Rabbit owners

[Connah'sMommy]

Were looking at getting a rabbit but i dont really know alot on how to keep them.

We are being given a hutch which my friends dad built for us,quite a big one and also a run for in the summer.
The hutch has 2 little house areas on either side then a big bit in the middle for food/water etc
So iv got a few questions...

1.Can they live outside in the hutch? where do you keep yours?
2.how do you set up the hutch? newspaper,sawdust then hay on top?
3.how often do you feed them?every day?
4.whats best to feed them?

any other tips would be great too

 

[Rhi_Rhi1]

Don't use sawdust, its actually bad for their eyes

Most guidelines will tell you, that a 6x2x2 with an 8 foot run is as small as you should go in terms of hutch its shocking how much smaller you can buy tho

Interestingly Rabbits do NOT need anything other than hay.. as they are natural grazers, despite all the brands of foods available.. i wouldn't bother personally x

 

[SophiasMummy]

Yes they live outside in the hutch try to put the hutch somewhere away from the full force of the elements though, also get something to cover the front of the hutch on cold and wet nights like a plastic sheet. Put sawdust in the exposed area and hay for the bed area, newspaper underneath it all in both areas, give a fresh bowl of food everyday. I used to feed my rabbits mixes which are fine, but my sister now has a rabbit and she was advised by the vet to feed pellets and hay, also things like carrot and apple etc are good but only give apples in small quantitys else it can cause diarrea, we also give our rabbits greens but not lettuce.

 

[lucy_x]

We keep ours indoors all year, in a furplast cage, and he gets free range when A goes to sleep.

He goes outside when its sunny, in a run.

He gets hay as he wants and Petsathome rabbit pellets, a handful a day.

Weve always kept him on sawdust or bliss bedding, he seems ok

Clean out regularly (his litter tray gets done everyother day)

And watch for fly strike in the summer

 

[linley]

I have a giant breed of rabbit so he's got a 6x4 shed all to himself, with a catflap out to his run. He's litter trained to a kitty litter tray which we empty every few days but they're pretty clean animals and tend to choose one corner to go in anyway. He has hay to keep cosy and munch on and gets a bowl of pellets every day, he doesn't like the mix food that can encourage selective feeding. He also gets carrots, lettuce and generally any veg that's lying about (check online for what's safe).

One thing I learned the hard way is it's definitely worth having a myxomatosis jab every six months cause it really is a horrible way for a creature to die and once they have it, there's no curing it. Flystrike as well, keep an eye out for that. Loki's prone to abcesses too (or wabcesses as my OH calls them) so they're worth looking out for.

Enjoy your bunny. With enough encouragement and patience, they make brilliant pets. Loki has a brilliant personality, similar to that of a dog. Maybe buy a book about understanding rabbits, working out how they think etc. Will make it a lot easier.

 

[snowfia]

We kept our in our garage and let them run around in the garden all day with the chickens
Ours loved banana and various greenery. We fed them twice a day, the second time was mainly so they would go back into the garage. Ours were very spoilt :L

Make sure they've got lots of hay and clean sawdust (if you choose to use that)
And like lucy said, watch out for fly strike. We lost one to that

 

[Chris77]

I keep my bunny in a hutch inside the house. I let her out to run around but I have to lock up my dogs when I do so, otherwise they think she's an interactive chew toy! I use CareFresh bedding. I clean her cage about 3-4 times a week. I feed her Timothy Hay and a small diet of pellets made from Timothy Hay. She's a Netherland Dwarf bunny and she's just the sweetest thing!

Good luck with your rabbit and enjoy!

 

[PinkEmily]

The advice already given pretty much sums it up but if you get a young female make sure you get her spayed because they are prone to cancer of the womb in later life.

I would highly recommend getting a rescue rabbit, they are usually already spayed so that saves you a lot of money, plus you are giving a home to a poor little homeless bunny. I have had two rescue rabbits now and they have been amazing pets. Also the injections are really important, they need a booster every 6-12 months.

My two bunnyies live in the garden, they are currently in a large two story hutch and are allowed to free run in our garden for around an hour or so each day (usually at lunch time so i can watch them). The hutch has a cover on it which i use each night. We use sawdust for them to toilet on and straw in their bed. I feed them pellets, hay and veg each day. Every so often they get fresh herbs too

 

[babydevil1989]

my rabbit was indoors for the first 4 months but got very tempremental (biting, growling hissing ect!)

she is now out in a hutch and run and is soooo much happier - i have a hutch with a run on the bottom - i put hay in the bed part and her litter tray is in the run - for food she has rabbit pellets, carrot peelings ect and obviously the hay.

now shes outside i can pick her up without her trying to bite/hiss/growl at me and is so much happier!

xx

 

[babydevil1989]

oh i didnt know they can have herbs - which ones? x

 

[Connah'sMommy]

Thanks everyone

Were going tomorrow to look at some at the rspca and some at a local pet store too

I didnt know they had litter trays either! How will i know which bit it will pee in?

The hutch we have been given has a large bit in the middle then too 'house' areas either side. We have a run too.

So,should i put its food and water and a bit of hay in the main part? Then in one side put hay/bedding for sleeping...then the other side put sawdust or something for it to pee/poop in?

Does that sound right?

Just going to look at injections etc at our local vets too and keep ontop of those xx

 

[Connah'sMommy]

just read about flystrike I sounds awful

Is there any way to prevent it in the first place? I read fly mesh is good

We plan on keeping it in the shed in the hutch so shouldnt this more or less help prevent it too? the door will be closed obviously?

thanks xx

 

[Tegans Mama]

With the litter tray, let your bun settle in for a few days and then pop the tray where they normally pee. Makes it a LOT easier to clean them out

As for food, I usually fed my buns unlimited hay & water and a plate of greens in the morning. (there are lists of greens they can't have though, as they are prone to bloat and some greens such as cabbage give them gas.)

I kept my rabbits indoors in a dog cage (with two floors, a bit like this, which is not my picture btw.) but the door was always open and he was never actually in there, only to eat and have a wee.

Girl rabbits need spaying at a young age as they are VERY territorial animals and will bite/kick/growl when they're nesting (they pull all of the fur out of the fat bit on their neck and build a nest). it's very distressing to see. It also prevents uterine cancer.
Boy rabbits mostly also need to be neutered. I've had two boys, and my experience with them differed WILDLY. Bobby was an ex breeding rex, about six years old when I got him and not spayed. He was an absolute dream to live with, and looking back I realise that's because he had sowed enough of his wild oats as to no longer have the "urge". However my second boy, who I got after Bobby went to heaven, was a little demon. He sprayed a lot, he bit my legs when I walked through the room. He definitely needed to be neutered.

If you are patient enough with them and earn their trust rabbits are absolutely fantastic pets. One thing that always annoys me is when people say their buns "won't let me pick them up". That's because they're a prey animal and they generally don't like being lifted off the ground as they feel unsafe. They think you're going to eat them! In time, if they want to get on your knee for a cuddle, they will.

Have fun! Rabbits are fantastic

 

[Tegans Mama]

The best way to prevent flystrike is to keep your rabbit scrupulously clean over the summer months. Also check their bum for feces as the flies are a lot more likely to lay their eggs on a dirty bum. You can get sprays from the vet to prevent it too I think

 

[GoldenGSD]

I am very paranoid about flystrike and although my bunny lives indoors and has his litter tray cleaned out every day I still use this https://www.petmeds.co.uk/p-4114-xenex-ultra-spot-on.aspx

Rabbits need space to strech their legs (a happy bunny with lots of room will leap and dance!) And don't forget to check them all over often, brushing is good for bonding with your bunny, as they will hide any pain or discomfort being prey animals.

Mine rabbit was neutered at 6 months but I have had ones from the RSPCA that are neutered/spayed, health checked and vaccinated for a similer amount as you would pay in a pet shop, plus you are giving a rabbit a home.

What I haven't seen mentioned on her yet is that rabbits need company. I have always had two but after the death of my last one I didn't want another so I moved my male inside. He follows my dogs around and spends time each day being stroked by me.

A rabbit on it's own outside is a lonely rabbit.

As for food, this is what my rabbit eats

Hay - as much as he wants and some fresh every day.
A small handful of rabbit pellets - he doesn't eat these much.
Then a bit of whatever veg I have-
Carrots- esp. the tops.
Celery
Cabbage - savoy
Spring greens
Mini sweetcorns
Apple or pear - a bit once a week.
Corinander and Parsley

 

[sue_88]

I have an indoor bunny who has full run of downstairs when we are at home, he follows me around, unless I go into the kitchen then he waits at the door for me. He is 2 years old in May, very loving in cuddly (currently asleep on the sofa next to me!), leaps & prances about the house.

He is not neutured, and not vaccinated. He does not go outside.

His cage is lined with newspaper, and lavendar scented sawdust. With soft animal bedding in his bed area. I also use a wood pellet cat litter in the corner he uses as his toilet. He is cleaned out every two days.

I would put your hutch in a nice shaded area, away from harsh winds - and use a hutch cover at night times & very bad weather. Personally, and from a friends experience, I wouldnt leave the bunny in the garden from months Nov - Jan. Put them in a garage or shed.

My little boy has 75g of Excel adult nuggets per day, some cucumber & cabbage & lots and lots of Timothy feeding Hay. He is allergic to carrots ! And some sweet treats when he has gone to bed with no fuss.


Enjoy your Bunny!!

 

[babynewbie]

Thanks for posting this, we are getting a rabbit too! So this thread has answered all the questions i had!