DS is begging me to get him a rabbit. Are they easy to look after? How often do you have to clean the hutch? How often do they need to be fed? Are they always ok outside and what are the best conditions? Is one ok or do they need company? Thanks!!!
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DS is begging me to get him a rabbit. Are they easy to look after? How often do you have to clean the hutch? How often do they need to be fed? Are they always ok outside and what are the best conditions? Is one ok or do they need company? Thanks!!!
The best place to keep a rabbit is inside, no hutch, just somewhere warm and safe for them to sleep. They're fantastic indoor pets, can be housetrained and everything :)
They do better with a bonded friend, and they thrive on a feeding schedule. Ours were fed veggies (usually bok choy) around 9am and again at 5pm, with a snack of a few sultanas half an hour later. You have to make sure their hay is always topped up, that makes up about 80% of their diet.
Not sure where you are, but if you're in Victoria you're probably best adopting through Rabbit Runaway Orphanage. They treat their bunnies like kings and queens, and will help you every step of the way. If you're not in Victoria you could try looking for a rabbit shelter in your state - unless you're in QLD, in which case it's illegal to have a pet rabbit anyway.
two rabbits is better than one. you need to get them both desexed. it is preferable to keep them inside, but you can keep them outside if you have a proper set up that provides well for them in all weather. they are particularly vulnerable to heat, and need to be kept really cool on hot days. they eat a lot of food and need a diet that includes lots of fresh veggies.
If you keep them outside in a hutch, then it needs cleaning daily. They are quite smelly and pooh a lot. We have two that are free to roam in the backyard and have dug a burrow for hot/cold temps, our home built hutch sits empty. They are not expensive to feed, but need hay and regular greens.
You should note that if you do choose to keep them outside then they should not be left free to roam unless you are vigilant watching them as they do not have a great fight/flight reflex and will succumb to predators. If outside they are susceptible to mites and fleas and should be inspected daily for any signs and veterinary assistance sought if affected. You also can not vaccinate against myxomatosis in Australia at the present moment and therefore should do something to discourage mozzies which will spread the disease (among others) from any wild rabbit population in your area to your bun.
Our bun is a mix of inside and outside. Outside during the day in a hutch, inside the rest of the time and whenever we are home. Never outside in extreme conditions. Never allowed to roam inside without supervision just in case they find something that has been missed in the bunny proofing. They will chew on things, so be warned that your furniture may not be safe.
Rabbits are social creatures and if you pay enough attention will talk to you, play with you and generally be your buddy. Young children should be discouraged from handling as its very common for them to be dropped and die or break their fragile bones, which is traumatic and sad for everyone involved. Patting bunny on ones lap on the floor is the best bet if your child wants to interact. Our bunny is a sole bun however we interact with him daily. Unless you have the time and patience involved in taking care of a bun please please do not get a long haired variety eg. cashmere. They require a lot of maintenance to not get into a tangled clumpy mess. If you keep their hutch/potty clean daily then they don't really smell at all. Our bun lives inside most of the time and you rarely notice any smell and if you do its because someone didn't clean out the potty. ;)
Fresh hay needs to be available constantly as does water. Some can be trained to drink from a dropper, otherwise the use of a heavy set bowl to keep water in. If its not heavy set you will find they tip it over.
Hope some of that helps and like Teni said, if you can rescue a bun from a shelter. There are far to many out there already needing homes. :)
binky bunnies is another rescue org- they are on Facebook
Dont do it!!!!!! We got DD a bunny last year, from what was apparently a very reputable breeder etc. Turns out he was badly inbred and had all sorts of teeth issues. His teeth grew into his skull and despite medical treatment it ended up costing us about $1000 to euthanase him as the infection had eaten his nasal and facial bone. Ok bad luck, maybe? We are currently $150 down in vet bills this past week alone due to a fourth chance at a bunny who the vet can not pin point what her condition is. Totally different breeder, totally different location, she is losing weight rapidly but antibiotics, anti inflammatories, nutrient rich oral food and eating like a horse is well pretty much dying before our eyes.
We had the last bunny 3 months and in that extreme heat she was inside in the aircon and still succumbed to heat stress. We deal with heat stressed animals on a regular basis so know the signs and how to treat it and yet, we had a dead rabbit :(. That said out of that 4, we have one who is thriving :leap:
When they are well, we find them incredibly easy to look after. They are affectionate, sweet things. We clean our hutch several times a week. Most of the summer ours come indoors in a indoor pen thing. On less wamr days they have a frozen water bottle in with them to keep them cool.
We have always had a bunny and a guinea pig together and they bond beautifully. At the moment it is 2 rabbits and the pig.
Guinea Pigs are worth considering as an alternative - always found them easier than rabbits and better with younger children (lots of daycare centers and animal petting farms have guinea pigs not rabbits for that very reason) - they also don't dig so when outside you don't have to worry about them digging out.
Wow! So much to consider. To be honest it sounds like too much of a commitment. I can barely keep up with my kids at the moment! Thanks for all of your wonderful information. It has helped so much!
Sorry Lilly Dust to hear about your sick rabbit :( that's really tough, hope he ends up ok for you all. Thanks again for all of the info