subject: A Rabbit's Home, Your Responsibility [print this page] Lots of people take rabbits as petsLots of people take rabbits as pets. They are good choices for pets, as they are pretty easy to take care of, do not make noise, and are docile and cute. While in the wild they get to roam freely, most of us have to take care of them in hutches or cages. A rabbit cage in particular is a good choice if you plan to take care of your rabbit indoors - which you should, actually. Rabbits may have fur, but it does not provide them much protection since you take away their liberty to burrow in the ground.
A rabbit cage is often made with thin metal bars, with gaps large enough to let feces and urine through at the bottom. In terms of size, these cages are quite small, and one cannot expect the rabbit to get any exercise inside. Because there are no solid walls, ventilation is very good - too good in fact, as the rabbits may feel cold if the surrounding air is too cold. This is why a rabbit, especially if in a cage, should be kept indoors rather than outdoors.
If you are keeping your rabbit in a rabbit cage indoors, you need to make sure that it is set up properly. Make sure that the cage floor is suspended above the floor, and that there is a bin or some newspaper under the cage to catch solid and liquid wastes. You also have to give the rabbits some semblance of day and night, turning off the lights in the room they are in. Unlike cats and dogs which we usually allow to roam free in the home, rabbits are more under our mercy and thus we have to keep them in mind.
A rabbit cage is rather simple. The common accessories that people add are not accessories per se, as they are vital to the rabbit's health. These non-optional accessories are, namely, a water bottle for drinking and a bowl of some sort for food. Rabbits eat a variety of foods, but most pet owners feed them timothy hay, some pellets, and fresh vegetables.
These cages are quite light and easy to carry, which provides an advantage over hutches. Hutches are often larger and are made partly of wood, so they really are heavier. Cages make for better transport or quarantine containers.
If you have more than one rabbit, make sure you know their sexes and that you keep females and males separate. Otherwise, you could have a litter problem on your hands, and we are not talking about garbage. Rabbits can reproduce rather quickly, so you have to take steps to prevent or manage it.
A rabbit also needs exercise, so you need to let it out of its cage or hutch once in a while. Inside the home is fine, just be sure to clean up after it. If you plan to take care of it outdoors, a fox proof rabbit run is a good idea, because it will keep your rabbit in while keeping foxes and other predators out.
