Before your rabbit arrives home you should have researched the breed thoroughly and prepared yourself and the home accordingly.
It is really tempting to play with and show off your new rabbit, but you need to just cam don and allow your new friend to settle in. Do not muck them out for a few days so they can scent their new home and you can check that they are functioning normally. Dont give them too much space too soon - let them gradually explore when they are ready, if hey are stressed they will hide away in the back of their hutch - let them be - pushing them can cause them to get stressed and stop eating which is detrimental to their health. Rabbits are prey animals and startle easily - many can be injured or fit by running scared and breaking bones or having a heart attack. If you have other pets remember however friendly they are, rabbits are prey animals and may be terrified of them. So just remember the rule - gradual changes. Some rabbits take it all in their stride but if you are aware of how to deal with issues and have done your research, then you are ready to save your rabbits life !
Changing their food too quickly can also cause problems - You will have been given a sample of their food so change mix this in gradually over the week with the food you have bought. Or ask in advance what food they are on so their diet does not change and feeding issues can be avoided. Any change in a rabbits diet must be done very slowly as their guts do not cope with sudden changes. Make sure you give hay and or readigrass to help with their fibre intake. Pineapple juice in their water once a month will help avoid fur ball and break down any harmful enzymes. If you want to give treats a few barley rings or half a digestive biscuit or weetabix - dry not with milk !! Is suitable. A wooden chew ( watch out for coloured ones as the dye will turn their wee the same colour and alarm you lol) and a jingle ball are toys they enjoy.. or a hay ball with bell underneath, will keep them occupied and help boredom. Hay is very important - barley straw is less messy for the show rabbits and saves having to pick out all the seeds from a fluffy coat which can be exasperating !
Avoid the grass for a while and other treats .. introducing these gradually again too, grazing in short periods - but be aware of wild rabbits in your area that may pass on myxi or dogs using the same ground which will have contaminated it with their toileting. Fresh hedgerow treats and herbs are what the wild rabbit would seek out to aid their health .. so look up which are good for them and adding to their diet and sticks to chew on make a natural beneficial addition to their feed.
Water bottles are best to drink from as if they have bowls they will end up paddling and break the rule of don't get your rabbit wet ! If they do get wet then they must be dried immediately - use towels and hairdryer it will take a long time and if they start felting up then the only answer is to clip off to the skin and start again ! On the water bottle note - some are different so make sure that the rabbit gets used to the one it has and if not drinking then syringe water down or offer a bowl to quench thirst and find out which bottle they were used to from your seller and change if necessary. Sometimes the nipples on bottles get blocked and rabbits become dehydrated without you realising because the bottle still has water in you dont fill it up. My adults angoras get through half a litre of water a day on average - more if hotter and have hay or have litters with them..so I use litre bottles so they never run out.
If your rabbit is going to live outside then they need to be out of direct sunlight ( heat will kill more than cold) and where they cannot get wet from the rain or wet ground. as this will felt up their coat with severe consequences. Your hutch or cage should be big enough so that they can stand up and stretch on hind legs, lay out and do three strides. Access to a run is advisable but angoras are quite happy to sit in their hutch and watch the world go by. They were bred to sit on a stool and be spun from so many will just have a mad stretch moment then just laze around. If your rabbit is going to live indoors then a dog cage is ideal, consider the safety issues such as wires they can chew - and they love to nibble on furnishings and curtains so give them plenty of wood toys and hay for their teeth. They are high stress rabbits so do not ove indulge them in the first couple of weeks.. quiet time in a covered cage or hutch will allow them to acclimatise. Mine are exhibition bred and not used ot the family environment so need to be introduced to house noises people and pets calmly- or you will risk fatal fits and bloat from stress leading to coxxi. Should they stop eating, drinking and pooping then it is imperative you syringe water down them with added peptobismol and contact me for further directions.
Keeping an eye on your rabbits food and water intake and poop is important to catch issues early. Poos should be firm and round apart form their mornign poops which wil look liek a bunch of grapes and softer, these are normally eaten to redigest the protein but not all rabbits do this.
Remember - patience is the key - do not start playing with them they are not a toy but a specialist breed which will benefit from time to come to you when ready. Cage aggression may occur because that's all they have as their own in a strange environment so will protect it until they realise they are safe. Press this too soon and you will end up with a rabbit keeled over.. angoras are a force unto themselves and the most difficult breed to care for and keep - so bear this in mind before you treat them like your pet lop .. they are the sheep of the rabbit world and a breed in their own right .. but get it right and you will have a loyal bonded friend, who will be the start of your angora addiction.. once you have one .. like pringles - you just cant stop!
It is really tempting to play with and show off your new rabbit, but you need to just cam don and allow your new friend to settle in. Do not muck them out for a few days so they can scent their new home and you can check that they are functioning normally. Dont give them too much space too soon - let them gradually explore when they are ready, if hey are stressed they will hide away in the back of their hutch - let them be - pushing them can cause them to get stressed and stop eating which is detrimental to their health. Rabbits are prey animals and startle easily - many can be injured or fit by running scared and breaking bones or having a heart attack. If you have other pets remember however friendly they are, rabbits are prey animals and may be terrified of them. So just remember the rule - gradual changes. Some rabbits take it all in their stride but if you are aware of how to deal with issues and have done your research, then you are ready to save your rabbits life !
Changing their food too quickly can also cause problems - You will have been given a sample of their food so change mix this in gradually over the week with the food you have bought. Or ask in advance what food they are on so their diet does not change and feeding issues can be avoided. Any change in a rabbits diet must be done very slowly as their guts do not cope with sudden changes. Make sure you give hay and or readigrass to help with their fibre intake. Pineapple juice in their water once a month will help avoid fur ball and break down any harmful enzymes. If you want to give treats a few barley rings or half a digestive biscuit or weetabix - dry not with milk !! Is suitable. A wooden chew ( watch out for coloured ones as the dye will turn their wee the same colour and alarm you lol) and a jingle ball are toys they enjoy.. or a hay ball with bell underneath, will keep them occupied and help boredom. Hay is very important - barley straw is less messy for the show rabbits and saves having to pick out all the seeds from a fluffy coat which can be exasperating !
Avoid the grass for a while and other treats .. introducing these gradually again too, grazing in short periods - but be aware of wild rabbits in your area that may pass on myxi or dogs using the same ground which will have contaminated it with their toileting. Fresh hedgerow treats and herbs are what the wild rabbit would seek out to aid their health .. so look up which are good for them and adding to their diet and sticks to chew on make a natural beneficial addition to their feed.
Water bottles are best to drink from as if they have bowls they will end up paddling and break the rule of don't get your rabbit wet ! If they do get wet then they must be dried immediately - use towels and hairdryer it will take a long time and if they start felting up then the only answer is to clip off to the skin and start again ! On the water bottle note - some are different so make sure that the rabbit gets used to the one it has and if not drinking then syringe water down or offer a bowl to quench thirst and find out which bottle they were used to from your seller and change if necessary. Sometimes the nipples on bottles get blocked and rabbits become dehydrated without you realising because the bottle still has water in you dont fill it up. My adults angoras get through half a litre of water a day on average - more if hotter and have hay or have litters with them..so I use litre bottles so they never run out.
If your rabbit is going to live outside then they need to be out of direct sunlight ( heat will kill more than cold) and where they cannot get wet from the rain or wet ground. as this will felt up their coat with severe consequences. Your hutch or cage should be big enough so that they can stand up and stretch on hind legs, lay out and do three strides. Access to a run is advisable but angoras are quite happy to sit in their hutch and watch the world go by. They were bred to sit on a stool and be spun from so many will just have a mad stretch moment then just laze around. If your rabbit is going to live indoors then a dog cage is ideal, consider the safety issues such as wires they can chew - and they love to nibble on furnishings and curtains so give them plenty of wood toys and hay for their teeth. They are high stress rabbits so do not ove indulge them in the first couple of weeks.. quiet time in a covered cage or hutch will allow them to acclimatise. Mine are exhibition bred and not used ot the family environment so need to be introduced to house noises people and pets calmly- or you will risk fatal fits and bloat from stress leading to coxxi. Should they stop eating, drinking and pooping then it is imperative you syringe water down them with added peptobismol and contact me for further directions.
Keeping an eye on your rabbits food and water intake and poop is important to catch issues early. Poos should be firm and round apart form their mornign poops which wil look liek a bunch of grapes and softer, these are normally eaten to redigest the protein but not all rabbits do this.
Remember - patience is the key - do not start playing with them they are not a toy but a specialist breed which will benefit from time to come to you when ready. Cage aggression may occur because that's all they have as their own in a strange environment so will protect it until they realise they are safe. Press this too soon and you will end up with a rabbit keeled over.. angoras are a force unto themselves and the most difficult breed to care for and keep - so bear this in mind before you treat them like your pet lop .. they are the sheep of the rabbit world and a breed in their own right .. but get it right and you will have a loyal bonded friend, who will be the start of your angora addiction.. once you have one .. like pringles - you just cant stop!