The feeding of your rabbit is about achieving a well balanced diet which includes all of the required essential nutrients and vitamins and can be achived by providing a combination of dried and fresh food, and in moderation treats designed specifically for rabbits.
Dried Food
There are a large variety of dried rabbit foods of both pellets and mix on the market but you must ensure that your feed is specifically designed for rabbits. Dried food will provide your rabbit with the necessary vitamins, nutrients and proteins required but fresh hay and vegetables should also be provided for fibre to ensure your rabbit is getting a full and well balanced diet.
When you purchase your rabbit, you may decide to feed it a different dried food to the one it has been raised on. This is okay to do, but you must ensure that you wean your rabbit onto the new food gradually over a period of time to ensure that your rabbit does not become seriously ill.
If you buy your rabbit from a breeder they will usually provide you with enough of their dried food to enable you to safely wean your rabbit onto your chosen dried food, but if you are purchasing your rabbit from a pet shop you must ensure that you ask what they feed their rabbits on. This will then allow you to either continue to use the particular food or allow you to purchase a small bag for the purpose of changeover.
Budget constraints may be a large influencing factor in your choice of dried food. Though the purchasing of rabbit food in bulk from a pet store may appear to be economical, the quality of the food may deteriorate over time so the purchase of smaller bags on a more regular basis may benefit your rabbit in the longer run.
Fresh Food
Many fresh vegetables can be introduced gradually and in very small amouts into your rabbit's diet. These can include carrots, carrot tops, sprouts, celery, kale, cauliflower leaves, cabbage, turnip, broccoli, spring greens, nasturtiums, cucumber, parsley and watercress.
As above, fruits can also be introduced into your rabbits diet and can include apple, banana, strawberries, melon, pear and peaches. Remember though that fruits have a high sugar content and therefore should only be given sparingly.
It is advisable not to introduce any vegetables or fruit into your rabbit's diet until your rabbit is at least 12 weeks of age.
Treats
Most rabbits enjoy being given treats, but it is not advisable to give these on a daily basis due to the sugar content as this can lead to a fat rabbit which could become prone to heart disease. After all, you wouldn't feed your children sugary snacks all day every day. Remember a rabbit fed on dried food will see any fresh food given as a treat.
Other healthy treats could include, a small piece of clean untreated/unpainted wood for your rabbit to nibble away at in order to keep it's teeth trimmed and healthy.
Water
Fresh clean water must be supplied on a daily basis. An adequately sized water bottle attached to the mesh of the cage may be preferable to a bowl as it is easier to keep clean and will prevent spillages. It is important to monitor your rabbit's daily intake of water and if there is any marked variation from day to day to check that the water bottle still functions properly i.e. check that the stopper has not become stuck (this is the small ball which is located within the feeding tube). It is also important to ensure that your bottle is not leaking excessively to try and ensure that your cage remains dry and your rabbit is getting it's required amount of water.
It is important that if your rabbit is housed outside in cold weather the water bottle is checked each morning and again later in the day to ensure that the contents have not frozen. Particular attention should be paid to the metal feeding part of the tube as this is more susceptible to becoming frozen inside and is not immediately visible. Please note that bottle covers are available which can insulate the main body of the water bottle, but again this leaves the metal feed tube prone to freezing, so, even when insulated, it is advisable to check both bottle and feed tube twice a day in extremely cold weather.
In extremely hot weather your rabbit will require to drink more water and due to the heating of the water, the bottle may leak more and again close monitoring of the contents is advised.
Hay
Hay plays an important part in your rabbits diet and a large handful should be provided on a daily basis over and above the amount given for their bedding. Hay benefits your rabbit in two ways, firstly, chewing on hay helps to keep their teeth in shape, remember a rabbits teeth grow continuously throughout it's life, and secondly it helps to keep their gut working by providing a high percentage of the necessary daily fibre intake.
It is advisable that when using hay as a bedding or feed it be loosened up in the hand before placing in the hutch. This allows the dirt and dust attached to the hay to break off and fall into the bag as dirt and dust can harbour mites which can irritate your pet.
Your rabbit's toilet corner will require to be cleaned on a daily basis, with a thorough clean of it's hutch at least once a week. For a thorough clean you will need to remove your rabbit and put it in a safe place for the duration of the cleaning. You could place your rabbit in either a run, pet carrier or secure box. All items should be removed from the hutch including all bedding and floor coverings. Once empty and any attached debris has been removed by scraping, you should spray the hutch with a pet friendly disinfectant which can be purchased from any pet store. This should be allowed to dry thoroughly before making up your rabbit's home with clean shavings and bedding. When cleaning you should also remember to wash and dry your rabbit's water bottle (it is advisable to use a bottle brush) and bowl.
It is possible, with a little patience and time, to litter train some rabbits. This will make the daily spot cleaning of their hutch simpler, the use of corner trays can greatly assist in making spot cleaning an easier task. You may find that younger rabbits are a little easier to train to use litter trays than older rabbits, though it is not impossible to teach an old rabbit new tricks.
If using corner trays then a wood based cat litter, shavings, or hay can be used to cover the surface of these. Wood based litters are recommended as the use of other cat litters can be problematic to your rabbit's digestive system if ingested. When non wood based cat litters are ingested they can expand and block you rabbit's digestive tract whereas wood based cat litter breaks down to sawdust and can be easily passed through the digestive system of your rabbit.
The mini lop requires very little grooming but by performing this act it allows you to get to know your rabbit and ensure that any abnormalities will be obvious. It also builds your confidence in handling your rabbit and rabbit's confidence in you. It also helps you and your rabbit to "bond".
There are two main vaccinations which your rabbit should be given and these are:
Viral Haemorrhage Disease
This is a highly contagious disease which is spread very easily. There are usually no symptoms to indicate that your rabbit is unwell and this condition is invariably fatal.
Mixamatosis
This is a disease which is usually spread by blood sucking insects such as fleas and midges.
Insurance has to be weighed up with the monthly costs of the insurance against the potential cost of vets fees which can mount up for even a minor ailment and a vet consultation can cost anywhere between £10.00 and £40.00. Insurance usually comes in around £8.00 to £10.00 per month and there is usually a £50.00 excess on each claim. Rabbits can live on average for 8 years. Bear in mind that if your rabbit does become seriously ill and requires an operation or prolonged treatment by the vet, your bills could run into hundreds of pounds. You do the maths! Shop around for the best deal if you decide on insurance.