How to love a rabbit

Loving a rabbit is easy; caring for one is not so easy. Rabbits are social creatures. They make wonderful companions and their lifespan is upwards of 10 years if they remain fit and healthy. Learning about the needs of your rabbit and tending to those needs is the foundation of a loving relationship. Providing care to a pet rabbit isn't difficult, but it does require organization, planning and the ability to establish and keep a schedule.

Things You'll Need

  • Cage
  • Cage padding
  • Exercise area
  • Healthy diet
  • Water
  • Chew toys
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Instructions

    • 1

      Create a home for your rabbit indoors. The outdoors is a place of danger for a domesticated rabbit. Part of loving a rabbit is protecting it from a harsh environment. The outdoors invariably has weather changes that a pet rabbit can't tolerate. Predators are also a part of the outdoors and can cause so much stress that a pet rabbit can have a heart attack.

    • 2

      Check your home to see if it is safety proofed. Even if you don't let the rabbit run throughout the whole house, there is a chance that it could break out of its environment and get into trouble in other parts of the home. Rabbits like to chew and can get electrocuted by chewing on cords plugged into outlets. Rabbits can also get into toxic chemicals that when spilled can burn their feet, nose and eyes. The best way to keep your rabbit safe is to use child protective devices to fasten cabinet doors and toddler gates to block entry into certain rooms.

    • 3

      Give the rabbit plenty of room in its cage to move around. A rabbit needs to stretch out and stand on its back legs with its head not touching the top of the cage. If the cage has a wire floor, lay down protective pads as the wiring can cause abrasions and cuts on the rabbit's feet. Place the cage in a quiet place in the house. Rabbits need solitude and quiet time. Create a place for your rabbit to hide inside the cage. A plain cardboard box or paper grocery sack allows your rabbit to find some privacy in his cage.

    • 4

      Develop an exercise time for your rabbit. This is a time of day that the rabbit can exercise freely in a designated area outside of its cage. Exercise time stimulates the rabbit and keeps it from getting depressed.

    • 5

      Feed your rabbit a balanced diet. Rabbits have a complex diet system, so feed them only foods that rabbits can eat. A basic rabbit diet includes hay, vegetables and fruits. Don't feed your rabbit pellets regularly because they contain seeds, corn and other ingredients a rabbit's digestive system can't digest. A rabbit does need a continuous supply of water that is freshened at least once a day.

    • 6

      Make sure that the rabbit has plenty of chew toys so that it can live a happy, active and amused life. Put untreated wood and cardboard in the rabbit cage along with balls, rings and bowls. The simplest household items like a toilet paper rolls are a big hit with rabbits. Activity is the key to loving and caring for a pet rabbit.