Rabbit behaviour & company — DAERA Code of Practice for the Welfare of Rabbits (Sections 3 & 4)
Source: Code of Practice for the Welfare of Rabbits, DAERA (Northern Ireland), issued under section 16 of the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. Crown copyright, re-used under the Open Government Licence v3.0 with attribution. All bullets below are exact verbatim substrings of the cited source_file and C1-substring verified.
Claims
Rabbits are social animals and should ideally be kept with an appropriate companion such as another neutered rabbit, preferably a male/female neutered pair.An appropriate companion is a neutered rabbit of a similar size and opposite sex. Rabbits of the same sex are more likely to fight.Rabbits may accept a guinea pig as a companion, but this is not advised. The powerful hind legs of even a small rabbit could cause serious internal injury to a guinea pig that could be fatal.A rabbit, whether kept alone or with other rabbits, should have the opportunity to interact with its owner for several hours a day.To lift a rabbit place one hand under the rabbit’s chest and the other hand under its bottom. Hold the rabbit close so that it feels secure and it is prevented from falling.Never shout at or punish your rabbit. It is unlikely to understand and can become more nervous or scared.A rabbit with nothing to do will quickly become unhealthy, unhappy and possibly aggressive.the way each rabbit behaves is largely influenced by experiences during the first few weeks of life.A prospective owner should be satisfied that the rabbit they are thinking of getting is old enough to live without help from its mother, which is when it is over 8 weeks of age.Never leave your rabbit alone with a cat or dog, even if they are familiar with each other.If you see any of these signs of stress you should contact your vet promptly.rabbits kept in cramped conditions will fightforaging for food and having suitable objects to play with are excellent ways of ensuring a rabbit is kept properly occupied