Rabbit questions

Guinea_2

Zoe2006 wrote: »

Why do you assume the best? I have a rabbit that was used for breeding, when her owners weren't making enough money they chucked her out, God knows what happened to the rest of them but I caught her and took her in - she is one of the lucky ones.

I don't think people realise the work involved in caring for one rabbit, let alone breeding them and caring for many. They live for 8 yrs+ if looked after properly. Also the mortality rate in newborns is quite high when bred by inexperienced people. You also state that you "want to improve the breeds that I choose and not sell mixed breed rabbits" - well I hope you're prepared for the defects because mixed breeds are healthier due to the fact that pure bred rabbits are rarer and therefore widely inbred, they require extensive dental work usually, hope you've accounted for this when working out costs.

I'd like to suggest that you extensively research this before going any further.

If you read my original post you should know from it that I am in the process of doing extensive research. I am looking for suitable HUTCHES at the moment and am not even intending to get any rabbits until I am ready. Perhaps next year or later.

Zoe2006

If you read my original post you should know from it that I am in the process of doing extensive research. I am looking for suitable HUTCHES at the moment and am not even intending to get any rabbits until I am ready. Perhaps next year or later.

I did read your post, doesn't mention extensive research, it does however say that you are in the process of setting this up To me that means NOW, not next year or so like you later stated - maybe you should go back and read your own post.

Given that out of a litter, not one of them maybe up to "show" standard, I wonder what you're going to do with them... Could take five or six litters just to get a couple that are showable, that's alot of surplus you'll have on your hands - what if you keep trying and never get enough showable ones?

Don't let this be you... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/6408599.stm

When my rabbit had GI, which is quite common in rabbits, it cost £106, and that's cheap in my area, if I lived in town it would be alot more. To qualify for insurance the rabbits have to registered to a vet and have x amount of check ups per year and be fully vaccinated. Insurance doesn't cover dental work or nail clipping (the 2 most common vets bills). All together in a year I've spent about £200 on vets bills, that's just for one rabbit - and she doesn't have recurring problems! I've also spent over £500 for a shed and run combo, and then there's the hay, straw, food etc. Plus the time investment, doesn't cost money but does cost your time... if the mother dies in birth the babies will need to be hand fed, so I hope you can take time off work to feed the babies every so often throughout the day and night until they can survive on their own.

To the person that said they assume the best because a lot of thought has gone into it, people don't tend to go out and buy hutches a year before they are ready and before they do their research, sounds distinctly like not much thought went into it to me. For a start guinea could save for a year and get really good hutches when ready, don't see the point of shopping for hutches now a year before ready. Also plastic hutches are not usually suitable to begin with for lots of reasons - Guinea wants hutches with covers for outdoor use, plastic will get hot in the sun, and it may not be the rabbit that bites through it, could be a fox. Also I hope that Guinea is not just going to put the rabbits in small cheapy plastic cages in a dark shed with no run!

I'd also like to point out that actually there is no difference between show rabbits and pets, show rabbits are just pets that go to shows, they need the same level of care, love and cost the same in vets bills, not sure why you think there's a difference, if it hops like a rabbit, runs like a rabbit and looks like a rabbit - it is a rabbit

Guinea, You sound like you have good intentions, but I sincerely hope that you make the right decision after your research and not bother.

Here's a link to help you make the right decision, this is a rescue that takes in rabbits when people have made the wrong decision: http://www.greenfieldsrescue.co.uk/ Check out the rabbits available section, some of them have some harrowing stories. There are many rescues like this who mop up peoples mistakes and usually have no funding other than donations.

P.S this is my last post, I won't be checking back here again so pointless replying to me, I've said all that I'm going to say.

skye

Guinea wrote: »

Thanks for this but I think you'll find that HoopyLass was actually talking about looking for rabbit HUTCHES on freecycle.:rolleyes:

Did I quote Hoopylass? No. But you will also find free rabbits on freecycle with hutches. Someone mentioned being desperate to re-home rabbits (and other pets) and what I was trying to say if you read my post properly is that some people are deseperate to re-home their pets and then I explained that these pets do not always go to loving homes.

[Deleted User]

Hi.. Can some one advise????
We have a 1yr old Rabbit, he's been handeled since we got him, he's ok being held, but actually gettin him is a nightmare. He is happy to sit on your lap but he doesn't like the "picking up" bit. I've tried various ways of picking him up but he sctatches and bits me to shreds. I'm begining to not want to handle him at all!!!
The other problem is his toilet habits, he has always done his business where he sleeps resulting in me having to clean him out every other day ( cos it smells bad) because I don't like the tohught of him sleeping next to his poo! can I train him to do it elsewhere or jus leave him to it???
Thanks in advance

lil_me

You can train them to litter trays usually. Pets At Home aswell as many other places do corner ones to put in the hutch, you put some of their poops in the tray then they usually start to use it.

I would continue to handle him and hopefully that will help, scouping them up helps rather than picking up under arms etc. I used to have one who haddn't been handled at all, we used thick gardening gloves at first (with a long sleeved top on) until he settled down.

Have you got other pets ? We found that one was worse if I didn't change my clothes before handling him as we also had a dog at the time.

[Deleted User]

So do I put the tray in the hutch??? ( ano that sounds daft!!)
I don't have any other pets it's just the picking him up, and of course when he's in the house catching him too. I try to pick him up the best way I can but he knows whats coming and makes a run for it turning it into a grab what you can!. I've handled him everyday since he was 6 weeks and if you put ur hand in to stroke him he'll jus sit there.. funny thing that he is, but the gloves is a brill idea.. thanks. I constantly have bloody scratches on my arms!!

gingercordial

The problem is that rabbits are prey animals and it's their natural instinct to fight against being picked up, even when they know you.

Try to approach him slowly from the front or side, not from behind. If possible crouch down as you approach him to seem smaller and less threatening. Maybe offer him a treat/carrot tops or something nice to get him to approach you (be very patient, I know this isn't easy if you need to get him back in the hutch before you do something else!) then just scoop him up gently when he's close by you and relaxed. My old rabbit was fine to be picked up from the front but would claw you badly if you grabbed him or held him in a way that made him feel insecure (eg without back legs supported, or on his back etc).

Six months of chasing him around and grabbing him has probably taught him that being picked up is scary and fighting back sometimes works (I assume you let go sometimes when he scratches) so it might take him a while to be retrained that coming near you to be picked up is a good thing because he gets treats for it.

Rabbits really don't like to poo near where they sleep - they are very clean animals but in a small hutch sometimes have no choice. Obviously if he is shut in there he will have to go somewhere so you will just have to keep cleaning it out. If there is room for a litter tray in there that will work. If he has free access to a run (which would be better than being cooped up in a hutch all day - maybe he doesn't want to be picked up because he doesn't want to go back in there?) then his droppings are likely to be in the opposite corner to his hutch and so a bit further away from where he sleeps.

[Deleted User]

gingercordial wrote: »

The problem is that rabbits are prey animals and it's their natural instinct to fight against being picked up, even when they know you.

Try to approach him slowly from the front or side, not from behind. If possible crouch down as you approach him to seem smaller and less threatening. Maybe offer him a treat/carrot tops or something nice to get him to approach you (be very patient, I know this isn't easy if you need to get him back in the hutch before you do something else!) then just scoop him up gently when he's close by you and relaxed. My old rabbit was fine to be picked up from the front but would claw you badly if you grabbed him or held him in a way that made him feel insecure (eg without back legs supported, or on his back etc).

Six months of chasing him around and grabbing him has probably taught him that being picked up is scary and fighting back sometimes works (I assume you let go sometimes when he scratches) so it might take him a while to be retrained that coming near you to be picked up is a good thing because he gets treats for it.

Rabbits really don't like to poo near where they sleep - they are very clean animals but in a small hutch sometimes have no choice. Obviously if he is shut in there he will have to go somewhere so you will just have to keep cleaning it out. If there is room for a litter tray in there that will work. If he has free access to a run (which would be better than being cooped up in a hutch all day - maybe he doesn't want to be picked up because he doesn't want to go back in there?) then his droppings are likely to be in the opposite corner to his hutch and so a bit further away from where he sleeps.

I try my best to approach him slowly as possible and pick him up as gentely as I can, I try to scoop him legs up and usually try and tuch his face gentally into the crook of my arm so he feels held and snug! I sometimes have to let go of him because being scratched and bitten really hurts but I never jus drop him, i ALWAYS put him down carefully.

Our rabbit doesn't have a run but is allowed daily use ( untiul the last mth) of our dining roon which he can run around freely in.
+A
s for the toilet. he has since day one of getting him used his bed as a toilet too, his hutch isn't small but neither is ut huge, so maybe a bigger cage is in order.
Thanks for your advice!!!
S.

jmarko

Google the rabbit is upturning his litter tray. It's his birthday in a couple of days time so he might just be reminding us. :rolleyes: On the other hand, it could be something else. Has anyone else's house rabbit done this? Possibly he's getting bored in his indoor cage? I just don't know. All help and hints gratefully received!

thanks

jmarko

skye

My rabbit, Max does this sometimes too - I'm not sure why but I've noticed that he is more likely to do it when its dirty rather than clean, at night and when I've just come in but haven't let him out yet.

To make it more difficult for him I have a corner litter tray which has little hook type attachments to slot over the cage bars - a bit like the one in this pic - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RABBIT-LITTER-TRAINING-KIT-PET-TOILET-LITTER-TRAY_W0QQitemZ300156697175QQihZ020QQcategoryZ63513QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

I also tried sticky vecro but found I hadnt used enough. Just spotted this one - http://www.bunnybasics.net/enclosed-litter-tray-p-1257.html but it may take up too much room.