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Rabbit for a 2 1/2 year old

22 11:22:25

Question
I would like to get my 2 1/2 year old daughter a pet rabbit.

Firstly is this a good pet for a young child? I really have no idea about the care of rabbits as I have never owned one.

Please can you tell me the basics of how to find a good rabbit, how to look after them, and what we will need.

We live in Spain with a big garden, so the outside temperature is mild.

Many thanks in advance
Caroline

Answer
I don't really recommend any small animal for young children, unless the parents are going to do all the care and limit the way the child interacts with the animal.

If you do get a rabbit for her, you will need to never let her carry it. She could drop it, or it could struggle and scratch her. If she wants to hold it, she will need to be sitting down, and you can put it on her lap. Of course, you will need to do all the care for it.

If you can find a good show breeder, that would be your best bet. They will have pet quality rabbits for sale. Since your child is young, and you have no experience with rabbits, I would highly recommend not getting a baby. Babies are more hyper, and you don't know what their adult temperament will be like. A well-raised rabbit between 6 months and 1 1/2 years is the best way to go. That way they are out of the hyper age, plus you know what the temperament is like. I would recommend one of the medium sized or larger breeds. They are less likely to get hurt on accident, and the smaller breeds tend to be more hyper and can be more aggressive.

Check the rabbit over for signs of good health. The eyes and nose should have no discharge. The eyes should be clear and bright. The inside of the paws should not be matted (rabbits will wipe a runny nose on their paws, just like a child will on their sleeve). Check inside the ears to make sure there are no crusty scabs (which would be ear mites). The rabbit should not be thin. If you run your hand lightly over the back, you should not feel the spine. If you press in a little, you should start to feel the spine. That means the rabbit is neither too thin nor too fat. Make sure the legs are straight. The top teeth should be straight, and they should overlap the bottom teeth (which should also be straight). Crooked teeth or the bottom teeth overlapping the top teeth can result in expensive vet trips to get the teeth clipped often. The poop in the bottom of the cage should be solid and round (some softer ones that are clustered together like grapes are okay, but none should be runny). There should be no poop stuck to the bottom of the rabbit.

In Europe, people raise rabbits a little differently than in America (where I am from). In America, we mostly use all wire cages. In Europe, many breeders and owners use solid walls and floors. I much prefer to have wire sides, at leas, because it allows good ventilation, but if you keep up with the cleaning every day, a solid floor is okay. If you cannot clean every day, I would suggest finding a cage with a wire floor and a pan underneath that catches the poop and pee. Then you only have to clean once to twice a week. However, do put a board or a resting mat in the cage to give the rabbit a place to get off the wire, if it wants. A water dish or a water bottle both work. Just make sure it is heavy with sides that go straight down or angle out (you don't want the top to be wider than the bottom), so that the rabbit cannot tip over the dishes. The same is true for the food dish. I use commercial rabbit food pellets for my rabbits, plus fresh vegetables and some fruit as treats. I also give fresh grass hay every day. The grass hay is very important. Without it, the rabbit might not get enough fibre in the diet, which can be deadly.

I'm not sure what types of litter are available in Spain for the cage floor, but straw can be used. It is not very absorbant, so if you use that, you will have to clean more often. If you have a tray underneath a wire floor, you can use pelleted cat litter, which works very well. Wood shavings can be used, but there is some controversy as to whether or not they cause respiratory problems in rabbits.

The cage size will depend on how large the rabbit will be as an adult, but larger is always better. The breeder can suggest a good cage size for the rabbit.

You will need some toys for the rabbit. Plastic cat toys, wooden parrot toys, and small animal toys work well. They also love simple things like empty wooden thread spools, empty toilet paper rolls, sticks from apple or cherry trees, and pinecones (trim off any prickly parts).

A rabbit should be fed and given fresh water each day. The type of diet and the amount should be discussed with the breeder of your rabbit. You will not want to ever suddenly change its diet. When you bring it home, feed it the same diet the breeder feeds it. If you need to change the diet, do so slowly.

I generally recommend that rabbits are kept indoors, but as long as they are protected well, they can live outdoors, as well. The cage or hutch needs to be sheltered from sun, rain, snow, and bad winds. It needs to be protected from predators. In America, dogs that run loose are usually the biggest threat to outdoor rabbits. A dog can pull a live rabbit through cage wire, piece by piece. I'm not sure what all predators live in Spain, so it would be a good idea to talk to a local breeder about predator protection if your rabbit will be outside.

For more information, you can visit my website at http://www.tsukiyo.org/argent It is based on American rabbit care and breeding, so a few things may be different, but overall it should be very similar.