How to care for decorative rabbits

Decorative rabbits are smart and loyal. Eared pets can be taught to the team "Fu!" and "To me!". They do not bring slippers, but respond to their name. They quickly get used to the owner and are very bored when they are alone or with strangers. Fluffy babies need love and proper care, otherwise they often get sick and die early.

Pet choice

Decorative rabbits are bought at a pet store or from breeders. Choose a healthy animal with a thick and shiny coat, clean eyes and nose. The pet should be mobile and respond to sounds, touch. If a rabbit looks shabby and tired, constantly sits in one corner or lies, it means that he is sick.

A new member of the family is immediately taken to the veterinarian to cut their claws. The first procedure is carried out by a doctor, because in the rabbit's nails there are a lot of blood vessels that are easy to touch. A professional will show you how to use manicure tweezers correctly so as not to provoke bleeding.

The rabbit is vaccinated, cleaned its ears and washed eyes. The pet is treated for helminths and lice. A clean and vaccinated baby is brought home, introduced to its new cage and waiting for it to adapt.

Spacious and comfortable

Rabbits need space to jump and run. In pets that live in a tight doghouse and move little, their bones become thinner and their joints become fragile and weak. The cage should be 4-6 times larger than the rabbit. Recommend options with a plastic pallet. Rabbits constantly get stuck in the trellised bottom and cling to it with claws.

If the pallet is too slippery, it is covered with a rubber or fabric rug. A layer of straw or sawdust is poured on top. Rabbits do not tolerate harsh aromas, so the filler should be odorless.

A small house is installed in the corner of the cage, because eared animals are used to sleeping in minks. A wooden version or cardboard, upholstered with fabric, is suitable. Inside put a soft rug or sawdust.

Rabbits are clean. They do not defecate near the feeder or drinker and quickly master the cat tray. A plastic tray is installed opposite the house and the filler is regularly changed. The pet will not go to the dirty toilet.

Decorative rabbits have a sensitive and tender stomach, so food should not be thrown onto the litter. The bowl should be large and heavy, preferably ceramic. Eared pets love to make noise. They lift the dishes with their teeth, knock plates on the floor or iron bars. The drinker is attached to the cage so that the rabbit does not overturn it. Recommended automatic varieties that serve portioned water.

In a large apartment for the animal, a special enclosure or corral with high walls is installed so that the pet can walk and frolic. Rabbits will like the running wheel, old rags and balls with bells.

Eared animals constantly gnaw at something, even if they have recently eaten, so the pet should have a thick cherry or pear branch. Another fruit tree, as well as acacia or maple, will do. It is forbidden to give spruce or pine blanks in which there is a lot of resin.

Adaptation

Rabbits are not as bold and gullible as puppies or kittens. A new family member will stay in his hole for at least 3-4 days until he gets used to the smells and sounds around him.During this period, you need to treat the baby with dry food and hay or grass, regularly change the water, make sure that other pets do not come to the cage.

An eared pet cannot be stroked while he eats or drinks, otherwise the pet will be very frightened and refuse food. The rabbit will quickly get used to the owner, if you constantly talk with him. To tell something in a quiet, affectionate voice.

When the animal ceases to be afraid and crawls out of the house, they offer him a treat and let him smell his hand so that it learns to recognize the smell of its owner. They constantly repeat the nickname so that the rabbit understands his name.

First, the baby is taught to touch, and when he stops shuddering and holding his ears from each stroking, they try to pick him up. You can not insist if the pet breaks loose and resists. The bones of rabbits are fragile. It is very simple to break the baby’s foot or spine if you squeeze it too much or let it fall to the floor.

Walking around the apartment

Has the rabbit got accustomed and is now asking for freedom? Eared pets should walk around the apartment only under the supervision of the owner. First, they hide all electrical appliances and wires, remove dangerous and toxic objects from the floor, and then release the animal from the cage.

You can’t leave the rabbit alone and go to work or to the store. Toddlers and teens love to hop onto sofas, armchairs, and chairs. They may lose their balance and fall or land unsuccessfully, breaking their ribs or paw.

Eared pets gnaw furniture and shoes, eat wallpaper and carpets. Pile or paper clogs the animal’s stomach, causing indigestion. You have to wash your intestines yourself or go to the vet.

You need to monitor the rabbit if there are other animals in the house. Kids, frightened by a dog or cat, can hide under a closet and get stuck, crash into a wall and get hurt.

Hygiene procedures

Eared pets are clean, therefore they regularly lick and wash themselves. They are always neat and smell good.

You cannot bathe rabbits. The pet's coat is covered with a protective layer of fat, which is responsible for the density and luster of the villi. If you constantly flush sebum, the animal appears dandruff and irritation. The hair falls out, it becomes dull.

Rabbits are bathed if they get very dirty after a walk on the street. Warm water is poured into the basin, a little shampoo for cats or rodents is added. A towel or tissue napkin is placed at the bottom of the container to make the pet comfortable.

The baby is rinsed 2-3 times with clean water to wash the remnants of shampoo. The rabbit is wrapped in a terry towel and waiting for his skin to dry. A wet animal should not be allowed into the street or into a room with open windows, because it can catch a cold and die due to drafts.

It is forbidden to dry your pet with a hairdryer. A buzzing electrical appliance scares a pet. He experiences tremendous stress due to which he can become ill or refuse to eat. Hot air overdries the baby's skin, so the coat becomes stiff, brittle and dull.

The animal’s eyes are periodically wiped with cotton swabs dipped in warm boiled water. Auricles are regularly examined. If a lot of brown sulfur has accumulated inside, it is removed with gauze napkins and a weak solution of potassium permanganate or boric acid.

Long-haired Angora rabbits are trimmed to protect against heat stroke and warlocks. The procedure is carried out every 2-3 months with special scissors or a machine.

Eared pets are regularly combed with a soft brush to remove excess hair. When the animal licks and eats the precipitated villi, they are not digested, but remain in the stomach, turning into a lump. A rabbit does not always succeed in burping it, so you have to give your baby drugs or take him to the vet. Hair also impairs digestion and leads to the development of gastrointestinal diseases.

Ordinary short-haired rabbits are combed three times a week, and during molting every day.

Cage cleaning

So that the apartment does not stink with hay and feces, you need to regularly change the litter. If the rabbit uses a cat tray, then the cage is cleaned every 2-3 days. Pet refuses to go to a special toilet? Have to throw away sawdust daily.

The cells are cleaned with a damp cloth and odorless detergents. Concentrated aromas irritate rabbits and worsen their sense of smell. Bowls for water and dry mixtures are rinsed twice a day so that bacteria do not multiply in the dishes.

Proper nutrition

The health of a rabbit depends on its diet. In winter, the pet is given hay. It improves the digestion of the animal, cleanses the intestines from swallowed wool. Proper fresh hay has a light green hue and the scent of dried grass.

In spring and summer, eared pets are given greens:

• leaves and flowers of dandelions;
• sagebrush;
• clover;
• yarrow;
• sage.

Grass is harvested in the field. You can not feed the rabbit with plants that grow near the track. Greens are necessarily dried. If the animal eats a twig of yarrow with dew drops on it, his stomach will swell.

Young individuals need protein and calcium for the normal development of muscles and bones. The rabbit will get protein from cereals: buckwheat, oat, pearl barley. Protein is rich in wheat and barley grains, as well as fresh corn. A lot of calcium is found in chalk. A piece of mineral is put in a cage along with a sprig of fruit tree, so that the pet sharpened his teeth and replenished vitamins in the body. Give the rabbits compound feed or special mixtures intended for eared pets. The main thing is that they do not have dried fruits or nuts.

Vegetables and fruits are recommended for adult animals:

• Chinese cabbage;
• carrot;
• apples that have a core cut out;
• Jerusalem artichoke.

The rabbit is given a little grain or apples so that the food does not lie in the plate for a long time. Eared pets need distilled water. Mineral and carbonated are prohibited.

To prevent the rabbit from scattering hay throughout the cage, special hanging balls or feeders are bought for dried grass. They are plastic and iron, attached to the rods.
Tip: Fluffy pets have fast digestion. A rabbit that has recently been eaten cannot be picked up, otherwise they will have to be washed from the remains of the overcooked apple or wheat.

Planting in a tray

The owner, who is about to release the animal from the cage, must accustom him to the cat's toilet so that he does not have to wipe the puddles and sweep away the feces.

The litter from straw is temporarily removed from the cage. A plastic pallet is placed in the corner, which is filled with sawdust. As soon as the rabbit wants to defecate, he is lifted by the withers and transferred to the toilet. 3-4 animals will be enough for young animals to understand what the cat's toilet is for.

If a rabbit walking around the apartment made a puddle in the middle of the room, then they wipe it. A rag soaked in urine is placed in a tray and a rabbit is brought there to smell the fabric. Do not poke your animal with your nose, spank or shake.

How to pick up

The baby is forbidden to grab by the ears, otherwise the animal's hearing will deteriorate. In the hanging position, the rabbit has difficulty breathing. The pet's heartbeat is quickening, it begins to panic and break out.

The furry pet is raised with both hands, palms under the chest and stomach. If the animal breaks out, it is better to lower it to the floor. You can not grab the baby by the legs, squeeze the chest strongly.

Noisy neighbors

Rabbits, like cats, sleep during the day, and are awake in the evening and at night, arranging noisy concerts. Animals knock their paws on the cage and throw dishes, roll balls and run in the wheel. How to calm a raging pet? Cover the cage with a dense blanket or towel, leaving a small ventilation hole.

Additional tips

Rabbits do not tolerate heat and drafts. In the summer, so that the animal does not receive a heat stroke, you need to cut a thick fur coat and put a bottle of frozen water near the house. The cell is covered with a damp towel.

Mature males and females may require a mating partner. During this period, pets become aggressive, rush at people and other animals. The owner has to buy a second pet and breed decorative rabbits. But it’s easier to sterilize the pet when it is 8–9 months old.

Decorative rabbits are cute but weak creatures. They get sick due to improper care and unbalanced nutrition. Eared pets need constant care and attention. If a person is not ready to spend time combing his hair, cutting his nails and cleaning his cage, he is advised not to start a decorative rabbit.

Video: caring for a home decorative rabbit