August 30, 2010 – 3:44 pm
Rabbits are not very vocal but have a range of sounds indicating different feelings:
Thumping of the back feet – this noise is associated with fear and is a way of warning others of dangers in the area. Dominant rabbits will also thump in order to gain attention.
Hissing, growling or muttering – usually indicates aggression and precedes an attack. It indicates the rabbit feels threatened or is behaving territorially.
Teeth grinding – soft grinding or cooing means your rabbit is happy (and often accompanies being tickled or stroked). Loud grinding is a sign of intense pain as is loud squealing – it may also indicate danger.
Brought to you by Rabbit Mart – Rabbit Supplies for Less
August 17, 2010 – 3:41 pm
Rabbits are naturally very active and inquisitive animals. They like to keep themselves busy and, when allowed, spend the majority of their time running around and investigating their surroundings.
Their natural instincts are to forage, explore and socialisze. It only takes a few items to create an exciting playground for your pet.
Rabbits explore around the edge of an area and its hiding places first, rather than the middle of the area or run. Place objects like tubes, tunnels, untreated wicker baskets and boxes in the run for them to play with. They also like to look under, hide in, or climb onto empty cardboard boxes, wicker baskets and plastic flowerpots. Chimney pots and large plastic pipes make great hiding places and excellent tunnels. Change the items around occasionally to provide added interest for your rabbit.
Rabbits are attracted to noisy rabbit toys, cat balls (complete with a bell) are ideal and your rabbit will have great fun knocking them around.
Piles of logs (natural wood – willow, beech, hazel or apple) make platforms for them to explore or rest under. Rabbits will chew the wood and this will help keep their teeth in trim!
Feeding time for a domestic animal is often over in minutes whereas, in the wild, feeding takes most of the day as they forage for their favourite foods. By hiding food and the occasional treat under cardboard boxes, in empty plant or yoghurt pots, or in different areas of the animal’s hutch, your rabbit will be forced to hunt for his food – this will keep him occupied for many happy hours and prevent boredom.
August 10, 2010 – 3:37 pm
 NEWS from Absorption!
Absorption Corp. launches CareFresh ProEarth Crinkles, a soft and comfortable bedding made with recycled paper, according to the company.
Since it’s soft and springy, the product is fun for pets and ideal for foraging, burrowing and nesting, the manufacturer states, adding that the bedding also absorbs moisture, helps control odors and is 100-percent recyclable and biodegradable.
Natural and Colors varieties of the bedding are available in 11/2-lb. and 41/2-lb. packages.
Repellents are just that, a repellent. They will not kill the undesirable pest but will help to deter them. The population and available food sources will be a factor in the effectiveness of the repellent in many cases. 
In addition, behavior modification techniques may be required in addition to the use of a repellent, particularly when trying to “retrain” domestic animals, to achieve the desired results.
Shot Gun Deer and Rabbit Repellent Protects flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruit, bulbs, lawns, trees…from deer, rabbits, squirrels…both an odor and a taste barrier. All natural ingredients. Leaves no noticeable residue. Lasts 3 months. Contains putrescent whole egg solids, garlic and capsaicin. Ready to use.
- 1 qt RTU covers 500 sq ft. or 45-50 ornamental shrubs that are 4 ft. tall.
Ingredients:
Putrescent Whole Egg Solids – 0.7813
Capsaicin and related Capsaicinoids (Made from Hot Cayene Peppers) – 0.0006
Garlic – 0.0006
Your rabbit has an immense and complex digestive system. Because the rabbit gut is so specialized and eating is so central to the rabbit’s life, a healthy diet is key to a healthy rabbit.
40% of the rabbit’s digestive tract consists of the cecum, a large vat where all fibrous food is processed into useable energy. The rabbit’s digestive system is evolved to eat only grass and vegetable matter- the farther you stray from this diet, the more trouble the bunny gets into. Plenty of good quality hay for roughage should be the major portion of your rabbit’s diet, and many rabbits can live well with just hay to eat. 
These are great hay-based snacks for Rabbits:
Falfa Cravin Herb N Hay Tunnel - Fun hideaway and great tasty natural snack.
Timothy Hay Side Salads for Rabbits
Herbs-n-Hay Rolls for Rabbits Stuffed with parsley and sweet potato.
Ideally, you should weigh your rabbit every month or so, and note any weight changes. Steady weight gain points to a needed diet change, while unexpected weight loss can be an indicator of illness.
The key to diet change and weight loss is to do it GRADUALLY. Any fast weight loss will risk doing major damage to the liver as it becomes clogged with fat. Slowly wean your rabbit off the bad stuff, reduce starchy vegetables like carrots but always make sure your bunny has plenty of hay. Provide your bunny with lots of exercise time and toys.
How do you know if your bunny is fat? Rabbits store fat inside their abdomen, which makes just eyeballing them for love handles ineffective. Run your hands along your rabbit’s side, feeling the rib cage. When you reach the end of the ribs, your should be able to feel a slight inward slope, the waist. Fat bunnies will balloon out instead.
It’s summertime and we all like to get outside for fresh air and exercise, that includes our pets!
Small pets, such as rabbits will need extra supervision when outside during the summer.
Keep in mind that domesticated rabbits do not have the natural survival skills of a wild rabbit. Walking leashes or outdoor cages/playpens are strongly recommended and will keep your rabbit out of harms way.
Here are a few tips on keeping your rabbit safe outside.
- Purchase a harness or walking jacket and make sure it’s snug so your rabbit will not wiggle out of it. Teach your rabbit to walk on a leash.
- Avoid areas that might have pesticides or weed killer on lawns and gardens. These chemicals can be harmful to pets and can be fatal if ingested.
- Bugs, mosquitoes, fleas and ticks can transmit various diseases. Check your rabbit for insects or bites after being outside and ask your local veterinarian for flea and tick control advice.
- Some plants are poisonous for rabbits.
- Have a first aid kit on hand in case your rabbit happens to get a small cut or abrasion. This will help prevent infections.
- Know your surroundings and the potential rabbit predators in your area. Hawks, crows cats and dogs can suddenly appear out of nowhere causing stress, injury or death to your little rabbit.
- Be aware of the signs of heat stroke! Rabbits are sensitive to high temperatures above 85F degrees. Labored breathing, flaring nostrils, salivating and inability to move are all signs that your rabbit might be having a heatstroke.
- Never leave your rabbit unattended outside.
The outdoors can be an exciting and fun place for your furry friends and with the proper safety precautions you both can have an enjoyable outing together.
KAYTEE® Supreme® rabbit food is a clean, wholesome, high-quality mix that contains all of the natural protein, fiber, oils and nutrients of whole grains that your pet rabbits need.
- Supreme is fortified to ensure a well balance blend,
- Supreme utilizes natural seeds, grains and pellets to provide your rabbit with a simple yet healthy diet.
Rabbits have special nutritional needs. Kaytee Supreme Rabbit Foods offer quality, nutritious ingredients in a mix that small animals love. Best of all, the clean, wholesome ingredients offer proteins, fiber, and other nutrients to help rabbits stay strong and healthy.
If you look at the ingredients of supreme, you will see that Sun-cured Alfalfa Meal is first on the list. Suncured alfalfa pellets are produced from alfalfa hay, which has been ground and pelleted.
Ingredients:
Sun-cured Alfalfa Meal, Wheat Middlings, Ground Grain Products, Plant Protein Products, Cane Molasses, Salt, Lignin Sulfonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, DL-Methionine, Vitamin A Supplement, Choline Chloride, Mixed Tocopherols (a preservative), Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Niacin, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of vitamin K activity), Rosemary Extract, Citric Acid, Cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Iodate, Biotin, Folic Acid, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite. Allergen information: Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and other tree nuts.
We couldn’t wait to announce our new line of rabbit hutches. Although they are not in stock as of June 28th, we are expecting them soon and you can sign up to recieve an alert when they come in.
These hutches have a rich finish that stands out as an “Elite Rabbit Hutch”.
Remember that the hutch you purchase should be about 4 times the length of your rabbit. – so if your rabbit is 9 inches long, a 36 inch hutch should be fine.
If your rabbit is female and is going to have babies – get a bigger hutch.
Make sure that you place your hutch in an area that has good air circulation and allows plenty of room for you to periodically clean the hutch.
Rabbits are extremely clean animals and not comfortable with dirty homes.
 Keeping your rabbit happy and healthy at mealtime is easy and convenient with a diet of fortified rabbit food. Fortified diets are ideal for giving your rabbit a blend of nutrients that your rabbit needs on a daily basis. In addition to giving your rabbit fortified rabbit food, it is also important to give your rabbit hay (Timothy or Alfalfa hay depending on your rabbit’s age) every day. Fortified rabbit food makes giving your rabbit the right amount of nutrients every day easy and convenient. Here are some fortified rabbit diets that are made for especially for keeping your rabbit healthy and happy all day long throughout his or her life:
Kaytee makes a great line of fortified rabbit food that is formulated with vitamins and minerals and is in an easy-to-chew pellet form. To start your rabbit off right, give your rabbit the Forti-diet Prohealth Juvenile Rabbit food by Kaytee. This fortified rabbit food contains a variety of nutrients that help support brain, heart and eye development. It should be given to rabbits that are under 12 months of age or rabbits that are breeding. The pellets are smaller to be easy for your young rabbit to eat.
When your rabbit is older than 12 months of age, the Forti-Diet Prohealth Adult Rabbit Food is a great source of nutrients that adult rabbits need on a daily basis. It also helps to maintain brain, heart and eye function and is a great source of antioxidants. It is also made with probiotics to help maintain proper digestion and the pellet shape is easy for your rabbit to consume.
To add some crunch into your rabbit’s diet, give your rabbit Rabbit Forti-diet Crunch by Kaytee. This fortified rabbit food has a great crunchy texture that rabbits love to nibble on. This fortified rabbit food is also ideal for helping to keep teeth healthier.
 Clipping your rabbit’s nails is an important part of your rabbit’s grooming routine. By clipping your rabbit’s nails on a regular basis, preferably every six to eight weeks, it has a variety of benefits including: helping to keep your rabbit’s paws in good shape, makes getting around easier, and helping to prevent a nail from getting stuck and causing injury. In addition to keeping your rabbit’s nails healthier, clipping your rabbit’s nails on a regular basis also helps to prevent your rabbit from scratching your skin and it makes easier to hold onto your rabbit. It is important to use a nail clipper that is made especially for clipping your rabbit’s nails and keep a blood coagulant like Gimborn Kwik Stop Gel Formula handy to easily stop bleeding quickly and safely. Here some great nail clippers to use on your rabbit:
- The Super Pet Pro Nail Trimmer is the perfect size for clipping your rabbit’s nails. It has a scissor style that makes cutting quick and a sure -grip to give you a good hold on the clippers. The blades are made of stainless steel and sharp enough to cleanly clip your rabbit’s nails without much effort.
- Another scissor-style nail clippers for use on your rabbit’s nails is the Super Nail Clipper by Four Paws. These nail clippers have sturdy handles that give you a sure grip. The blades are sharp and make clipping quick and easy.
- To help remind you of the need to clip your rabbit’s nails on a regular basis, the Clip & Trim Bunny Nail Trimmers by Super Pet includes scissor-style rabbit nail clipper in an attractive, bunny-inspired magnetic case that clips to the outside of your rabbit’s cage. The clipper blades are made of stainless steel to help prevent them from rusting and are sharp for smooth, easy cutting.
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