new rabbit owner... advice please!

[ksct]

We saw some rabbits @ TSC.....
We've been thinking of getting one as a suprise for our 8 year old.....
We're in upstate NY and we're a little unsure if we want to make the plung to have a rabbit. We don't have the space to keep it inside so we'd build a 'hutch' (i think that's what their called) ......
I just have a few questions.....
how high off the ground should the house be for it? i'm just thinking the 'ladder' up to the house from the ground shouldn't be too steep? right?
I imagine it's ok to have them on the ground with wire all around obviously but bugs and things on the ground are fine?
how do they hold up in the winter? We have wild rabbits around most of the year with the exception of winter when they are scarce.... I just wanted to make sure they'll be ok with straw and wood chips etc in the house.....

Any and all advice would be greatly greatly appreciated!

Thanks again!

 

[ksct]

does anyone have any first time rabbit owner advice?

 

[Chickygirl55]

Not sure about how high off the ground not far from all the ones ive seen. Ya a not so steep ladder is best. The bugs and things on the ground wont hurt the rabbit unless he eats something hes not supposed to but wire fencing for a pen should be fine as long as it doesnt dig out. Rabbits actually do very well in cold temperatures thanks to their fur but hot is what you should be worried about they do very poorly in hot temperatures. Straw and wood chips is good as long as they dont have chemicals on them because rabbits will eat some of their bedding no matter what type.

 

[Sachasmom]

When you buy at TS, make sure you are doing a basic health check, check butt for poops, eyes and nose for discharge. Finally, run your hand down the rabbits back, if it feels "spiney" pass on that one. Hold them up to your ear and listen to their breathing too.

You'd be better off buying a rabbit from a breeder than TS, who knows what sort of mixed breed bun you might get! Plus we all know how knowledgeable those TS people are!

As far as a ground pen, well, you *could*... I have a couple escapees here and they seem to be fine. But you'd want more of a "Rabbit Tractor" then a stationary hutch if you were going to do one with access to the ground. It'll take them all of a few days to strip all of the grass and make an ewwwwy poopy mess, you'll just be left with mud there!

But if you move it every few days you'll be fine, and fertilize your lawn too!

Make sure your pen does not get afternoon sun, Rabbits can get heat stroke if they get too hot, and even if they have a spot to get out of the sun, they'll be sure to lay right in the one spot that gets it and try really hard to make themselves dead!

 

[NewHopePoultry]

Rabbits actually do alot better in cold weather then in hot.
Ive always liked the neat hutxhes with a ramp, so they can go up and down, but sadly none of my rabbits ever liked them.
Most of my rabbits are kept outside in wire cages,but I do have a few that live colony style in an od fixed up shed.
I dug down 2 feet and placed wire all around the shed so they cant dig out.
Rabbit care depends on how you want to raise them. Some people build them huge cages,etc and pamper them and others(Like me) keep them in a decent size cage and give them a few toys.
Rabbits arent hard to care for and make great pets.

 

[Anianna]

Having a hutch high off the ground is really more for the convenience of the owner for feeding, watering, and cleaning. Rabbits are cold hardy but are susceptible to heat. If you are building your own hutch, do not use treated wood where the rabbit can chew it. Also, do not user cedar chips for litter because cedar isn't good for rabbits. If you use a mesh floor with a resting mat, there will be no need for litter and cleanup will be minimized.

I know those little buns in the tub at TSC look adorable and tempting, but I would recommend checking your area for a reputable breeder. Using a good breeder reduces the risk of illness and you are more likely to get a rabbit that has been hand raised and friendly. If you do get one at TSC, do as Sachasmom said and check it over real well. See how it responds to being handled and do not get any rabbit from a bin if any of the rabbits in it show signs of diarrhea. Also, check for wounds. The buns at our TSC are left in the bin together to fight it out and wounds can become infected.

 

[NewHopePoultry]

I know each TS is different, but mine buys rabbits from local breeders and if you ask them, they can even put you in contact with the breeder. I sold some rabbits to my TS last year.

 

[ducks4you]

Buy a hutch that has both an indoor and outdoor area. (My original hutch had both.) Here's a few pictures of a standard hutch that I inherited, and has had bunnies and chickens at various times. It doesn't have an inside, but I kept it inside the barn, instead.

Prep the ground underneath it (where the poo drops) so that you can clean it up--good for your garden or flower bed.
Easter is a TERRIBLE time to get a bunny, just like Christmas is a terrible time to get a puppy or a kitten. Wait about one or two months, and check out rabbits available in the classifieds as "free to a good home" OR check out the animal shelters THEN.
At that point, the Easter purchases will have gone sour because the parents will have found out that the extra work isn't worth it, and their child isn't interested anymore. I have had various animals for most of my 52 years. (I had rabbits when I was in my early teens, and even had 2 litters--I had New Zealand Whites.) I even moved out to the country so that I could have my horses in my back yard. EVERY DAY I have to get food and water to my animals--there are no breaks, and I wouldn't have it any other way--I KNOW what I'm talking about!

In the meantime, "window shop" at local Pet Stores and Feed Stores. Take a notebook and ask lots of questions--find the best products and the best prices. Rabbits grow teeth constantly and they will chew on their hutch if you don't have something for them to chew on. They also need free choice salt--they sweat, like us.
**A MEAN BUNNY WILL BE MEAN WHEN YOU FIRST TRY TO PET HIM/HER. They can bite and leave a permanent scar. Choose a gentle one--there are lots of them. Don't worry if the rabbit tries to get away. As long as he/she doesn't bite you, he/she can be gentled.
Rabbits can be transported in a cat carrier (most of them are small enough for this) or a cardboard box with a towel. Rabbits hop and poo and hop and poo....
If you let you rabbit in your house he/she WILL chew on things...like the wire plugs to your lamps! (Yes, I've had THAT happen, too.)
If I was getting a bunny today, I would get a buck (male). DON'T buy a pair!! They WILL multiply and you'll add to the surplus bunny population. Hope this helps!

 

[bonnylass79]

If you are going to leave bunny near the ground, then you have to predator proof the hutch as well. It is as important to make sure nothing can dig in as it is to make sure bunny can't dig out. And if you have coyotes or wild dogs in the area, they will rip the wire mesh open to eat the bunny. I bred rabbits for a number of years and they were all kept in wire cages inside the barn. Like others have said, heat is more of an issue than cold. I froze water bottles and set them in the cages in the summer. They would lay against them and stay cool. In the winter, I would give them extra straw to bed their cages.

I would also recommend looking for reputable breeders. The bunnies at TSC have been touched and handled by dozens of people who probably didn't wash their hands first and who may have carried diseased from their own pets. Regardless of where TSC gets their bunnies, that fact will never change.

 

[ladycrotalus]

I was into one of the 2 local TSC stores one night getting rabbit feed. I saw they had bunnies for sale for like 15 dollars. They looked like new zealand mixes. They had big bales of cedar bedding and some other supplies near them to entice people to buy the products when they bought the rabbit.
I got up to the check out and the cashier asked if i wanted another rabbit. Im like, no thanks, i got enough. I asked what kind they were just for conversation. She said they were just mixes that some guy donated. The guy sweeping behind me piped up and asked what i had and that he was interested in selling small breeds. I told him that i rarely breed and when i do it is for the pet store that i work at. At least when i am selling them at work, i can make sure that the customers know that cedar is toxic and what rabbits need. A good quality plain pellet, lots of timothy hay, and a cage big enough for the bunny to sprawl out in and has room for a litter box and toys, not those tiny 22" cages or those flimsy superpet brand hutches that are made out of cedar wood and wreak of it.

I can also confidently tell customers how big the rabbits are going to get and what breed they are.

I don't agree with selling pets during the holidays. I myself have an ex easter bunny that i took in, that is psychotic because the little girl that she was for was abusive. I have no choice in the matter though, so i drill into peoples heads the work that is involved with keeping rabbits and all their negative points, plus the stores will take back what is no longer wanted, which isn't many.

I have a building that houses the cages that have my rabbits in them. I have 2 larger hutches that i bought that i used to have outside but i just didnt feel comfortable with that arrangement. Especially since my aunt had her rabbit hutch ripped open by a couple of stray huskies and one of the 2 fuzzy lops killed. My aunt and my cousin were heart broken.

If you are looking for purebreds, perhaps you should google local rabbit clubs.