Any Rabbit advice ?

lowis

l was going to link to Rabbit Rehome forum but have been beaten to it ...it really is the BEST resource and place for rabbit advice on the net.

i would also suggest considering rescue rabbits...they don;t just have old ones, they also have young ones, which are usually discarded pets once the kiddies get bored of them.

rabbits take a lot of looking after, and can be very expensive to treat at the vets - i would therefore suggest insurance too. i think petplan cover rabbits. my insurance cost me around £5 a month when I first got my rabbit (1995) and rose to around £14 a month by the time he was 9.5yrs old. i claimed around £4000 in vets fees over the course of his life.

good luck, hope you have fun exploring all the advice at Rabbit Rehome, i loved that community, was sad to leave it after my bunny died.

x

clutterydrawer

^^^ That is very good advice...my late rabbit cost me £90 every 12 weeks when she needed her teeth doing and around £300 during her last illness both minw are insured now.

KVet

Rabbits are horrific pets for children. Please please dont get them one. If you want to get them a pet go for rats or a Guinea Pig. Both are easily handled and chunky and quite resilient. The other week I had to put a 16 week old rabbit to sleep after the son dropped it and it broke its back

snowgirl_3

I have 2 buns and 3 g pigs.

My 4 year old son isnt able to hold the rabbits as they dont like being held. I would say g pigies are a much better pet for children.

I think the hutch is too small. My G pigs live in a 6 by 2 foot hutch and by rabbits live in a 13 by 7 foot dog run with a 6 foot hutch as a shelter.

As for cost they get through lots of hay and straw and fresh veg.

The buns are vacinated against vhd and myxomatosis. The vhd is every 12 months and mixi is every 6 months and costs £120 a year for 2 rabbits.

I have 2 netured boys (where ment to be 1 of each). I paid £78 or them both to be netured. Its best to have a netured female and male together.

Female rabbits which arnt spayed are high risk of getting unterine cancer. My first rabbit I had as a child died from unterine cancer and she was only 1 year old.

With g pigs you dont have the cost of spaying or 6 montly vacs and children can handle them easily.

Im not going to get any more buns when mine have passed on.

slummymummyof3

We have two buns - brothers, who were both neutered asap. They have a 4 storey hutch (a little extreme....but the OH built it) and a run that is 8' x 4'. They are now 8 years old. One is really docile and will happily lie in your arms on his back - like a baby. The other is not quite as friendly and will kick. Overall, they have been good with the kids - 2 bites in 8 years.

amy104

Firstly definately go to a rescue. A good one will normally have already spayed/neutered for you and may even of given them their first lot of vaccs. They'll also have bonded pairs.

Male/Female is definately the easiest pairing but both will need to be spayed/neutered as often the entire one will harrass the other. Also unspayed females have an 80% chance of developing cancer by the time they are 2. For the males it is less invasive but a good vet who has experience with rabbits should be able to do a female without any prob.
The costs vary in areas. My boys were about £50 the females £70.

Unfortunately your hutch does sound a bit on the small side. The recommended is 6x2x2 hutch and 6x4x2 run.

Vacs are a must. I pay £18.50 for mine but again this varies in areas. They will need a min of two yearly one for myxi and 1 for VHD. In high risk areas vets recomend a 6 month myxi jab.

Hope this helps.

johnson293

Thanks for all the advice, it really is appreciated.

I have just rang up and managed to cancel the order for the hutch I'd ordered as it was due for despatch today - no money debited from CC yet either, so no messy refunds to be sorted.

We do still want rabbits, so we'll spend this weekend looking for a larger hutch/pair of hutches and run to accomodate them.

I have been in touch with a local rescue centre who also advised that they would not allow us to adopt with the size hutch we had ordered. So once we find a suitable sized hutch, and it is set-up ready, we'll get back in touch with them and hopefully be able to offer a new home to a bonded pair of rabbits from them - and as mentioned they may have had their vaccinations/neutering sorted already too.

Will update as things progress.

Cheers again.

MJ

amy104

Do you have a local farm that can sell you a bale. I pay £4 for a huge bale and all my buns go mad for it.

I've used both the ones you've linked and the buns did like them but not as much. Good for me as with 8 to feed the small bags don't go very far!

amy104

If you are looking for a good sized hutch Happy Hutch are pretty reasonable, even cheaper if you buy via ebay.

This one meets RSPCA standards for hutch and run. Some Rescues require more so best to check before you buy.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/6ft-SYKES-MASIVE-Rabbit-Guinea-Pig-Hutch-Run-Combo_W0QQitemZ350256797783QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Small_Animals?hash=item518cee9857&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

amy104

Also can I comend you on your attitude. It would've been far to easy to keep the hutch on order and buy a rabbit in a pet shop. It is fantastic you have gone out of your way to put the rabbits welfare first - I think two bunsters are going to be very happy with you. I wish there were more people like you.