Seasonal Care   
By Barbi Brown

  Spring

SPRINGTIME WEATHER CAN BE DIFFICULT TO PREDICT WITH GUSTY WINDS, OCCAISIONAL RAIN SHOWERS AND SOME PRETTY WARM DAYS SO BE PREPARED FOR THE UNEXPECTED.

WE ARE CAUGHT BETWEEN HAVING LIGHTS ON THE NEW BABIES AT NIGHT AND FANS ON DURING THE DAY.  THE HARD PART IS TO KNOW WHICH IS BEST AND WHEN.   I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THE RABBITS PREFER 65 DEGREES ALL YEAR LONG (OR MAYBE THAT'S WHAT I PREFER). 

AT ANY RATE, PROTECT YOUR BUNNY/BUNNIES FROM GUSTY WINDS THAT CAN CARRY ALL SORTS OF NASTY THINGS INTO EYES AND NOSES.  WEEPY EYES AND SNEEZING NOSES ARE PART OF THE SPRINGTIME TRANSFORMATION.  A TARP OR PIECE OF HEAVY PLYWOOD WILL WORK FOR A WIND BREAK BUT WON'T OBSTRUCT THE AIR FLOW EXCEPT IN THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND.  TEMPERATURES CAN SOAR UNEXPECTEDLY LEAVING A POOR BUNNY TOO HOT

IF YOU HAVE JUST FED HAY OR IT IS WINDY WHEN YOUR RABBIT STARTS SNEEZING, IT IS PROBABLY ALLERGIC. 

IF THE DISCHARGE FROM THE NOSE IS CLEAR IT IS SAFE TO ASSUME AN ALLERGY.  IF THE DISCHARGE IS WHITE OR YELLOW HE HAS PICKED UP AN INFECTION WHICH MAY REQUIRE ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY.

RABBITS ENJOY A LITTLE SNOOZE IN THE MORNING SUN BUT THEY ARE EASILY OVERHEATED.  FILTERED SUNLIGHT IS BEST AND FOR A LIMITED TIME. WE TEND TO FORGET THAT WHERE THE HUTCH IS LOCATED IN WINTER IS NOT ALWAYS BEST IN SPRING OR SUMMER.CHECK THE POSITION OF THE SUN SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE DAY TO BE SURE THE RABBIT CAN ESCAPE TO THE SHADE AT ANY TIME.

TEN MINUTES IN DIRECT SUN CAN BE ENOUGH TO CAUSE SUNSTROKE SO DON'T RISK IT.  REMEMBER, RABBITS ARE WEARING FUR COATS AND WHAT IS COOL TO YOU MAY BE HOT TO YOUR BUNNY.

Summer

SUMMER TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR BUNNY COOL AND HAPPY
HEAT KILLS BUNNIES
	It is critical that your bunny be kept in a well shaded and well ventilated area during the summer months. Keep them out of direct summer sun at all times.
FROZEN BOTTLES HELP
	Fill 2 litre soda or Gatorade bottles with water and freeze overnight.   On any day that the temperatures are expected to exceed 80 degrees, put one or more bottles in the cage with your rabbit.  Some bunnies will lay on the bottle, others will be happy to just have the air cooled by blowing around the bottle.
ICE CUBES
	Adding ice cubes to the drinking water is helpful as well.  It cools the area slightly and encourages them to drink more.
FANS AND SWAMP COOLERS
	If you run fan or swamp coolers for your bunnies, be sure to direct the air flow ABOVE or BELOW the cage, not directly on the rabbit. Swamp coolers should have vinegar or tea added to the water supply frequently to prevent the growth of a bacteria called Pseudomonas. THERMOSTATS built into fans are a great way to be sure the rabbits stay cool while you are away.  You can set them to go on a certain temperature and will turn themselves off when it cools down.

Fall

FIXING YOUR BUNNY UP FOR FALLFall is a funny time of year for bunnies. Here in California we find ourselves faced with 70 to 90 degree days and 30 to 50 degree nights. It's tough for the bunny to know whether to put on his coat or take it off! The rest of the continental U.S. faces even greater extremes and unsettled weather this time of year.

Our first instinct when we feel a chill in the air is to cover up the bunny so he will stay warm, when, in fact, we should do just the opposite! We need to let him feel the chill so he can begin beefing up a winter coat. If he is kept too warm now he won't have enough coat to keep him comfy when the really cold weather gets here.

We must, however, be sure he doesn't get wet. The wind is not so great a concern as the rain. But make plans now for how to protect your bunny from extremly gusty winds. Moving bunnies to a garage is one option in areas of extreme weather but remember that a garage can be hot and stuffy one minute and cold and drafty the next. Not a good thing for a bunny.

Now is the time to prepare for winter BEFORE it gets here.

Here is sort of my checklist that I go through in the fall:

1. Make sure all the lights are working in the barn (or around the hutch) so we can see as the days become shorter. Lighting is also important to keep breeding stock in production. (Fertility decreases with decreased daylight)

2. Check for leaks in barn (or hutch) roofing.

3. Repair any leaking water lines or bottles. (This is a nasty chore when it's freezing out.)

4. I move all the bunnies into the main barn from the outdoor kennel area but leave the play pens set up outside so they still can get some fresh air and exercise on nice days.

5. Add wheat, barley, sunflower and safflower seeds to the feed mix to help "finish off" the summer molt.

6. Carefully feel each bunny for anyone a little out of flesh from the summer months. Those guys get a higher protein feed mixed with regular ration.

7. Worm every one with Piperazine and Ivomec. I do this in the first week of each quarter.

8. Make sure all nest boxes are in good repair. I also dig out the plastic plant buckets and clean them up for use in freezing weather. (They clean and dry more easily than wooden boxes).

9. Add extra bedding to nest boxes.

10. Check all the tarps for tears and missing grommets. We hang large tarps as wind breaks in areas where the barn doesn't have doors to close.

11. Prepare for heavier fall breeding by updating my breeding board in the barn where I track who is bred to whom and when they are due. Each cage is tagged as well.

12. Complain that my barn isn't bigger and better!

In general, just plan ahead. If you are in areas of freezing weather consider adding heat tapes to your water supply.

Winter

Keeping your bunny comfy in the winter takes a little extra care.

Mother Nature helps by putting a heavy winter coat on your bunny but there are ways you can make Bun-Bun's life more comfortable.

Nest boxes made of wood are hard to keep clean in winter because they don't dry readily. I find that plastic flower pots (the type plants come in from the nursery) turned on it's side makes an excellent little winter house. The round shape holds heat in and if bunny pees in the box (cause it's too cold to go outside!) It runs out the holes in the bottom of the bucket. These plastic buckets are easily hosed out and dried with a paper towel. Presto! Ready to use! Some rabbits enjoy chewing on the plastic, but most are content to leave warm places well enough alone.

Speaking of flower pots....... Please remember that Poinsettias and Holly are POISONOUS PLANTS. Keep them out of reach of your house or yard bunny! The consequences can be deadly!

Christmas trees are another deadly attraction to a house rabbit.

They may chew on light cords or pick up dried pine needles from the carpet. Fire retardants on trees can be toxic to small animals so let your bunny enjoy the Christmas tree from the safety of his cage or your lap.
 RABBITS DRINK MORE WATER IN COLD WEATHER THAN IN HOT. BURNING CALORIES TO KEEP WARM CAUSES THEM TO DEHYDRATE. So be sure to check the water supply frequently.

Freezing temperatures can play havoc with water for your outdoor bunny.

If you use a water bottle, placing a heavy sock over the bottle will help reduce the likelihood of freezing. If you use crocks, only fill them half way so there is room for expansion if the water freezes (otherwise the crock will break). We have an automatic watering system made of pvc pipe which we wrap with insulating foam. The problem is that the brass fittings in the waterer itself freezes. There is nothing worse than broken pipes in a rabbit barn. It is safer to turn the water supply off to the barn all together at night when temps are expected in the 20's and below. In the morning,  go out with several gallons of warm water and fill the cups and turn the water back on during the day.

 

Grooming

Trimming Nails

Show Equipment

Conditioning Rabbits for the show season …………

Conditioning Rabbits for the show season …………

Without a doubt the most important aspect in exhibiting rabbits or any kind of animal for that matter, is its physical condition on show day. Listening to judges comments we often hear, “A little down in condition today” or perhaps, “Moult not quite finished”. We paid our entry fee, checked out the competition, we know we have the best animals but are beaten because of their condition. There are other factors that can effect our placement of course; type, colour, quality of the competition, lighting, behavior (table manners), our attitude and several other things that make the event fun. However, the most important factor is condition. While many breed standards lump condition in with type, anything from 15 to 50 points, most judges seem to pay a lot of attention to the condition part. This is not meant as a criticism but it is a reality. Human nature leads judges to pick animals that are in good condition over those lacking flesh, with poor coats or boney hips. After all, the judge can only place the rabbits based upon what he or she sees for a few moments on the day of the show. A judgment based upon what might be or could be, doesn’t work.  While the title of this short article is conditioning rabbits for a show, what we should really be trying to do, is to learn how to maintain the rabbits’ condition before and during the show season.

This is not an easy task. First, let’s assume that the rabbit in question has the genetic ability to attain and maintain good condition. Some strains, for whatever reason, don’t quite make it. Seemingly constant moult, rough spines or boney hips or inherent poor colour are just a fact of life. Rather than spend time and effort with these it would probably be best to cull and discard the offenders to start over. 

 Most rabbits leave the nest box in excellent condition; the real challenge is to retain it. One of the most important conditioning aids is an adequate supply of water. Interruptions in the growth cycle due to inconsistent feed intake will lead to poor condition right from the start. Rabbits will not eat properly if they are thirsty. A constant feed supply together with plenty of fresh water will get the youngsters off to a good start. A careful examination at weaning time will reveal any that are not doing well. Any with boney hips or spines at 8 weeks or those with distended bellies will not improve with age and should be eliminated right away. This move saves feed, cage space and effort and will give the remaining kits a better chance. The fur quality can be assessed at this time also. Those with harsh or very course coats or those that lack density or have really poor colour are candidates for the discard group. The remaining young should be housed individually if possible; this is especially true of the young bucks. Two immature does caged together seem to do reasonably well but fights do sometimes breakout and there goes the condition. The feed intake of individually caged rabbits can be monitored more easily and any that don’t eat properly while growing will quickly go downhill.

In my experience, the next best age to check for condition is at about 4 ½ to 5 months. From 8 weeks to 18 weeks or 4 ½ months many young rabbits go through a kind of gangly ‘teenage period’. Decisions made regarding type or condition during this stage will sometimes prove incorrect. At around 5 ½ months, the first junior prime coat should be in and this is an excellent time to cull again with priority given to flesh condition and fur quality. From now on the fun begins and the challenge of maintaining good condition is almost a daily thing. Assuming you have chosen a satisfactory feed to begin with, stick with it. Frequent change of feed or too many supplements will cause loss of condition quicker than anything. Personally, I find a pelleted ration with a protein/fibre ratio of 16/19 works the best for my rabbits. Of course, slight variations in percentage points either way would still be very acceptable. I find that high fat or protein formulae do little to improve condition in the long run. They generally cost more and lead to overweight animals that seem to be in a constant moult. Additives or supplements such as good quality crimped or rolled oats together with a little black sunflower seed fed sparingly a couple of times a week is about all that is needed to maintain  condition. My rabbits also have access to Oat or Barley straw or good grassy hay several times a week. The little extra work can pay off on show day. They don’t always win but if the judge says “good flesh condition or excellent fur” at least I feel they’ve had a fighting chance.

To summarize then;

Start with stock that has the genetic potential to retain condition.

Choose a feed and stick with it, let the rabbits cull themselves to your feed and don’t try to constantly adjust the feed to the rabbit.

Make sure there is a reliable supply of water.

Insure that adequate ventilation without any draughts or dampness is provided, poor housing leads to poor condition.

Keep notes on how long each animal stays in show condition, this really helps when planning your future breeding programs…... Good condition tends to run in families.

The above notes are based on my experience primarily with Utility type rabbits in Southern Ontario. Some allowances can be made for some fancy breeds where markings, wool quantity or a racy appearance is required. However, a beautifully marked animal in poor flesh or coat condition stands little chance of winning on show day.

Ed White

2005