White Cross Happy Hoppers - Rabbit Tips & Advice

Mites

Waving at us in the video below is a mite! 😮👋 Mites are tiny creatures that live in rabbits’ fur. They feed on skin and fur cells and can cause irritation on the skin. They can also be found in the ears! 🐰 Your rabbit may or may not seem itchy with mites. You will notice some dandruff in their fur, and if some of the dandruff is put under a microscope it will be possible to see that it’s moving, because the dandruff is made up of dead cells and mites themselves. Treatment for mites is often straightforward - it can be via a spot-on liquid onto the rabbit’s skin, which often needs repeating after a couple of weeks. 😊

Bobby Foraging

Providing for your rabbits’ natural behaviour 🌿🐰 Rabbits are crepuscular - this means they are active at dawn, dusk and overnight too! 🌛 This is why they need constant access to their safe enclosure and to be able to perform their natural behaviours. 🥰 Natural behaviours include: 🔹Digging 🔹Foraging 🔹Hiding 🔹Running 🔹Standing on their hind limbs You must ensure your rabbits get enough mental, social and physical stimulation to satisfy their needs. Enrichment can include: 🔸Safe toys and puzzles to encourage foraging 🔸Toilet rolls stuffed with hay 🔸Raised platforms to explore 🔸An area where they can dig Check out Bobby in the video below enjoying spending time in his dig box foraging! 😍⬇️

Rabbit Dental Health!

It's not just cats and dogs that need their teeth caring for, your rabbits do too! 🐰 Teeth grow continuously throughout a rabbit’s life. They are worn down at the tops by the action of chewing. The back teeth (molars) are used for grinding down hay and other fibrous foods. The incisors are used for snipping off pieces of grass, hay and other plants before passing food backwards to the molars for chewing. 🌿 Hay contains a special sort of fibre called ‘long fibre’. It’s extremely important for the gut to work properly, but also for your rabbit’s teeth. The action of chewing side to side is what wears the molars down. No other food does this. Other foods aren’t chewed with the same side-to-side action and therefore don’t have the same effect. 🙂 Check out Willow and Bramble in the video below enjoying their hay! ⬇😍 #petdentalmonth

🐰 Enrichment 🐰 In order to allow our pet rabbits to carry out natural behaviours, we need to provide them with plenty of enrichment within their environment/enclosure! Rabbit toys can be placed around to keep them entertained, and tunnels/hideouts are important to ensure they feel safe! 😊 Remember to check their hideout has both an entrance and exit so they don't feel trapped! 😬🐰 Other great enrichment ideas are: ▪️ Put their pellets in a treat ball, meaning they have to nudge the ball around for their food. ▪️ Hiding their pellets in hay is a great idea as this encourages them to forage and eat their hay! ▪️ Scattering toilet rolls around the enclosure and stuffing some with hay is another easy way of keeping your rabbit entertained 😄 ▪️ Rabbits love to be nosey and explore their surroundings, so small platforms in their enclosure are always appreciated! Check out Bobby below nudging around his football and enjoying his tunnel ⬇️🐰 #RabbitAwarenessWeek

Foraging 🐰🌿 Rabbits typically love to spend many hours throughout the day finding and eating food. Feeding only from a bowl can create boredom and often results in your rabbit eating their food too quickly! Spreading hay and grass around their enclosure is a great way to encourage foraging! 🌿 Puzzle feeders also prevent boredom and will keep your bunny occupied! Some of their nugget allowance can be used for this or hay/grass. 🙂 Below is an example of a puzzle feeder ⬇️ As you can see Bobby loves searching for food and this activity is keeping him occupied! 😍