Raising a rabbit in Israel

[eternalStudent]

Hi,

Let me tell you a story:

I’m from Israel, and several months ago I rescued a baby rabbit from the street where an ally cat chased him. I named him Ḥotem, which is an archaic word for nose in Hebrew. I didn’t know a thing about raising a rabbit at the time, and I’m sure there’s still a lot that I don’t know, but I’m doing my best.

Raising a rabbit in Israel is proving to be very difficult, this is country where it is believed that rabbits are for kids to pet, that they should live in small cages and that hay is entirely optional. Looking up how long does a rabbit live in Hebrew yields a vastly different result than when searching in English.

Turns out my biggest problem was hay. There is neither timothy hay nor orchard grass hay here, mostly alfalfa and some oat. It is nearly impossible to find a pet store that stores hay, and 1 out of 3 are so bad that my Ḥotem refuses to eat it. It took me several times to recogmize those. He is now about 8 or 9 months old, I found a hay farm and managed to purchase a bale of oat hay that according to my calculation should have had lasted about a year.

But then Ḥotem got sick. Looking up the symptoms online I found out the cause is burrowing mites, which later my vet confirmed. I  have read that the source of those mites in many cases come from fresh oat hay when buying directly from a farm which exactly matched my story, so after consulting with my vet I got rid of my bale. He is now still recovering.

I thought of ordering hay from Amazon, but the cost of shipment is twice the cost of a single bag, for each bag, and I can no longer find fresh oat hay in stores, though I will certainly keep looking. I have enough for a week or so, and also some alfalfa, but I’m running out of ideas.

So yeah, that’s my story that I wanted to share. If you have any ideas or tips, I would love to hear those, but just sympathy would be great too.

[DanaNM]

Wow, sorry you are having such a hard time with him. It’s very admirable that you rescued him and are working so hard to give him the best care you can!

Not sure if this is possible in your area, but some people forage for grass for their buns. You just have to make sure it hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals or near a roadway. There is also always a small risk of disease, depending on your area. If it’s fresh grass it should be treated like an veggie and introduced slowly. You can try harvesting a lot fresh and then drying it out to feed as hay.

I’m glad you were able to find oat hay, it’s unfortunate that that last batch had mites. Hopefully some other international members will chime in with suggestions. Really any grass hay could work, and would be better than alfalfa, so there might be some other options as well. I think some people feed rye grass, wheat, and barely as well. I wonder if those might be more available in your area?

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Pinkbun]

Hi
I find your kindness so heartwarming! I will try and help as I love how much you cared! The first thing I think of is can your local pet store order hay in?
Second I think of you get someone to send it to you and mark the customs as a gift (eBay is a good place for this or a binky bunny member?) I tried the isreal eBay and I didn’t understand what it was saying. I did try look for hay on it but maybe I wasn’t typing in the right language? Third you can try ask the major suppliers for help? (Ive actually already contacted Burgess, a major brand/supplier of hay here in the Uk to ask for you as I loved your story) there’s no guarantee though the’ll get back but I’ll let you know if they do! I’ll give you any updates if I get any!
Xox

[eternalStudent]

Thank you for your suggestions!

Foraging and harvesting sounds risky, especially since I have no one here to tell me if I’m doing it correctly. I did try to ask my local pet store to order hay in, didn’t work out, but I will give it another shot. Trying to contact the major suppliers sounds like an idea that can’t hurt and definitely worth exploring. Excuse my ignorance, but who are those major suppliers?

(I just wanted to fix those red letters in my original post, and now it is gone :\ . Did I do something wrong? Was I not suppose to edit the post, after submitting it?)

[Bam]

If there are horse stables in your area, maybe you could buy some hay from them? All grass hay that works for horses works for rabbits as well. Horses and rabbits have very similar digestive systems (both are hindgut fermenters and adapted to a skinny diet high in fiber).

If parasitic pressure is very high where you live you can treat with Revolution (selamectin) as a preventative measure. It’s a spot-on anti parasitic. In Europe it’s called Stronghold, it might have another name in Israel but the substance name is still selamectin. I think we have some members that do that as a maintenance treatment, I’ll ask. (And now the warning we always give when discussing antiparasitics for rabbits: Never use any compound containing Fipronil on a rabbit. Fipronil is commonly used for cats and dogs and it’s sold under a variety of brand names, for example Frontline. It’s deadly toxic to rabbits).

[eternalStudent]

There might be stables I can try to contact, I have considered this, but I’m still a bit wary regarding parasites. I will ask my vet about Revolution (selamectin) for prevention sake. Thank you!

[Pinkbun]

Hi
I wouldn’t recommend revolution as I’ve heard a lot of negative things about it (killing rabbits ). I use a spot on called Xeno 450 and it’s great. Have you tried any exotic pet stores for hay ? As I’m pretty sure rabbits are regarded as exotic pets. You could even try a pet shelter and ask them where they get there supplies from? Same with a vets. There is also a product called readigrass which is very good.
Main brands-
Burgess excel
Oxbow
King
Friendly readigrass
Vita Kraft
Natures touch
Selective
Woodlands

I’ve been looking round online for help but as the Google I use keeps using the uk server it keeps showing uk websites. I’ve been trying to use a Vpn to get more accurate results. Sry I’m slow! I can’t read Hebrew (I think)…. I have to use the google translator. To translate for me. I’ll let you know if I find anything or if Burgess reply

Xox

[Asriel and Bombur]

Revolution is the standard used for rabbits. Mine and countless others have used Revolution. It’s the Frontline that’s very dangerous for bunnies. Revolution is completely safe and effective.

[Wick & Fable]

It is fine to edit your posts after submitting them — the changes may not show up immediately though. Did you lose some information? For your original post, I know the “H” are linked because they are symbols. I do not see any red-colored text.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Pinkbun]

Hi
Asriel and bombur- apologies it’s been ages since I’ve looked into flea things for rabbits I just remember hearing one when my buns had the fur mites. It possibly had a similar name or I just get confused !
Wick- I apologise ! Does editing after posting cause problems? I’m kinda the sort of person who dosent see errors until after I’ve posted…. I spelt a word wrong and the post wouldn’t have made sense unless I fixed it. It’s mainly due to my tablet doing auto correct… I can’t turn it off!!! Sry to edit my post so soon!
Xox

[Bam]

Pinkbun, editing a post doesn’t cause any problems. I’m the same type of person, I often find errors in my posts and edit them

[Bam]

I just checked with the member that uses Revolution (selamectin) on her bun as a preventative measure. She has a good, rabbit savvy vet that says it does the rabbit no harm. Mites often come in with hay.

Xeno450 that Pinkbun mentions is also a good anti-parasitic. It is a spot on ivermectin compound. Selamectin and ivermectin are related substances) (selamectin is a derivative of ivermectin). Both are effective against mites and rabbit safe. Selamectin is as a rule more expensive and prescription only.

[Pinkbun]

Hi eternal student!
Sry for a late reply! I’ve got square eyes from looking at my PC all day! I’ve found a website of a high quality rabbit breeder who lives in Israel if that would help you? She breeds Netherlands dwarf bunnys. I’m sure she could offer advice and help? I do see hay and grass in her photos so she maybe able to advise where to get some? She also has a Facebook page which she updates Dailey. I’d definately try get in contact with her as she must have some links to produce quality bunnies. Here’s her website link http://www.adisrabbitry.co.il/וידאו/
I’ve also found a horse food website and I think it sells hay but I can’t get the site to translate (so I can read it). It’s based in Jerusalem (I think) and it ships to Israel. https://www.horsefood.co.il/מזון-גס/

I’ll keep looking but I’m giving my eyes a rest as there so dry and sore! But I’ll do anything for an animal!

I hope this will help you for now!
Xox

[eternalStudent]

Thank you again so much for all your suggestions! I don’t know how to express my gratitude towards people who despite never having met me, spend time to try and help. I will try some of your suggestions, and let you know if anything pans out. Thank you

[Q8bunny]

Hi ET. I’m the person Bam checked with. I lived in Kuwait for 10 years and travelled quite a lot in the region (including Israel… sneaky sneaky lol). In our part of the world, Revolution is usually sold under the name Stronghold and is distributed by the company Zoetis. Buns can get one ampoule per month (the 15mg kitten/puppy dosage – the ampoules hold 0.25 ml). Just part the hair on the back of the neck (right at the base of the skull) and empty the liquid on the exposed skin, then use the side of the ampoule to rub it in for a moment. Once a month should keep any parasites at bay. It helps if you hold the ampoule in your closed fist for a few minutes before applying, to bring the liquid to body temperature and make it more comfy for the bun.

As for hay, I agree that buying from someone with a healthy-looking horse would be best. If you can look around, you might even be able to choose a nice looking (green, dry, not too dusty) hay.

Best of luck!

[eternalStudent]

An update!

I found a Facebook group of bunny parents in Israel, and many of the posts there are about hay (so now I know for certain that it’s not just me). I found out that though very few, there are stores in Israel that sell high-quality hay, and at least one of those is within delivery distance from my house, quite costly though.

[DanaNM]

Hmmm, it does seem like it might be easiest to treat with Revolution monthly, and then you can just go with the oat hay source you found already.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Q8bunny]

Right?!

[Author]

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