Monthly/Yearly Budget for Large Rabbits?

shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Advertise with us
Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
M

melonpan

Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
7
Reaction score
1
Location
United States
Hey everyone! I'm new to the forum and am looking to adopt a rabbit from a local shelter.
He's a lovely adult silver fox bun and is about 12 lbs.

Before adopting, I've been trying to gauge how much I'd be spending per month/year, but can only find information on costs for owning smaller/more common breeds, like lops and rexes. I assume they can go through double the amount of hay of smaller rabbits, and of course, need a lot of space to roam around. (My place isn't ready for free-roaming, but I have a confined area for roaming).

Are there any other silver fox owners/large breed owners that can help me paint a better picture of how much they spend a month/year - or any other tips - on adopting a larger rabbit? Thanks!!
 
Bigger bunnies eat more. This is how much I spend on a 8 pound bunny a month.

For 2 5 pound bags of hay - $50.00
1 bag of food Oxbow Adult Rabbit food $15.99. The bag lasts me 2 months. He is more of a hay eater.
Litter I use Yesterday News- $21.99 a month . If you clean out the litter box one a week the litter can last you a few months.
Fresh veggies - $ 6- $10 a week.

Toys and other frills are extra depending if your rabbit likes toys.
 
Costs can vary greatly regardless of the size of the rabbit. It depends on where you get your supplies. I've seen estimates that a rabbit's maintenance costs can be about $85 per month.
That assumes buying bagged hay, purchasing greens from the grocery store, and using pet store brand litter.

One 12 pound rabbit is going to eat roughly the same as 2 average size rabbits, so I don't see it as any big expense.

I get hay by the bale from a feed store. I am generous with hay, using it on top of litter twice per day and throwing much away. Still, one bale could last my 2 rabbits 8 months. At $17 per bale, it is e x t r e m e l y inexpensive. ($2.12/ month)

Greens can be more costly if purchasing a variety from the grocery store. If you plant an herb garden, the cost is greatly reduced. I feed 2-4 cups of greens daily but grow an herb garden. I may buy lettuces during our few winter months. So averaged over 12 months, I may spend as little as $1/ month.

Pellets can't be skimped on by buying cheap brands, in my opinion . A good quality pellet isn't cheap, but once a rabbit is over 6 months of age, those pellets are offered in measured, limited amounts. I feed about 1/4 cup daily for an average size rabbit. A large rabbit of 12 lbs may get 3x that amount. Depending on the pellet brand, I'll venture a guess for a large rabbit of maybe $15/month.

Litter can also vary greatly. With a large rabbit, I'd definitely recommend the inexpensive yet effective litter of wood pellets (wood stove pellets or horse stall wood pellets). A 40lb bag may only cost $4-$7 depending on where you live. That size bag would last my 2 rabbits about 2 months. Assuming it can last 1 large rabbit for the same length of time, that would mean roughly $3/ month.

So using those cost-savings ideas, that brings that estimated $85/ month to about $21/ month.

As you can see, it really depends on what, if any, cost-savings options you choose and what works for you (and your rabbit).
 
This was a big question I had before getting rabbits. The only article I could find breaking rabbit costs was from the RSPCA here.

The RSPCA estimate comes to ~$1.5k/year (adjusting for currency) for a single rabbit, and excludes emergency medical treatment. Note, however, that their hay/bedding estimates are significantly higher than what I've seen in the US (because the RSPCA is in England, and England's a pretty small island), and make up nearly 70% of that yearly estimate.

If you have the storage space, buying in bulk (hay, pellets, litter, etc.) can really help with costs on an annualized basis.
 
I wish I could get a bale hay but that would take up my whole living space. That is a massive saving. :)
 
somebunnylovesme said:
I found this price for hay https://www.vetmedicinesforless.com/Timothy-Hay-Bale-10lb_p_12578.html . I'm not sure how much shipping is.
Click to expand...

Wow. That's outrageously expensive for a mere 10 lbs. and quite small.
The bales I get from the feed store probably weigh over 100 lbs. (I can't lift one.) Here's what one of our bales looked like.

upload_2019-1-4_12-49-25.png

Have you checked feed stores for hay? There's a place I saw online called Country Living & Garden Center (Okotoks), but I would imagine there are many available. (don't know where in Canada you are)
 
My bunny would be happy!!! I could make that into an edible couch and he would chew on it all day :).

That is too far away for me to go. I would spend a lot of money on gas. There are 2 feeds stores around me but they will not bring a bale of hay. I've requested for them to do that and they showed me the section of Oxbow Hay.

They never have any of those compressed hay cubes in stock. Which I prefer giving over any sort of treat. I've look on line for compressed hay cubes and shipping is an arm and a leg.

If I could buy a bale of hay that size I would. I'm really am not satisfied with Oxbox. Its over priced and I've found feathers and bird poop in it. Unfortunately, that is what I have available to me.
 
Thanks all for the replies and links!

@Blue eyes - Good point on growing your own greens! I've thought about planting cilantro and chocolate mint for my own use, so maybe I'll go that route for some of my greens.

@somebunnylovesme - Are there any farming co-ops near you? I'm not sure if that's different from a feed store or how close you are to any farming communities. I'm still looking up prices for hay bales at my local feed stores/co-ops.
 
An edible couch! That was pretty funny!!

I’ve got a Flemish Giant. She’s 17 pounds. The most expensive thing about her is the litter. I use Care Fresh at $17 a bag. One bag can last a month if I’m careful. I get hay delivered from Small Pet Select ( free shipping) that’s less than $20 for a month.

Please post pictures of your rabbit once you get her home. She sounds gorgeous!
 
Small Pet Select is outrageously priced in Canada. I wanted a Flemish Giant but an owner was trying to steer me away from getting. He said that they only live for 4-5 year and it was his first one. I don't know how true that is. Its a lot of bunny. Hehe.
 
We have six rabbits, three adult and three about half grown. One is a Flemish Giant. Feeding them could be expensive; but, here is how we economize:

We buy kale at a warehouse-type grocery at $1.68 a bunch. The six of them will eat a bunch in a day; one bunch would last a single rabbit a week. We feed unlimited pellets and will go through a 40-pound bag of Nutrena 18-percent protein ($23) in about six weeks. We use pine shavings on top of a thin layer wood pellets for the litter box. Both are cheap; $4 for 40-pounds of pellets and $7 for about 40-pounds of pine shavings. I estimate litter costs at about $10 per month. Finally, a local farm supply that caters to urban/hobby farmers sells alfalfa (or grass) hay for $13 per bale, about 60-pounds. Only the juveniles get the alfalfa, so a bale lasts a very long time. The cost is probably less than $2 per month.

These bulk products could be a storage problem for some; but, we have an outdoor storage shed for them. (A corner in a garage would do.) For daily use we keep supplies in plastic storage tubs next to the rabbit pens. They hay fits neatly (upright) into a covered barrel, outdoors.

It all adds up; but, divided by six the cost per bunny is very reasonable. Considering the joy they bring to this retired guy's life they are worth every penny. :)
 
somebunnylovesme said:
I wish I could get a bale hay but that would take up my whole living space. That is a massive saving. :)
Click to expand...

A lot of feed stores are willing to cut a bale in half (or fourths, whatever) for you if you ask. Feed store hay is so cheap compared to pet stores that you could leave 3/4 of it at the store, taking only 1/4 of it home, and STILL save a good amount of money! Any horse-quality grass hay is suitable for rabbits (no legume hays like alfalfa and with cereal-type hays like oat, most of the seed heads need to be pulled off before feeding it to avoid excess carbs).

Search online (or in the phone book if you still have one, hehe) for feed stores or farm supply stores in your area. At least here in Texas, there's always a few just outside major cities. Another option is to find nearby places that stable horses, then call and explain that you're looking for grass hay for a pet rabbit and ask if they would be willing to sell you a couple flakes off of one of their bales (flake is the technical term for the chunks a bale breaks into... I think it's typically 14-18 flakes per bale).

Feed stores also sell wood pellets (marketed as horse bedding). In the US, it's typically $4-8 for a 40 lb bag. It's great stuff! Rabbit safe (while it's usually pine, it's kiln-dried, rendering it safe for them), sucks the pee to the bottom where it basically turns the pellets into sawdust, it's dirt cheap and it's more effective at odor control than pet-store-bought litters (it also doesn't get stuck in a young lionhead's skirt, which was a problem Nala and I had with Carefresh when she was a baby, lol).

[Edit: minor typo]
 
Last edited:
Wow, thanks everyone! I feel more confident about budgeting every month. It seems pretty feasible to add to my monthly budgeting. I didn't even think about storage space, so I'll have to be pretty crafty with my closet space!

Unfortunately, someone else adopted the bun I wanted to adopt - but that isn't deterring me from adopting another rabbit. I'm not too picky on the rabbit breed, but I would still love to adopt a silver fox rabbit (so if you know any available silver fox rabbits in Western Washington, I'm open lol).
 
Are you part of the "Pet Rabbits: Washington State" Facebook group? If not, I recommend it. The folks there will help you find what you need in the way of rabbits, vets, deals on feed, the whole ball of wax. To me they seem to be very supportive and helpful. :) Maybe you could even find someone with whom to split bales of hay or large sacks of pellets. My buns love Nutrena 18-percent protein which can be purchased at North40. I'm sure that chain has moved into your area by now. They have everything.
 
melonpan, if you are planning on getting your rabbit from a rescue (great idea, btw) then the rabbit will already be fixed. Fixed rabbits should receive a much lower protein percentage in their pellet food. The 18% protein feed that Orrin mentions is suitable for breeding rabbits but not for fixed rabbits. For fixed rabbits, 12-14% protein is the max recommended.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top