damn rabbit

[AngryBeaver]

Sorry, I know this is for animal lovers,but I am sick to death of this rabbit!
Got the kids a very cute mini lop. We got it in Nov when it was about 8 weeks old. They love it. It lives outside but spends quite a bit of time indoors,we bring it'slitter tray in,but it poos everywhere...it is getting beyond a joke. I was told they were very clean and it would use the litter trtay. It does we in there but nothing else. It had also started biting. It broke the skin on my 20 month olds hand and the same day bit my 4 yr old.
If you go to put your hand in the cage it dives at you,trying to bite. It gave my dh a nasty bite.
Have been into place where we bought it but they wern't much help.
Any advice
disclaimer: when it's not shitting everywhere and biting my babies,I actually like it

Please ignore the "advice" of the pet shop owner. Everything she has told you suggests she is woefully ignorant of the basics of rabbit ownership I'm afraid.

It is really important that she is spayed. As someone else has explained, uterine cancer is really common in rabbits and kills virtually all females in the wild that aren't finished off by predators or diseases such as myxi. If she isn't spayed the chances that she will get this cancer are about 80%. In addition, unspayed females get very bad bunny PMT and are stroppy and hormonal - not nice pets to be around. They typically have phantom pregnancies (they pull their fur out to make nests and even produce milk, and get very grumpy guarding their "babies") and are very territorial. Honestly, getting her spayed will make her a better pet. The best age to do it is about six months.

In terms of getting another rabbit - to be honest, without wanting to sound preachy, I think if she is going to be a predominantly outdoor rabbit rather than a house pet then you have a moral obligation for her welfare to get another. Rabbits are very, very social animals and are not intended for a life of solitude. She will be unhappy as an only rabbit, which in turn will make her a worse pet as she will be stressed and more afraid (and frightened bunnies bite/kick). Once you've got one, you might as well have two, to be honest - two don't give you any more work than one in terms of cleaning them out and don't eat much more food. It is important to introduce them carefully - google how to bond rabbits as there is loads of info on the net about it - and she may take a few days to bond, but I guarantee she will eventually accept her new friend with open arms and will be a much happier rabbit with bunny company.

Do you need any advice about feeding or other rabbit care? Did the shop owner tell you her diet should be 90% hay or grass, and very little dried food? And do you know about flystrike and how to check her for it?

Also, make sure you have her vaccinated. Myxi is very common in NZ and if she isn't vaccinated she's very likely to catch it. A rabbit dying of myxi is not a nice thing to see.

See,dh is not going to be happy hearing about vets and spaying/vacinations more rabbits! We thought a rabbit would be a cheap and easy pet to have as we are on a tight budget.

I have had lots of pets over the years and I reckon the rabbits were the most expensive - they probably cost me a lot more than the dogs have ever done. The problem is that there are still so many myths about rabbit care around - and one of them is that they are a low-maintenance pet that you can basically just put in a hutch and that's it. The truth is that's not the case unfortunately.

This is a good forum for advice, and this has some good advice on different aspects of rabbit care if you click on the various sections.

I don't want to disagree with Lurcher, because I'm not 100% sure but I remember reading something about Myxi vaccination being outlawed in NZ still (I know for sure you can't get a Myxi jab in Aus) so you may want to check with your vet, found this NZ vet site.

Two rabbits really, really aren't that much more expensive to run than one & it's nice to see how much more relaxed rabbits are in a pair.

Rabbits are hard work as you are finding out.
Our boy is an outdoor rabbit, we have a walled garden, he comes in at night & sleeps in the vestibule between our double doors.
Gets vaccinated twice a year, mixo and can't remember the other one.
He adores the kids, especially loves toddlers will just follow them around, he plays hide and seek, well the children hide and he hunts them down.
He did have a local cat that was his friend, grooming each other etc but he used to try & hump it so it's not been round in a while.

Don't think indoor & outdoor transition works well tbh, needs to be one or the other.

Our lad is 6, not neutered but very friendly and great with the children.

I pay £40 a month for my 3 just to cover medical needs. £20 for vet insurance, and £20 for a vet plan that covers vaccinations, worming, fly strike treatment and regular check ups.

Rabbits are prone to dental and stomach issues which can run bills into £100s. a status (stomach) issue can cost anywhere from £75 to nearly £1000.

Spaying costs around £40-60.

Food is fairly cheap for me as mine free range during the day, so forage and eat grass, but generally they need 90% hay, a egg cup of pellets a day and optionally a small amount of fresh herbs or veg.

They really aren't cheap animals, and I do think I could have had a dog for the cost. TBH if you are on a very tight budget, you prob can't really afford to keep a rabbit.

The licking thing is lovely, very positive. If she was on her back tho, you should avoid that. Like someone says, it hypnotises them. I only do it to check their teeth. Tho, admittedly it doesn't always seem to hypnotise their mouths, and I have still been bitten!

I had GPs as a child and thought I would try rabbits for a change. I did read extensively about them before deciding to get a pair (for mutual company). I knew they would need a run, vacs, spaying etc.

But I never expected they would be so very different to GPs. Rabbits are a lot more work. They are very intelligent, can be trained, don't like being picked up, are very sociable, inquisitive and are atually quite boisterous and destructive when they are playing - they've gnawed chunks out of their run.

If you're not able to get yours neutered so it can have a mate, vacs and a run then the best thing would be to rehome it and get a pet that's less challenging.

Having said all that I'm really pleased I did get the rabbits as they provide constant interest and amusement as they bunny about the garden together.

Maybe you should think about rehoming your rabbit if you can't provide her with the things she needs.

hi i have 3 mini lops they are all female we got them when they were 8 weeks .i have small children who love to strike aND CUDDLE THEM THEY HAVE NEVER BITTEN THEY ARE COMING UP FOR 6 MONTHS NOW! will get them all neutered soon.we have also had mini lops before and all have been very friendly and have never bitten!!!!we lost one rabbit to afox and the other one i think died from abroken heart and was very lonely we were going to get her another partner!!!!think you need her amate!

sorry meant to say stroke