Looking for advice and info on Rabbits...

pops5588

She is having hay and grass, nothing snazzy in terms of brands yet but I will look into that green oat hay. She has some carrots every so often (but not too much as I know they're high in sugar) and she seems to also enjoy broccoli and spinach leaves. Does the broccoli help in terms of gnawing? Oh she is also having some junior pellets at the moment.

I will stick with the insurance for now just incase but I may not renew it once it's finished and just stick money in a pot every month just in case...

CharlieRabbit01

pops5588 wrote: »

Vet said once every 12 months will be fine for vaccinations and they will send a reminder when we need to book her in.

We did actually take out insurance, is there a particular reason why you recommend not bothering? :S

The only thing I'm worried about at the moment is she doesn't appear to be gnawing much, and I know it's important to keep their teeth healthy...

every 12 months is about righr for most areas, will she have to have both Myxomatosis and VHD (Viral Haemorrhagic Disease) injections?

In my experience insurance is quite expensive, over the last 16 years I had a number of rabbits and non were insured I've only ever had 2 problems one rabbit got attacked by a rat and he needed an operation to remove an eye, the operation, overnight stay and medication cost £150 approx. over his life time to insure i'd have spent £1080 approx.

the only other cost was when he caught a cold, he medication was £15.

My current rabbit I self insure (put away a few pounds each month) just incase as the pot got bigger I put in less, he's just turned 6 and had an operation to have his teeth filed at a cost of £80 which he been insured wouldn't have been covered.

Check your insurance, most wont cover teeth as its something they have the most problems with.

Unlike cats or dogs they are less likely to get themselves into trouble as they don't generally wander off.

A good diet should keep her teeth healthy, my boy has one of these which he gnaws on:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/mineral-stone-for-small-animals-by-happy-pet-33868

I also got a bit excited when i saw this and he loves chewing on it:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/veg-play-patch-for-rabbits-and-guinea-pigs-by-pets-at-home-23911

if you have one she can also be given an apple tree branch to chew on.

If you're worried about her back teeth she'll exhibit some of the symptoms that my boy had weepy eyes, drooling, loss of appetite, pulling tufts of fur from inside hind legs (note girl bunnies might do this anyway).

You can usually look at the front teeth and see if something is wrong.

She is also new to your home so she will be a little anxious.

Lionheads are beautiful do you have a pic?

CharlieRabbit01

pops5588 wrote: »

She is having hay and grass, nothing snazzy in terms of brands yet but I will look into that green oat hay. She has some carrots every so often (but not too much as I know they're high in sugar) and she seems to also enjoy broccoli and spinach leaves. Does the broccoli help in terms of gnawing? Oh she is also having some junior pellets at the moment.

I will stick with the insurance for now just incase but I may not renew it once it's finished and just stick money in a pot every month just in case...

my boy only eats the tops off broccoli!

Rather then write a huge list you can find some good info here, this page lists fruits and vegetables they can eat:

http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/

When you introduce new foods it may cause soft stools so introduce them slowly.

pops5588

Thanks for all the great info Charlie, yes she had the two vaccinations but luckily doesn't need them every 6 months. Mind you she was so well behaved, wasn't a faff at all.

He did mention microchipping her but I don't leave her unsupervised really, just incase so if she even attempts to jump the fence (aside from it being impossible) then i'd be there to stop her anyway.

That Veg Play Patch looks amazing!! Might have to buy one of those...

Anyway, this is Cassie the rabbit



Edit: Please excuse the carpet, still moving into the house so lots of bits of thread and fluff are appearing from nowhere!

Fosterdog

Aww what a cutie.

Diet wise the pellet/nugget type food is better for rabbits than the musli type, they don't need a lot and between an eggcup full and a small handful a day is plenty. They need an unlimited supply of hay and should be eating at least their own body size of hay each day, preferably twice the size. The hay and nuggets will help with keeping their teeth in good condition.

Fruit and veg really isn't very good for them, fine as an occasional treat in small amounts but forage is much better for them, grass, brambles, dandelions, hawthorn, hazel, rowan, fruit tree leaves and branches etc. are great for them. They are all also easy to dry out so they can have fresh forage through the summer and dried through the winter.

pops5588

Yes I am slightly worried that she isn't eating enough hay as she should but I'm definitely avoiding the temptation to supplement it with other stuff. She has to learn that the hay is what she needs most! I've bought one of those little hay ball type things with a little bell on that you put hay in and makes it a bit more of a fun challenge to get to. Hopefully that will encourage her a bit.

Fosterdog

If you are worried try mixing some fresh or dried herbs in with the hay, mint and parsley go down well here. Also instead of feeding in a bowl put her food in the middle of a pile of hay, she will be more likely to pick some up that way.

Rabbits like to eat while they poo so a hay rack right above the litter tray will encourage her to eat more.

What hay are you feeding? We used to buy bags from pet shops and ours wouldn't eat much at all, we switched to meadow hay from a local farm (£4.50 for a roughly 30kg bale) and it is so nice and fresh the rabbits love it. It smells great and has lots of nice long stalky bits with some other nice bits of natural local forage mixed in. Finding a hay she likes will be a challenge but once you find the right one she should love it.

Ask around at any local farms/stables/livery yards, most will sell a bale of hay for £3-£10 and with just one bun it will last ages. If you don't have room for a full bale some may let you fill a black bag for a few pounds.

pops5588

Yes it's pet shop hay at the moment, am going to look around for some nice local stuff now! Thanks so much especially for the herbs tip, that'll definitely help while I'm searching for some local hay!

CharlieRabbit01

She is very cute. Don't worry about the carpet I hadn't even noticed.

I miss my little boy I had to move house and they wouldn't let me keep pets so he lives with my boyfriends mum but we see him once a month and get photo updates.

He loves it there and has free roam of the garden all day.

here he is helping her eat the freshly planted strawberries.



Ivor by Charlie Rabbit01, on Flickr

CharlieRabbit01

The carrot patch is great, Ivor hates it when the carrots are in it so will come charging over and pull them out and then throw them across the room.

He also hates it when I stand toilet rolls on end, he'll come and knock them over once they are on their side he's not interested.

he also recycles catalogues and the phone book, he happily turns the pages and then rips them out.