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Post by bubbles87 on Apr 18, 2014 6:21:21 GMT
What kind of things are a must have for a rabbit? (I mean like buy in)
What do you need to know about rabbits as a new owner?
When should rabbits get their first vaccinations?
Advice for a new owner?
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Post by smilesbetter on Apr 18, 2014 10:05:28 GMT
Hello. If you go on the RSPCA website they have a fantastic rabbit care sheet which specifies the things you, as a rabbit owner, need to at least provide for your rabbit. For example, and I can't stress this enough as not enough people know/have this (and not to is horrifically cruel in my opinion): a rabbit enclosure must have room for the rabbit to stand on it's hind legs, ears high and not touch the roof. It must have room to display it's natural behaviours such as running, grazing, digging and hiding.
There is a lot of useless information about keeping rabbits out there which ignore the fact that a rabbits ideal diet is fresh grass and things like wildflowers and some herbs. It should not really eat veg and it should certainly not eat most of the rubbish in commercial rabbit food. Again, the RSPCA have fantastic rabbit care books which will include a list of the best herbs/wildflowers. You can grow them yourself in your garden or if you don't have one, grow it on your windowsills but reconsider getting a rabbit. Rabbits can also live off hay, but fresh growing grass is waaay better and is by far the best thing for them.
Rabbits spent the vast majority of their time grazing so I believe that commercial rabbit food prevents them from being allowed to exhibit their natural behaviours, and can therefore cause all sorts of emotional and health problems. At the end of the day, a rabbit who can't display it's natural behaviours is a bored rabbit.
Rabbits are group animals so ideally you'll need at least two (and therefore an even bigger enclosure.you should provide logs to chew (first check which are safe as some are poisonous) although the constant access to grass should help them keep their teeth at a good length anyway. They need fresh water at all times, although again a fresh grass diet will mean they won't drink so much. They should always have it though.
You should NEVER wash a rabbit or soak it. It will be terrified and most likely freeze in pure fear, that's cruel. I did work experience at a rabbit breeders once and they used spray bottles with just water in to lightly mist the rabbits for grooming, you shouldn't need to wash them at all though. If anything, the dirt dust in their coat (if they live of grass/soil outside) will help provide insulation. Rabbits groom themselves, end of.
This might sound a bit extreme, but keeping rabbits in small cages and only taking them out now and then is, in my opinion, as bad as keeping battery hens. The rabbits are bored and can't display any natural behaviours. The RSPCA are attempting to (although I think the campaign isn't the best run) change people's kissers on rabbit care as people seem to believe that as they've always kept rabbits that way, it's okay. It's not. If you can't provide a large enclosure where the rabbits can display all or most of their natural behaviours, don't get a rabbit (likewise for all pets really).
Anyway people can disagree if they want, but at the end of the day this is in compliance with the RSPCA care guidelines (which I think might have something to with the law as legally you have to provide for your animals basic needs, and that's what they are) and I think the previous way of keeping rabbits in hutches is cruel and hopefully soon to be incredibly outdated.
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Post by smilesbetter on Apr 18, 2014 10:23:37 GMT
Oh, and rabbits are coprophagic, meaning they eat certain poops they have as they don't have the extra stomachs like cows and other grass eaters so they eat the poops to get further vitamins etc from the grass. I think this is only at night and unlikely you'll see it but just so you know if you do get a rabbit and don't end up in a panic about it.
They are prey animals do unless you give frequent daily handling and learn how to approach and hold them in the correct way then they are likely to never enjoy being handled. You should socialise them by handling them every day though as this will help make vet visits etc a lot less stressful for them.
You may need to clip their nails, this is fairly easy especially if your rabbit has clear nails where you can see the quick. Basically you cut a little below the quick. If you do cut the quick, apply pressure till it clots and stops bleeding.
Rabbits can still catch myximitosis (can't remember how to spell it haha) from wild rabbits, so never let them run rampant in your garden, make sure the enclosure is secure and has a secure roof (also to protect from predator animals). Most people also close their rabbits into part of the enclosure at night as this is when most predators are likely to come for a visit. With a good strong enclosure that is partially build into the ground (to prevent rabbits digging their way out and foxes etc digging in) should be safe enough, but accidents can happen so keep an eye on it to make sure it is always secure.
Some cats are great with rabbits (I know if someone whose cat sleeps in the rabbits enclosure. The rabbit is much bigger than the cat too though haha) but always be wary and keep an eye on the cats body language if you have a cat and want to introduce it to the rabbit. Remember though that even if it goes well, this can be terrifying for the rabbit and I'd say is never a good idea really.
Rabbits can be paired with guinea pigs but I believe the RSPCA recommends not doing this and says a rabbit should only be with another rabbit really. It needs to be with it's own kind who it can communicate with properly.
Some rabbits have special coats so you may need grooming equipment for that. If you've no experience of pet grooming or not much time, just get a normal shorter haired rabbit haha. Fed up of seeing people with matted pets who don't like grooming or don't have time. They shouldn't have got a long haired pet in the first place then!
Anyway yeah, the RSPCA website has great care sheets and advice on keeping rabbits and have a campaign on about better rabbit care so I'd imagine you'd be able to get all the info you need there. I'd send a link but not on the PC. Just google RSPCA rabbit care and you should find it easily though.
Good luck if you get one and have fun, they can be very rewarding pets if kept right and are the best lawnmowers I ever got!
Ps learn how to tell the gender and if you must buy from pets at home and not a breeder (and even so in the case of the breeder) make sure you do not get two rabbits of different genders!!! I know countless people this has happened to, in in the case of pets at home they've even accidentally bought pregnant females who weren't separated from the males early enough. Argh!
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Post by alfiemummy on Apr 18, 2014 10:35:47 GMT
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Post by smilesbetter on Apr 18, 2014 10:38:15 GMT
I don't know anything about the vaccinations though sorry!
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Post by alfiemummy on Apr 18, 2014 10:56:26 GMT
I never had my most recent rabbits vaccinated at all. My first rabbit was vaccinated and it made him quite ill, we never bothered again after that. Although my last rabbit had to be put to sleep after getting E. Cuninculi which I think can be prevented with regular Panacur treatment? Although I'm not entirely sure about that.
I would advise speaking to a vet about all possible vaccinations and things like that. My rabbits never went to the vet unless they had something wrong with them.
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Post by smilesbetter on Apr 18, 2014 11:13:03 GMT
I suppose you have to find out if the area you live in has these diseases, and weigh up the options. Is it worth risking it getting the disease/ many people believe vaccinations can cause just as bad problems (I've not looked much into it so couldn't comment). If you live in an area with a high wild rabbit population though you may want to opt for the vacs as they can spread disease easily.
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Post by bubbles87 on Apr 18, 2014 21:50:05 GMT
Thank you for all the help :-)
There is allot of rabbits around as I stay in a small town surrounded by fields in the country
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Post by SarahHound on Apr 19, 2014 14:19:26 GMT
What kind of things are a must have for a rabbit? (I mean like buy in) What do you need to know about rabbits as a new owner? When should rabbits get their first vaccinations? Advice for a new owner? I haven't read the other posts but I'll give my opinions/advice! Remember they live on average 8-10 years, my vet had one live to 17, and one on a forum I use did as well. You must must must have a large enough space for them. Rabbits should have a hutch of AT LEAST 6ft x 2ft x 2ft, with an permanent attached run of 8ft x 4ft. Even the tiny breeds of bunny needs this amount of space, if anything they need it more because they are more active! Small hutches were introduced in the Victorian times because they were kept for meat. We've moved on since then but sadly hutch sizes are very slow to catch up! This is a good link to read on hutches.... www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/ahutchisnotenough.htmBunnies should always be kept in pairs, or more, a m/f pairing works best, but as long as all bunnies are neutered/spayed its possibly to have large groups or m/m or f/f pairs. They are very social animals. If you're thinking of getting bunnies, there's thousands upon thousands homeless in rescue centres around the country, because they are the most neglected and abandoned pets in Britain. I believe Buddies Bunny Rescue is quite close to you! buddiesbunnies.co.uk/All bunnies should be vaccinated, its not like with dogs who have immunity after being done. Rabbit vaccines only last a year, and the diseases it protects against are deadly. Myximatosis is spread by flies, so even indoor rabbits can get it, and VHD is the silent killer, the first sign of the disease is a dead rabbit. www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/vacination28.8.07.pdf is a good link on vacciation, but it isn't quite up to date as now there is a combi vaccination, so you only need to do one a year, rather than three. It can be done from 10-12 weeks. Rabbits diet should be 80% hay, 10% rabbit pellets and 10% fresh greens and herbs. Too much fruit isn't great for them as there's a lot of sugar in it. They should have constant hay on offer, as rabbits guts need to be constantly working. If a rabbit stops eating, it usually needs to get to a vet pretty urgently. Flystrike is something to be aware of as well, but you'll know about that from having piggies. www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/pdfs/Flystrikedontgetcaughtout.pdfThis site is chocca full of info www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/index.php?section=leaflets.htmlAnd if you're interested, join rabbits united forum, cannot recommend the place enough. I have learnt so much from being a member on there. forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/forum.php |
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Post by SarahHound on Apr 19, 2014 14:21:06 GMT
I never had my most recent rabbits vaccinated at all. My first rabbit was vaccinated and it made him quite ill, we never bothered again after that. Although my last rabbit had to be put to sleep after getting E. Cuninculi which I think can be prevented with regular Panacur treatment? Although I'm not entirely sure about that. I would advise speaking to a vet about all possible vaccinations and things like that. My rabbits never went to the vet unless they had something wrong with them. The new combi vaccine is far safer than the previous vaccines. It is always worth getting them vaccinated. I never used to get them done either, but it only takes one to get it and then I have 5 dead rabbits. I've vaccinated all 5 every year since 2009 and never had a problem. |
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Post by alfiemummy on Apr 19, 2014 16:19:52 GMT
SarahHound, my first rabbit was before we had Alfie, so about 6 years ago now! It put me off getting him vaccinated again but after my recent experience with my other 2 rabbits, if I was to get another in the future I would get them vaccinated and take them for check ups more regularly  One we lost as she had to have dental work but didn't make it through the op (she didn't eat as much hay as she should have!). The other I lost only 2 weeks later as she suddenly got a head tilt, it was E. Cuninculi. I spent the weekend getting up in the night feeding her through a syringe and I had to have her cage totally empty except for towels as she would just keep barrel rolling. She didn't improve so she had to be PTS  As I said, if I was to get another in the future I would take them regularly to prevent the problems,
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Post by SarahHound on Apr 20, 2014 11:37:40 GMT
Yes, I think I know more now to find it just a bit too risky, whereas in the past, although I never had any problems, I think it was down to luck more than anything! Mine are going to the vet for the vaccinations in 10 days, and at £30 a vaccine, its not cheap with 5 of them! |
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Post by bubbles87 on Apr 21, 2014 10:05:00 GMT
Thank you everyone for your information, experience & links. It has all been very helpful. As always :-) thank you all SO much
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