Bunny rabbit the perfect house pet to own

Bunny Rabbits as Pets

You constantly hear that bunny rabbits are great pets for small children. Well, yes I agree they can be but a bunny rabbit is not as tough as a cat or a dog. In fact if they are not handled with care you could very easily end up with your bunny getting a broken leg. So children must be shown the correct way to handle the bunny rabbit and make sure that the bunnies body is secure against their chest and held tightly. The lifespan of most rabbits can be up to 8 years or more. It all depends on the conditions your bunny lives in. Indoor rabbits seem to have a longer life span than outdoors. This could be because they are not outside to the elements.

Choosing a Bunny Rabbit

There are a lot of breeds out there at the moment, Netherland Dwarf, Mini Rex, Holland Lop and Dutch. These are but a few but it is believed that dwarf rabbits are best if you are considering buying for children. When you decide you want a rabbit you can usually buy them from a breeder, your vet or a really reputable pet store.

Care for your Bunny Rabbit

Next you need to get your pet rabbits vaccinated. There are two diseases they need to be vaccinated against, Myxomatois and Viral Haemorrhagic Disease. Both these diseases can

1) Spread to other rabbits very quickly

2) Can cause very painful death to your bunny

In Ireland the Myxomatois vaccine is widely used by vets, but unless your rabbit shows signs of Viral Haemorrhagic Disease they will not receive this vaccine as it is dangerous to anyone administering it and can also cause severe side effects to your pet. You must also be on alert for ear mites and ring worm. These are not so common if a person has only one rabbit, the more you have the more chance you have of them spreading. Bunny rabbits very seldom get sick but you need to be alert to any change in their behaviour because unlike most animals they don’t make any noise, so you will not be aware they are suffering. Then you need to decide if you want to get your pet neutered because if you don’t, your male rabbit will decide you are his mating partner and will urinate around you in circles and if you have a female she might later develop uterine cancer. Also you will simple have more peace if your pet is sprayed/neutered.

Indoor rabbits will need to get their claws clipped once a month. If you are not confident, consult your vet and he/she will clip them. It is important that you don't let them get long because this could cause bunny feet problems.

There is more to bunny rabbits than a person thinks. They are very intelligent creatures. They can identify their master and will in no time at all come to you over everyone else if you are the main person who gives them love and food. If you rub their cheeks and nose they will love you for life. If they really begin to trust you, you might even be allowed to pet their tummy. But you need to understand that every animal is different and what one might enjoy another might not. Plus trust needs to be built between the two of you. But once you come to know each other and your rabbit feels secure with you, you will see his/her true personality come out. They have their own way of telling you how they feel. The way a rabbit positions his body will tell you their mood. If he/she has their head and body flat on the ground it means they are happy and enjoying themselves, if they are jumping up in the air and kicking their legs out to the side, this is called Binkies, and you have a extremely happy rabbit. When your rabbit thumps his back legs this is a warming they are scared or nervous. Sometimes loud noises can upset your rabbit and he might get frightened.

See more Rabbit Behavour @ http://www.fuzzy-rabbit.com/behaviourfaq.htm

If you decide to keep you rabbit outside you need to make sure you make their environment is safe. These are some of the threats they could face

- Predators

- Overexposure to sun, heat, wind and rain

- Theft

· Diseases spread

· Shock with will result in death

It is your responsibility to have a safe hutch enclosure and you must make sure there is plenty of space for them to run and get exercise. Keeping your rabbit inside is much safer and gives you more time to bond with your pet. Bunnies are sociable creatures and they enjoy nothing more than hanging out with you in your sitting room or kitchen. But beware you must bunny proof your house if you have them inside. Cover wires, beware that bunnies like to chew wood so if you want to avoid your table legs being chewed, please give them a wood toy to chew on and play with. Also just like cats, your rabbit can be litter trained to go to their litter tray and not on the kitchen floor. Fill a litter tray with hay or newspaper and your rabbit will eventually learn, this is where they go to do their business.

You need to make sure you feed your rabbit the right food. If you give them human food you could kill them. So don't be tempted to give them a biscuit.

Rabbits need roughage everyday. So you need to have a supply of pellets, hay, fresh vegetables/fruit and water available to them. You need to make sure when buying pellets that you buy a good fibre brand. A lot of the brands out there today are made up of dried vegetables and fruit, but beware that these are loaded with sugar and are not good for the rabbits teeth or their digestive system. When giving them hay make sure it is a good alfalfa brand and make sure it is always stocked up in the pen. Fresh hay prevents hairballs and digestive system blockage.

When giving fresh veggies and fruit to rabbits these are a few that they love cabbage, carrots, apple, basil, Brussels sprouts, celery, cilantro, kale, mint, parsley, wheat grass, wheat grass but to name a few. But make sure not to overfeed your rabbit either, give him the correct weight of pellets according to his/her weight.

Rabbits like to chew and nibble on wood also. So make sure you buy the wood sticks available in all good pet stores. As a rabbits teeth are constantly growing you need to give them wood sticks to chew on. This also keeps them away from your wooden furniture.

Rabbits are just like any other animal, they are intelligent, loving and sweet. If you give them all your love, they will return it back and keeping them indoors lets you spend more time with them and you get to know their true personality.