Advice and tips on keeping rabbits

[Gsdmama]

Hey all, I've had rabbits and guinea pigs growing up but me and dp was talking the other night amd would love to buy my dd a rabbit. We have brought a massive hutch with plenty of space and 2 floors but before we actually buy a rabbit I'd like all your hints and tips as it's a long time since I've had rabbits. What rabbits would you recommend? And is 2 better than 1. I always had 2 together growing up. I dont want to go out and buy any rabbit. Ive been looking at breeders etc but what do i actually look for? We will be taking them out of the enclosure for plays in the garden etc. I can't ever remember my rabbits having bugs etc in their enclosure but have heard this is a thing so how to I stop bugs getting in etc? What's the best thing to feed them? My next door neighbour has a cat and I don't know alot about cats so should I buy I cover at night to stop them getting to their enclosure. When i bring the rabbit or rabbits home, do i allow my dd time to handle them and if so how many times should we handle them a fay to get them used to us. Sorry if I sound stupid but as I said I was very young when I had rabbits and want to make sure I get it right and give them the best possible life. Thanks

First up, adopt don't shop. There's a rabbit rescue crisis in the UK at the moment and all rescues are bursting at the seams with unwanted rabbits. Do not go out and buy, please adopt!

You can find your nearest rescues here:
http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/centres.asp
https://www.saveafluff.co.uk/rescues

What is the actual size of your hutch and do you have a permanently attached run? The two floors gives an illusion of space but actually the ramp takes up a lot more space than you may realise! Many rabbit keeps have entirely binned off the use of hutches and use sheds, aviaries and playhouses instead. Most good rescues will not rehome to less than the Rabbit Welfare Association's minimum which is 60 square foot. There's some good ideas of housing here:
http://www.rabbitresidence.org.uk/examples-of-suitable-housing.html

There's loads more up to date info on the modern way of keeping rabbits on the RWAF website here:

Ime rabbits don't much like dc..

In my experience a cat won't take on a fully grown rabbit. In fact, I've had rabbits that would chase cats away and the cats were freightened of them. Foxes might be more of an issue and they can be very adept at digging into enclosures, so I'd be wary if you live somewhere where there are a lot of foxes and maybe bring the rabbits inside at night.

RWAF link:
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/

And I agree that foxes are a much bigger concern than cats. A good secure set up is a must - I have a 6x4 custom shed and a 10x5 roofed aviary on paving slabs, the foxes quickly gave up trying to get to my rabbits and don't bother them now.

My cats are scared of the rabbits. We always keep them separate unless very closely supervised.

How old is dd? She will need to bear in mind that rabbits don't like to be picked up. They also have a strong kick and sharp teeth!

Also agree on the children front. I have no kids, just animals, when my nephews visit and they want to see the rabbits (they're usually more interested in the dog and show no interest in the rabbits!) they are 100% supervised. I have one shy rabbit who hates being touched and will just hide until the small humans leave, the other is very bold and enjoys strokes, but will also tell you when she's done and has boxed my youngest nephew to tell him to leave.

Always adopt rabbits with the intention for the adults in the household to care for them, it's a lovely idea that the children in the home will be there for their pets but, lets face it, interest wanes!

But that's also where decent sized housing designed for rabbits AND humans comes into play. With my shed and aviary I can interact with them no matter what the weather is doing as I can get inside, stay dry, and sit with them. With just a hutch, the idea of interacting with them when it's a howling gale, pouring rain, ice cold, several inches of snow, suddenly is less appealing. To anyone.

Most hutches aren't big enough. Ours are in a 8x5 dog kennel.

And yes, definitely a pair.

The enclosure we have is near our back door and under a wooden lean to we have with heater under the roof we can turn on and off. The enclosure is really big not a standard hutch I used to have when younger. We are also going to build a play pen at the top of the garden for exercise. Our garden is completely enclosed so there's no way of the rabbit escaping. We would also like the rabbit to come indoors sometimes aswell. Will a rabbit adjust to being inside and outside? My dd is 7 and amazing with animals. We do have 2 dogs aswell who are very well natured. Do those of you with dogs allow them to meet or do you keep them apart? We don't get many foxes around here I've only ever seen 2 so I hope that's not going to be a problem. I also have cameras up so anything thay goes in the garden will set that off to my phone. Will definitely look into the adoption centres. Would 2 rabbits that are known to each other be better than 2 that haven't met? Such as siblings. I've never done so much research on rabbits before. Things have changed so much from years ago.

Sounds good!! Most rescues will offer bonded pairs for rehoming which is prob your best bet.
Whereabouts are you? I'm sure people can recommend local rabbit rescues in your area.

All rescues will have bonded pairs. Two baby siblings is not a guaranteed bond as they can turn on each other once their hormones kick in. A rescue pair will already be spayed/neutered and properly bonded.

You will need to ensure their every day 24/7 living space is at least a secure 60 square foot, that won’t include the other enclosure in the garden that isn’t connected. They shouldn’t be allowed to free roam unsupervised either, they can either get themselves into mischief, dig out, or predators can include birds of prey or local cats.

Rabbits are the same as a cat or dog, they need masses of space. Totally different to guinea pigs.
A house rabbit (and if possible free range in the garden) is a happy rabbit. Mine used to scare the local cats, birds and hedgehogs off. They all came back when she died.

I need a bit of advice again please. We did get some rabbits and fell really lucky with them. I rang the rescue and said we were interested in a pair as young as possible. They took our details and said they would ring back. Within this time i had a friend ring me to say she knows a lady who has become ill and cannot take care off her rabbits anymore. She had an adult female and 2 small bunnies (3 months old) the adult female wasn't that friendly though. She was getting ready to send them to the rescue but we asked if we could visit. The adult female was not happy to be around people and did not like children at all. She has had to keep the young ones away from the female since 9 weeks old. The 2 younger pair were lovely. One very nosey and energetic and the other quite shy to begin with but is happy to sit on your lap. We decided to take the younger pair. They're lovely little things and are used to being handled etc. However, my question is. We have very strange neighbours. Hard to explain how they are without sounding stupid to be honest but they're the kind who can make as much noise as they want but if anyone else makes noise in the street, such as DIY, barking dog, lawn been mowed past 5pm they'll moan about it. Now they have 3 children who constantly scream, bang, throw balls over, the dog barks everytime they leave the house etc and they seem oblivious. We have been very respectful towards them but my dp is now losing patience with them because it seems to be one rule for them and another for us. I have one 7 year old and a 16 year old who again are very repsectful. They do not run around screaming or banging and respeact other people. Our dogs don't bark often and if they do I bring them in instantly. So, one of the rabbits were very active at 5am this morning. It was actually lovely to see him running around and exploring his new home but whilst hopping around it was slightly noisy and i became anxious because i know what the neighbours are like and my neighbour has been banging around for the past half hour and I'm sure she's making a point that our new little bundle of energy has woken them up. Even if she didn't hear she wouldn't still complain because that's just how she is. It's almost like if I can't have something I'll complain because you have. If she was the one with the rabbits and has mentioned having guinea pigs in the past, she wouldn't care about the noise. So just to be that nice respectful neighbour 🙄 how could I drown out a little bit of the sound. They have hay all around the floors, bedding, blankets, lots of hideouts. They are near next doors side because I want them where I can see them and have easy access to when I need. If needed I'll have to rearrange the whole enclosure but if possible I'd like to keep them there. Thanks again and sorry for so many questions.

As bunnies settle in they are likely to crash about a bit. How much space do they have? Is it just the hutch or do they have added space? Thumping feet on wood does a good echo - my girl knows this and in the winter when it gets dark too early for her liking, she likes to sit away from her blankets, on their wooden ramp, to thump as it makes the best noise! It sounds like you might have as much as you can, but as they settle and get used to new noises and smells they will thump.

Are the rabbits same sex or opposite sex? Boy rabbits are sexually mature from 4 months and females can get pregnant from 5-6 months. Same sex can start fighting from 4 months when hormones kick in. Right now they’re in a “baby bond”. If they are not vaccinated that needs doing too, vet trip next week!

We have a huge hutch type enclosure that has alot of space and added space to the side. We also have a playpen we use when the bunnies are inside the house stretching their legs and being inquisitive. They have access to food all night, blankets, plus a cover to keep out any cats or foxes. I've added extra hay so it's not as hollow. The noise seems to be when they go up and down the steps in and out of their hideout. They are using the litter tray in the closure.

They are both males and love to huddle together for now. One is very inquisitive and brave. One is more shy but has started to get braver and love hopping over my daughter when she sits with them. We also have dogs which they seem to have taken I liking too. My youngest dog will sit outside their enclosure and watch them and if they make a noise she'll run out to see what the problem is. They are kept apart from the dogs so no risk of injury. The night we brought them home they qere awake quite alot in the night as my son heard them so obviously the neighbours would have too. I struggled to sleep lastnight so came downstairs at 3am and all was quiet. I heard them scooting around at 5ish then all was quiet until 8. The noise doesn't bother me at all but as my neighbour is the type to moan about absolutely any noise it may annoy her. They're not overly loud and if it was them with the rabbits I'd be absolutely fine with it. I have to put up with so much noise in the day from them that surely 2 tiny rabbits aren't that bad. From what I've heard they normally scoot around for 10 mins early hours then nap. They aren't doing 100 laps.

Do your rabbits have a base of straw in their hutch?

Oh please take them to be neutered! Unneutered male rabbits will fight once their hormones come in, often to the death :(

Yes plenty of straw on all floors. I do top it up everyday so they have plenty.
We will be taking them to be neutered too. Its really sweet watching them huddle together and everytime I go out to get them to bring them to their pen indoors one of them are there waiting for me, though still hesitant to be picked up but once I've got them they settle pretty quickly. For those who put in blankets, do you wash them before placing them back in or should I leave them as they have their scent on?

Blankets, always wash them. Biological detergent is best. Mine have vet bed instead of hay/straw on the floor of their shed as my boy gets sore hocks. I do a bunny blanket wash daily as it's all really good fun to pee on apparently...sigh

For moving them to another pen, be careful. They can start to resent the constant handling and that's when you get cage aggressive rabbits that see hands as horrible grabby things and start to fight back. It's always easier if possible to let them go to a run on their own steam, or use a pet carrier.

How do you stop rabbits chewing blankets/beds etc?

We cannot use anything other than straw/hay etc as ours chew any blankets we put in!

Please give them hay rather than straw (straw is fine for bedding but they need an unlimited supply of hay). There are some really good rabbit rescues that also give tons of advice on their social media pages on housing, diet, grooming, health etc. ivydene rabbit rescue, bunny jackpot foundation and babybluebeebunnies are some great ones that I follow.

I think some rabbits are chewers and some aren’t and I’m not sure there’s any way to deter a chewer unfortunately. I’ve had both chewers and non chewers.

We leave plenty of hay around and pipped in a blanket for them to relax on because when I bring them inside for a run in their pen they tend to go to the blanket to settle. Am I doing the right thing in bringing them inside for exercise etc or will they start to resent their outdoor enclosure? So far they've not kicked off when going back outside. I've also noticed when I bring them out for exercise they poop alot and everywhere in their pen. Should I bring their litter tray indoors when they are in. I do pick it up straight away but I'm wandering if this is why they do it more because they don't know where to go.

Please don’t go to a breeder, there are so many rabbits in rescue. It’s always best to get a male and female bonded and neutered pair. Rescues will advise this. They would need constant access to a safe enclosure/run if outside. I’ve always kept rabbits outside and never had an issue with bugs but would treat them to prevent fly strike in the warmer months. Rabbits generally don’t like being handled. My kids found this disappointing tbh as they wanted to pick them up and cuddle them but the rabbits were having none of it. Still lovely pets to have though.

Please please please make sure all buns are vaccinated if you haven’t already , we have just been hit by it with our group of vaccinated buns as even it doesn’t completely stop it and it’s awful we’ve lost one already and another’s going vet tomorrow as she’s stated to show signs and sadly there’s no treatment for it although vaccinated buns have a small chance of recovery with nursing if they do manage to catch it. Fly strike preventative is available on Amazon, pets at home ect if this is something you’re worried about. You could try a shed with soundproofing if noise is becoming an issue if you have the ability to our buns have one connected to a walk in coop as their main space and they love it and are much less stompy now although they will make a bit of noise. Dig boxes and different enrichment and distraction in their enclosures will help distract and keep them busy to hopefully make it less noisy though.