Rabbit care — AEMV guide distilled
Domestic rabbits are lagomorphs descended from European rabbits — gentle, quiet companions that need socialization and careful handling: always support the hindquarters, because a kicking rabbit can suffer serious spinal injury.
Housing & environment
- Maintain 55–85°F (13–29°C) with good ventilation; clean the enclosure every few days.
- Give as much space as possible — ideally the rabbit can travel three hops in every direction — plus a large exercise run, a hide box or tunnel, and safe chewing items. Provide at least some solid flooring (wire or slatted flooring can cause foot lesions).
- Bedding: shredded paper, straw or hay. Avoid pine, cedar and corn cob.
Diet & nutrition
- The cornerstone is grass hay, available at all times, plus a limited amount of high-quality uniform grass-hay pellets (about 1 tablespoon per 2 lbs body weight).
- Avoid "gourmet" pellets with seeds/additives, and any with grains (corn, wheat) or dried fruits/nuts. Growing and lactating rabbits may have alfalfa, but are weaned off alfalfa between 4 and 6 months (too high in protein/calcium).
- Offer a handful of fresh dark leafy greens daily; fresh water always. Rabbits practice cecotrophy (ingesting soft cecal droppings).
Behavior & veterinary care
Rabbits may be kept as pairs (spay/neuter to prevent overpopulation and fighting); supervise interaction with young children. Take the rabbit to a vet after purchase, then for an annual exam, and spay females early — it has been reported that 80% of female rabbits over age 3 may develop uterine cancer. Never give medications unless vet-directed; some drugs for other pets or humans are toxic to rabbits.
Common disorders
AEMV lists cardiac; gastrointestinal (poor appetite, reduced pooping, diarrhea); eye; dental; infectious (E. coli, Pasteurella, Bordetella, syphilis, Myxomatosis, viral hemorrhagic fever); malnutrition; nervous (head tilt, circling, seizures); trauma; urogenital (calcium sludge, stones); skin (sore hock, urine scald); reproductive; respiratory; and zoonotic (rabies, Lyme disease).
Sources
aemv_care_guide_rabbit— AEMV Exotics Companion Care Series (rabbit): lagomorph, support hindquarters; housing 55–85°F, 3-hop space + run, solid flooring, avoid pine/cedar/corn cob; grass hay always + limited pellets (1 tbsp/2 lb), avoid gourmet/grain/fruit-nut pellets, alfalfa wean 4–6 mo, cecotrophy; spay females (80% over 3 yo uterine cancer risk); disorder list.