A rabbit's first day at home

The day a rabbit arrives at its new home is, for it, an earthquake: completely unfamiliar smells, sounds and space. As a prey animal, its first reaction is wariness and caution. A well-planned arrival —calm and unhurried— sets the tone for the whole relationship.

Before it arrives: get everything ready

By the time the rabbit arrives, everything should be ready. Prepare in advance:

• Its base area set up: a small, safe and quiet space, away from the hustle and bustle.
• Plenty of hay — it is the basis of its diet and it should always have some.
• Fresh water, ideally in a heavy, stable bowl.
• A litter tray with suitable substrate.
• A hiding place (a box with two exits, a tunnel) where it can take shelter.
• The same food it was eating at its place of origin, so as not to change its diet abruptly.
• Having located an exotics vet even before the arrival.

The journey home

The move is done in a rigid, stable carrier, never in your arms or in a makeshift box. Put some hay inside and a piece of cloth with a familiar smell if possible. Drive smoothly, avoid heat and noise, and make the trip as short and direct as possible. The aim is for the journey to be brief and low-stress.

The first hours: calm

On arrival, the temptation is to show it the house and cuddle it. Do the opposite:

• Leave the carrier open in its base area and let it come out when it wants, without taking it out yourself.
• Quiet and little movement around it. No excited children or other animals on top of it.
• Don't pick it up or chase it. Let it explore its space at its own pace.
• Make sure it can see hay, water and its hiding place.
• Watch it from a distance: you want to see whether it starts eating hay and passing droppings.

Food, water and litter tray

For the first days keep the same food it came with; any diet change in a rabbit is always done very gradually so as not to upset its delicate digestive system. The essentials: hay available 24 hours a day and always fresh water. A rabbit eating hay and passing droppings normally is the best sign that its arrival is going well. Many rabbits soon learn to use the litter tray; be patient with the odd "accident" in the first days.

The first days

Once the first hours have passed, settling in is a process of days or weeks:

• Expand its space little by little, not the whole house at once, and always over already rabbit-proofed areas.
• Earn its trust at its level, on the floor, with a still hand and a green leaf, letting it come to you.
• Keep stable routines for food and for calm time.
• If there are other animals or rabbits, their introduction is done separately, gradually and supervised — not on the first day.

The first visit to the vet

In the first few days, take the rabbit to a vet who specialises in exotic animals for a general check-up. That visit is when the important things are planned: vaccination (myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease), neutering and worming. Not just any clinic will do: the rabbit has a very particular physiology and needs a vet who treats exotics regularly.

Warning signs · don't wait

The rabbit is a delicate animal and some problems are genuine emergencies. Contact an exotics vet immediately if your rabbit:

• Eats nothing and passes no droppings for more than a few hours — it may be gut stasis, which is fatal without treatment.
• Is listless, hunched up, grinding its teeth hard (a sign of severe pain) or adopting odd postures.
• Has diarrhoea, difficulty breathing, or discharge from the eyes or nose.
• Has had a fall or a knock.

With a rabbit, when in doubt it is better to check unnecessarily: digestive problems progress very quickly.

In short: a rabbit's first day is all about calm. Have its base area ready before it arrives, make the journey short and quiet, let it come out and explore at its own pace without picking it up, and make sure it eats hay and passes droppings. Expand its freedom little by little, plan the visit to the exotics vet soon, and at any sign that it is not eating or is off-colour, don't wait.