Thinking of getting rabbits! Talk to me about keeping them

[Dontcomeinmygarden]

Ds really wants a rabbit and I’ve always wanted one too. So we would get two. Our garden is small but has grass and there is certainly enough room for a run etc. We wouldn’t ever be able to bring them indoors during the winter though- is that a problem?

We would be looking at getting a decent size two tier hutch so they have enough room.

Realistically, how much do you end up paying in vets bills for rabbits?

What should I know before embarking on this?!

They live long. Mine were all nine years old when they wore out but I’ve known rabbits live seventeen years. Large ones have shorter lives

I was going to post this - they live a lot longer than most people realise, and the kids are off to uni and you are sitting with a hutch full go geriatric rabbits that just seem to hang on.

One of our Netherland dwarves was 12 and a half - we had lost track of his age as we'd had him so long, but the vet had a record of when we'd first taken him to get his bunny rabbit jabs (we are in a myxamatosis zone here).

Please adopt and whatever you do you must get insurance. You'll thank me for that when you see the bills that come through

You need a run.. they can't or shouldn't live in a hutch all the time !! .. you need enough garden that they can be moved around .

@wineandsunshine, please do get your rabbit neutered. He's a cute young 'un now - wait til the hormones kick in.

And once he's neutered, ask a rescue about getting him a (neutered) female friend. Company is vital for rabbits. You can give him lots of company yourself now but longer term... when the novelty has worn off, when it's winter and you don't want to be outside...? Realistically if you're spending two hours a day with him, that's still 22 hours he's alone.

And see my previous post for advice about a litter tray - get him one, it'll make your life much easier. Flies are attracted to dirty hutches and can lead to flystrike (look it up - you really don't want that!) so it's important to keep hutch clean.

Also, if your rabbit ever doesn't eat that's an emergency, as in vets NOW. (I wish someone had told me this...). Rabbits are masters at hiding illness/pain, that might be the first sign you get.

We had a chat with the vet at the weekend actually about neutering and asked the exact same question about temperament.
His response was obviously if we are mixing rabbits together, and that they can be less territorial once they have!

The litter tray sounds like a good idea - would you suggest using in the run first??

Oh I miss my bunnies. One died at 8 the other was about 11 so yes good long lives. They were both such characters. One of them didn’t realise that rabbits like to dig - she certainly didn’t it would’ve made her paws dirty. As it was when she was put out in the garden she’d constantly be cleaning her paws.
They used to clink their food and drink bowls together if they thought I was late in feeding them. I could never do the litter tray to their satisfaction.....

The litter tray sounds like a good idea - would you suggest using in the run first??

Just put it wherever you'd like it's future place to be. He'll return to it.

As mine are indoors, I line the tray with newspaper, an inch or so of paper or wood litter. Put a big clump of hay at one end - encourages him in, rabbits like to chomp and poo

Cleaning - the newspaper makes it easy to lift out every day. I scrub with hot soapy water once a week.

Tips - get a big tray as rabbits are surprisingly long Don't use a clumping litter (if he ate it, it would clump in his stomach which would be disastrous, probably fatal).

Glad to see you are discussing neutering with the vet Do it and get him a friend. (Get the rescue to bond them - don't just put two rabbits together and assume they'll get on...!)

They used to clink their food and drink bowls together if they thought I was late in feeding them

Mine Frisbee their empty bowls One used to flip hers over her head!

Just been out to lock the girls in for the night, we have an extra large litter tray full of wood litter, I’ve found this much better than sawdust, they are very clean, even when in the house they will only poo in their tray.

They are locked in their 6foot hutch 10.30ish to 7ish which i still feel guilty about. I’m looking to convert a shed when I have the money and they can have the run of it and an outdoor run.

Please don’t have a rabbit by itself they need company, mine snuggle together for warmth and groom each other. Both are neutered as females are very prone to uterine cancer (I think a few childhood buns went this way).

They are lovely and the enjoy a run about the garden with the cats. They hate being picked up but don’t mind a pet and being hand fed. No way affectionate like a dog or cat.