Need help with Rabbit basics please.

[igorsMistress]

Hi all. I'm seriously considering adding a couple rabbits to my arrangement here. Not for food, for poop. I have a space to put them and know about housing, feeding etc.

I was wondering if any of you that keep them ever let them out of their run to cruise the yard for a while? Also, I don't want babies so they'll be spayed/neutered. Can I keep a male and female, or would it be better to have the same sex? I'd like to keep them together in a coop that I can easily convert to a safe place for them. It's 36 square feet of gound space and we can add a ramp and additional levels.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[Matilda Belle]

I have a house bunny and had house bunnies in the past. They are pretty solitary creatures and tend to fight if kept together and not from the same litter. Generally same sex rabbits get along better (that’s what I’ve heard but my past two females hated each other). In the past I’ve let mine run around in a fenced backyard under supervision. The one I have now gets free run of the house a few hours a week. She likes being outside too so I put her in a puppy pen outside in the summer for a few hours.

 

[chickens really]

You can basically do anything you feel comfortable doing with the Rabbits. If you build a ground level run just attach a under ground skirt too so the can't dig out.
My Rabbit went to live at a friends and she escaped so she lives under all his Coops and outbuildings. He raises rabbits and wanted to use her for breeding but she won't let him catch her. She is doing fantastic running all over the place..

 

[igorsMistress]

Thank you for your replies. I would definitely add some HWC to prevent digging and let them out under supervision only. I often see them available at the humane society here so was thinking I'd go there and rescue one or two. I can see that I need to do more research first though.

 

[margaritas_105]

Hi all. I'm seriously considering adding a couple rabbits to my arrangement here. Not for food, for poop. I have a space to put them and know about housing, feeding etc.

I was wondering if any of you that keep them ever let them out of their run to cruise the yard for a while? Also, I don't want babies so they'll be spayed/neutered. Can I keep a male and female, or would it be better to have the same sex? I'd like to keep them together in a coop that I can easily convert to a safe place for them. It's 36 square feet of gound space and we can add a ramp and additional levels.

Thanks so much for your help!

We have couple of bunnies, one is fixed one is not, both males, unfixed male constantly trying to make fixed one his girlfriend so I keep them separate. Bunnies do dig very fast so if you let them out in the yard you have to make sure they don't dig out like burrying logs in front of the fence so if they try to dig the logs will stop them. Good luck bunnies are fun

 

[igorsMistress]

We have couple of bunnies, one is fixed one is not, both males, unfixed male constantly trying to make fixed one his girlfriend so I keep them separate. Bunnies do dig very fast so if you let them out in the yard you have to make sure they don't dig out like burrying logs in front of the fence so if they try to dig the logs will stop them. Good luck bunnies are fun

Good to know, thank you!

 

[Skye'sDucks]

I have two fixed rabbits, one male, one female. Both do great together. Now my male does kinda 'bully' my female every now and again, as in, he's the boss of the two so he'll push her around the cage if she's in his way. But. Before we got Pumpkin, the fixed girl, Lion (the male) had been put in the hutch for the very first time with another fixed male we had when we built it and moved them from inside to outside years previously, so I think he was already territorial, since he is a pretty grumpy rabbit. So that's just my experience. They do like each other and live happily together, though.

I agree with other people that as long as you're sure they can't escape, you can let them run around anywhere. I use three attached dog pens to give mine lots of room to run, since our yard's fence is full of questionable gaps they could get under.

Lastly, I noticed you said you were thinking of rescuing. I personally like rescuing, especially if they're just gonna be as pets and for the poop. All three pet rabbits I've had were rescues, and two out of the three are some of the sweetest rabbits I've ever seen. Lion....is a bit of an exception. He's a grouchy one lol. But I like the idea of giving rescue animals a home.

 

[igorsMistress]

I have two fixed rabbits, one male, one female. Both do great together. Now my male does kinda 'bully' my female every now and again, as in, he's the boss of the two so he'll push her around the cage if she's in his way. But. Before we got Pumpkin, the fixed girl, Lion (the male) had been put in the hutch for the very first time with another fixed male we had when we built it and moved them from inside to outside years previously, so I think he was already territorial, since he is a pretty grumpy rabbit. So that's just my experience. They do like each other and live happily together, though.

I agree with other people that as long as you're sure they can't escape, you can let them run around anywhere. I use three attached dog pens to give mine lots of room to run, since our yard's fence is full of questionable gaps they could get under.

Lastly, I noticed you said you were thinking of rescuing. I personally like rescuing, especially if they're just gonna be as pets and for the poop. All three pet rabbits I've had were rescues, and two out of the three are some of the sweetest rabbits I've ever seen. Lion....is a bit of an exception. He's a grouchy one lol. But I like the idea of giving rescue animals a home.

It's such a shame to see all the bunnies at the shelters just a couple of months after easter. I'm definitely going that route.

So it seems that bunnies can be like dogs. Some get along and some don't. I'm hoping for 2 then. I have a yard I can close them in, it's 20'x20' surrounded by concrete with lots of places to hide from predators.

 

[cassie]

If you just want rabbit poop, put an ad on craigslist and see if there are some bunny owners in your area that would give you their excess. If you want rabbits and the poop is just an excuse to have them, that's another story. As for keeping the rabbits together, as bunnylady has said, two or more rabbits kept together will get along just fine until they don't at which point it can get pretty bloody. That pretty well sums it up.

 

[Rietta]

I have successfully kept female siblings together in a large enough cage. I don't allow my rabbits on the ground because I don't want to risk intestinal parasites. I try to use as little medication in animal raising as possible (aside from required vaccines). Rabbit poo is amazing in the garden, I have 18 now so I can produce enough to use it like mulch. Also if they are running around on the ground a lot, it will be harder to collect it, IMO. I hope you do enjoy you new friends!