Other Pets

RABBITS Rabbits make rewarding family pets and are increasingly kept indoors as part of the family. Rabbits have special physical and behavioural needs which owners must consider before buying a rabbit.   Diet A good quality pelleted food or rabbit mix containing oats, maize and other cereals, should be the staple of the rabbits diet. Only provide enough food for one day. This prevents food being spit or trampled, which leads to waste. The ideal way to feed your rabbit is to split the daily requirements over two to three small meals, administered at regular times. Rabbits also need a portion of roughage in their diet to prevent a disease known as mucoid enteritis. What do we mean by roughage? The most common form of roughage in rabbits are hay and straw. Hay should be available to the rabbit throughout the day, but never put in more than one day's supply because the rabbit will simply trample on the excess and soil it. Never feed dusty or poor quality hay, for this can lead to respiratory and digestive upsets. If the hutch is large enough, place the hay in a rack on the wall. A variety of vegetables are suitable as food for rabbits, including beans, broccoli, cabbage spinach and lettuce. All green food should be well washed and shaken dry before feeding, to prevent leaves soiled by wild rabbits from passing any diseases to your pet.   Grooming Healthy rabbits are fastidious groomers. Rabbits kept in groups will often groom each other, especially around the head. Occasionally a dominant rabbit will chew the coat of a subordinate rabbit, leaving areas of stubble. This condition is known as barbering. An underlying condition such as Dental disease or Obesity can prevent a rabbit from grooming thoroughly. Rabbits have a dense coat and moult regularly. Rabbit skin is extremely thin and susceptible to tearing and bruising. It is possible to produce a nasty tear just by pulling a matted clump of hair away from the skin, especially around the tail and genital area. It is better to tease mats carefully out of the coat using a plastic comb rather than a metal one.   Sterilisation Sterilisation is recommended in both male and female rabbits and may be done at any age over 4 -5 months. Some of the benefits of sterilisation in pet rabbits are: - Reduces incidence of unwanted litters - Reduces dominance aggression and fighting between individual animals so they may be kept together - Reduces territorial scent marking by urinating on household objects. - Prevents false pregnancies and aggressive behaviour in female rabbits - Reduces territorial aggression towards owners - Prevents cancer of the uterus or mammary glands, which are common conditions of the elderly female rabbits.   Dental Care Dental disease and related conditions are the most common reason for owners of pet rabbits to seek veterinary treatment. Facial abscesses, anorexia, weight loss, skin diseases, grooming disorders, and fly strike are often the result of an underlying dental disorder. The front or incisor teeth of rabbits grow continually throughout their life. Wild rabbits keep them short by continually gnawing at branches, bark and other hard foods. A rabbit with overgrown or badly positioned teeth often becomes very thin because eating becomes difficult, and a badly neglected one may even starve to death. The solution to this problem is to have your Veterinarian trim down overgrown teeth and you can prevent the condition from recurring by providing the rabbit with harder foods such as cabbage stalks.

---