Rabbits and Guinea Pigs

Module 13 : Rabbits and Guinea Pigs By the end of this module, you will know: The different breeds of rabbits and guinea pigs The expected lifespan of each breed The age rabbits and guinea pigs are considered elderly How to care for young and elderly rabbits and guinea pigs The nutrition requirements Understanding their behavioral traits The type of hay best suited for younger rabbits 13.1: Breeds of Rabbits There are hundreds of different breeds of rabbits, all of which originate from different parts of the world. Each of them can be fitted into groups. Shorthaired, longhaired, fancy breeds, fur and Rex breeds. Among the fancy breeds of rabbits, there are Himalayan Flemish Giant Belgian hare French Angora English Spot There’s also the lop-eared rabbit, which there are a few types of. Each of these has large and long ears, which lop over their face, which is where their name comes from. An English lop is more distinct as it has the largest ears. A cashmere lop rabbit has the distinct long ears, but it’s also got the longest hair. A dwarf lop rabbit has the shortest of hairs, and therefore the most manageable in terms of the amount of grooming they require. The other two types of breeds are Fur breeds Rex Breeds All breeds of rabbits make for great pets. They are intelligent, and can be trained much in the same way you can litter-train a cat. Longhaired rabbits take more care than shorthaired ones, as they need grooming daily, to prevent their coats from matting. 13.2: Breeds of Guinea pigs Just as rabbits have hundreds of breeds and types, guinea pigs do too, but they can be narrowed into two distinct groups. 1. Smooth 2. Rough The smooth group of guinea pigs are shorthaired, and the rough varieties are longhaired, requiring the most grooming. A few types of the rough variety of guinea pigs… 1. Coronet guinea pigs – These have a distinct hair swirl at their foreheads 2. Peruvian guinea pigs – These have the longest hair parting down the middle of their backs, and need grooming frequently 3. Texel’s have long curly coats are the most difficult to maintain their coats because of that. Smooth guinea pigs have manageable coats, but guinea pigs of the rough variety take dedication from their owner to keep their coats in prime condition as their hair length can grow to be 20 inches. Guinea Pig Types 1. Smooth 2. Rough 13.3: Nutrition for Rabbits Rabbits need wholesome diets to keep them in great health. Their nutrition should be as close to what they would eat if they were in the wild. Plenty of plant-based food and grass are essential. It is beneficial to have a rabbit run in the garden, where the rabbit can run around, enjoy itself, get the exercise it needs, but more importantly, it gets to nibble on the grass. That’s the best thing for them. In a day, a rabbit will spend up to five hours eating, so naturally, it is going to be impossible for you to supervise a rabbit for five hours, while it nibbles away at the grass. The next best thing is hay, and they need plenty of it to keep them nibbling away for five hours. Rabbits need every bit of hay they can get as it is rough enough to keep the size of their teeth down. Without sufficient supply of hardy foods, their teeth can grow, become too painful for them to eat, and can lead to the rabbit needing surgery to shorten its teeth. Grass and hay will only go so far though and that alone will not do a rabbit’s health any good. They need plenty of nourishment, and they get that through other plant-based foods. Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, other vegetables, and dandelion. It is recommended they eat about two cups of vegetables per day. As a general rule, rabbits should not be fed lettuce as it contains lactucarium which can be harmful. If you do feed your rabbit lettuce, it should be a dark and leafy variety and should be given in small quantities. You should never feed your rabbit Iceberg lettuce. For a wholesome diet to be complete, they will need pellets too. Rabbit pellets contain around 25% fiber, but since rabbits do not need a high fat diet, and are best to be kept to low fat foods, the best pellet food should be no more than 2% fat. Rabbit Nutrition Pyramid 13.3a: Water Rabbits go through a lot of water. Much more than most other pets, so you need to be sure that there is a consistent supply of not just water available, but fresh water, especially if the rabbit is being kept in an outdoor hutch. Outdoor hutches will need more attention in the winter to make sure the water has the chill taken off it. If you’re caring for a female rabbit (Doe), with a litter of up four, they can go through as much as a gallon of water over the space of 24 hours. 13.3b: Salt To complete a rabbit’s diet, the other component they need is salt, and not a lot of their foods have that in it. There are small salt spools available that can be put in the hutch for the rabbit to lick, but never hang the spool on the wire of a hutch, or have it in contact with the wire. Metal and salt are a recipe for corrosion and will make the rabbit ill. If you are giving a rabbit a salt spool, place it carefully in the hutch, farthest away from contact with metal. If you aren’t using the salt spools, you can instead add 0.5% to 1% of fine salt to the mixed rabbit feed. 13.3c: Feeding treats Fruits such as apple slices, strawberries, melons, and pears are favorites for rabbits, but they should only be fed these in moderate quantities and never consistently. Fruit should be only provided as an occasional treat only. 13.3d: Precautions When you’re caring for any rabbit, you should always establish from the owner what their usual diet is and if there are changes agreed for their feeding routine, the change needs to be introduced gradually. Rabbits don’t have strong intestinal tracts and a sudden change to their diet can cause bacteria to build, which is toxic for them. Any changes to a rabbit’s diet must be done with care, and you should advise your client of this, and ask if they have sought veterinary advice about their concerns, prior to altering their diet. 13.4: Nutrition for Guinea Pigs Like rabbits, guinea pigs love to eat grass. The most important part of their diet is hay. The chewing will keep their teeth and jaws strong. Green vegetables are a core part of their diet and needed for them to get their essential vitamins to stay healthy. Not all vegetables are good for them though, as there are some they should not have. Spinach Broccoli Iceberg Lettuce Cabbage Garlic Onions Good vegetables to include are: Cucumber Carrots Cauliflower Turnip greens Kale Commercial pellet food for guinea pigs have plenty of nourishment in them, but they do lack vitamin C. That’s why there should always be vegetables at the ready for guinea pigs to eat. The hay will provide them with the fiber they need, vegetables with vitamins, but because they need a high amount of Vitamin C, they often need supplements to top their diets up. Supplements can come as liquids, or as chewable treats. A lack of Vitamin C will lead to ill health, but too much of it isn’t damaging as it’s secreted in their urine. Because the diet is dry food, they will drink a lot of water, so whatever amount of water you think the pet needs, always provide more. Apricots, melon, strawberries, grapes, kiwi, and oranges are ideal fruits to give as a treat only and not as part of their everyday diet. 13.5: Exercise Ideally, the hutch used to house rabbits or guinea pigs would be outdoors, and large enough for them to run around, go out the hutch and into a rabbit run, to come and go as they please. That’s often not the case though as owners often buy the hutch when the pets are young, and not fully grown. When they age, they grow and some can become huge. When they are in the hutch, they should be able to stand upright on their hind legs. If they can’t do that, then they should have a bigger hutch. Both guinea pigs and rabbits need to be out the hutch as often as possible. That can be indoors or outdoors. At the very minimum, both rabbits and guinea pigs should be out the hutch for one hour daily. 13.6: Grooming Grooming is essential for the health of both rabbits and guinea pigs. In the same way as cats are prone to hairballs, so too are these pets. The difference is that rabbits cannot cough up the hairball and it will cause a blockage. The only way to prevent that from happening is to regularly brush their coats and get rid of any loose fur. Both rabbits and guinea pigs will shed twice a year, and when they do, they will need brushing daily. Long-haired pets will need more care and attention given to their coats than short-haired rabbits and guinea pigs.

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