{"topic_id":"exotic_husbandry_rabbit_housing","category":"exotic-pet-husbandry","context":"---\ntopic_id: exotic_husbandry_rabbit_housing\ncategory: exotic-pet-husbandry\ntitle: \"Rabbit housing — durable wire caging; hay/straw bedding; aquariums unsuitable\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) + RSPCA rabbit care advice (rspca.org.uk) — non-Open-Access; paraphrased derived fact summary per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3.\"\nsource_file:\n  - pdf-raw/exotic-toxicology/rabbit.txt\n  - pdf-raw/rabbit-husbandry-src/environment.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-29\ntokens_estimated: 140\nverified: true\nverification:\n  method: paraphrase\n  claims: 7\n  passed: 7\n  date: 2026-08-04\nsource_document: \"Merck Veterinary Manual (professional veterinary reference)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Merck Veterinary Manual\"\n  title: \"Rabbit housing — durable wire caging; hay/straw bedding; aquariums unsuitable\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/rabbits\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-07-29\"\n  ref: \"\"\n  doc_type: \"professional veterinary reference\"\n  needs_review: false\nlicense: paraphrase\ncopyright_note: \"Source Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) is © Merck & Co., Inc. and not openly licensed; per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3 all claims are paraphrased derived fact summaries (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not verbatim quotations.\"\nauthority_tier: T3\nauthority_tier_basis: \"T3:vet-ref\"\nauthority_tier_date: 2026-08-04\n---\n# Rabbit housing — durable wire caging; hay/straw bedding; aquariums unsuitable\n\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), a copyrighted professional veterinary reference. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, the points below are paraphrased derived fact summaries: numerical values and proper nouns are preserved from the source, but sentences are rewritten and not quoted verbatim.\n\n## Claims\n\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Rabbits chew, so cages must be durable and easy to sanitise; all-wire cages using at least 12-gauge wire (16-gauge recommended for the floor to bear the rabbit's weight) are preferred, and aquariums are unsuitable because of poor air circulation.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Pens need a non-slip floor and can be bedded with straw or shredded paper under straw or hay for absorbency; shavings or sawdust are poorer choices because the dust irritates the airways.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Indigestible fibre supports gut motility, prevents behaviours like fur-chewing, wears down teeth, and stimulates appetite and caecotroph intake; pet rabbits are generally fed up to 20% crude fibre including about 12.5% indigestible fibre.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Rabbits are active and need room to hop, run, jump, dig and stretch out fully; for a medium-sized rabbit the minimum living area (shelter plus exercise space) should be no smaller than 3 m × 2 m and 1 m high.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* If litter trays are provided, line them with newspaper, hay or straw, shredded paper, and/or paper-based non-clumping litter; clumping litters should be avoided.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* When cleaning the enclosure, return a small amount of used bedding so the area keeps a familiar smell.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Rabbits are social and need companionship; they should be kept with at least one other friendly, compatible rabbit.\n","sources":["exotic-pet-husbandry — Rabbit housing — durable wire caging; hay/straw bedding; aquariums unsuitable (retrieved 2026-07-29)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-pet-husbandry","title":"Rabbit housing — durable wire caging; hay/straw bedding; aquariums unsuitable","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/rabbits","retrieved":"2026-07-29","ref":"","doc_type":"official source","source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual (professional veterinary reference)","verification_file":"Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) + RSPCA rabbit care advice (rspca.org.uk) — non-Open-Access; paraphrased derived fact summary per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3."},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual (professional veterinary reference)","source_file":"Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) + RSPCA rabbit care advice (rspca.org.uk) — non-Open-Access; paraphrased derived fact summary per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3.","trust":{"authority_tier":"T3","fidelity":"paraphrase","license":"paraphrase","display_grade":"B"},"tokens_estimated":140,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}