Hi vpink,
Delores is right. Cedar is very harmful to rabbits. There are differenttypes of litter you can use other than pine shavings as well.Personally, I use a product called Yesterday's News which is pelletsmade of recycled newspaper. Buck Jones uses a product called Woody PetAnimal Bedding which is three different types of wood, I believe, madeinto pellet form. It's much cheaper than Yesterday's News and when Ican get it, I do. It's found at most Tractor Supply Company storesand/or horse and pet supply places. Some use cat litter, but I've notedthe things to be cautious of about that below.
Go to a feed store to buy a good quality pellet for the rabbit. Somenames would be Purina, Nutreena, OxBow, Heinold, Blue Seal...prettymuch what is supplied by a feed store is okay. You don't want to havethe colorful type of food as they're usually rich in sugar being verybad for your rabbit's system. Look for something in the area of 12-16%protein and 18-20% fiber.
Generally recommended, the amount given should be:
2-4 lbs. of body weight: 1/8 cup daily
5-7 lbs. of body weight: 1/4 cup daily
8-10 lbs. of body weight: 1/2 cup daily
11-15 lbs. of body weight: 3/4 cup daily.
or an oz. per lb.
Make sure he/she has plenty of fresh water. Waters the most importantingredient in their diet, along with a good pellet food and TimothyHay. Timothy Hay keeps the rabbit from getting blockages of fur andkeeps the digestive system flowing. Besides, it keeps them from beingbored, it's good for their teeth, and they love it. Be sure the hay hasno mold or bugs in it.
A good piece of hard wood, preferrably from a fruit tree, but see thefollowing websites for what's safe and what isn't. I use apple wood.One of our posters in Florida uses Lemon tree wood.
http://earthhome.tripod.com/saferab.html. Make sure there aren't anybugs in the wood, and if you suspect there are, you can put it in a 350degree oven for 1/2 hour to kill them. Wood is important because arabbit's teeth continually grow and they much keep them filed down forgood health and to maintain them. They chew on the wood, which takescare of overgrowth, which leads to other issues.
If the rabbit's inside, watch out for all electrical wires. They lovechewing on them and you know the result if the little one finds a livewire or chews on one without your knowing putting you in danger of afire hazard when plugged in.
I have a wire-bottom cage so that the urine and poop drops through ifthey're not using their litterbox. With a wire-bottom cage, some peopleuse cat litter as their litter. If you do, when you pour the cat litterinto the litterpan, be sure to do it far away from the rabbit becauseit can cause illness if they inhale the dust from it. I wouldn'trecommend using cat litter in a litterbox as the pieces can get caughtin between the rabbit's paws and if ingested could cause seriousillness to the rabbit. If you will continue to use the dog crate, whichis an excellent cage, you'll want a litterbox. Rabbits are mostcomfortable using high-backed or corner litterboxes.
Read one of the first two posts on the board about "Cooling a Rabbit inthe Summer months" to get an idea of temperatures, etc.
If you're in the USA, you don't have to get vaccinations for the rabbit, however in England, and I believe, Australia, you do.
A diet of vegetables/fruits could be dangerous as they have a lot ofsugar in them and it's really bad for their digestive/intestinalsystems. If you are to give the rabbit treats, do so in moderation:twice a week or so. You can refer to the list above about what's safe.
Cleanliness is most important as if a rabbit is subjected to sitting insoiled litter or a damp environment, it can develop a respiratoryinfection which is very hard to cure once the symptoms surface and ifnot acted upon quickly.
Sexing a rabbit: see
http://debmark.com/rabbits/sexing.htm
If it were wild, I'd send you to this site
http://wildliferescueleague.org/report/nova_rabbit.html
Hope that'll get you started. Oh! And Welcome to the forum.
-Carolyn
