Rabbit advice

[Drbrowns]

I’ve been offered a dwarf baby rabbit by a friend of a friend. I have never kept rabbits before so wanted some advice before I accept. We have chickens but no other pets, although we look after my parents dog occasionally. Have 3 kids, 7, 5, and 3. Do the rabbits take much looking after? Would 2 be better then one? There are 4 available so could potentially take 2 if it’s better for them socially. We would be taking them with a view to them living in a hutch with a run outside but would they better off inside? Are carrots and lettuce really all they eat or do they need other food too? Do they need any vaccinations?

I recommend reading everything on this website:
rabbitwelfare.co.uk/

Rabbits are surprisingly hard work, you will be doing the majority of the looking after, there's a huge number who are abandoned or end up in rescue because the "kids got bored" - don't be that statistic!

Hutches are extremely old fashioned and definitely are a cause of some of the "kids got bored" situations - it's impossible to interact properly with a hutch kept rabbit. A shed or playhouse with a run or aviary is much better option - they need a lot of space too - at least 60 square foot at all times. Thoroughly escape and predator proofed. Lots of good ideas here:
www.rabbitresidence.org.uk/examples-of-suitable-housing.html

My pair live in a 6x4 custom made shed attached to a 10x5 roofed aviary on paving. Inside works if you have a big house so they can have a large corner to themselves - especially in a busy household, they need their quiet time. They are also very active at night, when my younger ones were indoors they would wake us up in our tiny house at 3-4am every night.

Food wise, they can't eat lettuce. Carrots are like doughnuts for rabbits, they can only eat a max piece the size of a 50p piece a day as a treat, if at all. At least 80% of their diet should be good quality hay. Lots of details on diet on the RWAF website above.

They do need vaccinations - there's a new annual triple vaccination which covers Myxi and two variants of VHD - it's not cheap. It cost me over £100 to get my pair vaccinated. Being unvaccinated is NOT recommended and can easily lead to sudden excruciating death for the poor bun.

Read everything on the RWAF website :)

I would also add a pair of babies isn't recommended although they are better in a pair. They form a "baby bond" which more often than not, breaks down violently when they hit 4 months old.

Rescues are overwhelmed with already bonded, already neutered, up to date on vaccined, rabbits desperate for new homes.