Cheapest way to look after a rabbit?

Becles

karendb wrote:

Our neighbour is giving us one of her rabbits, including a small cage,

I second all the comments above, but just had to pick up on the small cage issue.

How small is a small cage?

Bunnies need plenty exercise and it's not fair on bunny keeping it cooped up in a small cage. If money permits, bunny will be happier in the largest hutch you can buy. Mine was a double decker hutch with the normal bed end and living area on the top, then a ramp down to the bottom layer which was just a big living area. Bunny had plenty of room to run around in there, and I also let her run round the garden with supervision (make sure you've got no escaping holes in your fence!).

beachbeth

Just one word of caution re hay or straw. If you get this cheaply from farms it can contain mites. The bags you get from petshops have been treated and will not contain any such parasites. So be careful about where you get your hay from or you can end up with a vet bill for treating your rabbits for this.

flis21

Hi All, I have a house rabbit so I was really interested in this thread. Am a little concerned though. Have been feeding my rabbit lettuce and he really loves it, but is it really bad for him? What would it do to him? Is it ok in small doses? Wouldnt want to be doing anything to harm him.

Also I would second the pellet food thing, when I feed my rabbit pellet food he eats it all, when I feed him mixed museli he leaves bits he doesn't like. So much more economical in the long run to buy the pellets instead.

tru

The vet told me it was OK to give the rabbit a tiny bit of lettuce every now and then. If she has too much, it'll give her diahorrea (did I spell that right - no matter how I spell it, it looks wrong )

vizcacha

some useful sites:

http://www.paperglyphs.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html

http://www.rabbit.org/care/index.html

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/index_en.htm

http://www.westwaleswillows.co.uk/timprices.html

the hay is excellent and if you can find someone locally to share the order with you can cut down postage. If you buy in bulk it works out cheaper than petshop hay. It also has no pestcides and chemicals sprayed on it and will keep for a year.

Also you can save on bunny litter if you put a litter tray (you can get specially shaped ones from the petshop)in the corner of the bunny's home. (I also have one in the room) you only need to empty and clean the tray daily rather than replace the whole bedding and it's a lot easier to keep their home clean this way. Bunnies hate being smelly or dirty.

They also need loads of human attention, as they can get very lonely, especially if there's just one
but also need their home to be somewhere they can get a bit of peace and quiet,

Bunnys are fab pets, but a quite different in mentality from cats or dogs and always need to feel safe and supported

Good luck with your new bunny

Eels100

Some fab advice already but I just want to reiterate the importance of feeding a complete pelleted food rather than muesli. Muesli style foods are not providing a balanced diet as they allow for selective eating and can lead to poor health. All rabbits should have 24hr access to good quality hay because they are naturally grazing animals and without adequate roughage their teeth will overgrow. Despite this some rabbits still have tooth problems and abscesses because ill-thought-out breeding has resulted in dental malocclusion.

You should also consider having your rabbit vaccinated twice annually against myxomatosis, because this is a very common illness which is frequently fatal. This also gives the vet a chance to check over your pet. In summer make sure you check your rabbit's bum every day because flies can lay eggs there leading to maggot infestations which are tremendously painful and debilitating. A product like 'Rear Guard' used in summer might help prevent this. And you will need to make sure the rabbit has adequate space to exercise year round (and be brought indoors to a shed or garage if the weather is bad).

pudding06

My buuny used the cats litter tray.

He had a hutch outside but spent evenings inside with us and the cats.

All this talk of bunnies makes me really miss him

pudds

bootman

I buy a huge bale of Auboise from my local farm shop. Cost £6.95 its meant for horses stables I think. I have had my rabbit 6 months and I am not nearly half way down the bag yet. So I recon much cheaper than wood shaving and more absorbant.

liz545

Some really good advice posted so far. We used to have guinea pigs, and in addition to pelleted food, we'd get a big bag of oat bran, which you can usually get cheaply from health food stores/scoop shops, soak it in boiled water, then let it cool - they loved it! I'd also suggest buying or making a run, so that bunny can be allowed to mow your lawn when the weather gets warmer. Make sure it's quite secure so he can't escape and nothing can get in to hurt him, and keep an eye on him when he's in there. Also, try going to your market when they're closing up, to pick up any bruised veg; bunnies aren't fussy! But whatever else you scrimp on, do make sure he gets vet care when he needs it!

keatergreyhound

If it is a little cage ive sean loads going on freecycle maybe bunnie could have a new home from there?