rabbit care ( need advice please )

[booksandchoc]

Hi there, need advice on how best to care for rabbits. my friend is in hosp and will be ther for about 6 weeks so i have offered to care for her rabbits. they r outside in her back garden , i live a few streets away so decidedwe would leave them there rather than uprootting them. i had a rabbit when i was a teenager but i want to double check everything. they have a hutch with direct access to a run, but it sits on a concrete slab. i have brought up before they should b sitting on the grass but was told there not ment to eat grass (my thought? they live on grass in the wild?!) should i move them now? they get hay and rabbit muesli, ive been giving them some carrot/cucumber/dandelion leaves aswell. how often should they be fed, and how often should i clen them out? any advice would be great thanks

Need to feed and water daily, the stuff you have mentioned sounds great. Cleaning them out depends on size of hutch and quantity, I would usually do bedroom every two days and main area every week, so long as the shavings aren't too soggy or soiled that should be adequate.

Never heard rabbits shouldn't eat grass!!! That's like saying a cow shouldn't eat grass!

Is your friend too ill to be consulted on what she normally does?

quantity of rabbits that is.

yes she is very ill and i didn't want to bother her by needing reassurance, there is 2 rabbits and currently get cleaned out every week. it is a very small hutch, personally i think it is too small but they aren't my rabbits so i cant do anything really except care for them best i can. think i will start adding a few handfuls of grass in and i will clean out hutch area every few days, the sawdust was very soiled when i cleaned them out this morning.

Sounds like upping the cleaning frequency would be a good idea for a small hutch. Hope the bunnies get lots of outside time then if cooped up in a little hutch.

Hope your friend gets better soon, she is lucky to have you to help. :)

well there hutch is inside a run so they can go outside as much as they want. thanks, she will b soon hopefully.x

Does she live really close to a motorway or high pollution area? I know some rabbit owners who won't let their buns have the local grass because of all the toxic stuff (don't agree with it, but their rabbits)!

I would say, as the weather improves, check them as often as you can for signs of flystrike best site I;ve found to explain it
Vet emergency stuff for rabbits is; not pooping, not eating or drinking, stomach making odd noises or feeling v.bloated, being v.lethargic, eyes going gunky, fever, convulsions, bloody nose discharge, difficulty breathing, sneezing (some rabbits sneeze around hay or if something tickles their nose, but if it 'sounds' like a cold or wet sneezes)
If you're anywhere near Leeds there has been a Myxi outbreak (discharge from eyes, swelling of head, eating,drinking & breathing looking difficult).

I think you've got the right idea cleaning out every few days, I've got 2 house rabbits who need changing every few days (even though they're only caged overnight).

Cucumber is a bad choice for daily feeding to (most) rabbits (because it's so wet, same with tomatoes, so check that rabbits poops aren't too wet), if they're having any problems with cucumber or any veg; better choices are things like parsley, spinach, any lettuce that isn't iceberg (again too wet)..but obv. if she's happy they're ok with their veg diet it's fine, just fyi-ing.

Hope your friend gets well soon, good luck bunny-ing!!

I have 6 outdoor rabbits and I would suggest that they are perfectly fine on the concrete providing they are getting enough hay to nibble, supplimenting this with fresh grass and veg etc will make them even happier, mine love caulifower leaves, broccoli and carrots.

My concern with moving them to the grass would be that they could dig their way out (mine would).

Re cleaning, my bunnies have designated areas in their cages that they poop and pee in and we change this area every few days and the rest of it about once a week.
Feeding - food and water every day (this is critical). Check the musli packet for how much feed you should give, most packets give you a guide based on bunny size.
Run around space - if the run is tall enough for the bunnies to stand on their hind legs without their heads touching the top and long enough for them to get a bit of a hop on then this is probably ok too, however if not then they ought to be getting a chance to run around in a larger space. You may want to check for holes or escape routes from the garden before doing so. Mine get out pretty much every day as I work from home, but I honestly think that once or twice a week is fine, particularly as it is for a short period. However, it must be during daytime when foxes are not around.

I used to keep my rabbits on concrete. The little buggers would dig their way out otherwise!

i honestly never thought about them digging out!! duh! think i have everything covered but thanks for pointers on califlower broccoli etc.it isnt a secure garden so i cant let them out but the run is big enuf for them to stand up and get a good run around in

Mine are on concrete in their run during the day while I'm at work. When I'm at home they have the run of the garden, lawn etc.

I would not leave them unattended in a run on grass - you should see how quickly my muscly Rex can dig!

Muesli isn't really terribly good neither. Rabbits can pick and choose the bits they like and don't really get a proper diet. Pellets are far better, but should be fed in very small amounts. My three get an eggcup full each a day. Unlimited hay should be fed and an optional small amount of greens. Spring greens, or other dark leaves are the best fresh foods to feed. Carrots are high in sugar, so more of an occasional treat.

I think the RSPCA recommends 44sq foot of space for a rabbit, or around that! They should be able to stand upright and take three good hops across at least.

Woodshavings for bedding is bad for a rabbits respiratory system. A better bedding would be straw or hay. I bed down the top tiers of my rabbits hutch and just have lino on the bottom level. Mine also have a run on concrete, but they free range during the day.

Rabbits can be litter trained, so you could put a tray with some newspaper (or wooden pellet based litter) and and hay in the area they currently use for their toilet and that would make it easier for you to keep clean. Since mine are out a lot of the time, and have a toilet in the garden too, I don't have to clean their hutch that much - litter tray as and when needed and overall hutch once a week.