WITH A LITTLE WORK, RABBITS CAN BE TRAINED TO BE HOUSE PETS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 11, 1993                   TAG: 9304080130
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: KAREN L. DAVIS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
WITH A LITTLE WORK, RABBITS CAN BE TRAINED TO BE HOUSE PETS
If the Easter Bunny visited your house today and left behind a baby bunny in your basket, you should know a few things about taking care of it.
Rabbits can be kept in the house and trained to use a litter box. But to live peaceably with a house bunny, owners must understand their pet's instinctive behaviors and "rabbit-proof" the house accordingly.
"The best way to keep a rabbit is to cage it [indoors or outdoors] when unsupervised and let it out to play when you can watch it," said Jackie Collins, director of the New River Wildlife Center and owner of a purebred, multicolored Angora rabbit named Nada.
Nada, whose name is Spanish for "Nothing," stays mostly in one room, where Collins has run all electrical cords through plastic piping to prevent chewing.
She also keeps the rabbit separated from her two dogs. However, Nada and the Himalayan cat, Tabitha, are best buddies. The two sleep together, and Tabitha spends hours licking and grooming Nada, Collins said.
Although Collins has kept other rabbits in the house, "I don't think rabbits make ideal house pets," she said. "They'll chew up woodwork, refrigerator cords, curtains. They'll try to burrow and dig holes in carpets."
Collins also believes "no child under 10 should have one. They have a nasty bite, and their hind legs, if held wrong, can inflict nasty scratches on a child's arms."
If a rabbit feels it is not being held securely, it will struggle and kick with its powerful hind legs.
According to Dr. Vanessa Rolfe of Avian and Exotic Mobile Veterinary Services of Blacksburg, a rabbit's backbone is so lightweight and fragile and the hind leg muscles are so strong that such a struggle can actually break the back.
The proper way to pick up a rabbit, Rolfe said, is to place one hand under its chest and hold the front legs between the fingers; slide the other hand under the rear end and hold the back legs firmly between the fingers. Alternatively, place a towel over the back and tuck it under the legs as you lift.
Never, never pick up a rabbit by the ears, Rolfe said.
The reason rabbits chew so much is that their teeth grow continuously. To keep the teeth from getting overgrown, bunnies should be given Nylabone chew toys, bleached bones or antlers, oak or maple branches, plain rawhide or clothespins (without the spring) to gnaw on, Rolfe said.
Feed high-quality, fresh rabbit pellets and fresh hay daily and occasional carrots or greens.
"They should get a live-culture yogurt daily to help introduce some good bacteria, particularly if they are on antibiotics for any reason," Rolfe said.
Certain antibiotics and abrupt changes in a rabbit's diet may disrupt the healthy balance of intestinal bacteria, Rolfe said, sometimes causing diarrhea or even death.
Long-haired rabbits also should be brushed and fed a cat hairball preventive daily, Rolfe said.
Like cats, rabbits lick themselves to clean, but unlike cats, they cannot vomit up the hair that collects in the stomach. Appetite loss and lethargy, particularly during shedding seasons, may indicate that hairballs are blocking the digestive process and causing starvation.
Since their taste is designed to appeal to carnivores, cat-hairball remedies generally have to be fed to rabbits with a syringe, Rolfe said.
Papain, an enzyme that may help break down hair in the stomach, also can be given daily, Rolfe said. Papain comes in tablet form (from a health food store) or fresh (not canned) from pineapple or papaya.
Also like cats, some rabbits can be trained to use a litter box. "They either have an aptitude for it, or they don't," Rolfe said.
Collins trained her rabbit by letting Nada pick her own spot to go. Most rabbits will use the same spot each time.
"You figure out where their spot is, then put the litter box in the spot," Collins said. Place some fecal pellets in the litter box, and with a little luck, instinct takes over.
Nada is an intact female. But "If you're going to have a male house rabbit, neutering is recommended because males will spray," Collins said.
Rabbits also get fleas, internal parasites and a common bacterial infection called Pasteurellosis. They are not known to get rabies, Rolfe said.
"Basically, if a flea powder is OK for kittens, it would be OK for rabbits," Rolfe said, however, any product in question should be checked out with a veterinarian before using. Yearly fecal exams screen out internal parasites.
With proper care, rabbits can live from eight to 10 years.

Karen L. Davis is a pet owner and Roanoke free-lance writer. Her column runs twice a month.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB