Elmer's Aquarium Pet Center: Bunny Care Guide
Why keep a Bunny? Today there are 4.9 million pet rabbits in the U.S. Rabbits are more popular than Guinea Pigs, Gerbils, Hamsters, and Turtles. The reason: These furry creatures are affectionate, entertaining, intelligent pets with low maintenance and low spatial requirements. It is a perfect pet for a family on the go, or a person living in an apartment or condo. Bunnies take to a cage extremely well, don’t have to be walked, and can even be trained to urinate in a litter box. They clean themselves and do not have to be bathed. Bunnies are also more cuddly and people oriented than many other small mammals. They get to know people and recognize their owner’s voice. Bunnies are very hardy and problems are rare. They do not require shots. If you start with a healthy, well-bred rabbit, take care of its nutritional needs, keep it out of excessive heat, and drafts, it should do very well
| Basic Equipment Cage Food Dish Rabbit Pellets Rabbit Book Timothy Hay Water Bottle & Holder |
Recommended Equipment Chew Block Rabbit Honey Stick Salt Lick |
Other Equipment Litter Box and Litter Cage Spray Chew Toys |
|
Housing: These are our 4 best selling
rabbit cage sizes (All are Marchiorio brand rabbit cages): #72 (28x17x16), #82
(32x21x17), #102 (40x21x20) and #120 (47x23x22). They have metal bars with
a plastic bottom and are easy to clean. |
| Handling: Bunnies can be picked up and handled. Always wash your hands
before and after handling. Put one hand under the bunny , and with the other
hand gently grab the loose skin on its shoulders. Then gently pick him up.
Handle rabbits carefully because they have toenails that can scratch clothing.
Your rabbit can be taken out of the cage and allowed to exercise periodically.
Be sure to supervise, because they like to gnaw and can damage furniture or
electric cords. Handling by Children: Handling of bunnies by young children should always
be supervised by an adult. It is best if your child sits on the floor while
holding the bunny. |
| Food and Water: Rabbit Pellets are a mixture of grains, roots, and
roughage. We carry a
complete line of fresh quality bunny pellets.
Keep fresh pellets available at all times. Discard old pellets and add fresh
pellets daily. Store pellets in a dry place. Rabbits require plenty of fresh
water. Add fresh water daily and clean the food and water dishes periodically.
Rabbits also require a constant supply of Timothy Hay for grazing.. It is dry, fine stemmed, and
rabbits like to chew on it. Other
good supplements are Honey sticks, or any of our premium rabbit treats.
Rabbits need salt, and they get enough salt when fed rabbit pellets regularly.
However, they like to lick salt spools, and a salt spool can be added to its
cage. Never give any greens (lettuce, carrots, cabbage) to a rabbit under six months
of age. The reason for this is that a sudden diet change is hard on young
rabbits. It can cause diarrhea and severe intestinal problems. Adults can be fed
fresh greens in small amounts. |
| How Many: Rabbits can be kept as singles, or
groups of two females.
Rabbits should all be about the same size and age if they are kept in a group.
Mixing two males together is not advisable because of possible fighting.
If you have a single adult rabbit, do not mix a young bunny with it. |
| Longevity: Average life span is 8-10 years.
It is our policy to sell only young rabbits, and all rabbits in the store are
8-14 weeks old unless otherwise marked. |
| Breeding: If you have a male and female there is a very good chance you
will have baby rabbits someday. Here are some breeding facts: Age- They
should be at least 4 months before first mating. Gestation time- 30 days, Weaning time-
6 weeks,
Average number of young 6-8. If you would
like to breed rabbits we suggest you purchase one of the books listed in this
pamphlet for more information. |
| Books: Our staff can recommend a good reference book on bunny care. |
| Litter Training: Some people like to let their rabbit come and go freely from
their cage during the day. If you wish to do this it is possible to litter train
a young rabbit with some patience. Use a wire cage that has a door on the side
so that the rabbit can exit the cage on its own.. Give them a week to adjust to
their new environment. In that time it will pick a corner of the cage to urinate
in. Place a small litter pan filled with recycled newspaper litter in that corner. Let it
remain in the same corner a week or two. Change the litter regularly. When they
use the pan, give them an immediate reward of corn, oats, or honey sticks. When
the rabbit begins using it regularly, gradually move the litter pan to a corner
of the room. Rabbits must have a litter pan available at all times. Two or three
may be needed over a large area. Clean any accidents with an odor remover such
as "Outright" or similar product to discourage regular use of that
area. |
| Problem Chart: Proper care will prevent most problems. Keep the cage clean and dry and feed a proper diet. We suggest you keep a reference book handy. It can be used to diagnose the most common problems. If a problem arises consult our store personnel for advice. Our trained staff will be able to help you with many problems. In other cases we will advise consulting a veterinarian. | ||
| Problem | Symptoms | Treatment/ Notes |
| Heat Exhaustion | Panting, look sweaty, listless | Move to cooler, shaded area. In outdoor cage put 2 frozen 2 liter soda bottles in cage. |
| Hair Balls | Quit eating, lose weight, constipated (no droppings) | Petromalt for mild case. For severe case see vet. Pineapple juice works too. |
| Fighting | Separate- do not mix adults with young rabbits, do not mix two males. | |
| Diarrhea | Runny dropping, sometimes wet around tail area. | Kaopectate, or Dri Tail, supplement diet with oats and groats, discontinue use of fresh fruit or vegetables for one week. |
| Varieties Available At Elmer’s: Elmer’s is family owned and we purchase only healthy bunnies from breeders that we have dealt with for several years. We sell only the smaller varieties of rabbits because they make the best pets. | ||
|
Type |
Adult Weight |
Notes |
|
Dutch |
4-6 lb. |
A hardy rabbit and a good choice for a pet. Easy to handle and good with children. |
|
Dwarf |
3-4 lb. |
Stays small. |
|
Mini-Lop |
6 lb. |
Cute bunny with drooping ears. Very popular. Makes a great pet |
|
New Zealand |
11 lb. |
Gets very large- we do not sell this type. |
Our Guarantee: Problems are rare, but should the animal die the following
guarantee applies:
(Dies within 7 days.-Replace at no charge) (Dies
within 8-30 days- Replace at 1/2 price) (Please save your receipt)
Elmer’s Aquarium Pet Center 4005 Wm Penn Hwy. Monroeville, Pa. 15146
(412)
372-6535
Daily 10-9:30 Sunday 12:00- 5:00 Pet Specialist Since 1969
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Last Revision- 12/06/05