Locking your rabbit up Keeping them in these tiny cages can cause a range of health problems, including obesity and even deformities if they're not able to move around naturally. It's also cruel. Rabbits are smart, social and highly curious, and they need to be able to explore their surroundings.
Make sure your rabbit or other small herbivores (animals that only eat plants) have lots of good quality forage, like leaves and grasses, to eat. Make sure your rabbit always has plenty of fresh clean water available. Give your pet its own bowls for food and water and don't forget to wash up!
Rabbits should not be picked up by the scruff of their neck; proper gentle handling should be used instead. Appropriate handling will be safer and less distressing to the rabbit. A rabbit must never be lifted or held by the ears. This is distressing, painful, and cruel, and can also damage the ears.
The hind feet should be flat in the palm of your hand or held between your fingers. Be careful not to let the rabbit twist, jump or flip as they can seriously damage their spine. If a rabbit is aggressive, it can be helpful place a towel over the rabbit prior to lifting.
The best places to pet a rabbit are their forehead and behind their ears. The cheeks and strokes down their backs are also good spots. But rabbits dislike being pet on their bottom, feet, chin, and underside.
In general, rabbits do not like to be picked up. The act of bending over them and grabbing them by their ribs to pick them up is very similar to being picked up by a hawk – scary!! The best way to interact with your rabbit is on the floor.
Likewise buttercups, foxgloves, primrose, delphiniums/larkspur, columbine (aquilegia) hellebore, comfrey, poppy, periwinkle, monkshood, rhubarb, nightshade, ivy, privet, holly and yew are all reasonably common garden plants and all are toxic.
They can get mad or frustrated, and they're not afraid to show it! Rabbits can get aggressive if they want to, swiping at you with their claws, or even trying to bite. They might even growl or grunt at you, to vocalize how upset they are. But rabbits can be more subtle and standoffish to show how mad they are too.
Generally speaking – No, keeping a rabbit in a cage is not cruel. But it depends on the cage. In fact, it is usually the opposite. It is cruel to leave our pet rabbit outdoors in an open space, unsupervised and at risk of being injured or attacked by predators.
Hold rabbits gently but firmly - ensure one hand supports their back and hindquarters at all times. Help them feel secure by holding all four feet against your body. Never pick rabbits up by their ears - this would be extremely stressful and is highly likely to injure them.
Give Them Daily Roaming Time
To keep your rabbit happy and healthy, let it out of its cage at least once a day, giving it time to roam. Though at least one hour is necessary, aim closer to three or four. As a rule, never keep your rabbit cooped up for 24 hours at a time.
Bunnies are natural grazers and happy rabbits graze all day long. Just like some of us, rabbits can combat boredom by eating. Providing ample premium quality food is a great way to prevent boredom and up that happiness level. Make sure your bunnies always have unlimited, fresh, clean hay for grazing fun.
Sit on the floor a few feet from your rabbit and roll a ball slowly back and forth between your hands. The idea is to show your rabbit that the ball rolls back and forth. When your rabbit is looking at you, try rolling the ball slowly toward your pet. This might make your rabbit move away or the ball might be ignored.
Offer a treat
The easiest way to apologize to a rabbit is to offer them the treat. For many rabbits, this will immediately get you back into their good graces and they will no longer hold a grudge against you. However, even for rabbits who refuse the treat, the act of giving them something yummy doesn't go unnoticed.
Bunnies must chew to keep their teeth healthy. Offer Floppy lots of fun playthings to keep her amused. Many household items can be upcycled into great, inexpensive, bunny toys. Stuff fresh hay or herbs into a paper bag, or crumple up pieces of paper and toss them to your adorable pal.
Protect Yourself And Your Pet
Although many rabbit bites are defensive, some rabbits may bite aggressively for a variety of reasons. Rabbit bites can be painful and serious. If a bite bleeds excessively, shows symptoms of infection, or concerns you in any way, it's best to seek medical attention.
Apples and pears are the most notorious examples, but the pits from apricots, peaches, plums, and mangos also contain cyanide, as do cherry pits. While the amount of cyanide contained in fruit seeds and pits is generally scant, it is best to avoid feeding them to rabbits altogether.
Carrots and apples are fine as occasional treats in small amounts, but don't feed any other treats, as these may harm your rabbit.
Theoretically, salmonella, listeria and pseudotuberculosis can be passed from rabbits to humans, but the risk is vanishingly small and you are far more likely to catch these diseases via contaminated food.
The nose, face, cheeks, and ears seem like safe areas to try. Under the chin might or might not be a problem area, depending on the rabbit. The back is likely safe. The belly, feet, and rear end seem like no-go areas.
Licking: Licking is a way bunnies groom each other. If your bunny licks you, it's a sign of affection as you'll often see pairs of bunnies grooming each other this way. A bunny lick is a sign of a bond.
If they are sitting upright and their front paws are 'boxing' at you, they are likely very unhappy. Vocalising. Rabbits don't tend to make much noise and when they do it's a sign they're feeling very threatened. You may hear them grunting or growling and in extreme cases, they can scream.