Rabbit questions

bole

system error

bunnymad

Hi there
if the litter tray is in a cage you could try tying it to the bars of the cage
You can make holes in the litter tray by heating a nail up with a flame and then pushing it through the plastic then pushing the tie through.
If not some velcro tape on the bottom of the tray and in the cage works as well.
This forum has loads of tips http://www.ukrabbitsandcavies.info/forum/index.php

hellies

My oh has just turned up to meet me at dd's nursery with a rabbit :mad: . He got it from a friend of a friend who has been trying to find it a new home as they have a new dog, which doesn't like the rabbit. I was very angry with him, we do not have a garden, we work full time, dd has only just turned 2 and I am 6 months pregnant so the last thing we need is a pet to look after!! However, the rabbit is gorgeous, extremely tame and dd obviously wants to keep it now shes seen it.

He has bought a hutch, food etc for it and we have decided to keep its hutch outside our front door in the winter (we live on the 1st floor but have a large glass porch and stairway to get to front door) and on the balcony in the summer. Is this ok? Also, what is the best thing to use for bedding, is hay best or would it be better to use shredded paper? how often do we need to clean out the hutch?

Does anyone have any advice as to how much excercise do rabbits need? We were thinking that we would bring it indoors everyday for a while, just to give her some excercise and obviously to keep her tame and happy! How long does she need to run around for? my mum has given us a large cage that she used to use for her dog that we could use as a bigger hutch to keep indoors, just to give the rabbit a bit more room sometimes without having to worry about it messing on the carpets etc. is this going to be any use?

Also, do rabbits need any jabs or anything? do i need to know any other rabbit info?!

Sorry to be a pain, I just really have no idea how to look after a rabbit and dont want her to be unhappy just because we dont know what we are doing?

xx

Froglet

I have not got a rabbit but i do believe they are the most neglected pet in Britain.

So here is a couple of good websites,i hope you get all the info you need .Well done for taking it in,i am sure it will turn out fine.

http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/

http://www.smallanimaladvice.com/looking_after_your_rabbit.php

diesel9181

they are really easy to litter train, just use a cat litter tray for in the house. mine love playing with old toilet roll tubes.

LorraineP_3

Hi there. Sorry if I have posted a reply twice, I typed it all out once and then it looked like it failed to post so I have written it again!

Anyway, congrats on aquiring a rabbit! They really are lovely creatures and can be great fun. I have had a number of rabbits over the years and hope the following helps.

As stated in a previous post, rabbits can be litter trained like cats. This is great cos you can bring em indoors without unwanted "currents" on the carpet. Just get a cat litter tray, put some woodshavings in, and get him used to going in it for his toilet (put some soiled shavings from his cage so he gets the idea). Also watch him to make sure he doesn't chew any electric cables.

With regards to cleaning out, this should be done at least once a week. More if it is a big rabbit or a small cage. Ideally the cage should be about 5 feet wide so it can run about a bit.

I always use woodshavings rather than sawdust, and straw for bedding. Hay is also a must, but mainly for eating rather than bedding. Chewing hay helps keeps a rabbit's teeth from getting too long. Because they never stop growing, you need to give them stuff to gnaw on or you will have regular trips to the vet for them to be clipped. Ditto their claws - but you can do this yourself as long as you don't cut them too short. If you do want to use shredded paper for bedding, make sure it doesn't have toxic ink in any printing.

One final thing on cleanliness, check regularly that your bunny's bottom is clean! This may sound funny, but it's not. Some breeds, eg Giant Lops, are not very good at keeping themselves clean and in summer flies can lay eggs "down there" which hatch into maggots and at best make your rabbit very ill, at worst can kill it.

Definitely get your rabbit vaccinated against myxomatosis and viral haemorraghic disease. Both of these conditions will kill your rabbit in a slow and nasty way (I know, I've seen it) and it's not worth the risk when the jabs only cost about £30-40 a year. I know your bunny won't be going outside, but there is still a risk you could bring the infection into the house on your shoes or clothes.

A word on diet. Obviously make sure he has a water bottle (preferable to a bowl) and buy a decent rabbit mix from a pet shop. Supplement his diet with carrots, cabbage, apple most veg really but NOT lettuce. It is a common misconception that lettuce is rabbit food - it can actually be quite toxic to rabbits so is best avoided. Many rabbits love throwing things about so either get him a plastic bowl so he can pick it up, or get him some chewing toys he can chuck about.

But most of all, enjoy bringing your bunny indoors and making a fuss of him! Some rabbits love being brushed, I had one who adored chasing a broom around the kitchen, and you can even train them to hop over little obstacles. I don't know how old your one is, but depending on the breed you can expect him to live to about 7 years old.

Good luck!

hellies

Thank you for the advice!! She has really grown on me already, she is only 5 months old and has a lovely temperment, she spent most of this evening sat on dd's lap! we are going to get her a new cage tomorrow, the hutch she came with is ok but not very big so we are going to get one with 2 levels (it has a run underneath). i will get her some toys then too as i am worried she will get bored.

bunnymad

If you can afford it I would really really advise getting her spayed (sorry if it's been mentioned already) at least 80% of does get uterine cancer by the age of two.
If your bunny is living outdoors throughout winter then I would suggest not having the heating on in the house if you bring her indoors as the sudden temperature change can be fatal for them.
Recommended amount of exercise is at least 4 hours per day, but if the hutch has an under-run this should be fine if she's getting out of the hutch too
The new hutch sounds wonderful
LorraineP's advise is great but I was under the impression that iceberg was the only lettuce rabbits shouldn't have due to the high water content, lettuce such as cos and romaine are ok?
If you find that the rabbit is not eating all of it's mix then it may be worth slowly (over 10-14 days) changing onto a complete food such as Burgess Supa Excel, Wagg Optimum, or Science Selective.
Hay should be the main part of the diet and should always be accesible to the rabbit, hay helps to keep the guts in good order and wear down the teeth which are constantly growing and can need vetinary treatment if left to grow.

These sites have some good advice http://www.pethealthcare.co.uk/rabbits_706
http://www.ukrabbitsandcavies.info/

This book is supposed to be very good too Rabbits for Dummies

notasstupidasyoulook

no wonder people with concern for animal welfare are considered annoying....

Why is guinea having to defend themselves so much? You paint it all so black and white and yet it's not. How many of you calling for no more rabbits to be bred eat meat? because the welfare of meat animals is abhorrent. How many of you buy your pet food from the shops that sell these baby bunnies and exotic parrots etc? you're still supporting the shop by just buying the food....there are plenty of shops that sell animal food and not animals so why not go there instead? i could go on, do you drive a car, wear leather, use spray deodorant, take medicine when your ill, use painkillers, where make up/skin products/hair products that have been tested on animals...you get the picture? and sometimes people do have to rehome their pets when things change SO WHAT? Most of them will have given it careful consideration and decided its best all round only the real ******* will have not given a monkeys and just 'got rid' of the animal......

not everyone wants a rescue animal, sometimes they want a specific colour or size, breed, type or age.......is that really such a crime??!

i have rescue animals and purpose bred animals that were expensive...and barring major life changes they will be happy with me for the rest of their lives,

i have several qualifications and a degree in animal welfare, behaviour and animal science and some of you people are giving us 'bunny huggers' a bad name.....i think a few high horses need to be stabled

oh yeah and iy might be nice to remember a kind word will get you further than a viscious one.....

notasstupidasyoulook:o

faerie_girl

notasstupidasyoulook wrote: »

no wonder people with concern for animal welfare are considered annoying....

Why is guinea having to defend themselves so much? You paint it all so black and white and yet it's not. How many of you calling for no more rabbits to be bred eat meat? because the welfare of meat animals is abhorrent. How many of you buy your pet food from the shops that sell these baby bunnies and exotic parrots etc? you're still supporting the shop by just buying the food....there are plenty of shops that sell animal food and not animals so why not go there instead? i could go on, do you drive a car, wear leather, use spray deodorant, take medicine when your ill, use painkillers, where make up/skin products/hair products that have been tested on animals...you get the picture? and sometimes people do have to rehome their pets when things change SO WHAT? Most of them will have given it careful consideration and decided its best all round only the real ******* will have not given a monkeys and just 'got rid' of the animal......

not everyone wants a rescue animal, sometimes they want a specific colour or size, breed, type or age.......is that really such a crime??!

i have rescue animals and purpose bred animals that were expensive...and barring major life changes they will be happy with me for the rest of their lives,

i have several qualifications and a degree in animal welfare, behaviour and animal science and some of you people are giving us 'bunny huggers' a bad name.....i think a few high horses need to be stabled

oh yeah and iy might be nice to remember a kind word will get you further than a viscious one.....

notasstupidasyoulook:o

You cannot be an animal lover and support factory farming, vivisection, breeding etc

I am a vegetarian (trying to be vegan), I do not use animal skin, I do not use products tested on animals, and so far i haven't had to use medication that has been tested on animals since making this decicion. It is not hard to do.
I have learnt from past mistakes of not getting my animals neutured. It should be law to get all animals neutured.

I find it outragous that anyone would want a specific breed or colour of animal. An animal is not like buying a coat, it is a living thing who needs respect. You wouldn't pick what your child looks like and just toss the rest to the side.

To the OP I do not think you should breed, even for 'show' purposes. What are you gonna do to the one that dont meet the grade? And why do you need to breed animals for 'show' anyway? If you had a pet that you entered into pet shows I don't see a problem in that but i just dont understand why would you breed to get animal a certain way to show? Maybe I am missing something.

Find a different hobby which isn't going to promote cruelty to animals (even if you are not being directly cruel to them)