Did you know rabbits have very delicate bones? And their teeth keep growing at a rate of 3mm a week? Veterinary nurse Sarah Cottle shares four engrossing facts about pet rabbits <\/p>
Rabbits are\u00a0popular pets and\u00a0as they are highly intelligent and have\u00a0great personalities,\u00a0it can be very rewarding to welcome one into your family\u00a0\u2013 ideally\u00a0along\u00a0with a\u00a0bunny friend to keep them company\u00a0as they are very sociable animals, says veterinary nurse Sarah Cottle<\/em>.<\/p> While rabbits do make great pets, it\u2019s important to be aware that\u00a0they need lots of care and attention to keep them happy and healthy, including a suitable diet, regular\u00a0grooming\u00a0and exercise.\u00a0<\/p> Just like cats and dogs they\u2019ll also need regular veterinary care,\u00a0including annual check-ups\u00a0to ensure they stay in tip-top condition\u00a0\u2013\u00a0your local vet practice will be able to help you access all the advice you\u00a0need\u00a0and some may offer\u00a0special\u00a0rabbit health clinics.<\/p> Here are some interesting pet rabbit facts that you may not have heard\u2026<\/p> Rabbit\u2019s\u00a0teeth are open rooted and grow continuously\u00a0\u2013 they can grow up to 3mm a week! Feeding the right diet,\u00a0which is\u00a0high in fibre, is crucial to keep teeth worn down and prevent overgrowth and the health complications this causes.<\/p> Rabbits have lots of muscle, but a very delicate skeleton which can be easily damaged. This means that handling them correctly is essential to avoid serious injury.\u00a0<\/p> Always hold your rabbit gently but firmly\u00a0\u2013 cradle them against your body and\u00a0use\u00a0one hand to support their back and quarters.\u00a0Keeping your rabbit at a healthy weight will allow them to stay active and will promote healthy joints.<\/p> Rabbits can\u2019t be sick or burp, meaning the only way for food or gas to make its way through their digestive tract is via the intestines and out of their bottom.\u00a0Rabbits are hindgut fermenters, meaning they use a huge vat of healthy bacteria in their guts to help them digest fibre.\u00a0These bacteria are very susceptible to changes in diet, and eating toxic or inappropriate foods can cause these healthy bacteria to die.\u00a0<\/p> Similarly, the inability to burp means that if a rabbit gets a problem, such as a blockage in their digestive tract,\u00a0gas may start to\u00a0build-up\u00a0that\u00a0can\u2019t escape by burping and instead\u00a0maybecome trapped\u00a0in the stomach, causing a dangerous condition known as bloat.<\/p> In\u00a0both\u00a0of these\u00a0instances, the rabbit can become seriously unwell and will need urgent veterinary care.<\/p> Rabbits produce both firm poo and softer night poos known as \u2018caecotrophs\u2019, which are usually eaten in the early morning. The\u00a0caecotrophs\u00a0are slimy droppings\u00a0and you won\u2019t normally\u00a0see them in your\u00a0rabbit\u2019s hutch or litter tray\u00a0as they are usually eaten\u00a0as\u00a0they are passed. This process is very important for the absorption of vitamins and nutrients. <\/p> If\u00a0a rabbit is\u00a0overweight, the\u00a0process becomes difficult as they\u00a0will\u00a0struggle to reach their\u00a0bottom\u00a0to eat the soft droppings. This increases the risk of the rabbit getting a sticky, dirty bottom and\u00a0suffering from\u00a0fly strike\u00a0(where flies lay eggs around the rabbit\u2019s bottom\u00a0that\u00a0develop into maggots), especially during the warmer months.<\/p> Our sister title BBC Wildlife magazine takes a look at just how wild is your pet rabbit<\/a>? <\/p> Learn more rabbit<\/a> facts including how a wild rabbit differs to a hare <\/a> and why rabbits have such long ears<\/a><\/p> If you have any questions or are concerned about your rabbit\u2019s health, please reach out to your local veterinary practice for further support.<\/strong><\/p> Qualified veterinary nurse Sarah Cottle is nursing team leader at Beechwood Veterinary Group in Leeds.\u00a0<\/em><\/p> Beechwood Veterinary Group<\/em>\u00a0<\/a>is part of\u00a0VetPartners<\/a>, a UK and European veterinary group, which includes first opinion practices for large animals, equine and small animals as well as a growing network of referral practices that offer specialist care for small animal and equine patients.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Did you know rabbits have very delicate bones? And their teeth keep growing at a rate of 3mm a week? Veterinary nurse Sarah Cottle shares four engrossing facts about pet rabbits <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":36209,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/discover-four-fascinating-facts-about-pet-rabbits-you-probably-dont-know.jpg",2120,1414,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/discover-four-fascinating-facts-about-pet-rabbits-you-probably-dont-know-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/discover-four-fascinating-facts-about-pet-rabbits-you-probably-dont-know-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/discover-four-fascinating-facts-about-pet-rabbits-you-probably-dont-know-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/discover-four-fascinating-facts-about-pet-rabbits-you-probably-dont-know-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/discover-four-fascinating-facts-about-pet-rabbits-you-probably-dont-know-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/04\/discover-four-fascinating-facts-about-pet-rabbits-you-probably-dont-know-2048x1366.jpg",2048,1366,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Did you know rabbits have very delicate bones? And their teeth keep growing at a rate of 3mm a week? Veterinary nurse Sarah Cottle shares four engrossing facts about pet rabbits","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/36208"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Rabbit\u2019s teeth are always\u00a0growing<\/strong><\/h2>
Rabbits have a very delicate\u00a0skeleton<\/strong><\/h2>
Rabbits can\u2019t vomit<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0burp<\/strong><\/h2>
Rabbits produce two types of poo\u00a0\u2013 and\u00a0eat one of them!<\/strong><\/h2>
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