Rabbit Care: What Every Owner Should Know
Rabbits are small herbivores with a digestive system that depends entirely on a high-fiber diet. The domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) descended from the European rabbit, which today is confined largely to the Iberian peninsula and favors dry, sandy country for easy burrowing. Pet rabbits weigh 1.5–2.5 kg and can live up to nine years. They are gregarious, territorial animals that in the wild live in social groups of six to ten in complex burrow systems, and they are well known for their reproductive capacity.
Diet and Digestion
Fiber is the cornerstone of rabbit health. It stimulates gut motility and helps create a "fiber mesh" that keeps intestinal contents from compacting, so ingested hair passes through instead of forming a blockage. A high-fiber diet also wears down the continuously growing teeth and reduces behavioral problems such as fur-chewing.
The condition every rabbit owner should know is GI stasis: because the gut is fiber-driven, when motility drops, the stomach fails to empty, gas builds up, and the rabbit develops painful visceral distention (colic). Prevention — high fiber, low stress, controlled weight, environmental enrichment, and daily grooming to remove loose hair — is far better than treatment.
Dental and Foot Health
Rabbit teeth grow continuously (they are elodont), which predisposes them to malocclusion and abscesses. Dental disease may show up as excess salivation ("slobbers"), teeth grinding, or anorexia, and overgrown cheek teeth can cause tongue or cheek lesions. Abscesses sometimes follow a foreign body.
Pododermatitis ("sore hocks") is an ulcerative foot condition. Overweight rabbits living on hard surfaces are especially prone to it; the lesion affects the plantar surface of the hind feet rather than the hock joint itself. Soft, clean flooring and weight control are the preventive measures.
A Note on Sourcing
In the United States the European rabbit is listed among the live mammals whose import is restricted under the Lacey Act (50 CFR 16.11). This does not affect domestically bred pet rabbits, but it is the legal backdrop of the pet trade — another reason to acquire rabbits from reputable local sources.