Rabbits require a lot of care. If you are going to keep a rabbit indoors, it is important to know a few things to ensure it stays happy and healthy.
When keeping an indoor rabbit, it will need a big resting area that’s rabbit-proof. You will need to feed your rabbit fresh food. It’s also vital to clean your rabbit’s space frequently and ensure it has room to run, jump, and hop. Lastly, make sure you keep your rabbit away from hazards.
Let’s consider whether you can keep a rabbit indoors and how to care for an indoor rabbit to ensure he stays happy and healthy.
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How To Care For An Indoor Rabbit
You can happily keep a rabbit indoors. However, rabbits need secure accommodation, a place to use as a toilet, and a confined area where they can move around when they are unsupervised. You will also need to give your rabbit plenty of exercise and room to run around.
If you own a rabbit, you need to know a few vital things to ensure your rabbit stays happy and healthy. They require a lot of care, and you need to be sure you can give them everything they need.
Ensure Your Rabbit’s Resting Area Is Big Enough
Your rabbit’s resting area should be as large as possible to allow him to eat and rest. This area should be cool and dark, away from noise. Make sure the area is well-ventilated and dry to prevent illness. To know if the resting area is big enough, consider the following questions:
- Is it big enough for your rabbit to sleep and stretch out comfortably?
- Is it high enough that your rabbit can stand up fully without its ears touching the top?
- Is it long enough for your rabbit to move around, go to the toilet, eat, and drink?
Generally, the area should be at least 59 to 71 inches in length and 24 inches in height. If you plan to have more than one rabbit, you should also account for every additional rabbit in terms of space.
Feed Your Indoor Rabbit
If you’re caring for a baby rabbit whose mother cannot feed him, you will need to ensure that the baby rabbit gets all the nutrients he needs. You can replace rabbit milk with kitten milk replacer or goat milk. It is preferable to add sugar-free 100% whipped cream and acidophilus to maintain good gut health.
You will have the option of buying it in powdered or liquid form. In its powdered form, kitten milk replacer has a shelf-life of three months, whereas liquid is only good for 14 days. You should feed your newborn baby rabbit kitten milk replacer until he’s about six weeks of age.
An alternative to kitten milk replacer is goat milk that is high in calories and protein. You can also add whipped cream without sugar and acidophilus. This will up the calories of the baby rabbit’s meal, mimicking the richness of rabbit milk.
After ten days of birth, you can introduce your baby rabbit to solid foods, along with kitten milk replacer or goat milk. With solid food, it is important to know what type of rabbit you have. Wild rabbits eat differently from domestic rabbits. If you have a domestic rabbit, you should only feed him oat hay, timothy hay, pellets, and alfalfa hay.
If you have a wild rabbit, you should only feed him oat and timothy hay, alfalfa hay, dark leafy green vegetables, carrot tops, and parsley. Ensure that the vegetables are fresh and moist. You need to replace them regularly to avoid any bacteria build-up.
Water is very important for hydration. Along with their milk and solids, ensure that you give your rabbit enough water through an oral syringe or eyedropper if it’s a baby. If he can drink on his own, give him water in a shallow dish and place it in the corner of his cage.
What follows is the quantity of pellets and vegetables you need to give your baby rabbit if he is an average weight of six to ten pounds.
| How To Feed A 6 to 10-Pound Rabbit (Adult) | Amount in Cups |
| Pellets | ¼ |
| Vegetables | 1 – 2 |
These are just general guidelines since how much you feed your rabbit depends on the type of rabbit and its size.
Ensure Your Rabbit Gets Enough Exercise
Rabbits are very active and athletic and, therefore, need a place where they can jump, crawl, hop, and run. Ensure your rabbit has access to sturdy platforms where he can jump from and a place to run. You can even get your rabbit logs and chew toys, so he doesn’t get bored.
You must allow your rabbit to have a daily run. The area should be large enough for your rabbit to run and jump around and should preferably be grassy. To keep your rabbit safe, ensure the area is escape-proof and free from predators.
Place Your Rabbit In A Cool Room
If your rabbit lives indoors, he must be protected from both hot and cold temperatures. Rabbits can overheat, so don’t keep him in direct sunlight or near a heater or radiator.
Rabbit Proof Your House
You need to ensure that the area your rabbit lives in has no wires he can chew through. All wires should be out of your rabbit’s reach. Rabbits love to explore and chew, so you will need to make sure that your personal belongings are out of their reach. Here are some tips to rabbit proof your house:
- Cover your baseboards with plastic guards
- Cover your wires with flex tubing to prevent your rabbit from chewing through them or getting electrocuted
- Use baby gates to section off areas you don’t want your rabbit to go to
- Keep house plants out of your rabbit’s reach since most of them are toxic to rabbits
Clean Your Rabbit’s Space
Hygiene is extremely important. Besides being safe, your rabbit’s area should also be cleaned daily. You can use shredded newspapers as a toilet area for your rabbit and replace it regularly.
All wet and dirty bedding or shavings should be removed from his space and replaced. You must regularly replace your rabbit’s food and ensure he has fresh vegetables and pellets. As for his water bowl, this should be refilled and cleaned daily.
Clean your rabbit’s entire area thoroughly at least once a week to ensure the environment is hygienic and safe. Use a pet-friendly disinfectant to clean the area and make sure the area is dry before allowing your rabbit to return.
Keep Your Rabbit Away From Hazards
If you have indoor plants, you should keep your rabbit away from them since many plants are toxic to rabbits. You have to keep your rabbit away from cleaning supplies, medicines, and other products.
Conclusion
Rabbits require a lot of care. They also need to have a big enough area to roam around, sleep, eat, drink, and go to the toilet. The area your rabbit stays in should also be well-ventilated and dry. From the day your rabbit is born up until six weeks, he should be fed kitten milk replacer or goat milk if his mother is not feeding him. Adult rabbits should eat pellets and vegetables.
Remember, rabbits love to chew, so make sure that all your wires are either out of your rabbit’s reach or covered with flex tubing. To keep your rabbit safe, all cleaning supplies, medicines, and other related products should be far out of his reach. Hygiene and exercise are also important to ensure your rabbit stays happy and healthy!
