Moving away from home can be traumatic. Add to that living with strangers and having to leave behind beloved pets, and it’s a wonder anyone wants to go to college at all.

Luckily, some colleges are starting to recognize the fact that when students are allowed to bring their pets with them to live in the dorms, it’s better for everyone (except those with allergies, I guess, but even then, the animal-friendly rooms are on designated floors).

Although currently only a handful of colleges are open to the idea, those that are require pets to be up to date on all vaccinations, and students must also pay a deposit for the privilege of having Fido or Fluffy live with them.

Most colleges that do allow pets have their own set of rules as well, however.

The housing contract at California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, takes things a step further by requiring students to specify who will care for their pet if they cannot.

Eckerd College requires students to have the pet at home for at least a year prior to enrollment.

At Stephens College, they have teamed up with Columbia Second Chance (a rescue group) to allow students to foster pets in the dorms.

Indiana University allows small rodents, reptiles, rabbits and amphibians.

UCLA, Caltech and MIT allow cats (the Caltech Animal Team, or CAT, even helps with the feral cat population on campus).

Looks like the next dorm party might resemble Animal House in the literal sense!

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Rabbits have abilities that evolved in the species over thousands of years. They’re fast, have sharp claws and teeth, and a flight response that motivates them to flee at the first sign of danger. But those very aids to the rabbit can be harmful to the child.

When a rabbit feels threatened it may bite. Rabbit teeth and jaws are powerful enough to cause a very nasty wound to a child. Teach the child to stay alert, not to startle the rabbit, and keep its hands and arms away from teeth. Both parties will be happier, and so will you.

Rabbits have powerful hind legs. When possible they’ll use them to run away at top speed. When they can’t flee, they’ll fight. But the claws on their hind feet, even trimmed, can rip a nasty gash in a child’s hand, arm or face. To reduce the odds, teach the child not to stress or startle the rabbit. Approach slowly, don’t hold the rabbit when it squirms, and never yell or squeal in its presence. Those ears are large for a purpose!

Children need to be taught how and when to hold a rabbit (and how and when not to). Rabbits rarely enjoy being held firmly, and then only for short periods. They often enjoy human company, sitting beside someone and being gently stroked. Usually, though, it’s a good idea to stay away from the ears which are a natural magnet for children. The rabbit uses those for survival and interfering with them will sometimes produce stress.

Rabbits can see almost 360 degrees around. An eye is located on each side of the head giving them a wide angle of view. But because of the placement, they have a blind spot about 10 degrees wide just below the chin. The rabbit compensates for the lack of depth perception we have from stereoscopic vision by moving its head. They judge the distance of objects by parallax (the two different views gained from two different angles).

Teaching a child about the rabbit’s visual and auditory systems helps them understand how the rabbit approaches the world. That makes it much easier to explain why some things are safe and others are potentially harmful or stressful to the rabbit.

But beyond physical safety for both the rabbit and child, there are a number of helpful lessons to instill.

Rabbits can be trained to perform a number of amusing behaviors. Helping the child to do that, involving it in the training, benefits both the rabbit and the child. The rabbit perceives the child as a companion and the child learns to develop skills that apply to many situations: patience, gentleness, careful observation and so on.

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Rabbits need substantial grassy fiber and a good deal of vegetable protein. They have fairly delicate digestive systems and they can’t vomit anything which disagrees with them. So, it’s necessary to be careful to ensure they get the right foods in the right proportion.

Commercial rabbit food is one way to do that. It generally comes in the form of dry pellets that are easy for the rabbit to eat and digest. The pellets are around 20-25% fiber and 14% protein which suits the rabbit’s needs well. Some have small amounts of calcium and other minerals, and may contain some vitamin supplements. The pellets are composed of processed timothy or oat hay, alfalfa and other compounds that are known to be good nutrition for the rabbit.

Feeding a diet exclusively of pellets requires a bit of monitoring from time to time, though. When they’re young (prior to about age 4 months, roughly), they can free feed as much as they like with little risk of problems.

The rabbit is growing rapidly during this period of its life, reaching sexual maturity first at about 6 months. Unless they have a medical condition, such as an intestinal problem, they will consume as much as they want and self-regulate.

As they get a little older, it’s possible for them to overdo it, especially if they’re not allowed out of the cage for exercise very much. Like any sedentary mammal, even one with a high metabolism like a rabbit, they can become obese and pellets are high in calories. Also like other mammals, obesity introduces a number of health risks.

As a rough rule of thumb, you should feed about 1 ounce per pound of weight. Keep a small scale around to weigh your rabbit. But check the directions on the bag.

Supplementing, or even transitioning entirely to a fresh hay and vegetable diet is preferred by some. Provided it’s done correctly, the rabbit will do well. It is a bit more expensive and requires more effort on the owner’s part, though.

Fresh timothy or oat hay can be fed, provided it’s introduced slowly if the rabbit has been on pellets. Alfalfa is great for rabbits, but it’s richer in calcium and protein, lower in fiber. Observe the rabbit’s feces and behavior carefully to ensure they’re not having problems. Look for possible diarrhea, lethargy and other signs of intestinal problems.

Vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli and dandelion greens are good choices that rabbits enjoy. Feed about 2 cups per day maximum, and introduce each one separately as you transition or alter the diet. You can start at about 12 weeks of age with a small amount, gradually increasing to the normal quantity.
 
Rabbits enjoy small treats in the form of a piece of apple or strawberry, cherry or blueberry. Keep the amount down to no more than a single strawberry or 1/8th of an apple. The high sugar content is really appreciated, but can lead to obesity.

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Breeding is best left to professionals or those who have experience. The breeding itself is simple, since (obviously) the rabbits are the major actors in the process. But the effort that surrounds the project is not small.

It requires increased cage space and maintenance, more food and feeding time, and other considerations. A pregnant female rabbit will consume about double the normal amount of food.

Above all, there’s the problem of what to do with the kits (the babies). Rabbits have litters of anywhere from 4-12 on average. Even at the lower end of the range, that’s a lot of animals to give away or sell. Any that are kept will also breed, leading to a runaway population explosion.

But for those determined to try their hand at rabbit breeding, there are relatively simple guidelines to follow.

Rabbits reach sexual maturity at about 6 months, some larger breeds later at around 9 months. Females have a vagina and males have a penis, like most mammals. But the male organ isn’t easy to see, since it’s tucked inside skin folds and to the untrained eye may resemble the female’s genitalia. At around 3 months, a male rabbit’s testicles will drop, making them visible to a careful observer.

When, after 6-9 months of age, breeding is desired the process is simple. Separate the male into a separate cage away from other males and females. Bring the female (a doe) to the cage of the male (a buck).

If carried out for a few days, pregnancy is almost guaranteed. Very few rabbits are infertile and females do not have an oestrus cycle. They don’t menstruate every six months like a dog or monthly like a human. They are ready to mate anytime of the year, one of the reasons that rabbits breed like, well, rabbits.

The gestation period is approximately a month and the female will need a nest, which it will make if it can. This is usually a soft mound, made of towels for example, that the rabbit will line with fur that it plucks from its body.

The female will feed the kits, just as a female cat or dog would feed its own young, from mammary glands that produce milk. The kits are blind for roughly 10 days until their eyes open, about the same length of time as a canine puppy.

The kits should not be held for a few weeks and once they reach that age can be fed as the doe and buck were with pellets, hay, vegetables and so forth.

Keep in mind that about 2/3 of female rabbits die of uterine cancer by age 5 if they have not been spayed. The younger they breed after maturity (say at around one year), the more likely they are to produce healthy offspring safely.

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They range from the American to the Vienna. There are breeds that weigh a couple of pounds, like the Britannia Petite, up to the German Gray Giant who hits the scales at 23 lbs. There are long eared rabbits and short eared (more or less). There are white ones, brown and gray, bluish gray and jet black. There are those with relatively short hair, like the Mini Rex. Then there is the Angora with long, luxurious wool.

Choosing from among them is often nothing more than just an emotional decision, which is a fine way to select a pet. After all, you’re not getting one to do work around the farm. Though rabbits can be useful – their feces make excellent garden manure.

But take a little time to do your homework before letting the heartstrings tug you in one direction or another.

Think about whether you want something easy for a young child to pick up and carry gently around. That means you’ll want one light and easy going. Rabbits can vary not only in their physical features, but their temperament as well. And, you don’t want your six year old to lug around a nervous 20 lb rabbit, do you?

As their fur varies, so also does the effort of dealing with it. The amount they shed varies from one type to another. The care required differs, too. Some can do with a brushing once a week or less. Others will only be in optimal health if brushed daily. And the amount of hair on your couch and rug will be more or less, depending on the breed.

Aesthetic choices certainly vary from person to person. Consider yours. Some like the ‘traditional’ looking, simple black and white Dutch. Others enjoy the fine, dark sable of a Black Silver Martin. But looks aren’t the only consideration.

Keep in mind, too, the environment in which your pet is going to live. If you enjoy letting the rabbit run around the yard, consider whether it will blend in to the background. You have to find it afterwards. On the other hand, if you have an open back yard, say in the country, you may want the rabbit to be able to blend in, in order to avoid predators when you aren’t rabbit-sitting.

Consider whether you want to get one newly weaned (a few weeks old), or whether you prefer a more mature rabbit in order to judge its individual personality. There are pros and cons to either choice.

Rabbits live about 10 years, so you’ll (hopefully) be living with your selection for a long time. Do some homework, consider carefully all the factors, then do what any sensible person does when picking a rabbit: let your feelings be your final guide.

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Rabbits are no respecters of property, so you have to be vigilant. Letting them out of the cage to enjoy running around is important for their health and amusing for their owner. But left unsupervised, they’ll usually get into what the owner would call trouble pretty quickly. The rabbit would call it having fun.

So, the first tip is just to keep an eye on them. No need to frighten them by harsh words or rough handling when they start to chew on the furniture or electrical cords. Just move them away, back into the cage for a little ‘timeout’.

Rabbits will chew on just about anything. Protecting your belongings by wrapping table legs, moving cords out of the way and so on is a good idea. But giving the rabbit an acceptable alternative helps improve your odds of not going crazy watching the rabbit. A variety of toys made of hard rubber or plastic are a good option.

Rabbits also like to dig. They do, after all, live in little tunnels and caves (called warrens) in the wild. If they’re outside playing, it’s best that you be outside with them. Not only do they have the instinct to move earth, which can be annoying, they also like certain kinds of plant and flower. Not good for your garden.

Since male rabbits in particular are like most mammals, they will likely be calmer if they’ve been neutered. Spaying is the procedure for females. With lowered testosterone levels, they’ll be less likely to fight any other males around when a female is present. Note, though, that there’s a difference between fighting and playing. Like other mammals, rabbits enjoy a bit of running around and jumping at one another just for fun.

Related to that is their tendency to mark territory by urinating and spraying. When rabbits reach sexual maturity they acquire a strong urge to mark their territory. Most often that’s done by urinating, but defecating in a certain spot is also sometimes done to mark territory.

This can be a problem with dogs, too, but dogs rarely do so indoors. Domestic rabbits, because they tend to spend so much time indoors, are more likely to stain the carpet.

Sometimes the behavior is encouraged or increased by stress. Rabbits evolved in an environment where they served as prey for many species. The species survived by becoming, like deer, very alert to danger and ready to run at the slightest hint of trouble. Urinating is one response to that. This is as true of female rabbits as of males. Having them spayed or neutered about 4-6 months of age, before they become sexually mature, is one way to minimize the problem.

Providing them with an environment as free as possible of startling events is another. Rabbits are often acquired as cuddly pets for small children, but a child’s high voice and boisterous behavior can make the rabbit nervous. Supervision of children when they’re with the pet, along with instruction about how to handle them, can make both parties happier.

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Rabbits can live a long time, up to ten years or so. That in itself can be either a good or bad thing, depending on your point of view. People often view rabbits as something to amuse the kids when they’re young. But having the life expectancy of a dog makes them a long term commitment. Think ahead.

Rabbits are prone to a few diseases that may be hard to treat. Since they can’t vomit, a hairball can cause them serious intestinal difficulty. Keeping their diet correct in order to minimize the odds takes some effort. They can contract something called RHD (Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease), a virus that can cause death. Even if they survive, they can also spread it to other pet rabbits. They can be subject to flea and mite infestations, with all the potential complications that brings.

Rabbits requires some grooming, more than a cat, but considerably less than a dog. Though bathing them is unnecessary, and indeed not generally a good idea (rabbits can become overheated easily), they still benefit from regular nail care and brushing.

Some of that grooming effort is for the benefit of the rabbit, some of it is for you. Keeping them well brushed, but not harshly so, will help keep the amount of hair around the house down. Trimming their nails keeps them from being quite so destructive around the house if they’re left free to roam around.

A pet rabbit that is out of the cage can be quite destructive. They love to dig and they may chew almost incessantly. A rabbit’s teeth never stop growing and one way they keep them under control is to gnaw on things. That may be fine outside, but in the house it can be a problem.

Rabbit proofing is the way to go here, but that involves thought, effort and sometimes a moderate expense. You’ll need to lay down covers for the couch or plastic laminates (such as those used under office chairs) and devise other protective measures. But, there are many ways to do this and it doesn’t have to be done often. Many people see the expense and effort as well worth it.

Vet care is important and, as it is for any pet, expensive and time consuming. But with rabbits there’s often an additional problem: few vets have much experience with pet rabbits. Often, the little creatures just don’t get the attention a dog or cat might. When they become ill, they often die and are just replaced. That gives vets fewer opportunities to treat them. Finding a good one in your area can be difficult.

But all that said, rabbits are still among the most fun pets. They’re cute, soft and they exhibit a surprising array of amusing behaviors. They can run around and express joy. When not in stressful situations, they can respond well to individual people, like many other mammals. They’re affectionate, in their own way.

It’s hard to resist something as gentle and full of life as a pet rabbit. Weigh the factors yourself, then be prepared for surprises, just as you would with any pet.

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It can have a number of causes, including a dental problem, infection, gas and others. Inadequate fiber content in the rabbit’s diet is sometimes a factor. Be sure to feed your rabbit a diet that has around 20-25% fiber in the form of timothy or oat hay, or other grassy grains.

Intestinal slowdowns can leave hair and undigested food in the rabbit’s system. That can lead to painful and life-threatening blockage. It can also produce an unhealthy balance of bacteria, with harmful types swamping the beneficial ones. Clostridium, for example, can experience a population explosion that produces painful and harmful gas. Some strains produce toxins that make the situation worse by stressing the liver.

From time of onset to death can be short, less than a day. Recognizing the early signs can stave off that result, though. Those can range from refusal to eat to lethargy, but all produce a lack of feces.

Rabbits produce two types of feces, and those frequently and copiously.

One type are called cecotropes, soft feces that the rabbit re-ingests normally in order to get needed nutrients. Failure to produce them, or refusal to eat them is often a sign of intestinal distress. If the condition persists for half a day, it’s time for an emergency vet visit.

The other type of feces are firm, small, round, dark pellets. Rabbits normally produce these several times per day and they should be obvious in the litter box. If you investigate the box and find none for 12 hours, again it’s time to call the doctor.

The vet will diagnose the rabbit by palpating the abdomen, listening for normal intestinal sounds and other procedures. Checking the temperature, for example, will indicate the presence of infection or stress. A rabbit’s normal body temperature is between 101-103F/38.3-39.4C.

Short-term treatment may consist of fluids and enzyme treatments to break up trapped food. This should not be tried at home, though, because force feeding a rabbit that refuses can stress it further. An intestinal motility agent such as Propulsid or Reglan is sometimes effective. Surgery may be warranted, but that’s generally considered a last resort. Instead, several procedures are tried first.

Abdominal massage may help get the material moving again and reactivate the digestive process. That should only be done by a professional unless you simply can’t get access to a vet. If you must, gently massage around the area. But stop if there’s any evidence that the procedure is painful.

Simethicone can relieve the gas pain, though it doesn’t typically cure the underlying problem. An enema may be administered, but again this should not be done at home except where medical care is impossible to obtain.

But, as the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You can’t guarantee that your rabbit will never suffer from gastrointestinal stasis. Still, providing the proper diet and avoiding stress and exposure to disease can improve your odds.

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Rabbits almost never need a bath. In fact, because they are easily stressed and overheated, it’s not usually a good idea. If they get something on their fur that needs to be removed – pine sap, dog feces, a household product – it’s best to spot-remove the material with water only. A little pet shampoo is acceptable, but should be diluted and used sparingly.

Most rabbits will benefit from regular brushing. Depending on the breed ‘regular’ may mean weekly or it can be as often as daily. It doesn’t take long, but it should be done carefully.

A wire slicker is usually too risky. Rabbit skin is fragile and sores can become serious since the rabbit may chew them. Instead, get a brush designed for rabbits, usually made of plastic bristles. A rubber groomer is another good addition to your rabbit care toolkit. Rabbits shed periodically about every 3 months for many breeds. A fine tooth comb run through the fur can be a good supplement to a daily brushing during these times.

For really long-haired breeds, such as an Angora, you’ll need to brush them daily for several minutes. You may find your efforts eased a little if you trim the hair once in a while, but the work may be more than the reward. If you do, be very careful not to nick the skin. Trimming around a rabbit’s hocks, for example, can produce sores that are painful and can lead to worse problems.

If your rabbit’s fur becomes matted, there are several ways to resolve the problem, depending on its cause.

Rabbits allowed to roam around the yard may get pine sap and other sticky substances on their fur. A simple commercial orange-and-oil based spray can come in handy. It clears out the sap and even gets it off your skin easily. Wipe the area well with a damp cloth afterward.

For ordinary everyday matting, try to avoid cutting the mat out of the fur unless you’re very adept with scissors. If you need to use them, have an assistant hold the rabbit to prevent any sudden moves. Always use scissors with dull, rounded tips. In general, it’s best to try to work the mat out with a wide toothed comb or brush and save clipping for a last resort.

Most rabbits will do a very good job of keeping their fur clean and well groomed without much assistance. A little supplemental brushing is usually all that’s needed.

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One area where owners will often short that care is in seeking the services of an experienced veterinarian, one with a knowledge of rabbits. Many vets are excellent with dogs and cats but have few opportunities to treat rabbits, so their skills are limited. Many owners will throw up their hands and simply let the rabbit die when it’s ill then get another. A regrettable situation.

But for those who are concerned about the proper care of their pet, there are guidelines to help them.

A few common sense questions to ask of a potential vet are the first order of business. Most vets are not offended by honest, respectful questions. Simply ask how much experience they have treating rabbits, if any. Ask them which breeds. Most of the knowledge of one breed is applicable to another, but it helps to get particular. You’ll find out more that way.

Spaying or neutering a rabbit is a commonly recommended practice, for example. Spaying is for females, neutering is for males. But, while similar, the sex organs of rabbits differ from dogs and cats. Here again, it’s helpful to look for particular experience. Ask the candidate how many surgical procedures they’ve performed. You may decide in the end to use their services even if the answer is ‘none’. But an informed decision leads to a calculated risk, not a blind hope.

Vets who treat rabbits should have a knowledge of which vaccines are required or recommended. Vaccines sometimes use live (but modified) viruses to stimulate a more substantial immune response. But if quality control is lacking, that also substantially increases the risk of reaction. Vets should be able to convey in clear language the risks associated with using them, just as they would for a dog or cat.

Rabbits are prone to a number of diseases and conditions that are more common in them than other animals. Fly strike, Gastrointestinal stasis and other afflictions occur. These are serious but treatable and your vet candidate should be familiar with them.

Once you find one, it’s important to be prepared to seek their services from time to time. Early vaccinations and spaying or neutering are obvious times. But being alert to signs of intestinal problems and other issues may also warrant a visit.

If you don’t value your rabbit as you would a cat or dog, and budget time and money for vet care accordingly, think twice about getting one. Consider a stuffed rabbit doll instead.

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