Basic Setup for your New Rabbit Compiled by

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1 Basic Setup for your New Rabbit Compiled by SHOPPING LIST - (See below for details and specific recommendations). Cage Litter Litter pans Food and Feeding Supplies o Hay rack o Ceramic food dishes, untippable o Timothy Hay o Pellets o Veggies and treats Fun Stuff o Nesting items, such as tunnels, beds, and shelters; o Things to climb onto or tunnel under o Digging items o Toys Cleaning Supplies o Storage bins for hay, pellet food, bedding, and other supplies; o Dustpan with dust broom o 15 gallon trash can with bags, or without bags if you plan to compost o Small spray bottle o White vinegar o Paper towels o Bottle brushes Vet and Medical Supplies o An appointment at a vet, for an introductory well-rabbit checkup; o Medical needs, including toenail clippers, styptic powder, Neosporin, mineral oil and cotton swabs o Transport carrier Petstore Products To Avoid o Wire floor cages o Pellets with alfalfa, wheat, soy, or beet as the top ingredients (see Food) o Calcium or mineral chews o Almost all petstore treats foods (those made with seeds, yogurt, or which look like froot-loops) (see Food) o Petstore shampoos (wet or "dry" shampoos) o Petstore parasite or mite treatments (especially Hartz brand, and any that contain pyrethrins)

2 Cage (see Since we conform to House Rabbit Society guidelines, we do not recommend a cage as your rabbit's full-time living space. Rather, think of it has his "bedroom" - his place to hang out when you can't be with him, his place for safety and security. HRS recommends that a bunny's home be at least 4 times as big as he is. At a minimum, the cage should be large enough to hold a litter box, containers for food, water and hay; and toys for the rabbit's amusement, yet still allow the rabbit to have room to stretch out comfortably. Height is also important. The rabbit should be able to sit up and stretch without hitting his head on the top of the cage. Some cages are two-story, or come with a built-in shelf or loft. This increases the useable space inside the cage and gives the rabbit the opportunity to jump and stretch. But bigger is always better! ACR&S requires at least 16 square feet (4'x4') for one or two small rabbits, more for larger rabbits. The cage should have a side door that the rabbit can easily hop through, unassisted, when you leave it unlatched. The benefit of this is that the rabbit does not have to rely on his owner for entering and exiting the cage. A side door should open to the side, not to the bottom, because the rabbit may get his foot caught in the cage door when entering or leaving the cage. There have been reported cases of rabbits breaking their legs on such doors. In addition to a side door, a top door may also be helpful for times when you need to reach in and remove the rabbit or clean the cage. Wire flooring is an unacceptable flooring material. It damages the feet and can cause permanent lameness. The cage should, ideally, be located in a family room where you will be able to see and interact with the bunny daily, to make him part of your family. A bunny stuck in a garage or children's bedroom is not a family member. Furthermore, you will need to monitor your bunny's food intake and waste production twice daily for signs of ill health (see last page). Purchased Cages The size of most pet store cages is WOEFULLY inadequate for rabbits. If you want to purchase an adequately-sized ready-made cage, you will have to pay top dollar for it. Any cage costing under $100 will not be acceptable. Leith Petwerks ( makes the only cage approved and used by our group. A single level provides 8 square feet of space; we use two levels (almost 16 square feet) for our small bunnies. Homemade cages There are two primary types of homemade cage: grid cages, and pen cages.

3 Grid cages are constructed of coated wire storage grids. They often have an easy to clean floor to protect your carpet or hardwood. This cage has a coroplast floor with 6" raised edges to hold in flying poops. More pictures and instructions may be found at: Pens instead of Cages A cheap and desirable rabbit enclosure is a wire dog exercise pen. These are usually 4'x4' which provides plenty of space. They are easy to reconfigure and transport, and can also be set up on a protective surface such as linoleum or coroplast. Litter and litter pans Most bunnies are instinctively clean and will learn to use a litter pan with very little effort. Sometimes you have to let the bunny decide where he wants to potty, and then put the pan in that location! Never, ever use those typical pet-shop beddings, such as cedar, the green stuff, and fragranced wood shavings; they are treated with or contain fragrant oils and are toxic to rabbits. Kitty litter

4 is DEADLY, since it is clay-based, dusty and treated with fragrance. Rabbits often eat their litter and will become severely impacted if offered mineral based litter! Corncob-based litter may seem like a good choice but there is a high risk of choking if the rabbit eats it. Of acceptable litter, you have three choices: Wood shavings Wood shavings are the cheapest and the most widely available. Aspen is the best but the most expensive of the wood shavings - it is soft, oil free, and completely safe. Pine shavings are the cheapest, but be sure they are kiln dried, with no strong pine scent, and are large shavings rather than sawdust. Don't just go by the label, either - I have bought "kiln dried" pine that smelled atrociously strong when I opened it, and so I had to return it. Recycled paper beddings is that they are far more expensive than wood shavings, but Carefresh is the recommended litter if cost is not an issue. It works far better at absorbing wetness and odor, preventing messy bottoms and enabling you to go longer between complete changes. Cell-sorb, Carefresh, Nature's News, and Yesterday's News are all beddings made from recycled paper products. Some are soft flakes of paper, others are hard pellets. Either is acceptable for rabbits. These are sometimes sold as kitty litter, be sure to get the kind that is fragrance free and contains no clay or mineral additives. The disadvantage of these Alternative beddings There is a highly desirable bedding called EcoStraw which is made of recycled straw. It is safe, edible, and flushable, but very expensive and often only available from online retailers. Some rabbit owners use hay or rabbit food pellets as bedding. This is an expensive but very desirable option.

5 Shredded paper is cheap, fun, and safe, but very non-absorbent - you may find the odor is too strong and that the urine stands in the pan if it is not changed multiple times per day. The Litter box Your bunny's litter box should be large enough that he can get completely inside it. Most bunnies back up to the corner before urinating, and if the box is too small or the sides too low, they may back right over the edge and pee on the floor! But if your bunny does not do this, you can just use a cat litter box, you don't need the special boxes market for rabbits. Instead of purchased litter pans, you can use Rubbermaid storage bins. These come in a wide variety of sizes so it's easier to find a size for very large rabbits. For bunnies who need very high sides, you can even buy a tall bin and cut a door in the side: Food and Water, and Feeding Supplies A sturdy water bottle is essential. The best water bottles have a rubber stopper inside a plastic crown and are clear so the water level is easy to see; and have a metal rather than a plastic sipper tube to prevent nibbling. Be sure to get two so you can swap out for a clean one every day! Lixit makes an excellent all-glass bottle with rubber stopper and stainless steel attachment hardware. I've had one of these in continuous use since 1996 with no breakage or leaks! Here are two bottles to avoid:

6 The flip-top bottle seems convenient, but instead of a ball it has a metal prong that often hurts a bunny's lips and tongue! This inexpensive bottle has a metal spring inside the tube to help prevent drip. Unfortunately this spring can rust if exposed to bleach or left submerged for several hours. Many bunnies have a hard time drinking from bottles, and some people argue that water crocks are preferable. I find it safest to offer both. I use crocks that screw onto the wall of the cage and I place them right under the bottle. This helps catch the drips and also provides two alternative water sources, ensuring adequate water despite accidents (clogged bottles or spilt crocks). For multiple rabbits, use several of these, or one very large (heavy stoneware is best) crock so there's less chance of them drinking it dry. A hay rack prevents the hay from being scattered on the ground where it becomes soiled and inedible. Some bunny owners find that bunnies have a harder time reaching up into a rack for hay, and prefer to eat it off the ground. In this case simply put the hay in the litter box, but be sure to change the litter box and hay frequently so your bunny always has clean hay to eat. You can also provide hay in a small willow basket or cardboard box for added foraging fun. As with water crocks, food dishes should be heavy, so that they're not tipped over easily. Plastic bowls are often too light, and some bunnies will playfully turn them over and fling them around. Timothy Hay Banner by Rabbits need free access to grass hay, such as timothy, at all times. Hay on the ground should be considered soiled and removed after 12 hours. The best, freshest hay is by Oxbow or Kaytee. Oxbow is more expensive and harder to find (online at but it is consistently fresher and less messy. Kaytee is made of more small particles that get all over the floor and are harder to pick up by hand, and its quality waxes and wanes. You can also buy timothy at feed or farm supply stores, but it is exceptionally messy (sold in unwrapped bales) and

7 tends to contain many weeds and other non-timothy plant particles. Other common types of grass hay are bluegrass, orchard grass, oat grass, and brome. If feeding different varieties it is advisable to research their nutritional content and be sure you are feeding a mixture which provides all necessary nutrients. Alfalfa hay is actually a legume rather than a grass hay, and is not advised for adult animals since it can lead to the formation of bladder stones. Veggies and Treats In addition to hay and pelleted feed, provide your bunny with lots of fresh vegetables daily. These will provide the essential vitamin A that your rabbit needs, along with an interesting variety in his or her diet. Tend toward feeding more dark green, leafy vegetables, with fruits sparingly in the diet. The natural sugars in fruits should not be a major part of a rabbit's diet. There is no steadfast amount for feeding vegetables to rabbits. Start with small amounts, and see what your bunny likes. Remove any uneaten veggies after about an hour so that you don't have an icky, moldy mess in your bun's home. Experiment with different fruits and vegetables; using this list to start. Add one vegetable to the diet at a time. Eliminate if it causes soft stools or diarrhea. ALL fresh foods must be washed and free of pesticide residue. If you're picking dandelion greens or grass from outside, ensure that the area is/was free of chemicals and animal droppings, which are lethal. Even car exhaust fumes can leave traces of poison; recently-mowed grass will still have toxic fumes from the lawnmower on it. Here is a list of suggested fruits and veggies, courtesy of Vegetables Select at least three kinds of vegetables daily. A variety is necessary in order to obtain the necessary nutrients, with one each day that contains Vitamin A, indicated by an *. Alfalfa, radish & clover sprouts Basil Beet greens (tops)* Bok choy Broccoli (mostly leaves/stems)* Brussels sprouts Carrot & carrot tops* Celery Cilantro Clover Collard greens* Dandelion greens and flowers (no pesticides)* Endive* Escarole Green peppers Kale (!)* Mint Mustard greens* Parsley* Pea pods (the flat edible kind)* Peppermint leaves Raddichio Radish tops Raspberry leaves Romaine lettuce (no iceberg or light colored leaf)* Spinach (!)* Watercress* Wheat grass

8 (!)=Use sparingly. High in either oxalates or goitrogens and may be toxic in accumulated quantities over a period of time Fruits Apple (remove stem and seeds) Blueberries Melon Orange (including peel) Papaya Peach Pear Pineapple Plums Raspberries Strawberries Sugary fruits such as bananas and grapes should be used only sparingly, as occasional treats. Bunnies have a sweet tooth and if left to their own devices will devour sugary foods to the exclusion of healthful ones. Timothy pellets (data and citations from Pelleted food is the most readily available source of food for rabbits, providing a concentrated source of nutrients. But pellets should not be the main staple in your bun's diet. Pellets should come in after hay and preferably also after veggies. The highly concentrated nature of pellets ensures that rabbits gain weight quickly, important for many breeders since those rabbits not bred are often slaughtered for meat by the age of 16 weeks. (UFAW Handbook 1987, 426). Instead of giving the rabbit all she can eat in a day, a night, or a few hours, we have been considering the following amounts as maximums (Brown 1994): 5-7 lb of body wt. 1/4 cup daily 8-10 lb body wt. 1/2 cup daily lb of body wt. 3/4 cup daily There is evidence that small breeds (under 2 lbs) may require a diet higher in energy and lower in fiber than the larger breeds (Cheeke 1987, 324). Only use pellets formulated specifically for rabbits; other small animal pellets lack the proper balance of nutrients that are essential for bunnies. Unfortunately, many of the bags on pet store shelves do not have adequate nutritional value. Several brands contain added nuts and sunflower seeds, which are high in fat. Good pellet brands include: Oxbow's Bunny Basic T, available at selected stores and through American Pet Diner's Timmy pellet, available through Kay-Tee Timothy Complete, a good pet store brand. Kaytee makes two unacceptable brands: Forti-Diet and Exact. These contain mostly alfalfa and also many seeds and floofy bits of low nutritional value.

9 Fun fun fun Verbatim from "FAQ: Toys ( Why is it important to provide toys? Toys are important because they provide: Mental stimulation. Without challenging activities to occupy your rabbit when you're not home, your rabbit, especially a solitary rabbit, will get bored. This could lead to depression and/or excessive destruction. The creative use of toys can extend your rabbit's life by keeping him interested in his surroundings, by giving him the freedom to interact with those surroundings, and by allowing him to constantly learn and grow. Physical exercise. Your rabbit needs safe activities to keep her body in shape as well as her mind. She needs things to climb on, crawl under, hop on and around, dig into, and chew on. Without outlets for these physical needs, your rabbit may become fat or depressed, or may create jumping, chewing, or crawling diversions with your furniture. Bunny proofing for your home. As is clear from the above descriptions, toys are not just for your rabbit, they also keep your house safe. By providing your rabbit with a selection of toys chosen to meet her age, sex, reproductive status and temperament, you have fulfilled most of the requirements of bunny proofing your home. What are good bunny toys? If you find your rabbit ingesting plastic or cardboard toys, switch to a different type of toy that the rabbit is not interested in eating. Some good toys to start with: Paper Bags and Cardboard boxes for crawling inside, scratching, and chewing. Bunnies like them much more when there are at least two entry points into the boxes. Chris Rosenzweig has some Great Tips on Building Bunny Box Toys Cardboard concrete forms for burrowing Cardboard roll from paper towels or toilet paper Untreated wicker baskets or boxes full of: shredded paper, junk mail, magazines, straw, or other organic materials for digging Yellow Pages for shredding Cat toys: Batta balls, and other cat toys that roll or can be tossed Parrot toys that can be tossed, or hung from the top of the cage and chewed or hit Baby toys: hard plastic (not teething) toys like rattles and keys, things that can be tossed Children's or birds' mobiles for hitting "Lazy cat lodge" (cardboard box with ramps and windows) to climb in and chew on. Also, kitty condos, tubes, tunnels, and trees Nudge and roll toys like large rubber balls, empty Quaker Oat boxes and small tins "Busy Bunny" toys Plastic Rainbow slinkies

10 Toys with ramps and lookouts for climbing and viewing the world Dried out pine cones Jungle gym type toys from Toys R Us A (straw) whisk broom A hand towel for bunching and scooting Untreated wood, twigs and logs that have been aged for at least 3 months. Apple tree branches can be eaten fresh off the tree. Stay away from: cherry, peach, apricot, plum and redwood, which are all poisonous. Untreated sea grass or maize mats from Pier One or Cost Plus (World Market) Things to jump up on (they like to be in high places) Colorful, hard plastic caps from laundry detergent and softener bottles. They have great edges for picking up with their teeth, make a nice "ponk" sound when they collide, and the grip ridges molded into the plastic make a neat "rachety" sound when rabbits digs at the cap. The caps are nice for human-stacks-on-floor and bun-knocks-down kind of games. Note: Be sure not to choose caps from caustic material bottles (e.g. drain uncloggers, bathroom cleaner bottles) since a residue of the cleaner might remain no matter how much washing off you do. Time to clean! Hay, bedding, and pellets tend to be sold in bags, so to keep them fresh and to prevent them from drifting around your house, it is handy to have large plastic storage bins for them. Get a few extra for keeping extra toys and cleaning supplies. Many bunnies are a bit protective of their cages. It is, after all, their private safe place. I find it easiest to clean if the bunny is having free-run time and is therefore distracted from my invasion. However you might find it necessary to shut your bunny out while you clean if he is particularly aggressive about his territory! Start with the litter boxes: Use a small dustpan to scoop out the soiled bedding into a trash baglined trashcan (if you plan to compost your soiled bedding you can scoop it right into the can, but be sure to rise it out every time or it will start to smell). I like to use a 30 gallon trash can because it holds the bags open for me and I can have both hands free to hold the litter box and the dustpan. Spray down the litter box with a white vinegar-water solution. (I get the little spray bottles they sell in the cosmetic sections, as they come in all kinds of neat colors). The vinegar cuts thru the urine and prevents staining of the box. Dry well with the paper towels, then clean the dustpan with more vinegar and dry it as well. Now you can scoop clean litter back into the box with the same dustpan. Setting the clean boxes aside, remove all the toys and "furniture" from the cage. Use the pan and dust broom to clean up any stray poops or bits of hay that might be floating around the cage. If there are accidents they can also be cleaned with the vinegar mix and paper towels. Now everything can be put back into the cage. As you put each toy or other item back, inspect it for damage that might harm your bunny (sharp edges where he has nibbled, pee stains on the grass mat squares, etc).

11 Be sure to keep the water bottles/bowls and food bowls as clean as possible. It is very important to change the water daily, and clean the bottle at LEAST weekly. To clean, use a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water; don't use commercial cleaners, since they are toxic to rabbits. As stated before, if you buy two bottles, one can be cleaned and dried thoroughly while the other is being used. I also use two bottle brushes on my bottles - one big one for the body of the bottle and a very small one for inside the drinking tube. A healthy bunny is a happy bunny Your new rabbit should have an appointment with your vet, for an introductory well-bunny checkup; before he even gets home. The vet can advise you on the medical supplies you might want to keep at home such as toenail clippers, styptic powder, Neosporin, mineral oil and cotton swabs. He can also teach you about the daily care and grooming that will ensure a healthy bun. Be sure to pick up a small pet carrier for transporting your rabbit to the vet. These will protect him if you are in an accident, and will also prevent him accidentally wiggling out of your arms and getting away or getting in trouble with another animal! Put some shredded newspaper or a towel in the bottom to give your bunny a place to burrow and hide, as the vet trip might make him very nervous. I prefer carriers which are large enough to hold a small litter pan, as several of my bunnies will otherwise try to "hold it" during the whole trip! It is essential that you pay close attention to your bunny's behavior, food intake, and waste production at all times. Being prey animals, they tend to hide their illnesses; you often don't realize that a bunny is sick until it is too late. Food intake is often the best indicator of illness. Rabbits can die from as little as 12 hours of anorexia so if your bunny stops eating, get to a vet FAST. Please see rabbit.org for detailed healthcare information. It is highly advisable to become familiar with the rabbit health FAQ so that you can be alert to the most common signs of bunny illness. Petstore Products To Avoid No matter where you go for supplies, the pet store will offer lots of products which, while marketed for rabbits, are at best useless and at worst harmful. Employees will often try to entice you with these products just to make a quick sale. Don't waste your money and risk your bun's life! As mentioned before, do not buy your bun wire floored cages, treats with seeds or nuts, yogurt treats, or froot-loops style puffed treats. Calcium or mineral chews are unnecessary; in addition, too much calcium can lead to kidney and bladder problems. The uneducated will often tell you that bunnies need extra calcium; this is absolutely untrue. Many buns do not use the small wooden chew toys that stores sell. They are for the most part harmless, but don t be too disappointed if he doesn't use them. Rabbits are like babies; the cardboard box is often more exciting than the toy!

12 Petstore parasite or mite treatments (especially Hartz brand, and any that contain pyrethrins) might be DEADLY to rabbits. If you suspect any sort of mite or parasite, you MUST see your vet for safe treatment. Source material from this document comes from: Gratitude to these wonderful sites for such good information!