7 Tips to Keep Your Pet Rabbits in Excellent Health

Rabbits make great pets as they are lovely, curious, playful, and sociable with their owners. They also get along well with dogs and cats, which creates a positive environment all around in the house.

If you have adopted a rabbit and are looking for some useful tips to keep your bunny in superb health, then you have landed at the right place. In this blog, you will see some of the best healthcare tips that ensure superb health and happiness in your pet rabbits.

So let us begin,

1) Give Nutritional Foods

A healthy and nutritional diet for rabbits plays a huge role in keeping them healthy as well as happy. Your bunny may show a little hesitancy while adapting to a healthy diet at first, but you should still stick to a healthy diet plan in order to prevent digestive upsets in them.

It is also essential to provide a hay-based diet to your bunnies as it keeps their teeth healthy and its roughage prevents digestive issues. Infact, 80% of your rabbit’s diet should be grass-based hay.

Instead of giving sugar-based foods to your rabbits, you can give them washed leafy green vegetables and herbs which are safe to eat. Though you might have seen several rabbit owners feeding fruits to their bunnies, it should only be given in smaller amounts as they are loaded with natural sugars.

2) Ensure Plenty of Exercises

Rabbits are born to run. Not giving them enough exercise can terribly slow down their digestive stem, which can often become serious for their health. It also increases the chances of obesity in them.

You need to ensure that your bunnies are out of the cage, at least once a day, either to run outside or inside the room. To stimulate their wild instincts, you can feed them in a dispenser which will help them to eat as well as move around simultaneously.

3) Play with Them Daily For At Least 15 Minutes

Rabbits are among those animals who tend to get bored very easily. Playing with them will not only stimulate their brain but will also help in keeping them healthy as well as happy. The main aim of spending quality time with them is that these creatures need a lot of attention. Social interaction plays a vital role in ensuring excellent physical and mental health.

Speaking of stimulation, you can build an obstacle course for your rabbit out of cardboard boxes, or even out of newspapers to let them challenge themselves.

4) Check For Signs of Injury or Illnesses Often

Rabbits can’t show their pain in case of injury or illness, and hence it becomes essential for owners to be conscious about their bunny’s behaviour. There are some simple tips which will help you to check if your bunny is experiencing some health problem.

Firstly, you should often monitor the energy levels of your Rabbits. Healthy rabbits enjoy moving, hopping and exploring their surroundings. If a rabbit is experiencing pain, it tends to stay idle for a long time.

Secondly, rabbits may show uncanny aggression and may lash out at fellow rabbits and owners, if they are anxious or stressful.

Last but not the least, rabbits too may lose their appetite if they are ill, just like any other animals. If they show reluctance towards food, know that their health might be declining.

5) Neuter Your Rabbit

Getting a rabbit neutered or spayed helps a lot in preventing that extra aggression which usually comes with the raging hormones. Young rabbits do exhibit aggression especially at phases when they have almost reached adulthood. This is true for both male and female bunnies.

Once your rabbits have been altered, their hormones will calm down and so will their unwanted aggression. You should know that male rabbits are usually neutered when they are around three and half months while females are spayed at around six months.

6) Give Massages to Them

Almost all pet rabbits love to be petted. They really like to be scratched around their forehead and also behind their ears. One can even give a massage to them, like stroking their back or rubbing their cheeks and shoulders.

Rabbits purr when they are happy and absolutely at ease. Once your rabbits start settling down, you may start to feel a vibration on their forehead. On close observation, you may also see their whiskers twitching a little, a sign that tells you that they are relaxed.

7) Do Annual Check-Ups

Just like any other pets, rabbits too need an annual check up by the vet, for ensuring that they are maintaining excellent health.It is essential to consult the vet not only when your bunnies are showing unusual behaviour, but also on an yearly basis to check any hidden signs of illnesses.

Your vet will check your bunny’s teeth and see if they have not grown too long or if they are infected. They will also examine their weight, breathing and heart rate, eyes and ears just to make sure that they are in tip-top condition.

Final Thoughts

You have seen seven of the best tips to keep your lovely pet rabbits in superb health. One thing all rabbit owners should know is that keeping the bunnies in excellent shape is infact a long-term commitment. Owners should give a lot of attention as well as love to have a wonderful companionship with these lovely creatures for a long time.