North Portland Veterinary Hospital

Our doctors believe the physical exam is the cornerstone to good medicine. During the exam, your doctor will review the history form that you filled out prior to your office visit and ask you questions to determine how your rabbit is doing. Your doctor will outline what steps should be taken to keep your pet healthy or to treat any abnormalities. We recommend an annual exam for your rabbit.

We strongly recommend spaying and neutering all rabbits. This reduces hormone driven behaviors such as lunging, mounting, spraying and boxing. It also protects females from the risk of uterine cancer, the incidence of which can exceed 50% as rabbits grow older.

The most common gastrointestinal parasites infecting rabbits are coccidia and pinworms. We recommend a fecal float test at the time of your first visit. Please bring in a fresh stool sample that you collect the same day as your exam. Please ensure that you bring some hard fecal pellets rather than the softer cecotrophs or “night stool” for the test. You can use a zip lock baggie or disposable tupperware to store the sample in your refrigerator. If you are unable to collect a sample, we may be able to collect one at the time of your exam.

Blood tests are recommended annually after 4 years of age. Rabbits are a prey species and can disguise signs of illness until a disease becomes quite advanced. Early detection of problems can increase both lifespan and quality of life. Even if your rabbit is completely healthy, it is a good idea to have baseline lab values to compare with later.

Green Foods- Green foods are equally as important as hay in the rabbit's diet. Rabbits are designed to eat grasses and leaves, so green foods represent the “leaf” part of the diet. Green foods provide all the same benefits that we listed for hay. They also contain a wider variety of micronutrients and importantly provide water in the diet. Even though you may be providing a water container in the cage, rabbits do not always drink as much as they should. Feeding green foods forces the rabbit to take in liquid and thus helps promote healthy GI function as well as kidney and bladder function. You will notice that if you feed your pet a lot of green foods, he/she will drink very little water, which is normal. When selecting and using green foods follow these guidelines:

Fruits and Other Vegetables (Treat Foods)
Since these items do not make up the majority of the diet, we recommend feeding these special items in limited quantities. Another reason for limiting the amount is because some rabbits like these foods so well, that they will eat them to the exclusion of all others thereby creating a potential for health problems. Foods from this list can be fed daily and you may even wish to use them as part of a reward or training system. These treat foods are far healthier (and less expensive) that the commercial treat foods sold for rabbits. Commercial treat foods should be totally avoided because they are loaded with starch and fat and if fed in quantity can cause serious health problems. Stick to “natural” and healthy treats for your pet. Follow the same guidelines as listed for selecting and using green foods with the exception of the amount. You can feed your pet a total of 1 heaping tablespoon per 2 pounds of body weight per day of any combination of the foods below:

Forbidden Foods
A diet of grass hay and green foods with small amounts of fruits and vegetables contains all the nutrition necessary for the pet rabbit. Unfortunately there are many commercial treat foods sold for rabbits that contain high levels of starch and fat. In addition, some people still feel that it is necessary to feed rabbits high starch foods. Although a pet rabbit can eat very small amounts of starchy or fatty foods, without ill effect, the problem is that people often feed excess amounts because the rabbits eat these foods so greedily. Our recommendation is to completely avoid high starch and/or fat foods for your pet. In this way you will avoid any potential problems these foods can cause including obesity and serious GI disease. It is always easier to prevent than to treat a disease.

Examples of high fat and/or starch foods to AVOID include:

Commercial Rabbit Pellets
Rabbit pellets DO NOT need to be part of a healthy house rabbit diet. As mentioned several times, rabbits gain all the nutrition they need from a grass hay and green foods diet along with their cecotropes. In addition, these foods promote a healthy GI tract and proper wear for the teeth.

Pellets were originally developed for the rabbit in the meat, fur and laboratory animal industry to provide a uniform and highly concentrated food that could easily be fed to large numbers of animals. The pellets are loaded with concentrated nutrition to promote rapid growth. Rabbits in these industries have a shortened life span, unlike the house rabbit. Commercial pellets work well in these industries, but can wreak havoc with the house rabbit.

The problems that a diet comprised primarily of commercial pellets can create in the house rabbit include:

High calorie content can lead to obesity – easy to overfeed because the rabbit is always acting “hungry”
High protein content can lead to eating less cecotropes which are dropped in the cage
Low indigestible fiber content can lead to a sluggish GI tract and eventually more serious GI disease including complete GI shutdown
Doesn't promote normal tooth wear due to the concentrated nature of the food – a couple of chews and the food is pulverized
Lack of sufficient chewing activity and “full feeling” in stomach due to concentrated nature of the food may lead to inappropriate or excessive chewing on furniture, plants, wallboard, etc. – could be related to “boredom”?
Concentrated, dry nature of food may not promote normal water intake resulting in potential urinary tract disease

There have been improvements in a few of the commercial pellet brands available to the public, including increased indigestible fiber levels and decreased calorie, protein and calcium content. There have also been some unfortunate changes such as adding seeds and nuts or sugars to the diet, which are all detrimental to your pet. However it still remains that pellets are not a necessary component of a healthy house rabbit diet and need not be fed. Remember that rabbits were designed to eat a diet comprised of a large volume of grasses and leaves, not a low volume, highly concentrated diet. Rabbits in the wild do not need to come to a feed station for a meal of pellets to survive and our pets do not need this either!

Occasionally feeding a concentrated source of nutrition like pellets may be useful such as if a rabbit is underweight or is pregnant or lactating or if a rabbit has been fed an inappropriate diet previously and refuses to eat sufficient hay and greens to maintain it’s weight. If you do need to feed pellets for any reason then buy those that are at least 18% or higher in fiber, 2.5% or lower in fat, 16% or less in protein, and 1.0 % or less in calcium. This requires selecting Timothy rather than alfalfa based pellet. We recommend Oxbow Bunny Basics/T www.oxbowhay.com

In summary, the number one cause of disease in rabbits is linked to inappropriate diet. Although pellets may be more convenient, we recommend a diet of good quality grass hay and a variety of greens to keep your rabbit healthy.

Microchipping
If your rabbit spends time outdoors we recommend microchipping. We see escapees regularly!

Caging and exercise - House rabbits should never be kept completely confined to a cage. Exercise is vital for the health of the rabbit. To confine a rabbit exclusively to a cage is inhumane and can lead to a number of problems

Obesity – caused most often by a diet too high in calories coupled with a lack of exercise
Pododermatitis – Inflammation of the feet caused by sitting in a damp or dirty environment
Poor bone density - Rabbits that are continually confined to a small cage can exhibit marked thinning of the bones which may lead to more easily broken bones when handling
Poor muscle tone - If the rabbit can't exercise, the muscles, including the heart, will be underdeveloped and weak
Gastrointestinal and urinary function - A rabbit that sits all day in the cage with little exercise can develop abnormal elimination habits
Behavioral problems - Continually caged rabbits can exhibit a wide range of abnormal behaviors including lethargy, aggression, continual chewing of the cage bars, chewing fur (obsessive grooming), and destruction of the entire contents of the cag

A cage can be used as a home base for part of the day or it can be open all the time within an exercise area. The cage should allow the rabbit to stand up on its hind legs without hitting the top of the cage, provide a resting area and space for a litter box. It should be easy to clean and indestructible, therefore metal is probably the best choice. A solid surface is recommended rather than wire. Though easier to clean, pressure from wire bottomed cages can cause your rabbit to develop sore feet.

It is vital to the health of your pet to provide an exercise area where your pet can roam for a few hours every day. The easiest way to accomplish this is to use exercise fencing panels sold for dogs. These can be found at most pet stores. Buy fencing that is at least three feet high for small and medium rabbits and four feet high for giant breeds. These panels are easily put together with metal pins and can be configured to any size or shape needed. The pen keeps your bunny away from furniture, electrical cords and toxic materials. The pen can also be used outside as a moveable enclosure to allow your pet access to grassy areas. Never leave a rabbit outside in a pen unsupervised, because dogs, cats and raccoons may be able to knock down the fencing or climb over it and harm your pet. If you need to protect the floor under the pen you can use a sheet of no-wax flooring which is available at most hardware stores. It can be easily cleaned and rolled up when not in use. If you are going to allow your pet free access to your house you need to bunny-proof it. Block all escape routes, cover or block access to electrical, phone and computer cords, cover furniture to protect it from the rabbit's teeth and claws and remove access to toxic plants, rodenticides, insecticides and other toxic materials

Litterbox training- Rabbits can be litter box trained relatively easily. When beginning training, confine your pet in a small area, either in a cage or a blocked off section of the room and place a litter box in the corner (try to pick the corner your pet has already used for its toilet). Make sure the sides of the box are low enough so your pet can get in and out easily. It is helpful to put some of the droppings in the box. Some people have also found it helpful to put some hay in the box to encourage defecation in the box (they usually pass stool while they are eating). Pine and cedar shavings are not recommended for use with rabbits. Inhaled phenols from these woods can cause liver damage. Clay litters are also not recommended as your rabbit might ingest them and develop gastrointestinal problems or suffer respiratory problems from the dust. Hay is probably the best litterbox material, though paper based pelleted litter can be used instead.

Rest/Hide Area- The ancestors of our pet rabbits would have spent a good portion of their day in protected burrows underground. Our pet rabbits retain the same need to have a protected area in which they feel safe and secure. Some rabbits are content to sit in a box full of hay, others like a completely enclosed box in which to hide. Try providing untreated wicker or straw baskets, litter pans or other shallow boxes filled with hay, cardboard boxes with an entrance hole and the bottom removed or large cardboard tubes as places to hide.

Toys- Rabbits get a fair amount of mental exercise from their diet of grass hay and green foods, but additional toys are appreciated. Rabbits like to chew, so give them branches from untreated trees (please dry the wood for at least a month to prevent any adverse reactions to the sap), wooden chew toys designed for birds, or unfinished, unpainted wicker or straw baskets. They like things that make noise such as keys on an unbreakable key holder, empty plastic or metal cans, hard plastic baby toys and jar lids. They like things that both move and can be chewed such as toilet paper or paper towel rolls, empty small cardboard cartons and small piles of shredded paper.

Handling- Although some rabbits tolerate handling quite well, many do not like to be picked up and carried. Always support the hindquarters to prevent spinal injury. Rabbit backbones can fracture if the hind legs are allowed to dangle and the animal then gives one strong kick. This makes them a poor choice as a pet for small children. An adult should always be the primary caretaker, and should carefully supervise any children interacting with the rabbit.

Rabbit Advocates Group of Portland, OR-We work closely with these wonderful folks- they’re a great organization here in Portland dedicated to the welfare of domestic rabbits. They specialize in educating the public about the care of pet rabbits. The place surrendered or abandoned rabbits in loving homes where they will be welcomed as family members. Formerly a part of the Oregon Humane Society, in 2002 Rabbit Advocates created an organization solely devoted to rabbit welfare. They operate an education and adoption website as well as a helpline. They hold rabbit adoption outreach events and other activities at locations around the Portland metro area and hold monthly meetings at Oregon Humane Society. www.adoptarabbit.com

Etherbun - The largest House Rabbit Mailing List. You'll find lots of knowledgeable people, including many House Rabbit Society educators participating in the discussions. This list is unmoderated.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/etherbun.html