Taking over care of a rabbit advice needed please.

[kingprawntikka]

I am re homing a rabbit that a friend's daughter is no longer interested in. We have looked after it for short spells before(holidays etc). She is an outdoor rabbit and about seven years old. She will be living alone as she fights with other rabbits. I am hopeful we can give her a happy life with us and understand she will need daily cleaning and attention.
We already have guinea pigs but they are indoor pigs and so my questions relate to outside really.
Does she need to be kept in a run attatched to the hutch or can she have free rein in the secure garden and be put in her hutch at night?
How big should her new run be?
What else do I need to know..? Thanks , I just want to make sure we are doing our best for her.

Hi, congratulations on your new addition

My rabbit, (who I'm currently trying to bond with a new bun) has a hutch divided into living and sleeping totalling 2mx1mx1m. His attatched run is 3mx1mx1m. Its fairly large but worth it. Not that hes ever in it mind, he only uses it for the summer nights really. If he was going to be in a run permanently then Id want triple what i have now. During the day he free ranges with the chickens in the garden, then everyone is shut in their pens over night. But i have a VERY secure garden. We also have an inside double hutch and as its cold thats where hes sleeping at the moment. He is very clean so a perfect part time house bunny I cant really advise much in outside care, i refuse to leave him outside, last winter my nans bun froze to death in an outside hutch with a hugger on. I wont risk that.

ps my bun has been rabbit agressive but we are part way through bonding him with another bunny now, going great, have had to try a few to get there with him though. He gets on great with the chickens and next doors cat, rabbits need company, it doesnt have to be another rabbit though

Good luck

Thanks for replying, our garden is very secure and the gate to it is six foot high and always locked but I'm not too sure about natural predators. I'd be happy for her to roam around the garden, I have let her do that supervised when she's holidayed with us and she loved it. It was sweet to watch her bunny hopping around.
She has never lived indoors and I really don't have the space.
When you say you are trying to bond yours to another rabbit where have you been trying them out from..?

I have used friends bunnys for introductions, taken him to two shelters and they have tested him out with a few each, some slight sucess, (as in he has been calmer and calmer with each meet, and with each bunny) but not good enough to actually stay with one yet. I saw Angel on pets4homes the other night, she wasnt being kept in wonderful conditions and such a pretty thing, I picked her up Monday with the mindset that if they dont hit it off we will keep them seperated with meeting under supervision only. But, touch wood, Paddy has shown no aggression, Angel loves him, only trouble now is the humping! he is fixed but not yet lost the fixation Loads of time yet though.

Im sure your bun will be fine outside, dont let my 1 bad experience put you off. Lots of hay and a sheltered spot in the garden. Hutch huggers are good, ready made for most hutches these days. Rabbits will stil love to bounce about the garden all day in any weather, i have to dry mine off at night as he'll stay out in the rain, if your bunnys staying outside, make sure shes dry, i may just have a stupid bunny though

Aw how lovely that Paddy has found a friend.Yes I need to get one of those hutch huggers to keep her warmer for winter. We are going to make a run to attach to the hutch. I have just been plodding round my garden in the rain deciding where is best! I think hutch right by the back door and then a 3m by 3m run surrounding it, then I can be sure where she is and stop her eating all the plants! She had a tendency to eat my container plants when I let her run free when she stayed with us. Then we can let her out of the run to use the whole garden when we are around and can supervise. Does that sound ok for her? She only has a small run underneath her cage at the moment, so I hope she will enjoy the extra space!

Good point about drying her off when the weather has been wet, I will make sure we do that.
Thanks for all the advice ... I am a complete novice when it comes to rabbits.

She is coming on saturday!

I'm quite excited for you, a new pet is always a celebration in this house, but we are animal mad

That sounds a fantastic space for her, nothing worse than animals being kept cooped up.Rabbits are so badly treated in this country, they dont make any noise so seemingly just put up with terrible conditions, the storeys some of the rescues told me hd me in tears, so sad.

Sounds like your bunny-to-be will be very lucky indeed

If you can aford 2 rabbits that is always best whatever their age. She might not be spayed which might explain why she is aggressive to other rabbits. Or it might simply be that introductions to other rabbits have not been done correctly (neutral territory, male to female introductions, both animals neutered). Rabbits are extremely territorial. Take her to a rescue and they will assess and bond her to a neutered buck for you. If you can only keep her on her own I would seriously consider keeping her as a house rabbit now she is older. Unless you are sure your garden is fox proof never leave her unattended. I would attach a permanent run (as big as you can make it) to her hutch, site it on concrete to stop predators digging in or the rabbit out.

Thanks Baby and Spacedog, She is here and we have spent the last two days setting up her home. She is living in a hutch in the shed with a cat flap through to the run in the garden. I am sure our garden is foxproof and two of our close neighbours keep totally free range rabbits and have never had problems with predators. Her run is about 12 feet by 6 feet with a 3 and a half foot fence around it.We have put logs in to jump on , plant pots to explore as she loves doing then when she has the whole garden to play in ,toys and a little shelter if she still wants to sit out when its windy/rainy.

I agree with you Spacedog about two rabbits being the best living situation. I don't know why she has never got on with other rabbits, I only know that she was sold specifically to be single rather than a pair because she wouldn't accept other rabbits.... / Maybe she just hasn't met the right one..?

Do you keep two rabbits in one hutch because we definitely haven't got space in the shed for another hutch? We have made her hutch bigger than it was by extending it on top, but it is still only 4 feet long on top and a bit smaller on the bottom level. Would that be big enough for two rabbits?

It has been really lovely today watching her play in the garden and she loves being cuddled. My husband wishes he didn't have to go to work tomorrow as he will miss her venturing through the cat flap and in to her new run for the first time!

The hutch size is fine providing they have 24 hour access to the run. Sounds lovely by the way. She might well not have met the right rabbit. When my rabbit became single, the rescue tried him unsuccessfully with every female and he fought them all. In desperation the owner tried him with a female who had been reserved for someone else. He snuggled with her straight away, they never fought and lived peacefully until he passed away a couple of months ago. So I believe most bunnies can find a partner. Providing both are neutered that is.

Forgot to mention, if you decide to try her with a partner first get a vet to check she is spayed. Then take her to a rescue who will bond her for you. It's a complicated process, which you need to be expert to assess and manage. Believe me a rabbit fight is not easy to watch or stop. But a bonded pair are so sweet. When you see a rabbit partnered it's impossible to imagine them on their own. They sit together all the time.

I think you would be able to bond her with another rabbit - they are ultimately always happier in bunny company. It takes perseverance - they probably won't get on straight away. Others on here have given you excellent advice and there's lots more online about bonding rabbits. I second the advice to get her spayed as this really will make a big difference. Sounds like she's found a great home with you - well done.

Thank you all so much for you advice, I will look into getting a rescue rabbit once she has had a chance to settle in, and you are right...

I need to find out if she is spayed or not.
She swings between being really docile and lovely, and kind of growling at me and biting. The growling and biting are when I am doing her food so it seems to be a anxiety thing.

Her run is accessed via the back of her hutch down a ramp into the garden run. If I go and get her and carry her to the run she is quite happy and will wander around for a while and then go back up the ramp to her hutch, but she won't come out on her own. I know she is used to a ramp so I don't think that's the problem. What do you think ? Is she just nervous... She pokes her head and shoulders out of I call her from the run but then decides not to bother. It's as if she wants to but then loses her nerve. Any thoughts?

You could pop her food in the run to 'entice' her. Otherwise I'd give her a bit longer to see if she becomes more confident. A friend will definitely help in this respect. If she goes up but not down, any chance you could widen the ramp coming down?
Some rabbits are a bit food aggressive, say no firmly when she does this. Might help to spinkle food around rather than present in a bowl (especially if you susequently pair her). Aggression might also be a sign of not being spayed but a lot of rabbits are a bit 'food aggressive'.

Thanks, I will try that with the food and make some ramp alterations at the weekend.

I have emailed a local rescue today to see if they will try and help bond her to one of their rabbits. I explained about her always being alone but that we'd like her to have a friend. I hope they say yes!

i'm sure the rescue will be pleased to help, they will advise on your set up and all aspects of care, and provide an after-service too!
If she's not spayed speak to the rescue (they use rabbit-savvy vets who can make an expert judement as to whether she will manage such an op at aged 7).

We are taking our new rabbit to the rescue centre at the weekend to try and find a rabbit she will bond with. Can you tell me what happens about the hutch, do we need to get a new one so it's neutral territory or will good clean be adequate?

The rescue will keep her for a few days. That will be the neutral territory. When they hand them back to you they are confident the initial bonding is successful. To help them settle in the hutch it is best to try to neutralise, although most rabbits do end up recognising it as 'theirs' but by then the process is at the second stage i.e. relationship somewhat established and tolerant. The rescue will advise you what to do with the hutch and run but a good clean with Jeyes fluid or bleach then rinse well, inc walls and floor of run (if on concrete) and dry. Then spray everywhere with vinegar using a plant spray to 'mask' smells. Yuck but effective. I would buy new toys, water bottle and litter trays.