Orchard Vet's Blog

Rabbit Awareness Week

21/06/2024

The Rabbit Awareness Week campaign runs every year to help educate rabbit owners and potential owners about the welfare needs of these wonderful animals. We’ll be sharing hints and tips on how to aid your bunny in a long and happy life over on our Facebook page.



Rabbits are lively, energetic creatures. They are extremely sociable and great at keeping themselves clean! Rabbits have five basic needs that all owners should meet which are covered by the Animal Welfare Act:

Environment
Rabbits can be kept indoors or outdoors, but if keeping them indoors it’s important that you gradually introduce your rabbit to common household sights and sounds, and make sure that all areas are rabbit-proofed! For best practices on bunny housing click here.

Diet
Rabbits are herbivores which means they need a plant-based diet with lots of fibre. Choosing the best diet for your bunnies can be confusing as they need a balanced diet with the right mix of fibre, vitamins and minerals to keep them happy and healthy. For more information on providing your bunny with the best diet click here.

Behaviour
Rabbits are lively, energetic creatures. They are extremely sociable and great at keeping themselves clean! Have you noticed your rabbit jumping in the air and twisting? This is called a binky and is a good sign that your bunny is happy and playful! For more common rabbit behaviours, and advice on how to train them click here.

Companionship
Rabbits are social animals. This means they must live in pairs or groups to keep them happy. Littermates usually make the best companions – but they should always be neutered! For more information on rabbit companionship click here.

Health
You should bring your rabbit for a health check with one of our vets every 6-12 months and check that they are eating correctly and passing plenty of droppings every day. It’s important to keep an eye out for signs of fly strike, gut stasis, Encephalitozoon, RVHD and Myxomatosis in rabbitts.

If you notice your bunny has a bloated belly, stops eating, drinking and passing stools call us immediately. For more details about rabbit health click here.

All information for this week was brought to you from the Rabbit Awareness Action Group website so if you would like any further information or resources visit them directly.