Mary Allen
Rabbits do not come from the hare, as is often assumed, but from the wild rabbit, which lives in complex social groups. Therefore, the cute long-ears are by no means suitable for individual keeping – two animals are the minimum. Read here what you need to consider when purchasing rabbits.
Choice of partner! The fertility of rabbits is legendary – you should therefore have pummelers neutered in mixed groups before they reach sexual maturity (eight to ten weeks of age). In addition to multiplication, you also prevent turf wars. However, intolerance can also occur in groups of females. If you decide to have two rabbits, it is ideal to keep a female together with a neutered bull. Make sure that the animals are about the same age. With good care, rabbits can live to be seven to eleven years old, with smaller breeds getting older than large ones. The variety of breeds is enormous: 88 breeds in 350 different colors are registered in Germany alone. By the way: Keeping rabbits and guinea pigs together is not appropriate to the species and should be avoided at all costs. Often the animals tolerate each other, but they cannot communicate with each other like conspecifics, rather they are lonely together.
Cozy Enclosure
The agile rabbits have a great need to exercise – keeping them in cages is strict to be rejected. In principle, indoor and outdoor posture, as well as a mixed form, are possible. The enclosure consists of two components: a sheltered retreat and an outdoor area that is ideally accessible at all times. A cage with a hygienic plastic tub and a barred structure is suitable as a place of retreat. The minimum dimensions for the retreat for two rabbits are 150 by 60 centimeters with a cage height of 50 centimeters. Half of the area is added for each additional animal. The free-range should ideally be 6 m² if two rabbits are kept permanently and should be increased by 20% for each additional animal. In the apartment, for example, a beautiful rabbit room can be created. It is essential to ensure that the free run in the apartment is “rabbit-proof”, i.e. that all objects that are dangerous for the rabbit are removed or secured. When kept outdoors, rabbits enjoy a large, fenced-in free range in the garden.
The Perfect Retreat
- One sleeping house per animal as a place to rest and hide;
- Hayrack;
- Food bowls;
- Nipple potions;
- High tub with hay and straw for digging;
- Litter made of pellets and litter, e.g. B. from paw-friendly paper flakes;
- Two entrances so that the animals can get out of the way;
- Indoor location: quiet room, corner of the room, without drafts and direct sunlight;
- Outside location: protected from the weather and predator-proof, shady area;
- Warning: rabbits are extremely sensitive to heat!
Make the free run varied and rabbit-proof: shelters with raised lying areas as lookouts, structural elements such as tree disks, branches, ramps, pipes, and opportunities for scratching and digging make the small animal’s heart beat faster. Commercially available: Well-structured enclosures on different levels with integrated resting areas and free-range.
What is Still Part of the Basic Equipment?
- One transport box per animal;
- Sufficient fence parts to fence off the free-range (if no whole rabbit room is available);
- Food: hay, dry food, fresh food – read our nutrition flyer;
- Litter: pellets as a moisture-binding sub-layer, straw, and a possibility for digging (e.g. digging box);
- Fur brush, if necessary plucking brush;
- Claw scissors.