Jersey Wooly Rabbits

I have the sweetest cuties little Jersey Wooly rabbits.
I always wanted a rabbit & now in later years have finally got my rabbit...I should say 4. I have always had dogs &/or cats but never a rabbit...I need your help in helping me make my little cuties happy & healthy. I have to say when I went to pick up my rabbit..when I saw how neglected they were I took them all...a total of 4. don't/can't understand why/how anyone can be so heartless. I have only had these sweeties for less than a week & all ready in love with these percious little creatures. There's daddy rabbit...mama rabbit...& 2 baby girl rabbits...I sure hope these 3 females are not pregnant...next week I may have a dozen new babies. The male is a character...he makes me laugh...we hit it off right away...he can talk to me with those beautiful smoke blue eyes & my heart just melts...how can I love this silly little rabbit so fast. The girls are sweet too but they are shy & not as out going as he. I have no idea what these poor things have been thru or how many owners they have had because when I ask what they names were these idiots couldn't even tell me. They had them stacked in little carry-on(travel) cages...I think this is the way they were kept all the time....so sad. Well they have a good home now... Well I guess I have talked enough about my darlings & would like to ask for any info,tips on having pet rabbits.

Well to be sure, their success and happiness begins with someone who cares enough to get to know them. It looks like they have been waiting for you and finally found you.

I'm sure they will be happy with you cause I can tell you really have a love for them, and everything else hinges on that love...Have fun and good luck...Hay

Pictures? Please? They sound adorable...:)

No one here has pet rabbits?
I was hoping for some advice on raising them.
Guess I posted in the wrong forum...sorry.

There used to be some rabbit raisers here, I don't know where they went. Try the Pets forum.

I went there first...nothing.
Thanks tho.

How disappointing! Homesteading or Farming, perhaps?

I can answer most questions about rabbits, but need specific questions first!

Any & everything for someone who has never had rabbits before.
They are in a large hutch & feed Timothy's Hay & Timothy's grain, seeds w/ veggies & fruit, I also buy carrots for them but would like to know what else they can eat & what not to feed them.
Do they need rabies shots?
Should I give them vitamins..if so what's the best brand & etc.
Thank you for any & all info.

Okay, here are a few basics. You really should either check out a book on rabbits from your local library, or check out the website of the American Rabbit Breeders Association for further information.

Rabbits are best raised outdoors. They can be housepets, but it's better for the rabbit to be outside, as indoor rabbits are prone to respiratory disease. A good hutch should have a wire floor, and you need to site the hutch in a shady area, as rabbits are susceptible to heat stroke. Cold temps are not a problem if the hutch provides some protection from wind. Make sure your hutch is predator proof. Raccoons are the worst predators, and they can open many cage doors, so consider a small locking latch of some sort. Other predators include cats, dogs, snakes, opossums, coyotes, mink, weasels, and hawks, owls, and eagles for rabbits that are loose in the yard.

Rabbits do not require any vaccinations, nor do they need deworming.

The best way to feed rabbits is with commercial rabbit pellets, readily available in 50 pound bags from any feed store. Smaller quantities may be purchased from most pet stores, but it's much more economical to buy a 50 pound bag and keep it in a metal garbage can to keep it fresh. Buy a top quality brand, and it will be a complete diet that does not require any supplementation for complete nutrition. If you hope to show your rabbits, look for a brand with barley, which will put a rabbit in outstanding show condition. Feed twice a day, and give small amounts. An average rabbit of 8-9 pounds needs no more than a tuna fish can full of food for the entire day, and smaller breeds only need about half that amount. Keep your rabbits lean and they will live much longer and be much happier, especially in the summer when it's hot.

In addition to pellets, rabbits like occasional dried bread, small amounts of apple, fresh picked clover or any other grass, especially with seed heads on, sweet potato or yam slices, carrot pieces, twigs from apple, cherry, or mulberry trees, beet tops, carrot tops, sugar snap peas, regular pea pods, and daylily buds. The key is to feed very small (and I mean VERY SMALL) amounts of fresh food, since large amounts might give the rabbit digestive problems, lead to an unbalanced diet, and most fresh food goes bad rather quickly. A piece of carrot or yam the size of the first joint of your little finger is a great plenty for a small breed rabbit, and only every other day at most. Corn should not be used in the summer, as it's too 'hot' a food and will cause the rabbit to blow it's coat and may upset the digestive system. In a very cold winter, a few kernels of dried corn every day or two will be okay. Never feed anything moldy or wilted unless you want a rabbit with diarrhea. Avoid feeding lettuce unless you have good quality leaf lettuce, since iceberg lettuce has no nutritional value. Avoid feeding any cabbage or other kales. Cabbage and other members of the kale family cause the formation of gas, which will cause discomfort in an adult rabbit, but may actually rupture the intestines of a young or small rabbit.

Fresh, clean water is even more important than good food. Use heavy pottery crocks in the summer and metal bowls in the winter, and change the water twice a day. Avoid the plastic watering bottles sold for pets--they are impossible to keep adequately clean, they clog up or leak, and are basically a huge hassle.

Rabbits do suffer from the heat. Keep a supply of small plastic bottles with ice in your freezer, and if the rabbits are lethargic and panting excessively, put a frozen bottle in with them--they will lie up against it or on it to cool off. You can also turn a hose on the top of the hutch (assuming it's got a solid roof) to cool it off.

If you haven't already done so, seperate the buck from all the females immediately. A female rabbit can be capable of breeding at 12 weeks of age, and the buck won't hesitate, even though they are his daughters. If you do wish to breed, always put the doe in the buck's cage, then remove her right after they breed, which will be very quickly if she's receptive. If she's not receptive, take her out after 5 minutes and try again the next day--a doe will come into heat every 3 days.

If the people who sold you the rabbits didn't show you how to handle them, find pictures at the ARBA website on how to pick up a rabbits. A very docile rabbit can be scooped up, but in order to do something like trim nails (which may or may not be necessary--some rabbits nibble their own nails down), you will want to grasp the rabbit by the skin over the shoulders and support it with your other hand underneath it's rear end. To trim nails, stroke the ears back, then grasp both ears and the skin over the shoulder and lift, which will effectively immobilize the rabbit, allowing you to trim nails. Never, ever pick a rabbit up by the ears alone, as this will cause them great pain.

A healthy rabbit will keep itself clean and won't ever need to be bathed, but long coated breeds will need regular brushing. Use a pin brush, preferably one designed for puppies that's got a lot of give. Stroke the coat gently from tail to head, and make sure there aren't any mats under the legs or behind the ears. If there are, cut them out unless you are showing the rabbit, in which case you will want to carefully tease them out.

Basically rabbits are very healthy animals as long as their basic requirements of clean water, good food, and shelter are met. Some will be more personable than others, but all of them are enjoyable in their own way. Let me know if you have any more specific questions.

For my angora rabbits, in the summer, I partially fill pop bottles with water and freeze them. Then I put them in the rabbit's cage. The rabbits lay against them if they are warm, and they also lick condensation off the bottles as it forms. I don't know where you are located so not sure of your climate but it is something to consider for the hot days. I have angoras because I am a spinner and I blend their fur with my sheep's wool for spinning. I generally shear the angoras in early summer also to keep them cooler.

I used to raise and show rabbits and dhaven gave a wealth of accurate information. The ARBA (American Rabbit Breederes Assoc) as dhaven mentioned is an incredible resource. They have rabbit shows across the country and they are a great chance to go see some 'eye candy' and to meet other rabbit fanciers. You may also find some people there who are very knowledgable about woolies. There are only a very few things I would add to the above because you are raising a heavily coated bunny.

Do you know the ages of your daughter rabbits? If they are young, they have likely not got as tolerant a digestive system as the adults and probably should not be feed green or raw veggies quite yet.

Also, from what I recall when I was raising fuzzy lops, adding some extra fiber is a good ides. All rabbits self groom. When wooly coated rabbits do so, they ingest lost of long hair and this makes them very prone to bowel obstructions. Unlike a cat, they can't 'hack up a hairball'. Rather than green leafy treats, you may try something like an unsweetened piece of shredded wheat or other high fiber treat. And dried hay is also a good thing. The idea is to keep stuff moving through their system so that thing don't ball up, but also not to give them diarrhea. With the woolies, I watched carefully for if they were pooping, and if they started to have dry stringy poop or poop with lots of hair. At that point, cut way back on feeding and encourage a lot of water for a day or 2. No rabbit will starve from missing a day or so of feed, but a rabbit that is constipated can become more miserable or worse yet totally obstructed by continuing to eat when there are 'problems down below'.

My rabbit mentor raised Angora rabbits also, these tips came from her. She also said to pay BIG attention to a rabbit who would sit grinding its teeth. This is a sign of discomfort and in her angoras this was a serious alarm bell. For what its worth, she also gave part of a papaya tablet to them and thought that helped to prevent the buildup as well as ease one that was beginning. I don't know, but I would google it.

I have to grin when you say your male is the star. They usually are. The girls are hormonal constantly (who wouldn't be if they had to cycle every 3 days? on - off - on - off), The males are just ON. They love everyone and everything. Do not be surprised if he gets so excited he flicks urine. It is disgusting, but a generally "I'm thrilled" sign! LOL

In loving memory of Ashley Dean and Dusty

Thank you everybody for all the wonderful info.

Jennie, when you say give them shedded wheat(if they have a bathroom problem) are you talking about shedded wheat cereal that people eat? So far they aren't having any bathroom problems but this is good to know.
I have been putting a couple of frozen water bottles in their cages with them.
Well my sweet little "star" male is not very happy with me since I put him in with another male. I have two males together & three females to their selves but the males & females can see each other. I think my boy feels like I played a dirty trick on him by putting him with the other male. Poor little thing. But I don't want to wind up with 15 or more rabbits.
I was only getting the one but when I saw the poor things, in the condition they were living in..I couldn't stand it so I took 4 & then another one poor thing from a different person in conditions worst(if possible) from the 4 I just got.
I do appreciate all of your advice & have learn a great deal from this.
Please keep posting & feel free to talk about your sweeties & show pictures of them if you like.

I agree with the papaya tablet thing also. I gave one daily to my previous house rabbit who was a dwarf of mixed origin. She was an "ordinary" pet store rabbit - back then the shelters didn't have any rabbits. I bought her as a tiny girl about 8 weeks old and she lived to be 14. I think part of the reason for her longevity was also because I had her spayed at about 6 months of age. Female rabbits are prone to reproductive cancers as I understand it, and they can die as a result. If you are not breeding, spaying will generally lengthen their lifespan. I do this with my angoras also but I get most of my angoras from the shelter when they happen to receive one.

CC, when I was in college, my roommate was a Holland Lop named Ashley. She was awesome. Rather than giving her raw treats, I stuck to things like cereal. Her favorite was Crispix. When she did something good or I was rewarding her, I used a Crispix square.

As your bunnies are more likely to need more fiber, I would use something like plain generic shredded wheat cereal. Good fiber and a great treat. Better for them than a carrot or greens might be. Just a thought....

The spay/neuter thing is a great idea also. It makes for a happier group, less segragation and cuts out the hormone crabbies.

You will want to separate your two male rabbits immediately. They will fight, sometimes to the death, but it is more likely that the dominant one will neuter the smaller one, or at the very least maim him in the attempt. Never, ever keep two male rabbits older than 10-12 weeks of age together. Even if they appear to be getting along at first, eventually they will fight it out for ownership of the cage.

Females will also fight if put in the same cage as adults, but if the does are raised together, you might get away with leaving them together for a while. Eventually, however, they will have to settle who is dominant, and it can get very ugly. Rabbits are very territorial animals and can inflict an amazing amount of damage on each other when they fight, using teeth and nails both. You need a cage for each and every rabbit. The only exception is that neutered and spayed rabbits will sometimes (but not always) tolerate a cage mate.

The advice about fiber and papaya tablets is excellent. Nowadays, many grocery stores stock fresh papaya, which can be given in very small pieces. Pineapple works as well, but is too acidic for some bunnies. I disagree with holding off on feeding fresh food until rabbits are older. I found that starting bunnies as young as 5 or 6 weeks on very small pieces of fresh food resulted in rabbits that adjusted very quickly to a wide variety of foods and were much less prone to digestive problems. Older rabbits that have never been fed fresh stuff are quite likely to have digestive problems if not given fresh things until they mature. Basically what you want to do is get the various flora and fauna of the rabbit's digestive system going with fresh foods at a young age, which is much easier than trying to adjust them with a mature rabbit. Start by putting a whole carrot in the cage with the doe and litter when the bunnies are around 6 weeks old, and remove it after 10 minutes to assure that they don't over indulge. Repeat every few days, with a variety of fresh food, avoiding lettuce and other very high water content items, and your bunnies will adapt to the fresh stuff with no problems.

One other thing you should check regularly is the teeth. Rabbits are lagomorphs, and their teeth continue to grow in length throughout their lives. If they are fed pellets, that will keep the teeth at the proper length most of the time. However, if a rabbit does not have a properly aligned jaw, or suffers an injury and breaks a tooth, they may not grow together properly. This will result in either the top or more likely the bottom teeth growing too long. If left unattended, the lower teeth can actually grow out of the mouth and into the upper lip or nose of the rabbit. Rabbits with this problem can't eat well, and will eventually starve or may die from an infection if the teeth pierce the skin. So check the teeth regularly to make sure they are a good length and that the top teeth slightly overlap the bottom teeth. If you find a problem, you can contact a vet. You can also, if you are very strong nerved, take a wire cutter and snip the teeth off to the appropriate length. This does not hurt the rabbit, although they must be held very securely by ears and scruff and tucked under an arm before you do it, but it may require several repetitions a month or so apart before the teeth meet correctly again.

I also heartily agree that you should find a local rabbit show and attend. It sounds a little odd, but rabbit shows are big stuff. When I was showing years ago, a typical Iowa rabbit show had around 800 head shown, with many more brought to sell or trade. The national shows will have thousands of rabbits shown and go on for several days. I've shown both dogs and rabbits, and I can tell you that the rabbit people are among the nicest folks in the world, and will help you in every way they can. Not so much for dog show people! One word of warning, though--most rabbit shows have a lunch counter, and it's routine practice, at least in the midwest, to serve rabbit for lunch at the show, usually shredded and with bbq sauce. If this offends or horrifies you, stay away from the lunch area. Remember, many people raise rabbits as meat animals, and although they still love and respect their animals, the primary function of the animal is utilitarian. Remember also that rabbit meat is very good, tasty and low in fat, easy to digest, higher in protein than beef, and easy to produce. Not so very long ago, most homes had a hutch or two in the backyard to supplement their meat supply. In Europe this is still quite common in the smaller villages. Nowadays the pet bunny is in greater ascendance, but there are still plenty of people raising rabbits as food.

I have to laugh. I was at a 4-H potluck once as a new 4-H advisor on rabbits. My bunnies were all pet and show bunnies and none of the meat type. I had some of the most delicious chicken and rice casserole. Later one of the rabbit parents strolled over and we were talking about raising rabbits and rabbit projects in 4-H. She asked me if I had eaten her casserole.....Yep, it was NOT chicken. Her family raised New Zealands (the lg white 'meat/fur rabbit'). Still, it was delicious! LOL Hey, I eat hamburgers, but I could not kill a cow!

Along with teeth, something to think about is keeping toenails in from growing too long.

I agree with dhaven in that any time after 6-8 wks, raw foods are fine. I was referring to those folks that take home a tiny bunny as a pet and think it is ready for a full diet of carrots and lettuce. Mixing the diet up and adding different things in moderation is great. No cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc as dhaven said.