Clinique Vétérinaire Lasalle

Rabbits as pets are quite popular. You find lots of species in pet shops, such as the dwarf rabbit and the ram rabbit. They are charming animals with a gentle and peaceful character. They love to be petted and will even lick your hands as a mark of affection.

The lifespan of a rabbit is between 6 and 8 years. The male reaches sexual maturity at 6 or 7 months old while the female generally does so one month before. The female can be in heat for a period of 12 months and the gestation period is between 30 and 32 days. Being quite prolific, the female can have litters of 16 young rabbits. It is preferable to separate the male and female immediately after mating.

Rabbits are coprophagic (they eat their feces). Ingested feces are soft and covered with a mucus secretion. This night time activity is necessary for their proper absorption of vitamin B, proteins and water as well as a healthy intestinal flora. Wire cages are therefore not recommended since the rabbit cannot have access to his stools.

It is important to remember that a rabbit should never be picked up by its ears. When lifting a rabbit, put one or two hands under its posterior.

Ideally, keep your rabbit on a recycled paper litter (Yesterday’s News); pine wood chips are also acceptable. Avoid cedar wood chips because of their strong odour which can cause respiratory problems. The rabbit’s cage should be in a well ventilated area and the temperature should be maintained between 15 and 20°C. Rabbits are very sensitive to temperature fluctuations, whether hot or cold. The cage should be cleaned twice a week (you can use a water solution with 10% bleach).

We recommend that you exercise your rabbit for about 4 hours per day, especially if his cage is small. A rabbit which does not move enough could have digestion problems and become obese.

A rabbit’s diet should include fresh long sprigs of Timothy hay and be freely available. It should also include rabbit feed (1/4 cup per 5 pounds of rabbit weight per day), as well as a mix of dark green vegetables (parsley, broccoli, spinach) and carrots. The rabbit has a very fragile digestive system so if you decide to make changes to his diet, introduce the new foods gradually to avoid his getting ill. Never give your rabbit animal proteins or sugar since this could change his very fragile intestinal flora. Offer him water at will and change it every day.

Your rabbit can have hairballs but is incapable of vomiting. We recommend you feed him a feline laxative paste two or three times a week. For rabbits suffering from hairballs, you can also give them about 10 ml of fresh pineapple juice or a papaya enzyme capsule every day or every 2 to 3 days. This “cure” can be given a few times a year.

We believe that preventative medicine is the best way to keep your rabbit healthy as long as possible. We recommend a general health examination and a stool analysis once a year.

Your rabbit cannot talk so he cannot tell you when he is not feeling well. Our experience shows that the animal is often ill for a certain time before his master notices. The veterinarian will examine his fur, eyes, his skin and ears; he will feel his abdomen and listen to his chest to seek out any signs of illness. He/she will question you to find out if there have been changes in your rabbit’s habits. Does he drink more often? Are his stools liquid? Etc.

You will also meet with an animal health technician who will answer all your questions concerning the maintenance of your animal; cutting claws, diet, behaviour, etc.

Castration of the male rabbit is done at 6 months of age; it reduces aggressiveness and territory marking behaviour. A female can also be sterilized at 6 months of age if kept with another rabbit or if she becomes aggressive. Sterilization also reduces the risks of infection of the uterus and uterine tumors.