Hi -

It seems we've inherited a rabbit...and whilst I've already found loads of useful and practical advice on this forum & website I'd really appreciate some specific advice any rabbit owners may be able to give me!

My stepdaughter - who doesn't live with us - took it upon herself to buy herself a rabbit a year or so ago. She housed the rabbit in a small hutch where she lived at her mum's address. Her mother wasn't bothered about looking after the animal so left it as my stepdaughter's responsibility. It wasn't long before the novelty wore off she found it difficult to care for the rabbit in terms of space, time and money. I intervened where I could - buying her food, taking her and the rabbit to the vet for jabs, etc.

My stepdaughter's recently moved out of her mum's house (she's 17), but the place she's renting isn't very rabbit-friendly. We've finally persuaded her that the rabbit might be better off coming to live with us and its arrival is now imminent!

I want to do my best to give this animal the best living environment I can, so I'm seeking as much advice as possible.

Here are the facts about this rabbit:

- It's approximately 12-18 months old, male, and hasn't been neutered

- It's rarely been out of its hutch (which is quite small)

- I'm afraid I don't know the breed...but it is quite large with a very smooth, orangey/light brown coat like velvet, with brown eyes

- It's had its jabs for VHD & myx this year

- It's not been handled a great deal and I'm expecting it to be nervous and to have behaviours induced by stress and boredom


My immediate questions are:

- should he be neutered, or is it too late to do this?

- should I try and introduce another rabbit for company (how best to do this?!)?

- we are taking advice on living quarters etc. to make a large hutch and permanent outdoor run area...is it best to consider coming indoors for the winter too?

THANK YOU so much if you've read all of this...and thank you in advance for any advice you might be able to offer me!!

PS We have a cat who's going to be none-too-impressed with this new arrival! Any tips on helping both animals adjust (beyond making the bunny's living quarters ultra-secure!)?

Firstly well done you for taking on the bunny, I've got a feeling he's going to be very spoilt with you!

To answer your questions.....
Yes get him neutered. 12-18months is definitely not too old.
Rabbits love company of their own kind so getting him a wife (after he's been neutered) would be great.
Alot of rescues actually do bonding so all you have to do it ask your nearest rescues and see who does. They will find the perfect partner for your bunny and then bond them.
If you want to bond bunnies yourself then there are many experienced people on here to give advice.
Minimum hutch/run sizes are - 6x2x2 hutch with a permanently attatched 6x4 run. But with bunnies bigger is always better.
Some people use a shed/playhouse instead of a hutch.
And some people use aviaries instead of a regular bunny run.
Here are some pics to give you ideas
Pictures of Housing - Rabbits United Forum
My rabbits are indoors all year round, if you could bunny proof a room maybe you could keep him indoors. They are very easy to litter train.
Alot of people keep their rabbits outside all year round and they are fine. As long as you cover the hutch, use lots more hay and perhaps invest in a snuggle safe.

I dont know about the rabbit/cat thing though.
My mum has a house rabbit and a cat and they just get on great and will often snuggle up together, never had any problems.
Hopefully your 2 will be the same.

I hope that's helped a little x

ps....what's your bunnies name?

Right I got to the bottom!

He can still be neutered, find a good vet that specialises in exotics (rabbits) and its perfectly safe to neuter at any age.

Yes introduce a friend BUT wait at least six weeks after he's been neutered to let hormones calm down. My advice is go to a rescue to find a friend for him, rescues usually offer a bunny dating service to help with bonding and finding the right partner.

Living quarters, I like to push for a small shed or kids wendy house, which you can let your imagination run wild planning a luxury pad for bunny. Theres so much you can do with a shed, not only that but you can pick up a shed second hand cheaper than a decent size hutch and it gives so much more space and design potential (think ramps and levels). You can even make a catflap in the side and attach a run for outside time so bunny can go in and out as he pleases. Failing that, if you don't have a very big garden I'd say minimum hutch size of 6ft by 2ft by 2ft with an 8ft run. As for winter I'd never recommend bringing an outside rabbit indoors over winter, they handle cold very well but they can die from sudden changes in temperature like going from below freezing outside to indoors with central heating. They have their own little fur coats that change with season so in summer their coat is quite fine but in winter the coat thickens and becomes quite dense to keep them warm so they can overheat if brought into a warm environment.

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Thanks, both.

Answered my pressing questions quickly....I guess the boy's going to be neutered ASAP then I'm going to have to look into bonding with another bunny.

So it looks as if we're about to go from no bunnies to caring for two! I've got a lot of reading up to do! But this forum is amazing. The links about housing are great and are giving my DIY-loving husband some ideas already!

By the way - this rabbit is called Smudge...but I expect I'll end up giving him a new nickname based on personality once he arrives and settles in!

Thanks again.

uummm.......PICS???
We like photos of other peoples pets here
So if you have any to share that'd be lovely. x

I know you didn't ask about food in your posts but I just thought I would say a little something just in case!
Bunnies do best on a pellet food (I use wagg optimum, you can get it from tesco) as museli foods can lead to selective feeding so they only eat the bits they like and leave the rest, naughty buns!
Hay hay and more hay is good, it should make up 80% of their diet.
And if you feed veggies try and stick to green ones (cabbage, broccoli, grass, parsley, coriander, carrot tops) and stay away from sugary ones like carrots. And fruit.

awwww my first ever rabbit was called Smudge. A netherland dwarf x english spot.

Pics pics pics please

I hope the above posts have been able to answer all of your questions having a pet rabbit is great fun. They are however prey animals and their temperaments are very different to cats and dogs, it will take a lot of time to build his trust in you but I promise it will be well worth it.

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Hi,

What a shame the poor bunny has been left in a small hutch ever since... lovely to hear he is going to be spoilt... his colouring sounds similar to Rusty.

x

Hi everyone;

Thank you so much for the friendly, helpful advice. This is just a quick post to promise further info. & pictures later.

We are spending this afternoon finishing building a permanent rabbit run in our garden as we are due to collect the rabbit from my stepdaughter this evening!!!

I'll take some pics of the hutch and run too in case anyone has any advice for improvements, as we're still learning.

Looking forward to sharing photos later....and to hopefully providing a positive update about how he's settling in!

(PS I know this is a rabbit forum....but my cat (pictured above) is a burmese cross called Ozzy. He's providing great motivation for ensuring the bunny's home is ultra-secure!!)

Looking forward to seeing pics of the set-up and of the bunny too

Your cat is stunning. I hope he and the bunny get on!