English lop rabbit

scotty1971

Has anyone have any experience of them.My daughter came in yesterday morning with this huge rabbit which i believe to be an english lop.Have posted it in local shops and facebook.But so far no one has came forward,also contacted local vets.I f no one comes forward we were thinking of keeping it,outdoors only.So any advice on this would be most welcome.

thanks

scott

BJV

Bless her. I would go and get her checked over at your local RSPCA. I have not had a rabbit since i was little and I remember that as cute and cuddly as they are they also need a lot of looking after. From what I re-call they can make amazing pets, very affectionate but again I stress I would get him/her checked out. I did hear once of someone who set a rabbit free ????? after finding out that the two ladies they had where not sisters and that lots of baby rabbits where on the way. Not saying that would be the case and not saying that it would be the end of the world but for-warned is for-armed.

P.s Good luck ? Have you given him / her a name yet?

scotty1971

I believe it's a him,no name yet.Going to try and get an appt at the vet incase there are any issues.

SensibleSarah

Some rabbits are microchipped, so worth getting that checked at the vets too. I've looked after rabbits in my role as a pet sitter but never owned one. Looked after a beautiful lop a few months back, although he lived outdoors & had free run of the garden by day.

I do have friends with indoor rabbits & they apparently can very easily be litter trained & make lovely pets, but they do need lots of time outside their cage/hutch & are notorious chewers of any cables left within reach. Much better kept in a pair with a neutered member of the opposite gender as they can struggle as lone pets.

I'm considering adopting a couple of rescue rabbits next year, but mine will live outdoors mainly. I'll need to get large ones so the cats don't see them as prey!

thespiderspeed

Hello Scott.

I have 6 rabbits, 4 of which live outside in female/male pairs and 2 living as free roaming house bunnies. I returned to owning rabbits after having them in my childhood/teens about 4 years ago. What I found was that Rabbit ownership has moved on since those days, improved veterinary knowledge and welfare has been modernised with the onus on 5 welfare requirements of diet, environment. behaviour, company and health.

And my first advice to you would be to forget everything you thought you knew about keeping rabbits. They are not starter pets, they are not a child's pet - although can make good family pets, they shouldn't be housed in tiny hutches as a single lonely rabbit, they shouldn't eat rabbit muesli, iceberg lettuce and loads of carrots like Bugs Bunny. And they are definitely not cheap animals to own.


I can tell you what rabbits are:

• Rabbits are highly sociable, intelligent, playful and inquisitive animals.
• They can live to 10-12 years plus with the correct care.
• The RWAF recommend that rabbit housing is to be a minimum of 60 SQFT for 2 small-medium breed rabbits, with the living area a minimum of 6ft long, 2ft deep and 2ft high to allow a rabbit to move, stretch and periscope up . The living area should be permanently attached to the exercise area. An English Lop is classed as a large breed so you need to think bigger, possibly shed or playhouse with attached run or aviary.
• They should be kept in male/female pairs or mixed groups.
• They should be neutered to prevent unwanted pregnancies, illnesses and behavioural issues.
• They should be vaccinated against Myxomatosis and Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD). This is a combined vaccine called Nobivac Myxo-RHD. They should also be vaccinated against RHD-V2. This is a new strain of RHD which is currently rampaging around the UK. The combined vaccine does not cover RHD-V2 and you will need an additional vaccine called Filavac.
• Rabbits are herbivores and should be feed on a diet of at least 85% hay/grass and supplemented with 10% veggies and 5% rabbit pellet. Muesli style foods should not be fed as it can promote selective eating and is high is sugars, as are some vegetables and fruits such as carrots, parsnips and apples, etc. They should not be given treats with fats, corn, milk or eggs.
• Rabbits are prey animals; they prefer to have their paws on the ground in the majority of situations, although I believe that regular handling should be done to train your rabbit. Due to being prey animals, they can hide any signs of illness. You need to become a bunny whisper to understand your rabbit’s behaviour.
• They have complex digestive systems, a rabbit’s system should be constantly processing food to prevent gut stasis.
• They can suffer from complex health issues from parasitic diseases like E. Cuniculi to gut stasis to facial abscesses to dental diseases. Vets only learn the basics about rabbits, therefore it is important that your vet is RABBIT SAVVY and has taken extra qualifications in rabbits.
• Rabbits are classed as Exotics due to the complex illnesses they can suffer.
• Rabbits are clean animals and will toilet in one area, therefore they can be trained to use litter trays easily.

The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWAF) is one of the leading rabbit welfare groups in the UK, has been the driving force behind improving rabbit welfare. If you look at their RWAF website you will find some good information.

The RSPCA also have some good advice on their website, as does the Rabbit Awareness Week website

I am also a member of the Rabbits United forum on the Rabbits Rehome website, where I have found some brilliant advice and ideas on housing.