Monster Care 101
Rabbits have a very delicate system, bad design if you ask me, but yeah, they can be fragile. So, if you wanna take home a Monster, you gotta be prepared. Seriously, these are not hardy creatures, cute but delicate little things. Rabbits are prey animals, and they know it, so if something is going on with them, they won’t let you know til it’s bad. We have included a ridiculous amount of facts about care and diet, plus links to some of our friend’s articles. By the time you read all of this, you will be a pro.
The Basics
Told you there was a lot. Don’t worry, it seems like even the basics are a pain in the ass, but these little Monsters are worth it. They’re super entertaining to hang out with, and as long as you follow the “rules” we give ya, they will probably not have any issues.
SPAY AND NEUTER
There are MANY reasons to spay female and neuter male rabbits. Rabbits are abandoned or surrendered to shelters un-altered most often. What people don’t realize is MOST of the common issues we hear about rabbits are directly related to hormones.
Behaviors such as aggression, spraying, territory marking, bad litter habits, cage aggression are ALL solved 9 times out of 10 by having the rabbit fixed.
Spaying/neutering GREATLY reduces risks of cancer. Female rabbits have over a 50% chance of developing uterine cancer by age 4 if not spayed.
Accidental litters are extraordinarily common with rabbits. There’s not a whole saying about this stuff for nothing. Female rabbits ovulate ON DEMAND which means as soon as they are mounted they release eggs. Wild, right? Wait, there’s more… Gestation is 28 days, and they can carry two litters at once. Meaning a pair of unaltered rabbits can produce up to 180 more rabbits in a year. There are far too many rabbits in shelters as it is. Do the responsible thing,
All rabbits adopted out by HMRS will be spayed/neutered. If you want to adopt from us and already have a bunny that needs to be spayed/neutered we will help you with that process.
Care for an adult house rabbit:
Housing: Rabbits should be kept indoors, with monitored outdoor time only. A clean litterbox, hay and water should always be provided. Pen size depends on amount of exercise time. A rabbit’s enclosure should have enough room for them to run and jump. A MINIMUM pen size for one rabbit is 3 by 4 feet or 4 by 5 feet for two. If they have this size pen they must be allowed to have exercise time as well (at least 3 hours a day) Allowing your rabbits to free roam your home or bunny-proofed spaces is always best. Traditional rabbit cages or hutches sold in stores are not acceptable housing for rabbits adopted from HMRS.
Bunny-Proofing: Some rabbits love to chew cords (that’s the SPICY hay as we say!) Using a pen or pet fencing to block off areas with lots of cords is any easy way to avoid this. If you can’t block them off, heavy duty cord protectors may be used. Your rabbits may leave cords alone, but it’s best not to risk it. If you have other pets, keep their food in an area your rabbits won’t be able to access it. Cat and dog food can cause GI upset and obesity in rabbits. Cat litter boxes may need to be kept in an area where bunny can’t dig in it.
Handling your rabbit: When picking up and holding your rabbits, keep them close to you and support their back ends. If they don’t feel secure, they may kick and jump away.
Grooming: Short haired rabbits need to be brushed when shedding. Long haired breeds need daily brushing. DO NOT bathe your rabbits. If they get dirty, they may be spot cleaned with damp towels or baby wipes. Make sure if your rabbit gets wet that you keep them warm and dry them well. Wet rabbits have a high chance of having their temperature drop too low.
Vet care: Rabbits do not require any vaccines in the US as of yet. An annual wellness check is typically all they will need. Keep in mind a few behaviors are considered emergency situations and vet care is required immediately. These include, but aren’t limited to:
-Refusing food
-Not pooping
-Extreme lethargy
-Diarrhea
-Slow or mouth breathing
We recommend you read HERE how to recognize and treat GI stasis in rabbits, as it’s extremely life threatening. Keeping an emergency kit is necessary, and our friends at Know Your Rabbit have you covered HERE.
Diet for an adult house rabbit:
Hay: 75-80% of diet. Provides fiber, calories, stimulates gut motility, and controls cecal fermentation. Hay is absolutely critical to maintaining healthy teeth and gut. Timothy hay is suggested, alfalfa hay should be given only to young rabbits (under 6 months) or nursing does. Hay should be fed in unlimited quantity.
High Fiber Pellet (Timothy based): 20% of diet. Provides calories, protein, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. Pellets should be limited. It is easy to overfeed if not measured. Pellets lack the benefits of hay and veggies and should not be fed in isolation. An average size (6 lbs) rabbit will do fine with ¼ cup per day.
Green Veggies: 5-15% of diet. Greens provide vitamins, minerals, and water. Safe veggie list linked HERE
Water: Fresh, clean water should be available at all times.
Treats: 0-5% of diet. Avoid sugary treats and overfeeding of treats. Too many treats discourage the consumption of healthier foods. A diet high in sugars causes an overgrowth of harmful bacteria resulting in painful gas or GI Stasis. The only brands of “treats” we use/suggest are Lucky Bun Club or Oxbow Healthy Rewards.
Cecal Poo: Cecotropes (aka. butt snacks) are poops that get eaten. Yeah we know, they’re Monsters 😉 They eat them while grooming, but if they do leave any behind, they’ll look like small, dark clusters. Cecals provide essential amino acids and are a vital energy source. If you see these lying around the cage often, immediately cut back on the amount of pellets and greens and start reintroducing veggies slowly. If you don’t see improvement quickly, call your rabbit savvy vet.
Do Not Feed: Yogurt Drops, popcorn, bread, crackers, nuts, seeds, or dried fruit with added sugar.
Pro tips
Hay Monsters are cool, like really cool. They’re super entertaining to watch bounce around the house. These tips will help you give your Monster live it’s best life, which in turn, ensures max entertainment for you!
Look at your rabbit(s) kinda like a cat. Give them a litterbox, a little area just for them (with a pen for when you can’t supervise if they’re destructo-buns) and as much socializing as they want. Like cats, some rabbits only want attention on their terms, ya know?
Having a pair is going to be the best thing to do if your Monster doesn’t get at LEAST 6 hours of human hang out time a day. Trust us, 99% of rabbits are super social, and no one wants a sad, lonely Monster!
You can buy a million different kinds of rabbit toys, but really all you need are cardboard boxes, toilet paper/paper towel tubes. You can stuff hay and treats into the tubes, and boxes are just AWESOME. Whatever keeps your Monster entertained!
Rabbits like to adventure and explore the house. Some even enjoy climbing, and will get a ton of use out of a cat tree, or you can build them different levels of boxes to jump up on so they can properly survey their land.
Rabbits are chewers. Their teeth never stop growing, so in addition to unlimited amounts of Timothy Hay, these little guys need safe chewing options. You can use willow balls or wood twigs from pet supplies, or give them un-stained, un-painted wood such as scraps of 2×4’s. Please don’t buy them anything with artificial colors or dyes.
If you’re doing a good job providing your Monster with a sweet life, you will have the privilege of witnessing “flops” and “binkies” Hopefully you have a lot of storage on your phone because when the binkies start, you need videos, okay?
4 on the floor! MOST rabbits do not want to be held AT ALL. Sure, every now and then we find a unicorn and they’re chill with being held. Please don’t expect it, or force your Monster to be held against their will. This will create a fear of you, and that is the opposite of what we want. Get on their level to build trust, and handle them regularly, because they’re Monsters, and they need humans to thrive.
Groom them!!! Grooming is a sign of LOVE in Monster language. Brush them as often as you can, long hair breeds daily. Brushing is especially important because rabbits are self cleaning, which means they will ingest a good amount of fur. Too much fur can cause blockages and stasis, which are V bad. So, do your Monster a solid and brush them.