This page contains info for anyone who has bought or adopted a bunny from us. What I have here is not meant to take the place of advice from your veterinarian ! If your bunny is sick or injured ,please seek medical treatment ASAP. The following information is the BASIC CARE INSTRUCTIONS, what OUR rabbits are used to- that may help to make an easier transition to your home. If at anytime you have a question about one of our bunnies, please don't hesitate to ask. Our rabbits come with a lifetime question/answer policy :)

First - your bunnies life span should be about 5-8 yrs ,give or take. Some bunnies have made it to 15 or so. With proper food,housing and handling your bunny has the potential to become a beloved pet.Most rabbits die for 3 reasons :improper feeding,watering ; improper housing and cleaning of their cage & overheating in hot weather. FEEDING: I will start here because I usually get the most questions about this- or people usually make the most mistakes here ;) Our bunnies get fed pellets- a good quality ,FRESH feed is best (yes, it really can be old and dusty) We have tried several different brands and our rabbits seem to do best on Manna Pro, Purina or Nutrena brands. Bunnies should be fed once or twice a day ,depending on what they are used to. We have found a good practice is to give them a bowl of feed in the AM , then a handful of hay at night.You DON'T want to keep a full bowl of feed in front of them at all times.They should be finishing their bowl of food over the course of the day. The amount depends on the size of the bunny , a dwarf breed gets basically a small tuna can each day (give or take). At certain times , rabbits will require more feed- if they are nursing a litter of kits, over the winter when it is very cold, etc. In addition to pellet feed ,bunnies NEED grass or timothy hay. A small handful every day or every few days is fine. The long haired breeds especially need to be given hay, as it helps them to pass any wool they ingest while grooming. If your bunny is passing dark red or creamy yellow orange urine, it is NORMAL. He is probably getting too much calcium. Try cutting down on any ALFALFA in his diet except his pellets- still offer hay, just a different kind.

WATER: Your bunny should have access to clean drinking water at all times, as much as he wants. This is VERY important! Bunnies will not eat if they have nothing to drink- a bunny that is not eating and drinking does not last very long :(

TREATS : Your bunny can have treats, just keep it healthy and in small amounts! Bunnies love fresh fruits and veggies, dried bread, clean grass, fruit tree branches. Just keep the pieces small, adding too much of anything can give your bunny an upset tummy! I'll add here that your bunny NEEDS something to chew on. I mentioned fruit tree branches above. This is important because your bunny's teeth continue to grow longer his entire life. He needs to chew in order to wear them down and keep them the proper size. If you don't have pesticide free trees available to you, pet stores sell treats specifically for animals like rabbits to chew on. If your rabbit's teeth do grow too long (or were straight and he bends them by chewing on his cage ) please take him to the vet. They will probably have to clip his teeth. Left untreated , this is known as maloclussion and his teeth will grow back into his gums or out of his mouth and become deformed. The bunny will either be unable to eat or get sick from an infection and most likely die.

TOYS: Bunnies love to play. You may be surprised to find that out! Most bunnies become bored sitting in a cage all day- you can give him little toys to play with that will keep him happy and active (they'll amuse you at the same time) Hard plastic cat balls, especially the ones with bells in them. Empty soda cans with a couple pebbles in them (these are hilarious! my bunnies throw them up in the air) Cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls, litterbox with sand, ice cubes. Just something new, to keep them busy and entertained for a little while is really appreciated by them- you'll be surprised how smart and inquisitive they are :)

HOUSING: Your bunny needs a cage of some type, even if he will be an indoor pet. Bunnies can run around the house , but when you leave you need a safe place to put him . AND bunnies do chew things like electrical wires and wood furniture! His cage will be his "safe place" and most bunnies like having the option of their cage being there for a quick retreat. Most bunnies will learn to use a litterbox if you provide them with one consistantly. (when they are running loose they will still leave little bunny poo's- they can't help this but they will use the box for urinating , which is what has the offensive smell) All bunnies need to have their cage kept clean, inside or out. Dirty cages give off ammonia that the bunny is constantly breathing in.This causes upper respiratory problems in rabbits. Once a rabbit is sick , they are very hard to treat. They frequently will continue to get sick as they now have a weakened immune system. This is one of the most important things you can do for your bunny! Your outside bunny needs shelter! They can tolerate cold weather fairly well . They CAN NOT tolerate heat and sun and they can't tolerate cold ,wet ,drafty conditions. They need shade if the form of a roof over part of the cage.They also need a wooden box of proper size that they can go into. NEVER leave your bunny in the SUN!

GROOMING: Bunnies need to be brushed , especially the wooled breeds. They also need their nails clipped. These are just the basics - if you are going to show, you will learn there are other things to check for as well.

SPECIAL NOTE : Please try to check your bunny over everytime you feed/water him. Bunnies deteriorate very quickly. They don't show symptoms until they are very sick. If you notice your bunny"just doesn't seem right" , chances are- he's not! Anything that seems "off" needs closer inspection and time is of great importance. Just be sure to find a vet that specializes in rabbits - most DO NOT! I'll add a few FYI's here: If you want to spay or neuter your bunny: the best time to do this is about 6-12 months. If you have a pet quality bunny, having them fixed can prevent some medical problems especially in does. Your bunny is also more likely to not spray if it is a buck. Your pet is more likely to have a mellow personality, some bunnies can get nippy when they want to breed.Lastly , you MAY be able to cage 2 bunnies together.Either a doe/buck combination or a doe /doe combination often works much better when the bunnies are fixed. Your bunnies temp should run 99.1 - 102.9 Dwarf breed bunnies mature faster than the medium, large and Giant size breeds. Dwarf breed does can have litters by around 3 months! When going to pet a bunny don't point your fingers at him, poke your fingers or hand into his cage or quickly stick your hand right infront of his face.There's a couple reasons for this! #1 bunnies don't see shapes well, your hand could look an aweful lot like an intruder or a snack #2 your bunny has a blind spot ....it happens to be directly infront of his cute button nose, anything in this area is assumed to be a treat or intruder #3 Bunnies are territorial, some will guard their home , which is their cage . Anything invading their home can assume it is a snack, mate or invader. (this explains all the signs you see on animals cages at pet stores, zoos, fairs, etc) ;)