Pets

Rabbits are such popular pets these days, so here’s some facts that you might not know. Healthy, well-looked after rabbits can live up to 12 years and are incredibly sociable creatures. They should live in pairs or bigger groups for companionship and warmth during the winter months. They’ll snuggle together and groom each other. Bunnies are natural re-cyclers – as part of their natural diet, rabbits eat a specific kind of their own droppings called caecotrophs. These are full of protein and vitamin B and eating these will maximise the nutrients they get from their food. Their diet should be made up of around 80% hay, supplemented by a small amount of fresh vegetables (15%), with around 5% of a good quality pellet food. Muesli-type foods encourage unhealthy selective eating as they will pick out the bits the like, so these aren’t recommended. The teeth continue to grow throughout their lifetime – another reason why it’s important to ensure they mostly eat hay or grass as this acts as a natural abrasive and helps prevent overgrown teeth and painful spurs. Rabbits need a constant supply of water that should be changed daily. They often prefer a bowl rather than a bottle as it’s easier for them to drink from. Neutering of your rabbit is always recommended unless you are breeding – this is better for their health as well as stopping them from literally ‘breeding like rabbits’. A fun fact about rabbits is when they’re at their happiest, you might catch them doing a binky. This is when they jump in the air, twist their head and body in opposite directions and kick their feet out. A happy sight indeed.