Hoppn Hollow Bunny Buds Rabbitry
Rabbits To Love, Show & Breed!
~Rabbit Care~
Having a pet rabbit can be a very rewarding and possibly an even life changing experience. Our main goal at Hoppn Hollow Bunny Buds Rabbitry is to ensure that the rabbits we sell and adopt out go to the best possible homes. This means a family who is properly educated, and who has the rabbits best interest at heart. All of our rabbits, whether born here, bought or recently rescued¡¦they are all of our pets first and foremost. Our rabbits are never treated as merchandise nor thought of as merchandise and they are all given proper care every day including fresh food, water, hay, exercise, love and cuddles. We breed to better the quality of our rabbits. We do not breed to make a quick buck. Each litter is thought about and planned in advance and all of our babies are handled from birth. In fact, more money is put into raising rabbits then what you get back, so please understand we do not breed for profit.
Feeding-
A cupful of lettuce every day is NOT an acceptable or a proper meal.
A rabbit should be on a strict diet of rabbit pellets. We feed our small breed rabbits Blueseal Hutch 17 and we feed our large breed rabbits Purina Pro (18% Protein). Rabbits should also be supplied FRESH water ***AT ALL TIMES***! Many people think a few carrots, a cupful of fresh greens and alfalfa are the perfect diet for a bunny, but these types of food are unhealthy for rabbits and should only be given as treats, if at all. Lettuce should never be fed to rabbits as it has high levels of water in it which leads to horrible diarrhea, which will stress the rabbit out and possibly even cause death. A handful or more of timothy hay only should be fed to your rabbit every day. Alfalfa is not healthy for bunnies and should not be fed to them. Rabbits should not be free fed. Large rabbits can mostly be fed what they'll eat (as long as it's not massive amounts). Only feed as much as large breeds will eat. For small breeds, they obviously have smaller bodies and small digestive tracks. 1/4 to 1/2 cups are usually a good amount to feed rabbits that should weigh four pounds maximum. Rabbits under six months old should be provided with as much food as they want, but then gradually cut down as they mature at 6 months old.
Treats: These are treats that can be fed to your rabbits. Please keep in mind, these foods are only TREATS and should never be given daily. Also, rabbits under 6 months of age should not be given ANYTHING other than their pellets, hay and water. Their digestive tracks are not yet ready to handle treats. Please do not feed baby bunnies any treats until they are 6 months of age or older. Also keep in mind that you shouldn't feed every single one of these treats every week.
Oatmeal - Mix a teaspoon in of dried, uncooked Quaker oatmeal with their food once or twice a week.
Orange Peels - Do not feed them all the peels from a whole orange. A little more than the size of a quarter is fine maybe once a week. Great source of extra vitamins.
Carrots - Chop up large carrots and give a few pieces or feed a baby carrot 2-3 times per week.
Black Oil Sunflower Seeds - Great for keeping the rabbit's coat/fur in good condition. DO NOT feed a lot, and do not feed every day. Only sprinkle a pinch into their food once a week.
Banana - Quarter size slice may be fed twice a week tops. This tends to be a bunny favorite!
Apple - Ok to feed with skin. Do not feed the whole apple, a small slice is enough to fill them up!Cumfrey Leaves - A great, healthy treat that might even be growing right in your backyard! Usually one leaf is a good size for all breeds.
Parsley - One or two stems is fine a few days a week.
Plain, Nonfat Yogurt - Just a fun treat they thoroughly enjoy. Shouldn't be fed more than twice a week.
Dried Papaya Chunks or Fresh Papaya or Pineapple Chunks - This is something they always seem to love. A chunk or two can be given two or three times per week. Great for furballs.
Canned Pineapple OR Papaya Juice - Great idea for bunnies who are shedding a lot and for malt season! Either one will help sooth any furballs your bunny could develop after all that grooming!
Sweet Potato - Great quick and easy treat. Small pieces can be given a couple times per week.
Plain Cheerios - An even quicker and easier treat! Completely healthy to give a bunny a small handful...just make sure they are plain cheerios-no yogurt or honey nut!
*Rabbits should NEVER be fed lettuce, alfalfa, meat, cheese or anything that isn't listed on this list. Contact us to ask about specific treats...we will be adding more to this page once we think of them!
Housing:Rabbits can easily adapt to living either indoors OR outdoors. They actually perfer the cold weather to the heat and we do reccomend outdoor housing. As long as your bunny has a roof over it's head, and is closed in on three sides out of wind and drafts, he'll be just fine. Tarps are a great idea to have over the front opening for when it snows, rains etc. Make sure your rabbit won't get wet from the rain and snow. Make sure the cage has wire flooring. If your bunny is sitting on solid wood or solid plastic, it is dangerous and unhealthy. Rabbis have thick pads on the bottom of their feet which can easily cause them to slip and break their backs on plastic. (If this happens, the bunny will have only three days or less to live). Being on either wood or plastic can make the rabbit dirty, can cause fur matting and is an open invitation to worms which can quickly enter your rabbit's body and cause illness, death and more. If your rabbit is indoors, do not allow it to run around the house. Having that much freedom will make your bunny skittish and not want to be picked up. Also, you run into hardwood floors and tile which again brings up the slipping issue. Keeping it in the cage also prevents you from having to bunny proof your whole house and is overall just a safer environment. If your bunny lives outside, make sure the hutch is high enough off the ground away from where wildlife, and neighborhood dogs can get to it. A great place to keep rabbits are basements, sheds, porches or garages. Just make sure there are no hazards and that there is proper ventilation and that you still keep itin a cage. Rabbits are typically very clean animals and most of what you would smell comes from their feces. As long as you clean your rabbits cage once or twice a week, you shouldn't smell much. A great suggestion is scooping out any wet or soiled shavings with a kitty litter scoop in between cleaning. Only use PINE shavings. Newspaper is also ok, but it tends to make a mess. Cedar shavings cannot be used because breathing that smell in all day can damage a rabbit's respiratory system and make them sick. Would you want to sit next to cedar shavings and smell them all day? You'd probably get a headache! Also, please remember your rabbit MUST be caged and need shelter at all times. Rabbits CANNOT and SHOULD NOT be housed together. Once in a while a spayed/neutered male and femal may get along, but these are few cases. Rabbits are very cage territorial towards other rabbits and WILL fight until death to defendthemselves and their territory. Even rabbits who have been together since birth grow apart and will eventually begin fighting. DO NOT HOUSE RABBITS TOGETHER!!!*
Handling:A big part of owning a rabbit is the ability to give it love and cuddles every day! Handling rabbits can be very rewarding and lots of fun, however they are very fragile so they must be handled with care. Gentle but firm hands are best. Never pick your rabbit up by under the belly, that is where it's major organs are located and they can very easily be damaged. Pick your rabbit up by the scruff (extra skin on the neck, like a cat) and ALWAYS support it's weight by placing your hand under it's hind end. Rabbits need to feel secure, and if they don't they will bite, kick and scratch and do anything they can to find what they think may be safety. Comfortability within the person handling the rabbit is a big key to holding a bunny. Never pick your rabbits up by the fur, legs, tail or ears this is very painful and will harm your rabbit. Adults should always supervise children while they're handling or playing with rabbits. Holding your rabbit for even just ten minutes a day will make a big difference in your bunny's personality. The more you handle and play with your bunny, the happier and friendlier it will be. Once the bunny leaves our rabbitry and comes into your home, you are responsible for raising it as a friendly, handleable bunny who is the best animal it can be. Any rabbit can be friendly, but it's up to you to make it that way!!!
