Clyde Farms
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Rabbit Care

Feed

Pellets are a bunny super food. A good commercial pellet contains everything your rabbit NEEDS to thrive. Please beware of purchasing 5-10 pound bags of rabbit food from walmart, a pet store or other grocery store. These bags are much more expensive, usually are not as fresh and often contain junk food ingredients. Be especially wary if it contains colorful "treat pieces." Most rabbits do well on a feed 14-16% protein, and 17% or more of fiber. We personally feed and recommend Purina Complete (see above left photo). You can find this at tractor supply or other farm store, or feed stores. Locally it runs me $13-18 per 50 lb bag, depending on if I buy it in bulk or not. I also feed Timothy or Orchard grass hay to our rabbits to promote good gut health by enabling them to eat all day long if they please, and to provide some enrichment. We feed hay through feeders attached on the outside of the cage that they have to work to pull the hay through. It is important to understand that feeding hay will slow growth rates some as they are eating more hay and therefore less pellets. If growth rate is important to your stock, I would recommend limiting hay or only  providing all you can eat pellets to growouts.

We DO NOT recommend free feeding rabbits unless they are growing juniors (growouts) or lactating does nursing a litter. Rabbits are very efficient animals and they pack on internal fat very quickly. Rabbits may not look or feel overweight, and yet they may have a serious internal fat problem that may significantly shorten their life span and affect their fertility. Therefore, we recommend feeding a measured amount once daily. Please reference your individual feed bag for how much you should feed your rabbit. We feed Purina Complete which recommends 1 oz per pound of body weight. For grown Mini Rex and Holland Lops, they usually weigh between 3-5 pounds so we feed 1/4-1/2 cup per rabbit, per day. For New Zealand, Satins, and Rex, they usually weigh between 8 pounds and 12 pounds, so they are fed 1 cup (8 oz) per day. We have a couple very large does including a 12 pound NZ doe we feed more at 10-12 oz per day. 

We are often asked what we supplement our rabbits. We also feed a mixture of black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS), flax seed, Calf Manna, Quaker Oats and YQ+. The specific ratios depend on the animals being fed, and the reason we are feeding it. We tailor our supplements specifically to each animal, their role and purpose, and their life stage. We also supplement Kale and or TUMS which is high in calcium to our nursing and lactating does to help ease birth and to prevent hypocalcemia after birth, especially for large litters.

DO NOT FEED young rabbits or newly acquired rabbits anything but pellets, hay and the treat mix we provide initially. They can and do die VERY EASILY due to food changes. An adult rabbit you can feed some fruits and vegetables AFTER they have acclimated to the environment and switched over to your new feed (if desired), and they are eating all of their measured food you provide each day and they are eating and drinking well, and producing a normal amount of feces and urine.

We do not recommend that young rabbits be fed fruits and vegetables until they are six months old as they have fragile digestive systems and can become ill or die easily due to changes in feed. Even then, we recommend mostly leafy green vegetables in moderation and introduced slowly (with the exception of iceburg lettuce, do not feed it). We recommend only tiny amounts of fruit and even then, rarely.

Feed transitions

I provide transition feed with newly purchased rabbits. Please feed only the transition feed the first day, after that mix 50% the feed provided and 50% the new food until gone (1 scoop new and 1 scoop old food). Specific instructions on amount of feed will be provided at the time of purchase, specific to that animal. 

I recommend making all future feed changes slowly to avoid problems. Always transition animals slowly from old feed to new, throughout their life. This means do not wait until you are out of food to buy more. Buy more food BEFORE you run out just in case they are out of what you usually feed so you have some left to transition. 

Water

Rabbits need access to clean water 24/7, including in winter when water is prone to freezing. Water can be provided in bottles, bowls or an automatic gravity fed system. We prefer individual top fill water bottles for speed and efficiency and so we can monitor that each rabbit is drinking, and that they have a constant, clean water supply. We make every effort to ensure that all stock is at least exposed to drinking from a croc or bowl, from a bottle and from a chicken nipple type water bottle. However, you need to make sure your new rabbit is drinking when you get them home. If you rabbit goes off its food, first check the water. If they are unable to drink they usually stop eating. Check regularly that your rabbit is deficating and urinating as expected. If there is a sudden decrease the rabbit is likely not eating or drinking normally. ​

There are pros and cons to each method for providing water, and the weather and environment are important considerations to take into account as all methods will freeze in the winter. Rabbits reportedly drink more out of bowls, but they are easily contaminated, spilled or overturned.  Bottles can malfunction, leak, freeze and require work to refill and keep clean. Automatic waterers reduce the labor required, but you will not notice if a rabbit is not drinking and you do need to check frequently that the system is functioning properly and all rabbits can access water. 

Nail Trimming

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Nail trimming is absolutely essential for your rabbits overall health, well being, and their ease of handling. I recommend trimming your rabbits nails at least monthly. If you are having trouble with this, please contact me; it really is not as hard or as intimidating as it may seem and I am happy to help you get started. I usually always demonstrate this for new owners. The far left image represents the "quick," this is the blood supply to the nail and it should never be cut. If it is cut the rabbit may bleed rather profusely. Styptic powder (right) is essential to have on hand if you do quick them to help stop the bleeding. Cornstarch or flour can also be used in a pinch. Styptic Powder can be purchased on Amazon or at any pet store. If viewed from the side you can usually see the quick, even in rabbits with dark nails. The goal is to cut as close to the quick as possible without cutting into the quick. If nails are not regularly trimmed, it is difficult to handle your rabbit without getting scratched and it also causes back pain and poor posture in the rabbit. This is especially true if your rabbit is housed on solid floors. Once rabbit nails get long and unkempt, the quick also gets long and it is very difficult to get it to recede. Please start with your young rabbit and continue throughout their life.

Grooming

We raise Satins, Rex, and Mini Rex rabbits which are all low maintenance breeds when it comes to grooming. Most of the year you can just spritz your hands with water and work them both directions through the coat and most of the loose hair will come out on your hands. You can then just rub your hands together and all the hair will roll together and come right off. Rabbits molt seasonally but additional molts may also may be brought on by stress, environment and diet. During a molt, the old hair will be replaced with new hair.  A molt generally lasts from 2 to 6 weeks but can be longer or shorter. If your rabbit is constantly molting, consider your feed as a cause. The molt usually begins on the head, moving down the neck and back down the sides and towards the tail, but some rabbits molt in patches all over their bodies at once.

For rabbits aggressively blowing their coats, daily and weekly grooming may be necessary to prevent wool block. Rabbits are very clean animals and they groom themselves constantly. During a molt, a rabbit can ingest a lot of hair. Provide hay and/or greens to help prevent GI stasis and keep the gut moving. If you see poop balls strung by hair, please add forage to help keep the gut moving. A small piece of banana is often helpful. If you see no new poop your rabbit may have wool block. Contact your veterinarian at once. 

For "normal furred" rabbits such as Satins and New Zealands, a brush can be used to help them shed out. For Rex and Mini Rex, do not regularly use a brush on their coats as it damages the rex fur. It can be used sparingly if needed. Use your hands or a hacksaw blade to help them shed out. A blower can also be used if you have access to one. 

Health

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Rabbits are known to pee rainbows, please see the above urine color chart. Even RED urine is considered normal in rabbits. Dark brown urine is NOT normal. Monitor your rabbit for changes in urine and feces throughout their life. 

Spay/Neuter & Keeping Multiple Rabbits (aka: Bonding)

Contrary to what you will read on much of the internet, you do not NEED to spay/neuter your rabbits in order to have happy, healthy, well adjusted and well litter box trained rabbits. Spay/neuter in rabbits is high risk and many die under anesthesia. That said, if you obtain a female and she becomes grumpy, does not want to be removed from her cage and becomes very vocal, spaying is recommended.

Certain breeds are much more likely to become hormonal and grumpy. Please ask me about typical temperaments for the rabbit you are considering, I can help to provide insight on my personal experience with that breed. We have a large number of rabbits and are able to keep safely them without spaying or neutering, however they are kept individually and only young stock are housed together. 

If you plan to have more than one rabbit together, spaying and neutering becomes more necessary. Rabbits do not need another rabbit to be happy. Keeping multiple rabbits together known is as "bonding," and it can be done. However, it can difficult to do with intact rabbits. Un-spayed females can sometimes be kept together. Un-neutered males and un-spayed females should NEVER be kept together. For one, females will sometimes injure or kill a persistent male. They only need LITERALLY a few seconds together to successfully breed and become pregnant. You will most certainly end up with an un-expected litter and you risk serious injury to your rabbits. The female rabbit can be bred again shortly before giving birth or immediately after birth; if you find babies she is likely already bred again. Even when we breed rabbits it is supervised and highly managed. They are NEVER left unattended and we only do so with great care and planning. Keeping two un-neutered males together is not recommended. As they get older, most will begin to fight and it tends to escalate over time; they may try to breed each other and really fight. Two males can often be kept together if they are neutered and they are well bonded. 

Bonding is a process and a goal, it does not happen overnight. Entire books could be written on bonding so I will leave some helpful resources to aid you on your journey. Always have the ability to separate your rabbits if needed, and break up any fighting should it occur. 

Resources:
Facebook group #1
​Facebook group #2
Send me a text message at: (775) 762-2759 or use the facebook messenger at the bottom right. 
  • Home
  • How to Purchase
    • Sales Contract
  • For Sale
  • In the Nestbox
  • Our Breeds
    • Mini Rex
    • Velveteen Lops
    • Holland Lops
    • Rex
    • Satins
    • New Zealand
  • FAQs
    • Care >
      • Printable Care Sheet
    • Getting Started in Showing
    • How to Sex Rabbits
    • Terminology
    • Travel/Show Schedule
    • Which Breed/Sex For Me?
  • Links
  • About Us
    • Blog
    • Photo Gallery