Preparing to get Rabbits!!!!

[ther00ster'scr0w]

I have for a VERY long time been wanting rabbits. I have built a cute little hutch, and am thinking about letting them roam in with the chickens.

i have wanted a black rabbit, not too picky on the breed, and another rabbit any kind. I want 2 females (both fixed).

Anything I have to do to prepare for the rabbits? I want them to be from the local animal shelter, but they will be outdoors.

Any suggestions on how they should be put from indoor to out (if I can?)
Thanks!!

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Hey!

I wouldn't let your rabbit roam with your chickens, they won't come back like chickens will.

Do you already have a water bottle, feeder bedding nesting box food toys etc???

 

[herfrds]

Keep them seperate. They can get ill from the chickens.

My son puts up small runs for his rabbits each year. It gives them a chance to be outside and run around the grass.
A good wire fence should work. Some people do advise that you have wire under the ground to keep them from digging out or predators digging in.
Make sure the hutch and run is big enough some rabbits can get territorial.

 

[Skyesrocket]

Good Luck with your new bunnies! Hutch placement needs to be considered. Rabbits can handle cold better than too much heat. A shaded area would be great.

 

[Bunnylady]

ther00sterster'scr0w :

Anything I have to do to prepare for the rabbits? I want them to be from the local animal shelter, but they will be outdoors.

Any suggestions on how they should be put from indoor to out (if I can?)
Thanks!!

Is the shelter OK with you keeping them outdoors? Some shelters can get pretty persnickety about the care of the animals that they have. The best time to move a previously indoor rabbit to the outdoors is during times when the weather is mild, and fairly close to indoor temperatures. An inside rabbit will have relatively thin fur, so they won't be able to keep themselves as cosy as one that has been outside all along. Shelter is important for any outdoor rabbit, they need to be able to get out of the sun and wind if they want to. Particularly during the heat of summer, it is important that they have as cool a place as you can arrange for them.​

 

[ack123]

I agree with bunnylady. The shelter probably won't adopt to you if you want to keep them outdoors and let them roam with the chickens. Which is also not a good idea. They may not get along. They have different nutritional needs, and they need their own cage. if the rabbits have acess to the chicken feed it is way to high in protein and corn and not good for them. They can get enteritis from it, which is something that is very hard to bring a rabbit back out of when they get it. It may be a good idea to give each rabbit its own cage, because unless they are spayed and neutered, they will fight and hurt each other. You need something that is predator proof that they can't dig out of.

 

[silkydragon]

srry for hijacking but i went over to the local feedmill today to look at baby chicks and now i want this rabbit it was black and had like a lionface i was wondering if i could keep them in a cage with wire bottom on the ground so they had acces to grass i want a breeding pair and wonder how big a house/cage they would need i think i could convert the nursery for our baby chicks to a rabbit pen by putting some chicken wire under it its got some plywood over the back for shade i want them for breeding so how bad would the male stink kept outdoors? i also have a small wire cage i could use but i dont see it housing more then 1 and if so can i cross breed rabbits (just breeding for meat and something pretty to look at not sell) becouse i could get the 1 from feedstore hold off till we get a bigger cage and buy 1 from petstore or local livestock auction but i have never seen a lionface at either of those places

 

[Dutchgirl]

They can stand cold, but not changing tempatures!

 

[ack123]

Quote:
Yes you can cross breed rabbits. Good luck getting rid of them if you don't eat them. Most people tend to look for purebreds when they want a pet rabbit. So their kids can show in 4h. Lion heads don't make very good meat breeds. You *can* eat them, but they are very small rabbits. if you want a good meat rabbit I would suggest getting californians or newzealands. You can easily market some of your culls as 4h projects, providing they meet the ARBA standard of perfection. the rest that don't make it make excellent meat rabbits. they also have a better grow out rate and can be butchered as early as ten weeks, then most other breeds. Rabbits should not be kept more then one to a cage unless you are tractoring them (research proper free ranging. Not turning them loose!) If you are going to have more then one rabbit and are going to breed them, then you will need more the one cage. One each for the adults, and a couple of grow out ones for the babies. Intact rabbits tend to fight when kept together like that. A doe can severely injure a buck. So its best that each has their own space.

 

[ack123]

Quote:
Yes you can cross breed rabbits. Good luck getting rid of them if you don't eat them. Most people tend to look for purebreds when they want a pet rabbit. So their kids can show in 4h. Lion heads don't make very good meat breeds. You *can* eat them, but they are very small rabbits. if you want a good meat rabbit I would suggest getting californians or newzealands. You can easily market some of your culls as 4h projects, providing they meet the ARBA standard of perfection. the rest that don't make it make excellent meat rabbits. they also have a better grow out rate and can be butchered as early as ten weeks, then most other breeds. Rabbits should not be kept more then one to a cage unless you are tractoring them (research proper free ranging. Not turning them loose!) If you are going to have more then one rabbit and are going to breed them, then you will need more the one cage. One each for the adults, and a couple of grow out ones for the babies. Intact rabbits tend to fight when kept together like that. A doe can severely injure a buck. So its best that each has their own space.