From 27th June to 1st July it is rabbit awareness week, with this years’ main theme being Room For Rabbits – creating a great environment for domestic rabbits to live.
Both the RSPCA and the Rabbit Awareness Action Group have bundles of bunny advice on how to ensure your rabbits are fit, healthy and happy.
Giving a rabbit a home
In the wild rabbits have space, and plenty of it. It is therefore very important that your rabbit has a decent living space and is able to venture out into a safe outdoor environment.
Rabbits are active animals so they need to be able to hop, run, jump, dig, stand fully upright on their back legs, and stretch out fully when lying down. They need regular and frequent opportunities to exercise every day to stay fit and healthy, as well as an appropriate place to toilet.
A well matched pair of medium-sized rabbits requires a living area where they can exercise and rest of at least three metres x two metres, and one metre high (groups of three or more rabbits and large/giant breeds will need larger accommodation). A traditional small hutch is definitely not big enough even for a single rabbit, and a home of this size could well lead to physical and behavioral problems.
It can be difficult to buy purpose built accommodation measuring these dimensions, but there’s no reason why you can’t build your own! Many people are now using children’s playhouses or sheds as rest areas for their rabbits and attaching them to a large secure area where they can exercise freely.
You should remember also to make your accommodation predator proof. This means either a deep concrete base or robust metal wire fixed way below the surface.
Rabbits can multiply!
We recommend neutering domestic animals to avoid unwanted issues, and rabbits are no exception. We have seen an explosion in the domestic rabbit population due to owners unwittingly pairing a male with a female and waking up one day to a big surprise.
Whilst baby bunnies are of course adorable, looking after up to six additions poses a challenge, and finding good homes for the offspring can be very difficult too.
We recognise that neutering can be expensive and finding a vet who has the necessary skills to perform such a delicate operation can be challenging.
That is why we have launched a subsidised rabbit neutering scheme for owners that live in our region. For a suggested donation of £10, we will put you in touch with a qualified South London vet who can carry out the operation at no additional cost.
If you or someone you know could benefit from this scheme, please call 07548 840934 or e-mail enquiries@rspcasouthlondon.org.uk
We are also actively looking to launch a rabbit fostering and re-homing scheme. If you are interested in becoming a rabbit fosterer, please contact us on the details above. We will provide the living accommodation, equipment and food. Please bear in mind the space that will be required in your garden for a living area measuring 2 x 3 metres.
RSPCA South London - For Every Kind Of Creature 