How to Care for Sussex Rabbits
Plan to keep your Sussex rabbit indoors., Choose a cage., Add proper bedding to the cage., Provide a hiding place for your Sussex rabbit., Include a litter box.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Plan to keep your Sussex rabbit indoors.
Keeping your Sussex rabbit outside will put her at risk of premature death and loneliness.
Sussex rabbits require human companionship to thrive.
They are also prone to overheating, hypothermia, and attacks by predators.Even if you are certain that your Sussex rabbit is safe in her cage, rabbits are known to have heart attacks from fear.
Keeping your Sussex rabbit outside may also cause her to become antisocial. -
Step 2: Choose a cage.
There are wide variety of indoor cages and hutches for rabbits.
You can house your rabbit in a room that is rabbit-proofed, keep your rabbit in a puppy playpen, or purchase a rabbit condo.Whatever you choose, make sure that your Sussex rabbit has plenty of space to move around.
The minimum length of an indoor hutch and run should be four feet, but five feet is better.
The width should be about two feet and the enclosure should be high enough so that your Sussex rabbit can stand up on her hind legs without her ears touching the top.Do not get a wire bottom cage because it can hurt your Sussex rabbit’s feet.
Look for a cage that has a solid metal bottom or cover the bottom of your rabbit’s cage with plywood., Make sure the floor of your Sussex rabbit’s cage is covered with at least two to three inches of bedding.
There are numerous substances that you can use for bedding, such as straw (warm and soft), paper pulp (recycled material, safe and high absorbent), and shredded cardboard.Do not use sawdust because it can irritate your rabbit.
Never use cedar or pine shavings in your Sussex rabbit’s as bedding or in your rabbit’s litter box.
These materials can cause your Sussex rabbit to develop respiratory and liver problems., Rabbits feel more secure if they have a place to retreat to when they feel frightened or stressed.
You can provide your rabbit with a hiding place by putting a cardboard box or wooden box with a hole cut out of it into your rabbit’s cage.If you have more than one rabbit, then you will need to provide a separate hiding place for each rabbit. , To prevent your Sussex rabbit from urinating and defecating all over her cage, place a small litter box in a corner of your rabbit’s cage.
Then, put a few sheets of newspaper into the litter box and layer hay on top of the newspaper.
Clean the litter box daily to keep your rabbit’s cage from smelling.You can always move your rabbit’s litter box to a different corner if she does not seem to be suing it where it is.
Move it to the corner that she uses to urinate and defecate.
Try placing a couple of litter boxes in your house so your Sussex rabbit can use them when she is out of the cage.
Be aware that rabbits pass two different types of pellets.
One type is small and dry and the other type is larger and sticky, called a cecotrophy.
The cecotrophy contains food that has been partially digested but that still contains nutrition.
Your Sussex rabbit will re-eat these.
Never remove cecotropes from your rabbit’s litter box or cage. -
Step 3: Add proper bedding to the cage.
-
Step 4: Provide a hiding place for your Sussex rabbit.
-
Step 5: Include a litter box.
Detailed Guide
Keeping your Sussex rabbit outside will put her at risk of premature death and loneliness.
Sussex rabbits require human companionship to thrive.
They are also prone to overheating, hypothermia, and attacks by predators.Even if you are certain that your Sussex rabbit is safe in her cage, rabbits are known to have heart attacks from fear.
Keeping your Sussex rabbit outside may also cause her to become antisocial.
There are wide variety of indoor cages and hutches for rabbits.
You can house your rabbit in a room that is rabbit-proofed, keep your rabbit in a puppy playpen, or purchase a rabbit condo.Whatever you choose, make sure that your Sussex rabbit has plenty of space to move around.
The minimum length of an indoor hutch and run should be four feet, but five feet is better.
The width should be about two feet and the enclosure should be high enough so that your Sussex rabbit can stand up on her hind legs without her ears touching the top.Do not get a wire bottom cage because it can hurt your Sussex rabbit’s feet.
Look for a cage that has a solid metal bottom or cover the bottom of your rabbit’s cage with plywood., Make sure the floor of your Sussex rabbit’s cage is covered with at least two to three inches of bedding.
There are numerous substances that you can use for bedding, such as straw (warm and soft), paper pulp (recycled material, safe and high absorbent), and shredded cardboard.Do not use sawdust because it can irritate your rabbit.
Never use cedar or pine shavings in your Sussex rabbit’s as bedding or in your rabbit’s litter box.
These materials can cause your Sussex rabbit to develop respiratory and liver problems., Rabbits feel more secure if they have a place to retreat to when they feel frightened or stressed.
You can provide your rabbit with a hiding place by putting a cardboard box or wooden box with a hole cut out of it into your rabbit’s cage.If you have more than one rabbit, then you will need to provide a separate hiding place for each rabbit. , To prevent your Sussex rabbit from urinating and defecating all over her cage, place a small litter box in a corner of your rabbit’s cage.
Then, put a few sheets of newspaper into the litter box and layer hay on top of the newspaper.
Clean the litter box daily to keep your rabbit’s cage from smelling.You can always move your rabbit’s litter box to a different corner if she does not seem to be suing it where it is.
Move it to the corner that she uses to urinate and defecate.
Try placing a couple of litter boxes in your house so your Sussex rabbit can use them when she is out of the cage.
Be aware that rabbits pass two different types of pellets.
One type is small and dry and the other type is larger and sticky, called a cecotrophy.
The cecotrophy contains food that has been partially digested but that still contains nutrition.
Your Sussex rabbit will re-eat these.
Never remove cecotropes from your rabbit’s litter box or cage.
About the Author
Teresa Harvey
Committed to making lifestyle accessible and understandable for everyone.
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