Q&A -New Zealand Rabbits
What do I Need to Get Started?
Waterers
A place to house them
Feed
Feeders
A carrier for transport
A nest box (if you are breeding them)
Misters (if you are planning on keeping them outside in the summer)
A brush
What do you feed your rabbits?
We try to feed our rabbits a more natural diet, so when we can we only feed a small amount of pellets (we use Modesto millings Organic rabbit/chinchilla pellets) and mostly hay or pasture, and leafy greens and herbs.
How much should I feed my rabbits?
Pellets:
Bucks, non-breeding does, does up to the last week of pregnancy and kits over 12 weeks: 1/2 -1oz. per pound of body weight per day (the smaller amount for rabbits that tend to be, or are, fat the larger amount for rabbits that tend to be, or are, skinny).
does in the last week of pregnancy and until the kits are weaned, and kits up to 12 weeks of age can have all the pellets they want.
Hay or pasture:
You can let your rabbits have as much hay or pasture as they want.
Greens:
You should aim for about a 1/2 cup of leafy greens and/or herbs per pound of body weight per day, so a 10lb. rabbit (typical for a New Zealand) would get about 5 cups a day.
What Greens can I Feed My Rabbits?
Rabbits can eat almost any green that either a human or a horse could eat, below is a list of some safe greens to get you started:
Lettuce (not iceberg)
Kale
Basil
Chard
Spinach
Cilantro
Radish tops
Cucumber leaves
Dill
Nasturtium leaves (and a few flowers)
It is important to give your rabbits a variety of greens so they get all the minerals and nutrients they need.
What kind of housing do you recommend?
We keep our rabbits in moveable tractors that we build ourselves (there are plans online), we originally had them in a pen and closed them up at night in a hutch, that wasn't working for many reasons, having to chase them around every night to close them up (incredibly difficult, especially with an entire litter of bunnies), having to put chicken wire all around the perimeter to keep the little bunnies in (and they tended to get out anyways) etc. Having them in tractors lets us raise them outside of a cage without all the problems of trying to keep them in a pen.
Can I keep two bucks together?
Not likely, it's possible they may get along if raised together, and there are no does around, but we highly reccomend not keeping them together, we had two bucks across the fence from each other and they fought through the fence, the one buck ended up biting off the lower lip of the other, he survived, but we now know that it is not enough to just have them seperated by a fence!
Which rabbits can I keep together?
If you want to keep rabbits together for some reason these combinations should work:
Non-pregnant does that have been together since they were young,
does and a neutered buck,
a non-pregnant doe and her female bunnies,
any bunnies (even from different litters) until they are three months old.
Why don't you use water bottles for your rabbits?
We don't use water bottles with our rabbits because rabbits drink a lot of water and we have heard that it's hard for them to get enough when you use bottles, so we don't want to risk dehydrating our rabbits.
How much water do rabbits drink?
An adult rabbit can drink as much water in a day as a large dog.
What do you use for waterers?
We use two quart rubber dishes which work well, especially in the winter, they don't break when you are trying to get the ice out or when the water freezes in them, however, there are a couple of things we dislike about them, they can be tipped over, if they get dirty you have to dump the entire bowl out and if the water level gets low small bunnies can't drink.
We have also used 1 gallon piglet waterers which we really like (you can also use dog water dispensers we just had piglet waterers, they are basically the same thing), it lets us give the rabbits a lot of water without the problems of either bowls or bottles. Premier 1 Supplies also sells an automatic waterer kit that can be used for rabbits, but they would have to always be within reach of a hose.
Do Rabbits Bite?
A friendly rabbit will not normally bite unless provoked, though many rabbits will nibble your fingers if you stick them into their cage.
Do You Need to Trim a Rabbits Nails?
We have never trimmed our rabbits' nails, but they are on the ground, if you keep your rabbits in cages you may need to trim them. There are diagrams online demonstrating how to do this, it's the same idea as trimming a cat's or dog's nails, you want to avoid the quick (the part of the nail with blood and nerves).
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Can Rabbits Be Kept Outside in the Summer and Winter?
Rabbits can be kept outside in the summer and winter as long as you provide misters in the summer and a draft free place with a nest box and bedding in the winter.
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How Old Do My Rabbits Have to be Before I Can Breed Them?
Bucks can be used as young as 3 months, but it's best to wait until your does are 5 months old.
How Long are Rabbits Pregnant?
Rabbits are usually pregnant for 30 days but occasionally they are a day or two early or late.
How Many Bunnies Can a Doe Have per litter?
A doe can have up to 12 bunnies in a litter.
How Long do the Bunnies Stay in the Nest?
How long the bunnies stay in the nest depends on several things, but typically about 16 days. In cold weather they tend to stay in untill around three weeks, but if it's really hot they sometimes come out before their eyes are even open, if that happens, remove almost all the fur and nesting material and put the bunnies back in.
When do I Have to Separate the Bucks from the Does?
When the bunnies are three months old you will have to separate them. To avoid having to do this we process any unsold bunnies at three months.