Red Breast Festival

 

Rabbits have become increasingly more popular as pets due to their active and playful nature. Rabbits, however, are not low maintenance pets. Be sure to get your family and your home prepared when planning to adopt a rabbit.

Step 1: Prepare your home for the rabbit’s arrival. Electrical cords pose the biggest threat to a rabbit and should be moved or covered with wrap, etc. Explore your options and choose which suits your needs best. Also, move plants to a high location or if possible, hang them in your home. Protect the undersides of beds and furniture by placing cardboard or 2×4s underneath. (Rabbits like to “hide” in these locations and have been known to use the materials to make nests.)

Step 2: Purchase the materials that you’ll need for the rabbit’s arrival. To keep the rabbit safe from predators and weather, plan on purchasing a large cage (approximately 30” x 36”) to be kept indoors. Purchase covering for the floor of the cage (grass mat, straw or hay for instance), as well as chew toys, a food pan and a litter pan. (Yes, rabbits can be litter trained!) Purchase a good reference material on the care of rabbits.

Step 3: Call your local shelters or a rescue organization to see about adopting your rabbit. There are so many adult rabbits available for adoption that it’s really not necessary to visit a pet store.

Step 4: Check the health of the rabbit. Make observations about the rabbit’s body. It should be free of swelling and should not be overweight or underweight. Its coat should be well groomed and free of bare patches. Check its ears and nose to ensure there is no discharge from either. The rabbit should breathe and move about with ease. Observe how it reacts to people and if possible, observe the rabbit interacting with other rabbits.

Step 5: Visit a veterinarian immediately after adopting the rabbit. He should be able to confirm the health of the rabbit and suggest the diet plan that suits your new pet. This would also be a good time to have your rabbit spayed or neutered.

Step 6: Plan on spending a lot of time with your rabbit. Rabbits crave interaction and enjoy being outside of their cage and outside of the home. Never leave your rabbit unsupervised as their curious nature can get them into trouble!

It’s not uncommon for rabbit owners to adopt a second rabbit once they’ve settled into the routine of caring for their first one. You might enjoy your newest addition so much that you too will find yourself heading back to the animal shelter!

This article was written by Jessica Taylor and provided by pet-super-store a site featuring the pet industries biggest name brands: PetSafe, Dogtra and Innotek.

Tags: Blog //