New to Bunnies!

[BlueMoonBunnies]

Hi everyone, I am looking to adopt two bunnies in march! I am still searching for a breeder or rescue with baby bunnies! Just a few questions,

1. What is a good cage size for indoors? Temporarly until its warm enough to set up a huge dog run im converting to a hutch.

2. Can I feed the Timothy hay we bale for our horses and livestock?

3. Can I use the wheat straw we bale as bedding in the hutch?

4. Best online stores (Canadian) to buy toys and prodcuts? (I live at least an hour from a small pet store and 2-4 hours for a large pet store.)

5. Which breeds are best? We want one with up ears and one with down! No larger then 10 pounds.

6. Can I house 2 males, 2 females, one of each together? (Will be having them fixed)

7. Can rabbits live outdoors all year? Where i live it can reach -30 to -40 on occasions which I would bring the bunnies inside for. But how cold can they be out in? I already have plans to insulate the hutch and protect the run area during winter.

Sorry for all the questions I just really want to make sure these two cuties are happy and healthy and have all the things they need! I currently own horses, cows, donkies, dogs and cats! Ive owned lots of small animals in the past but never had bunnies.

Thanks so much,
Taylor and her soon to be Bunny Friends.

 

[Blue eyes]

I would suggest looking more seriously at indoor housing. With indoor rabbits, there is much more opportunity to get to know your bunnies and for them to get to know you. Many of us on RO here house our bunnies indoors.

Take a look at the following link here on RO:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/showthread.php?t=87073
This is a thread we have each year showing various housing habitats.

I also house my rabbit(s) indoors. The cage door is open all day long. I'll attach a photo collage.

For a new bunny owner, I'd highly suggest going the rabbit rescue route. The reason for this is that bunnies can be very picky about their bondmate. Getting two young rabbits isn't the ideal way to do this. All babies get along but that can all change with the onset of hormones. Once hormones activate, they must be separated (or they may fight viciously!). Then they need to both be fixed. After 8 weeks they can be re-introduced. At that point they may bond, they may not. It depends on the rabbits. Not all rabbits will bond. So you can see that this scenario has risks that you'll end up with two bunnies that have to be housed separately.

Much easier it is to just start with two rabbits from a rescue that have not only been fixed already but that are already a bonded pair. If they are already bonded, then gender won't matter. Typically, however, male/female bonds go more smoothly.

As you'll see with the photos of all of our indoor housing, rabbits don't need loose bedding. They litter train quite easily and that makes clean up much easier. Fixed rabbits train easiest.

Timothy hay is a grass hay and is perfect for rabbits. They should have unlimited hay at all times. A bunny should eat about it's body size in hay every day. It is the main part of a healthy diet.

The best toys are often free -- cardboard boxes, TP tubes, etc. Also seagrass mats, wicker balls. You can see some ideas here.

If you do keep them outdoors, they should remain outdoors. Rabbits have a difficult time regulating their body temperature so it is not advised to take them out of a cold environment and into an environment that is, say, 15F degrees warmer (or vice versa). So no taking them inside and back out throughout the winter.

There are really no "best" breeds. Each rabbit is unique regardless of breed. But if you go through a rabbit rescue, you'll be able to choose your rabbits based on personality. Those personalities aren't apparent in baby rabbits. Hormones change that. Fixed rabbits have evident personalities.

I don't want to overwhelm you with too much info all at once (too late, right?) so I'll attach that photo...

 

[Blue eyes]

Oh, one other thing. Don't fall for the myth that it is best to start with babies so they can bond with you. This just isn't true. Fixed rabbits train easily and readily adapt to their new owner. Some may take longer than others, but they do adapt. Getting a baby in no way means that you'll be more able to "train" it to like handling.

Here's food for thought:
* Founder of Bunny Bunch rescue, Caroline Charland, states, "People often think a rabbit must be held a lot as a baby in order to like being held as an adult. I don't find this true at all. Over the years, the Bunny Bunch rescue I founded has saved many mother and baby rabbits from shelters. All the babies were treated the same. When they became adults their personalities varied-- some liked to be held, some hated to be held and some tolerated being held."
​ (Rabbits USA 2014 magazine) ​

 

[katiecrna]

I always wonder why people want a pet that they just leave outside, I guess I don't get it.

I only have an indoor bunny so I can't answer a lot of these questions.

For indoors... I would just buy an exercise pen off of Amazon, it's cheaper than a cage and nice and roomy. Make sure it's at least 32inches n height.

Yea Timothy hay is great. But they also need veggies daily.

As far as breeds go... I think personality is more important than breed. It's best to adopt and then you can get to see the personality before investing in them.

Rabbits should be fixed prior to bonding them and putting them together, even if they are the same sex. You cannot just throw 2 rabbits together. Look up how to bond rabbits

Rabbits are the best )) but they are unlike other animals and they can be surprisingly expensive. Make sure to do lots of research on professional rabbit websites only. There are a ton of wrong information about rabbits on google, stick to professional sites )

 

[stevesmum]

Consider veterinary care too. It's hard to find a good rabbit vet here. This is something you might want to know where to find before you actually need it. And they charge quite a bit because rabbits are considered "exotic". If you live far from pet stores then what about your proximity to medical care for your bunny?
Also, this is just my opinion but in our cold climate I wouldn't keep a pet outside. Rabbits are wonderful social creatures and you just don't get to see that as much when they are kept outside.

 

[Azerane]

I'm also an indoor bunny owner, but I'll answer your questions to the best I can regarding outdoor buns.

1. What is a good cage size for indoors? Temporarly until its warm enough to set up a huge dog run im converting to a hutch.

Inside, bigger is better. A sturdy puppy play pen works well and is able to be adjusted to fit a space. Otherwise people build DIY cages using wire storage cubes. Ideally for a permanent living space, you want minimum 6x2 feet, with a run attached for play time.

2. Can I feed the Timothy hay we bale for our horses and livestock?
Yes absolutely, timothy hay is perfect for rabbits

3. Can I use the wheat straw we bale as bedding in the hutch?
I wouldn't use it inside, inside you're better off litter training them and putting down a fleece blanket or two. However for outside in the hutch/run area, wheat straw will make a great bedding, especially as it gets colder you'll want to use a lot of it so that they can burrow into it.

4. Best online stores (Canadian) to buy toys and prodcuts? (I live at least an hour from a small pet store and 2-4 hours for a large pet store.)
I'm honestly not sure on Canadian stores, I'm from Australia

5. Which breeds are best? We want one with up ears and one with down! No larger then 10 pounds.
I don't think it matters, personality varies so much. The only real one I know of is that netherland dwarf tend to be high strung.

6. Can I house 2 males, 2 females, one of each together? (Will be having them fixed)
Providing they're desexed, any gender combination is possible, however male/female is generally considered the easiest. That being said, you can't just put two in together and expect them to get along. Rabbits need to be bonded together, housed apart initially and then slowly introduced. If not, there is usually biting, fur pulling and fighting which can lead to serious injury or death. Not every rabbit will get along with any other rabbit. Which is why it's best if you can to adopt an already bonded pair. Otherwise you need two cages and two of everything else to begin with and will need to put time into bonding.

7. Can rabbits live outdoors all year? Where i live it can reach -30 to -40 on occasions which I would bring the bunnies inside for. But how cold can they be out in? I already have plans to insulate the hutch and protect the run area during winter.
I'm not sure how cold is too cold for rabbits, but I do know that rabbits handle cold temperatures far better than they do the heat. With an insulated living area, protection from cold winds and draughts and with plenty of bedding, they should be ok. But I've got no experience with cold temperatures that extreme. If you were to bring them in over winter, it would need to be done while it was still mild so that there wasn't an extreme temperature change from living outdoors to indoors.

 

[BlueMoonBunnies]

So I though I'd clear up some things since I feel a little attacked for my questions...
1. There are NO RABBIT RESCUES near me. I've looked and the closest is 12 hours away and I simply don't have the ability to go that far! (I live extremely secluded on a farm and I don't get time off to go much further then an hour or two for groceries and supplies.) so my only option is to buy a pet store rabbit (which I don't overly want to do as most end up sick sadly and die because of improper care. So my other option is to find someone with bunnies for sale!

2. we've decided the bunnies will be housed inside during winter and very hot days and outside on nice weather days ! I have already ordered the wire panels to build a cage!

3. They will be aloud to have tons of play time outside the cage as I'm always home aside from my chores in the morning!

4. We really want two females (same litter) but we may go with a male and female for as you said hopefully easier bonding! I have already spoken to my vet regarding Heath costs and surgery costs.

5. I've done lots of research and I appreciate your guys responses I'll take them all into consideration and make sure I have everything my little buns need! If I find two adults needing homes I'll try to rescue but we don't actually have those types of services available ! Hopefully that clears more stuff up!

 

[stevesmum]

Sorry if you felt attacked, I know it certainly wasn't my intention and I'm sure no one else's. I remember when I got my first rabbit it was a huge learning curve for me and I was surprised by how little I knew about them. And she was sick all the time so the vet thing was another fiasco!
Mine was from a pet store and again, I didn't know there were loads of rabbits sitting in shelters abandoned because they were no longer wanted. Basically bunnies hit their teens and become jerks ruled by hormones, people don't want to deal with that or pay to have them fixed, and give them to shelters or drop them in the local park or alley. So I think a lot of people here are advocates for those bunnies and try to convince new owners to adopt. Don't feel pressured or offended. If there are no rescues near you then fair enough, go through a breeder. No judgment here this is your business and no one else's!

 

[katiecrna]

Sorry you feel attacked. We were just trying to give advice.

Adoption is always best, but if you can't because there is none around you then you can't. Who cares, you can only get what you can get.

As far as male female, female female same litter... it doesn't matter. You may not be able to keep them together because once they get older (teenage years) they get hormonal and can fight and hurt themselves. So make sure you have a second cage/pen that you can put the other one in case that happens.

We are crazy rabbit people here so I'm sorry if we have offended you

When you get your buns please update us and show us some pics!

 

[BlueMoonBunnies]

Thanks guys! I'm still searching best I can to find a bonded pair! Also do you think they could stay bonded from babies and after being fixed if I have them fixed before they hit the really horomonal stage? My boyfriend is set on two females (I'd rather a male and female ) we've been researching non stop and I can't wait to build my cage and get everything ready for them! ill for sure post pics once they are here and settled in.

 

[Watermelons]

Find a vet that is willing to spay/neuter them when they hit 3 months old and youll stand the best chance. All of mine were done at this age and it allowed me to keep the "baby bond" they had.

There is nothing wrong with purchasing your rabbits from a good breeder.

 

[stevesmum]

I agree, get them fixed when possible. I just tried to bond two adult females and it was a dismal failure for me. That being said my doe rejected the male I tried also. So rabbits can be stubborn, also I am no expert on bonding. I think getting both at once is def the way to go though.

 

[BlueMoonBunnies]

So i was planning on ordering the NIC wire panels to build a cage however I found this cute pen (9 sq ft) on ebay for 40$! I have attached a picture, I was thinking of getting a few sets and making a cage out of this! Will it work? I think its adorable and really want to buy but I want to make sure itll work for a bunny! Thanks so much everyone.

 

[katiecrna]

It looks good. It depends on how tall it is and how big those wholes are. A small bunny might be able to squeeze himself through it. I would look at the reviews )
And it is really cute!

 

[BlueMoonBunnies]

Its 3 feet tall so I thinkit should be high enough ! hopefully. Review said the holes were to small for a puppies paw so Im thinking they should be good!

 

[katiecrna]

Man I didn't realize how many good x-pens are on eBay and for so cheap! I might buy another lol

 

[BlueMoonBunnies]

RIGHT!?! i was searching for 2 days for a good price on a pen or wire panels and stumbled across these pens! I got free shipping and its within canada so I should recieve them by next week! Im thrilled and at that price you cant go wrong!

 

[katiecrna]

Exactly. If you get one. Let me know if you like it and see if you can send a pic.

 

[BlueMoonBunnies]

Mine is on its way ! Ill let you know and post pics once I have it here !

 

[Blue eyes]

Mine is on its way ! Ill let you know and post pics once I have it here !

Oh shoot! I see you already ordered. The holes look like they will be too large.

If the pen is 36" tall, there are only 8 openings (triangles), each one above the other from top to bottom. That means that the width of each opening is 4.5". Those openings will be too large and will pose a risk of bunny getting stuck in there. Even a 3" opening isn't advised. By contrast, the grid openings on the wired cube shelving cages (C&C) are about 1.5"

May want to have a backup plan.