Congratulations on taking the next step and becoming a foster carer with The Binky Collective! This cheat sheet is designed to assist you on your journey.
About Rabbits
The average lifespan of a rabbit is approximately 10 years. This estimate will vary slightly, depending on the breed of the rabbit, their health and the conditions they live in. When taking on a pet rabbit, you need to understand that this is a long-term commitment.
Rabbits are considered an exotic pet and required specialised care. We recommend Unusual Pet Vets for any complex issues. Nexus Emergency Vet Hospital also provides 24/7 Emergency Vet care.
**If your foster rabbit is not eating, lethargic, refusing their treat, please contact us immediately. Gut stasis can be fatal for rabbits and they require veterinary care urgently. If you are unable to do an immediate vet trip, please contact The Binky Collective's foster group chat at any time of day.**
The Indoor Space
Rabbits love and need space so a spare bedroom, an area with a pen size minimum of L 3m x W 2m x H 1m, or free range/roam set up indoors is required. Enrichment items such as tunnels, boxes and rabbit safe toys are ideal to keep your rabbit happy and stimulated.
The area needs to be long enough to allow your rabbit to run, jump, sit/stand upright, exercise, and express normal behaviours (such as grooming and feeding, with a separate area for toileting). It must also provide the opportunity for plenty of mental stimulation.
Rabbits need to be able to exercise as this assists with healthy weight management, reduces the likelihood of bone related issues and hock sores from prolonged sitting in one position.
Recommended items for their space:
- Non-slip flooring such as a soft rug or non-chewable playmat
- High sided litter tray for toileting and hay
- Ceramic water bowl (to prevent tipping)
- Small shallow dish for pellets
Enrichment items:
- Tunnels
- Bunny safe items to chew (such as apple tree sticks, water hyacinth balls, seagrass mats)
- Enrichment toys (pellet ball, treat parcels, stacking cups, cardboard rolls filled with hay)
- Cardboard houses
- A soft pet bed
Outdoor time
No outdoor time is permitted for TBC rescues due to a number of reasons:
- Rabbits are incredibly skilled when it comes to digging and finding small gaps to escape
- The risk of poisonous plants or rotten leaves being ingested which can make them sick and in some cases be fatal
- The risk of heat stress
- Foxes and other predatory animals such as cats and dogs are a high risk to harm
- Myxomatosis and Calicivirus exposure risks are significantly increased when rabbits spend time outdoors
Please see more information about the ideal home setup for rabbits
Myxomatosis and Calicivirus
Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV), or Calicivirus is a virus that typically causes a rapidly fatal disease in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). There are three types of RHDV present in Australia (RHDV1, RHDV1a K5 and RHDV2).
Annual vaccinations with Filavac is the only protection we have for our pet rabbits. Rabbits who live outdoors are particularly at risk, but indoor buns are still not fully protected. While Filavac does not cover all three strains of Calici, it assists with immune defense and is the only vaccine that is currently available for coverage of strains RHDV1 & RDVH2.
Myxomatosis is caused by the myxoma virus, a poxvirus spread between rabbits by close contact and biting insects such as fleas and mosquitoes.
There is not a vaccine currently available for Myxomatosis and pet rabbits do not possess any resistance to Myxomatosis and mortality rates are between 96-100%.
Bio-security is important – both Calicivirus and Myxomatosis can be brought into the home on the soles of your shoes, paws of other pets, hay and even clothing. It is best that outside shoes are not worn inside. Please see more information about Calicivirus and Myxomatosis
Bunny-proofing your home
Rabbits are natural chewers and can chew on things they shouldn’t, so making sure your home is appropriately bunny-proofed is a must. Any areas of the house your rabbit is allowed to roam around in will need to be checked and adjusted, eg. removing poisonous plants from reach, using cover cables with split conduit etc. Split conduit cable cover is available at most hardware stores, auto shops and online.
The right floor surface is important. Rabbits find it difficult to move and binky on hard surfaces like tiles, wooden floor without slipping. A simple option is to place few doonas or rugs in their enclosure/area. Soft surfaces also help to reduce problems like hock sores.
Diet
A rabbit’s diet consists of 80% hay (Oaten, Meadow, Timothy, Botanical), 10% greens, 5% quality pellets (such as Oxbow, Selective Naturals, Vetafarm and Burgess) and <5% fruits and treats. Please see more information about a rabbit's diet and bunny safe fruits and vegetables
Toileting
Rabbits can be trained to use a litter tray and are tidier than you think! Non-clumping cat litter (paper based) is recommended for the litter tray as clay/crystallising litter is harmful to rabbits. Hay placed on the tray also encourages normal toileting behaviour for your rabbit and assists with keeping them tidy while eating.
Nail Trimming
It is recommended that a rabbit's nails are trimmed every 4-6 weeks (depending on their nail growth speed) to ensure that they are kept at a healthy length to maintain foot health and avoid issues such as hock sores.
Small animal nail clippers or spring-loaded dog nail clippers are recommended only.
If you accidentally cut the quick when trimming or your rabbit breaks a nail to stop the bleeding, you can apply cornflour or Sudocrem cream to help stop the bleeding. If you are concerned please seek veterinary advice.
Companionship
Rabbits are incredibly social creatures, and a foster home needs to be able to provide them with adequate time everyday for enrichment and mental stimulation. Spending time on the floor with rabbits is a great way to build a relationship of trust as it brings you down into their world.
Rabbits and Children
While children can be taught responsible behaviour around rabbits, young children can unwittingly hurt and even drop a rabbit. Children need to always be supervised around rabbits and encouraged to sit quietly on the ground and let the rabbit come to them. No loud noises, running, forcing contact etc.
Rabbits and other pets
Please contact us for guidance if you need to introduce other pets into your foster rabbit's environment. Rabbits can coexist with other animals but it’s important to take into consideration that rabbits are prey animals and are naturally stressed around dogs or other ‘predators’ such as cats. Even when introduced safely, cats and dogs should not be left unsupervised with your rabbit.
Harnesses, Leashes or Collars
Harnesses, leashes and collars are dangerous for rabbits because they have fragile bones, particularly in their spines and shoulders. This equipment can break their bones if they panic and try to flee while restrained. As prey animals, rabbits are easily startled by unfamiliar environments, noises or other animals. Harnesses, leashes and collars can also increase their anxiety and lead to a panicked reaction that results in injury or fatality.
Transfer of a rescue
Our rescue rabbits are not transferrable. We have strict requirements in place for our foster arrangements. If you are unable to continue your fostering arrangement or need assistance with boarding while you are away, please contact us via The Binky Collective's Facebook page or the foster group chat
We're here to help
The Binky Collective Team are always available and happy to assist, provide support and advice. For more general rabbit information please have a look through our Resources & FAQs on our website, reach out to us via The Binky Collective's Facebook page and join the Adelaide Rabbit Advice Facebook group.