or barn, he should be fine. He must have at least one solid side (plus top) to his home. A small wooden box (with a wire bottom for sanitation) is great. You can also provide a tube or tunnel just a touch larger than your rabbit. I've often thought that a section of new plastic sewer pipe might work very well. Even an empty oatmeal box will allow your rabbit to conserve body heat. Some rabbit owners cover the cage with a tarp in foul weather. Others give their rabbits nest boxes full of hay.

You should bring your rabbit indoors anytime the weather service publishes alerts for outdoor animals. Even though your rabbit is probably better able to cope with the cold than your cat or dog, it's just not worth the risk. Bring him in for your peace of mind.

Another major concern in cold weather is frozen water. Rabbits need a relatively large amount of water in their diet. Be sure to provide fresh water every morning if his water is freezing at night. I use warm water to keep it thawed as long as possible. If the temperature is freezing during the day, I repeat as often as possible to keep my rabbits' water liquid all day long and at least part of the way into the night.

If your pet rabbit decreases his feed intake, suspect that he is not getting enough water.

Except for baby rabbits that wander out of the nest, I have never lost a rabbit to the cold. They are inside an unheated barn and we live in USDA zone 7a. If you live in a much colder zone, you may wish to contact an experienced rabbit breeder in your area to find out if you need to make any additional preparations for your pet rabbit.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Rabbit Breeders, And Rabbit Fun

Pet Rabbits And Molting

Molting is inevitable. Rabbit fur is not a thing of beauty forever. It's just for a season.

When your rabbit is molting, it is a great idea to brush his fur daily or even twice daily. Loose fur can be ingested and contribute to an intestinal blockage. Such blockages can be fatal. Obviously these blockages are the exception and not the rule, but you can reduce the risk even further by brushing and keeping loose fur removed from the cage.

Molting is as individual as your rabbit. Sometimes rabbits have loose fur for weeks or even months (yikes!), but never show patches of missing fur. Others are much more dramatic about their molting. One of my favorite rabbits, named Bear, molted a stripe down his back. He looked like someone had run a razor down his spine or he was creating a reinactment of the Parting of the Red Sea!

The type of molting I see most often starts around the muzzle and moves back. At one point, my rabbits often show a widow's peak that looks a bit like Count Dracula. Then the molt moves over the back and down the sides. Usually the fringe around the hocks and hindquarter is the last to molt out.

Sometimes rabbits seem to take no notice of a molt. Others look like they feel awful. You should not assume that behavior that is off is due to a molt, however. Check out all other sources of problems before you attribute the behavior to a molt.

You cannot avoid molts, but you can reduce the number of molts your rabbit experiences. The number one thing to do is keep his feeding program constant. Changes in protein, carbohydrates, and/or fiber can trigger a molt. Also, keep his temperature as constant as possible. Raising the temperature and then dropping it can trigger an additional molt.

Molting is generally not a huge issue in pet rabbit care. With some consistency in temperature and feeding, and brushing, you both should make it through molting just fine.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

Almost Show Quality Pet Rabbits

Rabbit breeders that breed for showing are working with the most beautiful rabbits in our country. They have been bred for beautiful fur, bold eyes, full bodies, health, great personalities and much more. Rabbits that do not meet the standards for the breed are often sold as pets. And they can make wonderful, well-above-average pet rabbits. But occasionally, you can get a pet rabbit that only missed being a top show rabbit by one tiny thing. Those pets are exceptional.

Missing toenail - a show rabbit's career can end in a second if a toenail is pulled out. These rabbits can be exceptionally beautiful. You will never miss the toenail, but a rabbit judge would.

Missing tail, crooked tail, missing portion of tail - a rabbit judge can often tell if the very end of a tail is missing. Most breeders can't even tell if just one piece is missing. But if a rabbit begins to be disqualified for the tail, that rabbit may become available as a pet. Believe it or not, from time to time, rabbits are put on the show table with no tail at all; the breeder hasn't even noticed. So a little tail problem is not likely to mar your pet rabbit's beauty much at all.

Wrong eye color, unacceptable fur color, wrong markings, not enough spots - there is a standard for each part of a rabbit. If the rabbit does not have an acceptable eye color, for example, he or she cannot be shown no matter how beautiful he is or how good her condition is. The funny thing is that these rabbits are often the most interesting ones. The black rabbit with the white foot, the blue rabbit with the brown eyes, and so forth, can often be much cuter than the one that meets the standard.

Too small, too big - each breed has an acceptable range of weight. Within that range, there may be a narrower range that is competitive. If a rabbit is a couple of ounces smaller or bigger than either range, the breeder may decide to make the rabbit available as a pet.

Fur too long, fur too short - some breeds have a minimum length. Other breeds fault longer fur. When rabbits exhibit fur of the wrong length, they may become wonderful pets.

Split Penis - sometimes the penis of a rabbit does not form completely. Instead of being tube-shaped, there is a slit somewhere along the length. Oftentimes, these rabbits are confused with female rabbits until the testicles descend. Occasionally these rabbits are winning on the show table as girls and suddenly are discovered to be boys. In an instant, they are for sale as a pet instead of bound for grand champion status.

Butting teeth - especially in breeds with large bulldog heads (Holland lops, for example), teeth may not overlap properly. If the teeth meet and are not growing long, the rabbit is an excellent candidate for a pet rabbit. Some that have teeth that are not wearing and must be clipped can be pets for just the right family. If you are the type of family that thinks nothing of taking your dog to have his nails clipped, then you could be a great family for a rabbit that needs teeth clipped.

Each part of the rabbit has a standard for its breed: muzzle, eyes, ears, nose, chest, feet, bone, fur, markings, shoulder, loin, haunch, tail, genitalia, and much more. Breeders are working for excellence in every area. When a rabbit fails to meet the standard in any characteristic, the breeder may allow that rabbit to become a pet rabbit.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

BLOG Break

I will be taking a break from my BLOG until October 28, 2005, while I attend the National American Rabbit Breeders' Association Convention. I will be showing fourteen of my rabbits at this national show. I will also be receiving an award at the Holland Lop banquet for placing second in District 9 for sweepstakes, quality, and herdsman points. District 9 covers from Pennsylvania to South Carolina plus Japan.

We'll be talking pet rabbits again as soon as I get back.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

Pet Rabbit Litter

You can care for a pet rabbit without litter at all, use litter in the pan under his cage, or use litter in a litter box. You have several choices.

No Litter

If you are using no litter, either your rabbit is in an outdoor hutch or you are lining his pan with something else.

For outdoor rabbits, you can allow the manure to collect on the ground or remove it periodically. If you decide to leave it to compost in place, consider adding earthworms, if they are not abundant in you location already (in which case they should find their way there just fine). Or, you can periodically sprinkle lime or Sweet PDZ granules, which I prefer, to reduce flies and odor.

For indoor rabbits you may line his pan with newsprint, pan liners, or leave it bare.

The newsprint will help you roll up waste easily and remove it. It does a little for odor control. I am concerned about the chemicals used in making newspapers. Newspapers give me headaches, and my mother, who is chemically sensitive, is not allowed to read a fresh newspaper at all. Since rabbits are naturally sensitive to chemicals, I avoid using printed newsprint around my rabbits. I admit, I can be overprotective. But because a rabbit only weighs a few pounds, the relative effect of chemicals on a rabbit is stronger than it is on us.

I do use unprinted newsprint with my rabbits in their nest boxes. You can usually buy an end roll at a newspaper office for just a few dollars and it will last a very long time, even if you change the paper daily (which is a very good idea with just paper for absorption and odor control).

Pan liners are actually made to use with litter. So I use puppy training pads as pan liners. My own rabbits are raised in hanging cages with containers far below to collect manure. But when I travel, though, I have two or three dozen rabbits in my vehicle with me most of the weekend. I definitely want things to smell as good as possible! I use the puppy training pads in the bottoms for three reasons. First, they absorb moisture very well. Two, they are easy to change, even on the road. And three, they do help reduce odor very well. An oversized pad can be used in larger cages.


Litter In The Pan

If you have a rabbit cage with a wire mesh bottom and a tray underneath to collect waste (the type I recommend), now is the time to consider pan liners. Place the liner in the tray and then fill with litter. Once a week, collect up the liner, tie it off, and dispose of it.

You can use litter with or without liners, but without, you will probably find that you must wash the pan a little more often. And you will have to lift the pan for dumping, which can be avoided with the liner.

Because the litter is out of reach of your rabbit, you have several choices of litter. You can use any unscented litter, even clay litter. You will find that the odor absorbing qualities vary from litter to litter. I like bird litter, corn cob litter, and pine litter especially well.


Litter In The Litter Box

Now you must be more careful in your rabbit litter selection. Whatever you put into your litter box, your rabbit may decide to eat a bit of. I recommend two choices: Yesterday's News Rabbit Litter and S'wheat Scoop pet bedding. S'wheat Scoop has the advantage of being flushable. Try them both and decide which works best for you and your pet rabbit.


Litter Training

Litter training is not difficult. It's perhaps a touch more difficult than training a cat and a ton easier than paper training a dog. For more information, check out How To House Train A Pet Rabbit, which includes litter training information.


Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, And Rabbit Fun

Rabbit Food To Avoid

There are individual foods and plants that you should always avoid giving your rabbit:

1. onions
2. flowers grown from bulbs
3. rhubarb leaves
4. refined grains and sugar
5. food from any animal source (rabbits are strict vegans)
6. head lettuce
7. privet
8. any plant poisonous to humans
9. morning glories
10. laurels and rhododendron
11. yew
12. wisteria

Some foods may be fed in moderation to your pet rabbit:

1. kale
2. spinach
3. whole grain
4. carrots
5. apples
6. bananas
7. strawberries
8. cabbage
9. sweet potatoes
10. tomato

Other foods are great for your pet rabbit and can make up a larger portion of his orher diet:

1. parsley
2. cilantro
3. carrot tops
4. dandelions (make sure the lawn has not been treated with chemical fertilizer or pesticide)
5. radish tops
6. hay (Timothy, orchard grass, mixed fescue, coastal Bermuda, but not alfalfa)
7. taragon
8. raspberry leaves
9. fruit tree limbs (for chewing, though some may be ingested)

Obviously foods that are poisonous for your rabbit must be guarded against. Foods that are higher in carbohydrate (especially simple carbohydrate) should be restricted. Foods low in fiber should also be restricted. The best diet for your rabbit will include lots of fiber, few carbohydrates (and then only complex ones), and roughly 14 to 17% protein (experts will vary on this percentage).

When choosing a pellet, I recommend one that has high fiber, 14 or 15% protein for pet rabbits (show rabbits and breeding rabbits can use more protein because of the additional stressors in their lives). Feed that is too high in protein can lead to digestive imbalances causing diarrhea or unformed cecal matter (soft poops).

I do not like corn products or molasses in my feed. They seem almost unavoidable, however, so I look for those ingredients to be lower in the list, indicating a smaller portion. I find that molasses especially (and all foods high in simple carbohydrates), contributes to unformed cecal matter or excessive cecal matter and can lead to illness and even death. A small amount mixed in a high fiber food can be tolerated well by most rabbits, however. For pets, I recommend Nutriphase Rabbit Food.

I do not recommend popcorn rabbit treats or corn cobs for rabbits to chew on.

There are foods that everyone agrees rabbits should not eat. Beyond that, opinions vary widely. Some breeds are more delicate than others, especially small fancy breeds. That probably accounts for some of the variety of opinion.

My personal breed is the Holland lop, which is a more delicate breed, like most fancy breeds which also make good pets. That makes me a bit more conservative in my food choices.

The most important factor is how your particular rabbit responds to his food. Make changes gradually and always watch for reactions (diarrhea, exessive soft stool, listlessness, going off feed, not drinking water, or any change in behavior that concerns you).

I feed my rabbits a 17% protein feed, orchard grass hay, and a continuous supply of clean water. On occasion I also feed shredded wheat, raspberry leaves, parsley, cilantro, taragon, fresh thyme, carrots (about twice a year), kale, sweet potatoes (not good for obese rabbits), and bananas. My show rabbits also receive 3 drops of Linatone oil for shiny coat and 1 tsp. of Showbloom, a yeast-based supplement. I limit treats (grain, fruit, higher carbohdrate vegetables like sweet potato) to one treat per day or less.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Rabbit Breeders, and Rabit Fun

Pet Rabbits And Fleas

Pet rabbits are not prone to fleas. Indoor bunnies that live in homes without other pets almost never get them. Pet rabbits that play on the lawn may get them, but probably won't. Pet rabbits that live in homes with dogs and cats are the ones that are more prone to have fleas.

Rabbits are pretty sensitive to chemicals. It is not a good idea to randomly use dog and cat products on your pet rabbit. Rabbits are more like horses than they are dogs or cats. If you think about a rabbit's diet and a horse's, you will understand more why I say that.

Rabbits are also susceptible to respiratory illness. If they breathe in dust, even dust from their food, they may develop pneumonia or another respiratory illness. So I would hesitate to use a flea powder on my rabbit. Some people do, but I am very cautious about my bunnies.

My sister used her dog medication on her rabbit. She just placed a drop between the shoulder blades. All of Abby's fur fell out! It is very important to use the right flea medication.

Virginia Richardson, in Rabbits: Health, Husbandry & Diseases, states that pyrethrin sprays may be used. Additionally, according to Richardson, you can use Advantage (by Bayer, 10% imidacloprid, available from 1-800-PetMeds). Virginia Richardson has a few more ideas about dealing with fleas in her book. You may want to check with your local library for a copy.

All of the standard flea advice pertains to rabbits, too. Keep the carpets vacuumed regularly. Fleas will be more active in warm weather. Treating all animals in the home is essential to keeping them under control (the fleas, not the animals!)

If you are not sure that your rabbit has fleas (they do scratch from time to time for other reasons), try this trick. Set a bowl of soapy water near the cage one night. Turn off all lights except for a flashlight or desk lamp pointing at the soapy water. The light will attract fleas and the soapy water will capture them. If you see fleas in the morning, you are certain to need to treat your rabbit and other animals.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

Christmas Gift Ideas For Pet Rabbit Lovers

I have four children in addition to 100+ rabbits. Reading is one of our favorite pastimes (the children's, not the rabbits'). My husband and I have spent hundreds of hours reading to our children and we love it. Our one rule is that both the reader and the one read to must like the book. Otherwise, we set it aside and try another.

Luckily, there are a number of great rabbit books for families to enjoy together. They range from simple cardboard books that can be read in a few minutes, to deluxe sets of classics that are suitable for baby shower gifts and Christmas gifts, to chapter books.

Although there are hundreds of rabbit book options, I offer a select few on my The Nature Trail Rabbitry website. At the top end are the Peter Rabbit collections. There is a full collection of the Tales of Peter Rabbit. But also, you can purchase the first 12 in one set and the remaining 11 in another (a great way to split the set between siblings).

For the youngest bunny enthusiasts, I recommend the Max & Ruby books. My friend Lisa got so excited when she found out I was offering Max & Ruby. Even though her daughter has passed the Max & Ruby age, you could tell that the two of them had really enjoyed Max & Ruby together. She had already started thinking about the young children in her life that she could share Max & Ruby with for birthday gifts, Easter presents, and Christmas gifts.

Max & Ruby struggle with the issues that all preschoolers must deal with. And their books come in a variety of formats, which keep them all new and interesting. In addition to the books, you can get Max & Ruby on VHS and DVD.

For the grade school crowd, try the Bunnicula series. Your independent reader will enjoy the books alone or you can enjoy solving the puzzling case of the suspected vampire rabbit together. Full of misunderstandings and delightful characters, you are both sure to enjoy these books. And wouldn't Bunnicula make a wonderful Halloween treat?

For the whole family, enjoy the Brer Rabbit and Tales of Uncle Remus all over again. If you plan to read them aloud, opt for a revised edition that contains more standard English and a little less of the phonetically challenging spellings. But for reading to yourself, the original versions can't be beat.

One thing that is so nice about being hooked on bunnies, is that there are so many ways to enjoy them. I hope you have tons of fun with rabbit books!

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

Pet Rabbit Manure

Your pet rabbit produces black gold. If you are a gardener, that is. Rabbit manure is a cold manure that can be applied directly to plants without fear of burning them.

If your rabbit waste is mixed with shavings, Yesterday's News litter, S'wheat Scoop, pine litter and so forth, you may want to compost it before using it on your plants. The wood, wheat, or paper may heat up a bit.

I find that rabbit manure also supports the activities of earth worms very nicely. And that's another boost to your landscape or garden. Because I have over 100 rabbits, I use earthworms to compost part of my rabbit manure. They produce worm castings which are wonderful for new plants, especially. The other part, I just place directly onto a garden spot.

Now I love my dogs and cat, but I can't say that I ever had any use at all for their waste!

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

Pet Rabbit Treats

I'll be honest, rabbit treats make me nervous. They can be very dangerous and even life threatening. I'm sure that sounds overly dramatic to you, but at The Nature Trail Rabbitry, I hear far too often about rabbits that are literally killed by treats.

Let me back up a bit. A rabbit can live healthily for years on a diet of rabbit pellets, hay and water. That's all they need to thrive. That statement is based on the pellets being of high quality, of course.

Pet rabbits have on occasion been fed diets of just carrots and lettuce. Then when the pet rabbit dies, the owner is totally surprised. Carrots are high in sugar content and lettuce totally fails to provide the high fiber a rabbit requires. Let me explain why that is significant.

A rabbit has a fairly complicated digestive system. It is built to handle a diet very high in fiber, very low in carbohydrate , and relatively low in protein (I feed 17% protein, which is a bit on the high side for rabbits). When the fiber gets too low, or the protein or carbohydrates get too high, this delicate balance is damaged or destroyed. And a pet rabbit can die within 24 hours once that happens.

If you feed your rabbit a treat, make sure that it is a small one and only once daily. I occasionally feed a few spoon-sized shredded wheat as a treat. I use to feed 1 tsp. of old-fashioned oats, but I have dropped that from my feeding program and have seen fewer deaths among my young rabbits as a result. A 2-inch slice of banana makes a nice treat. I've fed a baby carrot or 2-inch chunk of carrot as a treat with success. My adult rabbits have enjoyed a small chunk of watermelon, on a rare occasion.

Some less problematic treats are parsley, cilantro, raspberry leaves, taragon, carrot tops, kale (1 leaf), pumpkin, and other juicy herbs (no chives). I call these treats because of the rabbits' reactions to them. In fact, these can be given as part of the regular diet (reduce pellets accordingly) and then one of the sweeter treats (fruit or whole grain) can be given in addition, if you choose.

Anytime you add a new food to your rabbit's diet, that should be the only change made during that day. You should observe your rabbit for any changes, especially loose stool or excessive cecal matter (that's the softer, smellier excrement that looks like tiny clusters). Rabbits are like people in that they have different levels of tolerance. I've heard of some folks who feed their rabbits M & M's and they reportedly do fine on them. That would not be a recommended treat and it could have turned out much differently than it has so far.

So, with all of the care that must be taken to feed treats, why bother? First, feeding treats fosters your relationship with your rabbit. Giving your rabbit a desired treat will be something you and your pet rabbit will both look forward to. Believe me, your pet rabbit will be very responsive to a favorite treat!

Second, rabbits have curious minds and need stimulation and different experiences to be happy. A bit of variation in the diet is one way to provide that stimulation.

So feed treats, but do so in moderation. Choose the higher fiber, lower carbohydate treats most often and use the sweeter treats in moderation.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

What Color is Your Pet Rabbit?

Frequently rabbit breeders and pet owners have a rabbit with no idea of the color. It's not wonder there's confusion. There are 144 rabbit coat colors, not including steels, tri-colored, blue-eyed whites, magpies, dutch marked, and probably more, if I think about it along enough. That's a lot of color!

You have no trouble identifying a black rabbit. But immediately after that, things can get a little ify. Here's some rabbit color information to help.

If your rabbit is white with patches of color, then your rabbit is a broken. If the patches are black, for example, your rabbit is a broken black.

There are two patterns of broken: spotted and blanketed. Both are called brokens. Your rabbit can either have one large spot on the back like a continent, or a bunch of little dots like a group of islands.

Sometimes I hear rabbits referred to as brown. It is true that there are chocolate rabbits. They are a bit rare due to recessive genes, but they really are about the color of a candy bar.

Another color that is often called brown is actually black tortoiseshell. The back is a bright orange color and the fur shades down to black at the very points. If you want to see a group of torts, you can visit my Holland Lop Bucks page of The Nature Trail Rabbitry. There are 3 broken torts and 2 solid torts on that page.

Sometimes people describe their rabbit as gray. Although there is a gray rabbit, I've never seen one. Most are actually blue.

I love otters and marten. Those rabbits have a basic color (which could be blue, black, chocolate, lilac, sable, or other) and then have a different color around their eyes, behind their heads and marking their noses. Their tummies are light.

There are orange rabbits. These guys are bright orange (brighter than the torts). But even brighter are the rare red rabbits. Thriantas are a new breed for the US, being developed right now.

Some rabbits have ticking or banding in their fur. If you blow into your rabbit's fur and see rings, then you have an agouti rabbit. It may be chestnut (that's the wild rabbit color), chinchilla, opal, or one of several other colors.

Whites come in ruby-eyed (their eyes are actually officially called pink) and blue-eyed. If you think you have a brown-eyed white, it is most likely an ermine (also called a frosty or frost-point).

Pointed whites have ruby eyes and are white all over except for dark points (ears, feet, tail, nose markings). They are also called himalayans.

One of the best ways to find out the color of your pet rabbit is to visit a local rabbit show (find those at the American Rabbit Breeders' Association). When you see one the same color as yours, ask the exhibitor. He or she will probably know. Or, you can look at rabbitry websites (you will find a list of links both on Precious Pet Rabbits and The Nature Trail Rabbitry). When you see one like yours, drop the website owner an email and ask. Most are more than happy to talk about rabbits.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

Talk To Your Pet Rabbit

Rabbits are very responsive to your voice. In fact, they will recognize you by your voice more than by your appearance, which changes from day to day.

When you approach your pet rabbit, be sure to talk to him. Talk in soothing tones anytime you reach into his cage to scoop him up.

When a rabbit is upset or anxious, it's amazing how much your voice can do to calm him.

I have two young female rabbits in a cage together for the first time. They are trying to settle the issue of which is the dominant. I was some feet away from them with my hands full when they started chasing each other and they seemed to be panicky. It's amazing, but just by talking to them and telling them to settle down in a soothing voice, they stopped what they were doing and settled down. That's not a unique situation. I've had that happen many times.

A breeder friend of mine was visiting my barn once. I had a rabbit that was getting antsy about something (I don't remember what), but my response was to talk to him. He reacted by settling right down. My friend remarked on how intelligent rabbits are that they know from my tone just what to do.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, strange voices and strange sounds do bother rabbits a great deal. Some breeders keep talk radio going in their barns to mask outdoor sounds.

When I have female rabbits kindling in my barn, I am especially sensitive to having strange voices around that may unsettle my girls. Loud voices seem to be the worse offenders.

If you are having company or a party at your house, you may want to move your pet rabbit to a quieter location or play some talk radio to help drown out the sound of strangers being around.

I hope you enjoy talking to your pet rabbits. If you want to now what your rabbit is saying back, check out this great website on the language of lagomorphs (lagomorphs being the scientific family that rabbits, hares and pikas belong to).

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

Precious Pet Rabbits Group on Google

Please consider joining the Precious Pet Rabbits group on Google. It's a brand new group and I could really use your help to give it a good start. Any legitimate discussion about pet rabbits, including stories, questions, care issues, grieving the loss of your rabbit, or any other pet rabbit topic is welcome. Several rabbit breeders are members and are available to answer your questions.

Just go to http://groups.google.com/group/Precious-Pet-Rabbits to join.

See you there!

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits

Miracle Of Life

We decided to breed our rabbits for educational purposes so my children could experience baby rabbits and the miracle of life (our dogs and cats at the time were all altered). We lucked out and had only a half dozen frightening, confusing situations to figure out. It was not the calm, peaceful experience I anticipated. And everything went relatively smoothly for us. It could have been much worse.

We assumed that rabbits were like dogs or cats. We expected to see a mama rabbit lying on her side with a pile of baby rabbits nursing contentedly. Nope, that's not what happens at all.

We brought our two does indoors for the birthing. I had read enough to know that they kindled around day 31 and to give them a nest box. I decided on a plastic shoebox with a lid, in which I had cut a round hole in the side for the mother to enter and exit by. The mothers seemed to love this (now I know that they were too cramped and the boxes had other problems, but it was the best available choice to them). I provided paper, but it was apparently not enough because one of the does shredded a nearby box that she could get her teeth on and added that to her nest.

And then nothing happened. Nothing at all. Oh, there was some shredding of paper and so forth. By the 32nd day (now I know that was too early to give up), we removed the make-shift nest boxes early in the day. By the evening, I asked my husband to take the does back outside. Much later, I decided to throw away the shredded paper only to find both nests filled with babies!

I felt so guilty. I had had those babies away from their mothers for hours. Now I know that you can remove them for 24 hours at a time. But back then, I figured they had missed several meals. So we put the babies back with the moms and nothing happened.

We figured that our interference had caused the moms to abandon their babies. In truth, the babies were probably just not ready to be fed.

So we tried to hand feed them. Now we know that you are much more likely to drown a baby bunny or cause it to have pneumonia than to save its life, but we didn't know, so we tried to save it. Eventually one kit in each litter died and they were likely the ones we tried to feed.

I finally found on the internet that baby rabbits only nurse once per day, so I put them back with their moms and tried to just let nature take its course.

The next day, I was sweeping and moved a basket of books to find a baby rabbit on the floor. Again, I felt horribly guilty. I had no idea that a baby rabbit was so mobile. The hole I cut in the side of the box did nothing to keep the babies form wandering around. It wasn't until I found the second or third one that I figured it out (I originally thought that the baby had been there since the time that the nest box was sitting around waiting to be disposed of; I now know that it would not have lived that long outside the nest).

We had an amazing survival rate considering all we did wrong. If I had known then what I know now, I would never have gotten my children's interest up in the breeding. Since that time, I've had over 400 babies born in my barn (despite the problems, I was immediately hooked). I've experienced each of the following, any of which could have occurred the first time:

• does that do not get pregnant month after month
• peanuts (they always die)
• dead litters (up to 50% of the time for first time mothers)
• deformed babies
• babies eaten by the mother (one has half eaten and still alive)
• decapitated babies
• babies stuck in the birth canal
• fetal giants
• retained kits
• does with no milk
• does that make nests on the wire
• does that pull no fur for their nest
• babies that get sick and die within just a few hours
• young kits with broken or injured spines
• a mom that died before the kits were ready to wean
• chilled kits that needed immediate warming to survive
• kits born in front of me with the sac still over their face requiring me to act fast to save them.

So far I haven't experienced maternal death, but some of my breeder friends have had that happen. There are probably other problems with rabbit breeding, but I think you get the idea.

If my story and this list has not discouraged you from breeding rabbits, then you are a great candidate to become a rabbit breeder and exhibitor. Consider joining our hobby. You can visit The Nature Trail Rabbitry for more information on rabbit showing and rabbit breeding.

If you still feel that it is worthwhile to breed your rabbits for the experience for yourself and/or your children, I do recommend that you do a great deal of reading before you get started. Breeding rabbits really is wonderful, but it is a lot less stressful if you know more about what to expect.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

Kids, Boxes And Rabbits

In a world of computers, busy schedules, and electronic toys, simple pleasures and direct learning experiences have dwindled. I didn't need to tell you that. You know already how life has changed.

I remember a summer afternoon back in the 70's with my brother and sister, a bunch of cardboard boxes, and our pets. You know, I don't remember whether they were kittens or puppies now. I just remember spending time with my siblings and our creative endeavor together.

We cut doors in the boxes and attached them together with tape and staples and clothes pins and anything else we could think of. We built a castle - or was it a fort - with several levels. The pets - they must have been cats or kittens - enjoyed wandering through the doors and exploring the levels.

When I look at the wonderful multi-level rabbit cages available today, I think of the fun we had back then. Rabbits are curious like cats, and love to climb up and explore different things.

So now I'm ready to collect some boxes for my kids (I have four, kids, not boxes). It will be hard because they usually have plans for every box that becomes available in our house. But I think when I share with them the day their mom, aunt, and uncle had way back in the 70's, they'll look forward to building a temporary castle - or will it be a fort - for Anna's rabbit. Rabbits love tunnels. The kids can hide chew toys and treats around. Fizzy Pop will love that.

And perhaps in 2035 when they look back, they'll remember an afternoon when they had a great time with a bunch of boxes and their pet rabbit.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

When Your Pet Rabbit Dies

I sometimes get emails from pet owners when their pet rabbits die. There are at least three different situations I see:

1. The owners haven't had the rabbit long and it died
2. The owners have just lost a pet after several years
3. The owners had to put their pet down

When pet rabbit owners haven't had the pet long, it is really important to try to determine the cause, if the owners want another rabbit. First, they should consider the source of the rabbit and try to determine whether the rabbit came from a reputable place. I have gotten several emails from folks who got their rabbits from auctions and carnivals. That would be a clue to me that perhaps the rabbit wasn't robust to begin with.

As you may know from Precious Pet Rabbits website, I recommend getting rabbits directly from breeders who are ARBA members, who breed for quality, and who do not sell their baby rabbits too young.

My own nephew got carried away in the enthusiasm of an auction and purchased a rabbit for $5. I couldn't believe it - he lives two doors down from me! I was out of town for the ARBA Convention at the time, and the rabbit was dead before I got home.

The next thing to do is check to see if your practices were sufficient. I do believe that pet rabbit owners owe it to their pets to read up on feeding and care, but sometimes we think that "common knowledge" is correct and do not even know there is a deficit in our knowledge. I'm afraid far too many rabbits are killed by diets of lettuce and carrots because rabbit owners do not realize they need additional information.

Rabbits are stressed by the move to a new home and need time to adjust. Sometimes in our enthusiasm, we can harm a rabbit, even to the point of death, by not giving him or her ample time to settle in before meeting a parade of people or traveling around. If you've read my Precious Pet Rabbits website, then you know I am a proponent of adopting older rabbits because they deal with the stress of moving much better.

The last thing to realize is that even a rabbit from a reputable source that was taken care of well can die from factors beyond anyone's control.

When pet owners have had their rabbits for a long time, they too are searching for the answer to the question, "Why did this happen?" I sense a lot of guilt and worry that they caused the death. The only way to know for certain what the rabbit died of is to have a necropsy performed. But I assure you that any rabbit that is not receiving proper care will not last for years in your home. If you have had a rabbit for years and it dies, it is not because of your care (unless you stopped giving the care that sustained him for so long).

Rabbits can succumb to cancer, pneumonia, and all kinds of things that are not related to the care they receive. This is an important concept to understand. You may make no mistakes whatsoever and still lose your pet bunny before the 7 to 12 possible years of his life have elapsed.

When you have to put your pet rabbit to sleep, it is heart-wrenching. But I commend anyone who has the strength to choose what is best for their pet over what is easier for themselves. In my opinion, pet rabbits don't just need life, they need to have a quality of life that is free from pain.

To read more about pet rabbit loss, visit Precious Pet Rabbits: Grieving The Loss Of Your Pet Rabbit.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

Pet Rabbits And Sore Hocks

Any rabbit can get sore hocks. Hocks are the back part of the foot - like the heel. The first stage is when the fur starts to be worn away. Then you can see irritation in the skin. In more advanced cases, the flesh can be broken or even worn down to the bone.

Heavier rabbits are more prone to store hocks. But I've seen it in a rabbit as light as 2 lbs.

You can prevent sore hocks by providing a solid resting surface inside the cage. It does increase the effort needed to keep the cage clean, so I only use the surface if I see the fur begin to wear.

Most of my Holland lops do not require a solid surface ever, being one of the lighter breeds. For the few that do need a little relief from the wire cage bottom, I provide a large ceramic tile until the fur regrows - usually just a week or two. Others use a piece of plywood. Another option, which is preferable if you only have one or a few bunnies, is to purchase a resting mat.

The advantage of the mat is that is has spaces for waste to fall between, keeping the bunny cleaner.

With pet rabbits, a resting mat and periodic inspection of the hocks is probably all of the sore hock measure you will need to take. Awareness is your number one tool.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

The Cutest Thing

I think rabbits are their very cutest when they are trying to do something. It may be that they are trying to put their treat bowl into their water bowl. Perhaps they are trying to unfold the flap of a box. Maybe they are trying to get you to pet or "groom" them.

I love to see rabbits collect up hay in their mouths and then pause to look at you with their mouths full. Usually it's a doe about to make a nest, but I've also seen bucks with their mouths full, too. It's adorable.

Crawling over and through objects is also a lot of fun for your rabbit and for you (their crawling - not mine). I like to take out the end out of an oatmeal box and give it to my rabbits. Sometimes a young bunny will fall asleep inside and then another will roll him!

In order to see these really cute antics, rabbits need props. Make sure your rabbits have toys. These rabbit toys can be safe objects from around the house or toys you purchase. I use some of each.

For more information on rabbit toys, please visit Precious Pet Rabbits website.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Pet Rabbit Supplies, And Rabbit fun

Indoor Rabbit Cages

It is perfectly okay to house your rabbit outdoors, but you will probably enjoy a closer relationship if your pet rabbit is indoors. If you have or decide to get an indoor rabbit, you are in great luck with the choice of cages you have today.

You can certainly use a simple rabbit cage with a tray below a wire grid (almost all rabbits are best raised on wire; a few, such as Belgian Hares, must have solid surfaces). The tray can be easily removed for cleaning. You may use a litter box but you don't have to. Urine guards will help keep stray streams of urine inside the cage.

I do not recommend rabbit cages with solid bottoms unless you have one of the few breeds that require it. The bottom grid should be 1/2" x 1" (or 1/2" x 1/2").

The main advantage of these types of cages is that they are not overly expensive. The main disadvantage is that they must be placed on something, and that something might suffer from bits of litter, feed, and hay, or small amounts of misdirected urine.

My favorite cages are the two- and three-level cages with their own stands. Having their own stand means no furniture must be sacrificed for the sake of a pet rabbit. They have built-in resting mat-type raised flooring. The resting mat flooring is gentler on the rabbit's feet while still maintaining the sanitation of a raised floor.

Rabbits love "levels." My own cages, which are in my rabbit barn, have just one level, but I get to see how much they enjoy jumping up on things when I have wooden nest boxes in the cages. Even baby rabbits will jump up twice their height to get on top of the box.

A stimulating environment is important for a pet rabbit. It keeps the rabbit's mind active and keeps your rabbit happy. A bored rabbit will either look for trouble or check out. The ramp and levels to these types of cages provide much more stimulation than a simple rectangular cage.

Although a rabbit can live happily in a cage as small as 17" x 24", a good rule of thumb is the bigger the rabbit, the bigger the cage. And the more time the rabbit spends outside the cage, the smaller the cage you need (though bigger will be appreciated by your pet bunny).

A cage is generally a one-time investment for your pet rabbit. If you buy the best that your budget allows, you won't be sorry.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Pet Rabbit Supplies, and Rabbit Fun

Rabbit Personality

I often have people write to me to say they are looking for a particular breed, gender, and color for their pet rabbit. When it's a common combination, it's generally no problem. But I worry about the people who are looking for rarer combinations. Will they let the look of the rabbit become the deciding factor? I hope not. With rabbits, personality is where it is at!

You should certainly investigate the general personality types of the breeds to help you narrow your search for a new pet rabbit. But within every breed of rabbit, you will see a full range of personality types.

My own breed, Holland lop, tends to be curious, friendly, and outgoing. But a few hide in the corner as I approach. And a few are totally laid back teddy bears. Some I would recommend for even the youngest children while others would never be offered as pets to anyone.

It may be difficult to evaluate the personality of a rabbit when you meet him. Rabbits definitely know the difference between people they know and strangers. Rabbits that will end up being very active and curious may hide from you while you are trying to evaluate them. That's why it is very important to buy a rabbit directly from the person who has raised him. Just ask me and I can tell you about the personality of any of the rabbits in my barn!

I find that rabbits settle in with their new families in about three days. That's when you will find out what your rabbit is really like. If you find that he or she is aggressive or does not settle in by that time, you should consider returning it for a different rabbit. Be sure you have read about settling in a new rabbit so that you can make a good call as to whether to keep or return the rabbit.

Different personality types suit different people, so there is no right or wrong. What is a calm, sweet bunny to one family is boring to another. A rabbit that is high strung to you may be interesting and fun to me. A quirky personality may be just the ticket for a teenage boy and may drive a busy mother crazy.

If you already have a rabbit, you are probably already enjoying the surprising variety and depth that a rabbit personality pssesses. I never tire of watching and interacting with my rabbits. I hope you are enjoying yours.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information And Rabbit Fun

Don't forget that you can purchase your pet rabbit supplies through Precious Pet Rabbits. I have carefully selected from among the quality products available through PetSmart for just the right products to offer to you for your precious pet rabbit. You can save gasoline and time by ordering online and shop with confidence, knowing that each product has already been evaluated.

Pet Rabbit Sounds

It is definitely true that rabbits make quiet pets. Your neighbors will never call, asking you to keep your pet rabbit from barking! But that doesn't mean they don't make sounds. They make lots of different sounds, in fact.

If a rabbit is injured or afraid, he or she will make a squeal. It's unmistakable. I've picked up baby rabbits for the first time only to have them squeal and squeal and squeal and squeal. Their mothers give me the eye, but I promise, I'm not hurting them. They just don't know what to expect. After a while, they figure out that it's okay. Others will just lie in your hand and take a bath from the very first time you handle them. Out of 400 baby rabbits, I've only had 2 or 3 squealers, thank goodness.

Female rabbits, especially those that want to be bred or those that are pregnant, will growl or grunt. Often that growl will be warning to an attack. This behavior is precisely why I do not recommend female rabbits for pets unless you plan to spay. True, some female rabbits never display this behavior, but you can't predict which will and which won't in a 3-month old bunny. Hormones make all of the difference.

I've heard male rabbits groan after they are bred. Some are total hams. I tell them they deserve an academy award for their performances. Unless you are a breeder, you may never hear this particular rabbit sound. But take it from me - it can be hysterical.

My favorite rabbit sound comes from male rabbits. They hum or buzz. It's a privileged few who get to hear this sound. It comes with a close relationship with your rabbit. I have a number of rabbits that will hum or buzz for me, but they will never do it when others are around. It's our own special song.

There are many different ways to enjoy a pet rabbit. Enjoying his sounds is just one of them.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits

Pet Rabbit Wakefulness

Pet rabbits are most wakeful and playful around dawn and dusk. During the middle of the day and the middle of the night, you may find they like to nap and rest a lot. That's normal.

Their cycle of activity is great for today's busy families. It's one of the reasons that rabbits make the best pets for so many people. When you are up, getting ready for school or work, they are awake ready to interact with you, accept a treat, enjoy some petting, or listen to you talk.

When you are home in the evening, they are ready to get out of their rabbit cage for a bit, to romp around and explore.

But while you are at school or work all day, they are not pining for you, desperate to get out of a crate or dying for a walk. Nor are they walking on your cabinets or getting into trouble.

Rabbits are great pets. If you already have one, make sure you take advantage of their most alert times to have some fun.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Information and Rabbit Fun

Periodic Pet Rabbit Care

While there is pet rabbit care that you must provide for your pet rabbit daily, other care is only given periodically. Here are a few things to attend to:

• Nails should be clipped about once every 4 to 6 weeks.
• Fur should be brushed at least when your rabbit is molting - brushing requirements will vary from breed to breed, however.
• Your pet rabbit should be checked for fur mites on a monthly basis - look for a patch of thin fur with dander, usually between the shoulder blades. Indoor rabbits who are not in contact with other rabbits rarely get fur mites.
• If your pet rabbit is friends with a cat or dog, you will need to check for fleas during warm weather.
• Teeth should be checked monthly to make sure they are still wearing properly. A tooth that is growing unchecked can compromise your rabbit's health and even lead to death.
• Ears should be checked monthly for signs of cankers (a very obvious infection) or redness.
• From time to time, check the bottom of your rabbit's feet to make sure he is not developing sore hocks. You will see the fur rub off first, and then the skin will be compromised. Solve this problem by added a solid surface inside the cage or a commercially available resting mat until they are healed. Small breeds are not prone to sore hocks. Some pet rabbit cages are made with resting mats built in.
• Pet rabbits that have contact with other rabbits or are allowed to play on the ground should be wormed. Check with your vet for recommendations. I use Safeguard for horses, one pea-sized blob, once per day for 3 days each month. Wazine for goats is used by many breeders and can be placed in your rabbit's water supply.

None of the periodic care mentioned above is very time consuming. You might want to jot down a note on your calendar to remind you to perform these very basic, but very important, parts of your overall pet rabbit care routine.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits