• You will need your supplies, Cage, Water bottle, Food dish, Shavings, litter box (if you decide to potty train), Food (we use Purina Rabbit chow Show) and plenty of Timothy Hay, as much as they can eat.
  
• For the first day you should not hold your new bunny and just let it adjust to its new surroundings. The first day is always the scariest for them.
  
• If you decide to house you bunny out side it SHOULD be in a draft free, protected area, but have adequate ventilation and plenty of shade. We recomend to wait till the late spring before moving them outdoors.
  
• The bunny should be Cleaned once a week, and a litter box if you are using one
  should be cleaned everyday.
  
• You should feed your bunny every day and give them fresh water every day.
  
• For the first week or two you should watch out for runny nose, runny eyes and runny poop. if any of these should happen PLEASE GIVE US A CALL right away and we should be able to fix the problem.
• Also watch the water level every day for the first week, just to make
  sure they are drinking. If the should not be drinking just add a
  small bowl of water in their cage. and they will learn to use you watter bottle.
  
  Have fun with your new pet.
  
  

Housing your new pet

• A cage must have pine shavings or other suitable bedding (NOT CEDAR SHAVINGS) or in the case of a wire bottom which will allow the feces to drop through onto newspaper, and tray.
  
• A litter box is optional, and rabbits are easily trained to use one.
  
• The cage or hutch must not be in direct sunlight ever! Sun MAY kill your rabbit!
  
• The cage SHOULD be in a draft free, protected area, but have adequate ventilation.
  
• A SMALL HOME COULD BE BOUGHT AT MOST PET SUPPLY STORES. THIS WILL BE GREAT TO MAKE YOUR RABBIT FEEL SAFE AND ALSO KEEP THEM WARM.
  
• A SMALL PICE OF  UNTREATED WOOD OR WOODEN TOYS, ALSO AVAILABLE IN MOST PET SUPPLY STORES WILL HELP ENTERTAIN YOUR BUNNY AND HELP KEEP THEIR TEETH SHORT.
  
• KITTEN TOY BALLS (PLASTIC) WILL ALSO MAKE GREAT TOYS.
  
• For a happy, tame bunny - they will need plenty of out of cage time (play time). A run is a great way for your bunny to get exercise outdoors. Fresh food, fed to your rabbit needs to be taken away, before it
  goes bad, so be observant. Don't want bad bacteria to upset your
  rabbits digestive tract., that could lead to even worse conditions.
  

 Potty Training

• You should place a litter box in the corner of their cage and then
  when your bunny is comfortable in his/her cage, you can let him/her out for some exploring. Let him/her out in a small area increasing slowly. By using small areas, it reduces the chance that the bunny will find another spot to use as his/her bathroom outside of what you have in mind. As you enlarge the area, your bunny will choose places for his/her litter box. Set a litter box where ever your bunny decides to "GO". As time goes on your bunny will use the spot more often. Keep your bunny off the bed and furniture until he has strong litter habits. Carrying your bunny right to the litter box after opening his cage can also help teach them where to mark.
  
• What Type of Litter is Safe for Rabbits?
  Be sure to use ORGANIC litter in the box. Organic litters include those made from recycled paper products (e.g. Care fresh, Nature Fresh), pelleted wood sawdust (e.g. Feline Pine, Aspen pellets) or other pelleted organic products. DO NOT USE CEDER BEDDING. Clay litters--especially clumping litters--are inexpensive, but very unhealthy for few reasons. One reason is they can inhale clay dust that can cause respiratory problems. Once your bunny is reliable about using the litter box in his area, you can gradually increase his freedom.
  
• While your bunny is out and about, it is fun for him to find chew treats and toys placed around his play area. Keeping his mind occupied will help in his/her adjustment to his new home. If your bunny is having trouble becoming litter box trained, his play area might be too big too soon. Also, putting some hay in a corner of his box can help him use it more reliably. A small size cat box with lots of hay in it can act as a great litter box. It should be deep so the hay doesn't get spread all over the floor. It often helps to put a handful of timothy hay in a clean corner of the litter box to encourage use of the box. A rabbit will often sit in the box, happily munching at one end, while the processed product comes out the other end. This may seem a bit strange to humans, but rabbits don't consider their feces to be dirty.
  Don’t forget to change the litter box often.
  

 Good and bad food

• 
  This page is here to help you understand some of the good and bad foods for your rabbit.
  The lists below are just some of the foods that we found our selves by researching them online. The sandy pond Rabbitry takes no responsibility in to your choices of what you decide to feed your rabbits. All rabbits are different and some may be allergic to cretin items. You should check with your vets first before making any decisions.
  
  Good choices
  
  HAY and pellets !
  parsley apple
  carrots (with tops!) apricot
  endive banana
  escarole dandelion greens
  basil mint
  cilantro tomato
  dried whole wheat bread green pepper
  broccoli leaves dill
• Hay is important for rabbits for many reasons. When a rabbit munches a nice green pile of hay, she - Wears down Their teeth that are constantly growing Gets lots of great fiber to keep things moving through the digestive tract Keeps herself busy rearranging it and searching for the best tasting pieces Just don’t overdo it, as this can cause runny stool. all the above are great treats in moderation! The treat should be eaten up quickly or it is too much.
  
  Foods to Avoid
  
  Iceberg lettuce
  chocolate
  cookies crackers
  nuts breakfast cereals
  sugary snacks seeds
  beans potatoes
  rhubarb
  and other fiber items.
  
• These Can promote obesity and liver disease.
  no pits or seeds many are dangerous to rabbits.
  
• You should give them about 1/2 cup a day of their pellets, unlimited amounts of
  timothy hay. and after 6 months old they can have small amounts of the good vegetables
  Never make any big changes in your rabbits diet. Small amounts at a time. Diarrhea could
  occur, not to mention causing them tummy pains.
  Plain yogurt should help if this occurs.
  
• Drinking water in water bottles should always be changed daily.
  Rabbits may be kept indoors, outdoors or a combination of the two, depending on your location and the season.
  
  

Rabbit diseases

• This page is here to help you understand some of the diseases rabbits can get. The lists below are just some of the diseases that we found our selves by researching them online. The sandy pond Rabbitry takes no responsibility and would recommend taking your pet to the vets right away 
  
• Cold- symptoms are sneezing and a nasal discharge. Usually not as serious as pneumonia but should still be isolated and taken to the vet. 
  
• Snuffles- is a thick white discharge from the nose accompanied with a lot of sneezing a more developed (Cold). It is caused by stress or bad ventilation. Seek medical advice. May be fatal.
  
• Pneumonia- Symptoms: rabbit breathes hard, sneezing and nasal discharge. Seek medical advice right away. (May be fatal). Preventative: don't allow the rabbit to be in a draft (protect from wind and cold.
  
• Rabbit has Fly-strike-Rabbits must have their bottoms checked daily in warm weather. Fly eggs laid on dirty bottoms hatch into maggots which literally eat into the rabbit. The maggots give off toxins which can kill the rabbit. Picking off visible maggots is not enough - some may have already got under the skin. If you can get to the vet within a few minutes, go there immediately. If you are more than about 10 minutes away, dunk the rabbit's hindquarters under a running Luke warm tap to get rid of the worst of the external maggots. The main priority is getting the rabbit to the vet fast. Even with antibiotics and intravenous fluids, the prognosis is fairly grim. Prevention is much better - ask your vet for advice if your rabbit is at-risk. 
  
• Red Water- is reddish urine caused by cold temperatures, feeding too many greens or carrots. Provide plenty of water.
  
• Ear mite- Symptom: scab like substance in ears Treatment: place mineral oil in ears .
  Allow rabbit to shake them out.
  
• Fur mites- Treatment: mite powder.
  
• Sore hocks- Treatment: Spray iodine on feet, use antifungal powder
  
• Abscesses- are lumps that appear suddenly and are caused from fighting and from cuts and wounds sustained by sharp edges on feeders etc. The treatment for this condition is to clip the fur away from the wound, make an incision on the lower edge of this so that it can drain freely and then bathe with warm salty water or a mild antiseptic twice a day until it finishes discharging.
  
• Canker results from small mites that go inside the ear irritating it until causing a thin discharge which then forms a crust. The rabbit will shake its head and constantly try to scratch its ear. This can be treated with a canker cream over several days. The hutch should be cleaned and disinfected.
  
• Constipation- usually is the reason for when a rabbit goes off its food and only produces hard dried up droppings. More greens should be provided to prevent this occurring. Talk to a vet about other options. 
  
• Conjunctivitis (Pink eye) is an inflammation of the eye caused by spraying urine, draughts, ammonia fumes, or a dusty atmosphere. An eye ointment available from the vet can easily treat this. 
  
• Heat stress- will cause the rabbit to lie in a prostrate position panting rapidly. Keeping a bottle of water in the freezer and placing it in the cage near the rabbit so he can lower the temperature of his body. Heat stress can occur suddenly and kill within only a few hours. Rabbits cant sweat like humans so his is necessary for their survival.
  
• Mucoid Enteritis or bloat or scours- is one of the top ten main causes of death in rabbits. The symptoms are loss of weight, apathy, grinding of the teeth and squinting eyes. Usually there is loose stools with a clear mucous substance. The rabbit should be taken off pellets and fed only hay and given plenty of water to drink. Consult a vet about what to do next. 
  
• Mastitis- is an inflammation of the milk glands a. A swelling will appear but an injection of penicillin by a vet should cure the infection.
  
• Obesity- in over-fed rabbits results in breeding difficulties and affected animals may become sterile. Sudden death can also occur. You should reduce food and increase exercise.
  
• Paralysis occurs in the hindquarters and is usually caused by injury such as dropping the rabbit or disturbance by other animals, jumping to much etc.... Talk to a vet about your options.
  
• Wry Neck- Rabbit turns head to side. Preventative - Make sure there is adequate ventilation as the cause usually is too much ammonia. Contact your veterinarian.
  
• Watery eyes covered with white sticky substance (mainly occurs in babies)
  - you can use visine to help clear this up-
  
• Although it is necessary for the rabbits owner to recognize these conditions if in doubt a veterinarian should always be consulted.