Rabbit questions

BridgetJones_2

lbt wrote: »

Hi all

I am new to the pets board but some of you may know me from Money Saving Old Style

We are going to get two rabbits (probably a neutered boy and a girl), and I have found a hutch I like: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/rodents/cages/rabbit_hutches/natura/53359 and the cheapest I can find it is with zooplus. Can anyone recommend zooplus? It's a lot of money to spend with a company I have never heard of.

Also, we are going to get our rabbits from a breeder and he mentioned that he didn't like the hutches with the run underneath because the ground becomes soured quickly. Has anyone else found this, or it is because he has so many rabbits? I thought rabbits usually toilet in the same place.

I love the idea of a large hutch and pen like this one for two small rabbits. They will have run of the garden when I can (need to get it secured first) but it would be nice to know that when I am not in for long I can let them have the access to a nice big hutch and run without having to worry about catching them before I go out!!!

Also any tips for a newbie rabbit owner would be great. I think I am quite prepared - I have bought the RSPCA care book and a fantastic book for my daughter which is written as though the rabbit is speaking to the child, but any advice would be so welcome. I want to make sure I am really prepared and can make a welcome transition for them when they come home.

Thanks

Personally I'm not a fan of that hutch. There's not a much inside space, which might be fine for one rabbit but certainly not for two with bad weather. Try Happy Hutch, you'll need a 6ft hutch single level or something like Thistle Hall from Pets At Home if you want a double floored hutch.

Also why are you getting them from a breeder? There are 40,000 homeless rabbits out there. Mine are from RSPCA and they are very tame. They were also neutered and bonded. You'll have to bear in mind that you will need to separate yours fairly early on, get them both neutered then bond them which isn't always easy.

Rabbits can be litter tray trained. Mine are. They have 3 litter trays, 2 in the hutch and one in the run. Again that hutch doesn't have enough space for 2 trays. I have to change these daily. What breed are you looking at?

VALM

lbt wrote: »

Hi

Thank you so much for all of your advice - and the rabbit forum looks great - and I am heading there for a better look in a minute.

We saw the most beautiful Dutch rabbits today. I have told the breeder which ones we would like and I think he is going to keep them for when our building work finishes in about four weeks. Otherwise I'll hang on until he has some more ready to leave because I really liked how well they were cared for and he knew their history and temprement and expected size because he had bred them from his own bunnies.

Valm, which hutches would you recommend? I have read the reviews about this hutch and I knew they would need more locks - hubby is a locksmith so that shouldn't be a problem!!!

Thanks

Thistle Hall which is stocked by both Pets at Home and Zooplus looks a good one. This is the one that my husband copied when he built our first hutch. It has a run underneath but has walls on three sides rather than the open effect of the Natura one. Don't quote me but I think TH is made by the Happy Hutch Company.

I saw one today in Pets at Home that had three floors and what looked like a secret passage at the end for the bunnies to run up and down!

We got our rabbits from a breeder too and she has been invaluable for advice especially when Millie got "caught".

HTH.

pboae

You can get 5% back on Zooplus with http://www.cashbackkings.com/ as well as the 10% off for your first order (see the banner for that on the zooplus site).

With that hutch, the sleeping area looks kind of small, and I would also wonder how secure it was against foxes. Does it have a proper solid door to the sleeping area?

feelinggood_2

PetPlanet do the hutch for £158.99. I ordered my indoor cage and run from them and had no problems.

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=373&pf_id=8197

lbt_2

Thanks - I haven't heard of cashbackkings, I normally use Quidco.

The door to the sleeping area is on the right - that is solid wood, and the area between the caged and sheltered area is made of wood too, with a little arch into the sleeping area.

I agree from the front, the sleeping area does look small, but it goes back a long way. In the shop, I measure things by using my arm , and it is longer than my arm and hand, so pretty deep.

I'll take a look at Happy Hutch and Thistle Hall too.

BridgetJones - we are going to get dutch rabbits. My children are still quite young so smaller rabbits would be better for them.

lbt_2

Linda, thanks for the advice on toilet training. I had thought about that but wasn't really sure how to go about it. I am assuming that some take to it quicker than others so I will just need to move the soiled bedding for a while.

BridgetJones_2

lbt wrote: »

BridgetJones - we are going to get dutch rabbits. My children are still quite young so smaller rabbits would be better for them.

Hello hello

Dutch rabbits end up medium sized rabbits. They had plenty of pairs at the RSPCA centre I went to. Please take a look before buying from a breeder.

An arm & hands length isn't big enough I'm afraid especially with winter coming up. You'll also need another hutch for when the rabbits have to be separated. They can breed from a very very young age. The breeder should have spoken to you about this really.

Mely

I wouldnt buy from a rabbit breeder either. Especially when so many rabbits in rescues etc need good homes. I actually got mine from freecycle! Poor little things...but now they have a new loving home with us.

Threadhead

I know i've posted this before, but honestly, I'm completely baffled by the BG's decision to keep all the bunny questions together.

Why are there loads of thread for dogs and cats, but all the rabbit ones have to be merged? It makes really difficult reading, and the questions are all different - ie not all "which hutch should I get?"

Any reason why this is happening....?

helping_hubby

lbt wrote: »

Thanks - I haven't heard of cashbackkings, I normally use Quidco.

The door to the sleeping area is on the right - that is solid wood, and the area between the caged and sheltered area is made of wood too, with a little arch into the sleeping area.

I agree from the front, the sleeping area does look small, but it goes back a long way. In the shop, I measure things by using my arm , and it is longer than my arm and hand, so pretty deep.

I'll take a look at Happy Hutch and Thistle Hall too.

BridgetJones - we are going to get dutch rabbits. My children are still quite young so smaller rabbits would be better for them.

We bought the 6foot x 2 foot hutch which sits on top of the 4 x 6 foot run from Happy Hutch. Very happy with it. We bought it on ebay though. It was cheaper than their website.

We just made a small adjustment this weekend...made a door on ground level so our bunny can come and go on his own during play time. It was dead easy though.