(upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Karen Kalunian, and today we're gonna talk about rabbit care.

(upbeat music) ♪ Hey ♪ (upbeat music) - Hi, everyone.

Today we're here at the Potter League with Kara Montalbano and we're gonna talk about rabbits in case you come in to adopt a small animal here.

But rabbits essentially really do require different types of foods and different types of habitats.

So, she's gonna tell us a little bit about what you suggest if someone comes in to adopt a rabbit from you.

- Sure, so we kind of talk about rabbit food in terms of a pyramid.

And a lot of people think carrots are sufficient.

And carrots are actually what we consider a treat, so they're at the smaller part of the pyramid.

At the bottom is the biggest portion is hay.

Fresh hay, good quality hay is very important.

It's part of their nutrition.

It's part of their litter training.

So, always having access to good quality hay is very important.

And then, the pellets kind of after that, which gives them the other nutrients that they really need and require to remain healthy.

- So, it's almost like they're dry food.

- Yep.

- So, if we are gonna sort of put an example to your dog or your cat.

- Exactly.

- So, the pellets are like they're dry food and then treats.

So, what are the type of treats besides carrots?

Because everybody associates carrots with their rabbit.

- Yep.

- So, leafy greens are very important.

Lettuce, different types of lettuce.

Any type, any fresh greens that are very high in good nutrients is very important to rabbit diets.

So, that's almost considered a treat because it's very rich in a lot of nutrients, so you can't give them too much.

But access to leafy greens on a daily basis is very important.

- And water?

- And water, of course.

Yes.

- Lots of water.

They always have to have water available to them-- - Yep, fresh water.

- 24/7.

- Yep, absolutely.

- And when you're setting up at home if you adopt a rabbit, so they have their food, their water, their pellets, their hay, their treats.

- [Kara] Yep.

- [Karen] And they obviously need a little bit of room to exercise.

I think people just think they set the rabbit up in the cage and there's the rabbit.

- [Kara] No.

- [Karen] But the rabbits like to actually hop around a little bit.

- Yeah, so rabbits are very intelligent.

And a lot of people don't know, they do have a lifespan of 10-plus years.

So, a good enriched environment for them with enrichment opportunities.

So, places to climb, places to hang out, relax, hide because sometimes they like playing games.

- Little hidy houses.

Sometimes, just a simple cardboard box.

- Yep.

- So that they can go in and out like a little house.

- Yep, anything that they can play and interact with is also very important.

We had one rabbit, and I'll never forget, she loved baby stacking cups, and we'd hide treats under some of them and she'd flip them over, and she'd always go for the one with the treats.

She was super smart.

- Talk about a great game.

So, if you're thinking about adopting a rabbit, make sure you come and visit you folks here at the Potter League.

- Absolutely.

- [Karen] To watch more videos like this, visit ripbs.org/animaltalk.

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