What a rabbit needs to stay happy and healthy
To stay happy and healthy, rabbits need:
- Neutering - unneutered females are at high risk of developing womb cancer, and
- The right food – this should mainly be hay and/or grass to help prevent dental and gut disease. Check that your rabbits eat everyday and pass plenty of dry droppings. If their eating or drinking habits change, or the quantity of droppings reduces or stops, ask your vet immediately – they could be seriously ill.
- Neutering – unneutered female rabbits are at a high risk of developing tumours (in females older than three years of age, incidence may approach 80 percent) and they’re usually fatal. Unneutered rabbits are also more likely to fight and show other territorial aggression such as urine spraying. You should therefore neuter your rabbits unless you intend to breed them, and have plans in place for caring for both parents and offspring.
- Daily checks for signs of illness or injury, including if you go away. Talk to your vet if you suspect any problems.
- Their bottoms and tail areas checked every day to make sure they are clean.
- Their front teeth and nails to be checked at least weekly – these grow quickly. Only vets should correct overgrown or misaligned teeth.
- Veterinary check-ups, at least annually – including treatment for external and internal parasites such as fleas and worms.
- Vaccinating against myxomatosis and Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD), as advised by your vet.
- Keeping away from wild rabbits and areas where wild rabbits live – they can carry diseases.
- Well-maintained coats – groom them regularly to remove any dirty or matted fur.
To be identifiable and ideally microchipped, so they can get quickly treated if they're injured or returned if they get lost.
Monitoring your rabbit's health and wellbeing
Rabbits are vulnerable to infectious diseases and illnesses, especially dental disease. They feel pain, but don't show any outward signs of it, which means they may suffer before you notice it. Keep a close eye on their health everyday, and especially look out for:
- Changes in their behaviour, which can indicate illness or pain. Stressed rabbits are more likely to become ill.
- In warm weather, check the fur and skin around their bottom and tail area twice a day. Urine staining and stuck droppings attract flies, which causes flystrike (which is often fatal).
Read more in our pages on rabbit health checks and handling, and ask your vet immediately if you suspect they're in pain, ill or injured. Only treat your rabbit with medicines recommended for them by a vet, as other animals' medicines are dangerous to rabbits.
Finally, consider taking out pet insurance to cover the costs of vet treatment for your rabbit. Many vets provide health care packages, including Medivet, CVS UK Ltd veterinary group practices and Companion Care/Vets4Pets. These can help to manage costs and ensure pets receive regular vet check-ups and preventative treatments. Talk to your vet and see if they offer a health care scheme.
Looking after your rabbit in winter
Wild and most domestic breeds of rabbits have warm fur coats and thick fur pads on the bottoms of their feet – natural adaptations to help them survive cold conditions. Wild rabbits live in underground burrows, where the temperature is kept relatively constant. However, domestic rabbits kept outside don’t have the protection of a burrow, so can be exposed to low temperatures, rain, wind, snow and draughts.
In the winter there might also be less grass and leafy greens to eat, less human contact and less access to an exercise area, and there could be changes to their routine. Here are our tips to help your rabbits stay healthy and happy this winter.
Low temperatures
Rabbits can cope with the cold fairly well, but not if they are housed in damp or draughty conditions. Being cold and wet can lead to your rabbit becoming ill, and could be fatal. Older rabbits can suffer from painful arthritis, so need to be kept warm and dry. Rabbits that are thin, young or don’t have a thick winter coat may also need special attention to ensure they keep warm and dry.
A temperature of between 10–20°C is recommended for domestic rabbits. They can cope with lower temperatures, but tend to suffer from too much heat. If the temperature starts to reach freezing, consider moving your rabbits’ home indoors or into an outhouse, shed or unused garage that’s protected from adverse weather conditions
You must ensure they still have plenty of space to exercise freely and are not confined simply to a hutch. Provide them with ways of keeping warm, such as lots of extra bedding.
Keeping your rabbits’ home cosy
If your rabbits live outside, it’s very important that their home is protected from extremes of weather and temperature, and is waterproof, draught-proof, damp-proof, dry and well ventilated. It should also be escape-proof and predator-proof. Make any necessary repairs well before winter arrives.
Check inside for damp or water-marks that may indicate that water is getting in. If your rabbits are housed in a hutch, a sloped roof is preferable as it allows water to drain away.
Your rabbits’ home should also be raised off the ground by at least 10cm (4 inches), to prevent the base becoming damp and rotten. Treat the outside of hutches and sheds regularly with pet-safe wood preservative to ensure they’re water-proof.
It should also be placed in a sheltered position, facing away from the prevailing wind and rain. Covers designed to insulate and weather-proof hutches are available commercially or you can make one from an old blanket or piece of carpet.
Cover most of the hutch at night – leave a small area exposed to ensure ventilation – and leave the front open during the day. Mesh doors can be partially covered with clear Perspex or plastic, to help protect your rabbits from rain and wind, whilst allowing them to see out.
Moving your rabbits’ home into a shed, outhouse or unused garage is a good way to help them keep warm. Never house or exercise rabbits in a garage that is in use, as vehicle exhaust fumes are harmful to rabbits. Check for hazards, that the floor is clean and free from paint or chemical spills. If housing your rabbits in a shed, insulation can be added to the walls of the shed to help to retain heat better (ensure the insulation is not accessible to your rabbits or that it is safe for them to chew if they can reach it).
Do not house your rabbits in greenhouses, as extreme changes in temperature can occur. Take caution if rabbits are housed in conservatories – heating may be required in the winter, and the area must be sufficiently cool and well ventilated in the summer.
Providing warmth
Provide your rabbits with lots of additional bedding during the winter months – they need plenty to snuggle into. Suitable bedding materials include dust-free hay and straw, on top of layers of newspaper which absorb moisture and provide insulation.
Ensure hay and straw are stored somewhere dry; if it becomes damp or mouldy throw it away, as eating it could cause your rabbits to become ill. Ensure you always have a stock of hay for your rabbits to eat and sleep in, but don’t store it too long as it may lose some of its nutritional value.
Microwavable heat pads designed for rabbits are available commercially, and should be considered if your rabbits are kept outside. Don’t provide blankets as rabbits have a tendency to chew them, which could result in an intestinal blockage.
If your rabbits are kept in a shed, outhouse or unused garage, consider providing a heater. However, make sure your rabbits can’t get too close to it or any electrical wires.
Rabbits can suffer from heat stress and become very ill if exposed to high temperatures. Monitor the temperature of the environment to prevent your rabbits from overheating.
Keeping clean
It’s important to keep your rabbits’ home clean, as they’re likely to spend longer in their hutch or cage during the winter months.
Clean the toilet area daily and the whole home regularly, at least once a week. Leaving a small amount of used, unsoiled bedding in your rabbits’ home will help maintain a familiar scent and reduce stress. Be aware that wet bedding will freeze on cold nights, which could lead to your rabbits becoming ill.
Sleeping area
Ensure your rabbits have a cosy, sheltered area to hide in and sleep. Provide extra bedding, however you should make sure that there is enough space for the rabbits to sleep together or separately if they chose to. Don't assume that they always sleep together and make sure there is somewhere warm for each of them.
You can make an additional sleeping area within a hutch by providing a cardboard box with entrance holes cut into it and filling it with hay. Ensure the box is large enough for all your rabbits to lie in together if they choose to and make sure they still have space to exercise within their home.
Exercise and companionship
Make sure your rabbit has opportunities to exercise every day, to stay fit and healthy. Rabbits are most active in the morning and late afternoon, so this is when they’re most likely to benefit from access to exercise areas and be most sociable. Give them safe toys to play with and chew.
If your rabbits have an exercise area separate from their hutch or sleeping area, it must include a dry, sheltered space for the rabbits to hide in. In the winter, this must have bedding to keep them warm. The number of hiding spaces should exceed the number of rabbits by one. For additional protection from wind and rain you can cover a part of the run with plastic sheeting or tarpaulin.
An indoor pen or free access to a ‘bunny-proofed’ room in your home may help your indoor rabbits get enough exercise, stimulation and companionship each day. However, be very cautious about bringing outdoor rabbits inside for short periods as they may have difficulty in adjusting to the temperature change from outside to inside.
An indoor pen or free access to a ‘bunny-proofed’ room in your home may help your indoor rabbits get enough exercise, stimulation and companionship each day. However, be very cautious about bringing outdoor rabbits inside for short periods as they may have difficulty in adjusting to the temperature change from outside to inside.
If you keep your rabbits indoors, try to provide access to an outside exercise area on fine days. Indoor rabbits will not have developed a thick winter coat, so don’t put them outside if it’s very cold and monitor how long they are outside for.
Rabbits should have regular opportunities to play with other friendly rabbits. If your rabbit enjoys interacting with people, this should continue regularly during the winter. If your rabbit has to be kept on their own for some reason, you must interact with them every day to provide companionship.
Bringing your rabbits indoors
If your rabbits are old, thin or young and haven’t built up a thick winter coat, consider moving their home indoors. Bringing your rabbits into your home can be a great way to ensure they get lots of attention and human companionship, and that any health problems are quickly spotted. Spend time with your rabbits every day.
It’s important to minimise the stress of the transition for your rabbits. The indoor environment will be very different to your rabbits’ outside home and there will be lots of changes for them to get used to, such as new sights, sounds and potentially changes to their routine.
Introduce your rabbits to their new indoor home gradually, by bringing them indoors for increasingly longer periods each day during the summer and autumn so that they can settle in and explore their new surroundings. Place your rabbits’ home in a quiet, calm part of the house where they won’t be disturbed.
Putting familiar-smelling items in the new environment (such as toys, used but unsoiled bedding and water bottles) can help make your rabbits feel at ease. Ensure that your rabbits’ home is placed away from draughts and radiators – rabbits can suffer from heat stress and become very ill if exposed to high temperatures.
Help your rabbits to adjust to the change from natural daylight hours to artificial light by gradually increasing the length of time the lights are on in the evenings. Ensure they have a darkened sleeping area that they can go to whenever they wish.
Cover any electrical wires with protective tubing as rabbits may chew wires, and block off areas that are hazardous or that you do not wish your rabbits to have access to.
Rabbits are intelligent and can be litter-trained. Provide a litter tray filled with hay and a non-clumping, non-expanding type of litter such as straw or shredded newspaper. Placing some of your rabbits’ soiled bedding in the tray will encourage them it.
As with outside rabbits, provide toys such as cardboard boxes with entrance holes cut out, cardboard toilet tubes filled with hay and vegetables, and boxes filled with hay or shredded paper, to encourage your rabbits to exercise and explore.
When returning rabbits to their outside home after winter, wait until the daily temperatures are higher and gradually increase the amount of time your rabbits spend outside. Keep your rabbits in their indoor home at night if temperatures are low. Consider making the transition more gradual by first placing their home in a shed, outhouse or unused garage before finally placing their home back outside.
The importance of routine
Although it may be tempting to visit your rabbits less in winter if they are kept outside, it’s very important to ensure that you continue to meet all their welfare needs and keep their routine as normal as possible.
This means keeping their daily feeding and exercise times consistent and ensuring that you spend time interacting with your rabbits every day. Continue to carry out health checks daily and groom them regularly.
Providing water
Your rabbits must have access to clean, fresh drinking water at all times – without it they can become seriously ill. Rabbits may drink more in the winter if their access to a grassy run or leafy green foodstuffs is limited, as this is where they get a lot of moisture.
Check your rabbits’ water supply at least twice a day in winter, to make sure the water hasn’t frozen. If water is provided in a drinking bottle, always check that the ball at the end of the spout is turning and squeeze the bottle to make sure water is flowing through the spout.
Keep a spare bottle indoors, so that if the water in the bottle in use is frozen you can easily and quickly exchange that bottle for the spare. Bottle covers are available commercially that help prevent water from freezing in the winter and help stop algae from growing in the summer. However, some covers don’t have a visible strip, so you should still always check the water level is high and hasn’t frozen. You may also wish to provide a bowl of water in addition to a bottle, to ensure there is a large supply of water available.
Providing a healthy diet in winter
Feeding your rabbits a healthy diet will help them prepare for winter and promote good coat growth to help them keep warm. Good quality, sweet-smelling hay should make up the majority of your rabbits’ diet and should be available at all times. In winter your rabbits are likely to have less opportunity to forage in the garden for grass and leafy greens, so it is important to provide safe, fresh leafy greens every day.
Grass seeds can be grown in trays and given to rabbits, so that grass can still be included in their diet. Never feed greens or vegetables that are frosty or frozen, these could harm your rabbits. Don’t be tempted to over-feed your rabbits and only offer fruit and root vegetables, like carrots, in small amounts as a treat.
House rabbits kept in warm ambient temperatures may require less energy than outdoor rabbits, depending on their level of activity. Your vet will be able to give dietary advice specific to your individual rabbits.
Staying healthy
A change in the way a rabbit normally behaves can be an early sign: if they’re not eating or are more quiet than usual they are highly likely to be ill or in pain. If your rabbit’s eating or drinking habits change or the number of droppings gets less or stops, talk to your vet straight away.
A change in the way a rabbit normally behaves can be an early sign: if they’re not eating or are more quiet than usual they are highly likely to be ill or in pain. If your rabbit’s eating or drinking habits change or the number of droppings gets less or stops, talk to your vet straight away.
Rabbits don’t hibernate, so if your rabbit appears sleepy, lethargic or limp, seek veterinary attention immediately.
