Water may also be provided via a standard 1 liter water bottle attached to the wire front of the cage. Food is provided by a J-hopper attached to the front of the cage. The drop pans are changed by the caretaking staff twice per week, and the rabbit is placed into a new sanitized cage every two weeks. Water lixits and feed hoppers are checked daily by caretakers to insure the provision of food and water. Pelleted natural ingredient diets are used to feed all rabbits and are composed primarily of cereal grains which are supplemented with additional protein, vitamins and mineral.
Rabbits receive a high fiber diet which tends to minimize common gastrointestinal disorders.
Due to the nature of natural ingredient diets, the exact composition can vary substantially from each vendor. Rabbits are fed a specified amount of diet daily in order to prevent obesity which tends to occur if rabbits are fed ad libitum. The water provided to animals is chlorinated tap water. Rabbits are provided with a 12 hours of light each day with the light phase starting at 6 am. Identification Cage cards are utilized to identify the strain of rabbit, sex, number, principal investigator, and research protocol.