References
The whole rabbit: physical, immunological and psychological health
Abstract
Rabbits are herbivorous, social, prey animals; this must be remembered when considering nutritional and behavioural aspects of their care. Rabbits should be fed a diet high in undigestible fibre, preferably based on grass or grass hay plus some green foods and very small amounts of concentrates and more sugary vegetables/fruits. Water should always be available. As social animals, rabbits should not be kept alone. Preferably bonded rabbits should stay together if one needs to be hospitalised, and every effort should be made to reduce stress in hospitalised rabbits. In addition to company, rabbits need opportunities to run, dig, chew and hide. Many diseases of domestic rabbits are husbandry related but there are two important viral diseases, myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease; both can be prevented by annual vaccination with a combined vaccine.
In order for rabbits to be kept truly healthy, it is important to consider the whole animal. This includes the rabbit's social and behavioural needs, food requirements and preventative medicine, including protection from fatal viral diseases.
Domestic rabbits are descended from the wild European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus which originated in arid regions of Spain and Portugal.
From their teeth to the end of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), the digestive system of rabbits is designed to enable them to get as much nutrition as possible out of high-fibre vegetation of low nutritional value. However, they are selective feeders and will preferentially choose to eat foods of high nutritional value if these are available. This is important for survival when nutrient-rich foods are in short supply, but can cause problems if energy-rich foods are provided in large quantities.
A rabbit's teeth grow throughout its life, at about 3 mm per week, enabling it to graze on tough grasses and similar foods (Meredith, 2011). If the teeth are in proper alignment and the rabbit eats mainly a high roughage diet, there are no problems; dental disease is rare in wild rabbits. However in domestic rabbits dental problems are unfortunately common.
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