Rabbits are friendly, intelligent and clean animals that can make great family pets. Given the right amount of space to exercise, a good quality rabbit hutch to live in and the correct food and bedding, a rabbit will live happily for many years.

However, you will need to devote some quality time every day to the care of your rabbit.  Rabbits usually require more attention than some other small pets so they may not be ideal of very young children but will make an ideal pet for older children provided that they have an adult who will help them to take care of their needs.

There are many rabbit hutches on the market to choose from, but the rabbit hutch you choose must be weatherproof with a separate sleeping area with plenty of dry bedding to bed down in.

Ideally a rabbit hutch should be approx. 3 times the length of the full grown rabbit when lying down and allow the rabbit to stand on its hind legs easily.  These are not easy to come by, so if your hutch is smaller, consider adding a separate rabbit run to allow daily supervised exercise for your rabbit outside the cage.

The rabbit hutch should give some shade during the heat of the day and shelter from strong winds and rain.  Rabbit hutches can have rabbit runs built onto the hutch or you buy a separate rabbit run to be located elsewhere in your garden – Try and get one with a sheltered area to protect your rabbit from the weather.  Make sure that the hutch is cleaned out at least twice a week to prevent infestation, flies and odours.  A rabbit should always have a clean hutch and have plenty of fresh, clean water to drink.

Young rabbits can be nervous and should be allowed to gradually get used to you and their new surroundings.  For the first few days, talk quietly and gently to your rabbit to build up trust, then slowly introduce your hand into the hutch.  Rabbit are curious and he will become inquisitive and come to sniff your hand.  After a week or two, try picking up your rabbit but use both hands so that he feels safe and secure.  Make sure you support your rabbit by putting your hand under his hindquarters.  Never lift your rabbit by the ears as this is very cruel and very painful.  Would you like to be lifted by your ears?

You should also start to groom your rabbit daily once he has got used to you handling him.

All Rabbits need daily exercise as this is natural behaviour - they love to run around and kick their hind legs in the air.  It is important to encourage your rabbit to indulge in natural behaviour.  Rabbits also like to burrow and a piece of plastic piping in its rabbit hutch can act as a burrow - make sure it is wide enought to allow your rabbit to get through or he will get stuck !!  A box filled with shredded paper will encourage your rabbit to dig and if you put some root vegetables at the bottom of the box this will be a lovely treat for him to nibble on.

A healthy Rabbit is alert, has shining eyes, a shiny coat and a clean nose.  His breathing should be quiet and regular and his droppings should be formed pellets.  

In order for your rabbit to remain healthy he needs your time and attention as he should be checked at least twice a day.  

He also needs a good balanced diet with no sudden changes which could cause him to have an upset stomach. 

His hutch should be clean and dry and completely washed out with with a mild disinfectant at least once a week.

Your rabbit should not be exposed to any extreme or sudden changes in temperature and his water bottle and feeding bowls should be thoroughly cleaned daily.  He should also have easy access to clean, fresh water daily and be fed a quality rabbit food with fresh supplements if required.  Your vet will help you to choose a good food for your rabbit.

Place gnawing blocks and chew toys in his rabbit hutch to help wear his continually growing teeth or they will grow so long that it will hamper his feeding.  Your vet will advise you on this and will cut them for you if required. 

Long haired rabbits should be groomed every day and  short-coated rabbits should be groomed weekly.

Your vet will advise you on innoculations required and be careful that he does not come into contact with any wild rabbits who may carry disease.

Looked after properly, your pet rabbit will give you years of love and entertainment.