Aimee Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 After much persuasion I've finally convinced the family to give in and let me go for two gorgeous born to my neighbour's rabbit. Hopefully they will be moving in on Thursday, providing the hutch and run have arrived and been put together. Whilst I've done lots of research and reading, I've never been a rabbit keeper before, nor do I particularly know any other keepers, so I could really do with some expert hints and tips here! What I could really do with knowing is: What do I really need to buy? I have the hutch/run, drinking bottles, food bowls, hay and food pellets for a start, but I have a track history of buying far too many gimmicks that are not really necessary or a waste of money. What I'd really like to buy are things that are either really needed or will enhance the life of the rabbits. What daily checks/cleaning/routine should be done? How much human attention should be given daily? They should settle in with us fairly quickly as I've been visiting and palying with them since they were born (they've just gone 10 weeks old). I'm assuming lots of play is good for bonding and relationships but could do with some sort of guideline to give my son as he will be chief bunny entertainer after school whilst I'm still at work. How soon can they be neutered? Any answers to these would be greatfully received, along with any other tips I might need to know. Thanks Ps Also struggling for a name for the girl. In keeping with our alphabet trail for inhabitants of our house, we need an 'L' name. My suggestions are Lyra, Lola, Luna, Lolita - all of which have been dismissed by the men of the house but no other ideas put forwards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyChickenLover- Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 I'd say that you've got everything that you NEED. My two girls have a salt-lick which they like a lot but I wouldn't say that it is essential.(Oh, and make sure you have a bit of money saved up for their Myxi + VHD jabs they're very important). A lot of the toys you can buy in pet shops are expensive and you can make things that are just as good out of cardboard boxes and stuff like that. My two girls, Cookie and Cream, love throwing cardboard tubes around. Neutering dpends on whether your rabbits are male or female. Girlies can be spayed at around 6 weeks, but I can't remember off the top of my head what age boys can get done. I think it's around the 6 month mark too. As for human contact, That's entirely up to you. I tend to give my bunnies about four cuddles each per day which ammounts to about half an hour per rabbit, but I'm sure half that ammount would still be sufficient. Cleaning, I usually clean the cage once a week, but I clean the litter tray more often. I refill their water daily. I give them pellets once or twice a week, but they don't need pellets very often, hay's much better. I do give quite a lot of greens though. Carrots with the leaves still attatched and curly kale are their favourites So is sweetcorn but we don't give too much of that because it's high in sugar. I like your name suggestions My fave is Luna (I'm a bit biased though I used to have a hamster called Luna. RIP Loony Luna ) Best of luck with your new bunnies when you get them, and make sure you take lots of pics to show us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagesguineas Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Hi there, Welcome and good news about the new buns! We keep our buns in a converted wendyhouse with an attached run - and they are let out everyday (weather permitting) for at least half an hour to have a run, binky and nibble on the lawn. In their wendyhouse we have a hay loft where we pile lots of hay and readigrass for them to dig and eat (and sleep on!). I'd recommend getting a large litter tray (a cat one is better - the rabbit ones are really too small and they end up missing!) and they will naturally start to litter train themselves and it makes cleaning out so much easier. Megazorb is a really brilliant litter and cheap. For hay - you'll need a rack to keep the hay off the floor and fresh. I found all the pet shop ones quite expensive and small so I Improvised with a garden wall planter(like half a hanging basket) and that works well. We get our hay from a local riding centre - £6 for a huge bale that lasts about 3 months. As for other bits - you really can't buy rabbits enough toys. Ours at the moment have a 2 tunnels, 2 cardboard boxes, a hanging chew toy mobile thing, a rope tree and a plastic ball to put treats in. They are very intelligent creatures and if they dont have enough toys to play with they may resort to destructive chewing. We also place carpet tiles on the floor for them to lay on - we did try a bed but they seemed to want to wee on it Hope that helps - sorry if I sound a bit overload but I only wish someone had told us some of these things when we started rabbit keeping - instead we had a huge learning curve! Photo of our setup when it was just finished (most of the things inside have changed/moved now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aimee Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 That all sounds really helpful. I'll make sure there are plenty of toys etc to keep them entertained. As for the litter tray - I've a cat one I can dig out that should suit nicely. Cat vaccinations are due in the next couple of weeks so I'll make an appointment for the bunnies too whilst I'm there. Those pics are fab - what a great space. I've gone for a pretty big setup to give them lots of room but never thought of doing anything as creative as that. Thanks a lot. I'm sure I'll be needing further advice! Just got my fingers crossed the hutch arrives tomorrow so I can start on putting it together... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franklyrabbit Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Hi there! I second everything said above. Now that it is summer, you should also be diligent to the threat of flystrike. I think that you will be able to find posts on this forum about it - I posted with pics about 11 months ago. I have just had mine treated with Rearguard which acts as a preventative and I keep the litter trays as clean as possible throughout the day by scooping out any 'wet' poops which might be there and which attract flies. I also put a few drops of lavender oil in the litter trays which really does help to keep the flies away. I line the trays with newspaper (drop lavender oil on the corners) and then put a small layer of hay or straw on top. Can't wait to see pics from you of yours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumblecheekyuggs Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Everything said above is really good, but just if you don't know, your rabbit will need to be vaccinated against VHD, and myximatosis(think the spelling is ok). Also rearguard will be needed in summer. Good luck!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
