thinking of getting a rabbit need advice

[flagrl]

dont know if this is the right place for this if not i apologize. but i am about to get a rabbit and need all the advice i can get before i get one. i am new and know nothing about them baiscally. i will proabably build there cage. should i get more than one? what kind of things do they need both inside and outside there cage? what kind of bedding? any advice would help thank you in advance.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

My advice would be to get in touch with a Rescue group--they can give guidance with the added bonus of being in the same locale.

 

[TheJadeRabbit]

I recommend going to petfinder to find local rabbit rescue groups.

http://www.petfinder.com

 

[flagrl]

i know where to get the rabbits i just want advice on how to care for them

 

[Happi Bun]

That is a lot to go over, so I'm going to give you a link to a great rabbit care guide. It will answer all your questions and more. Regarding getting two rabbits vs one, a spayed/neutered bonded pair is a wonderful thing. There is nothing quite like bunny love. I wouldn't recommend just buying two unaltered rabbits and putting them together though, if you are not taking the adoption route, as that can lead to many problems. There are many rabbits and bonded pairs in rescues that need good homes.

Here is the care guide I was talking about

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/basics.shtml

 

[flagrl]

thank you i will take a look. i am planning on adopting.

 

[TheJadeRabbit]

flagrl wrote:

i know where to get the rabbits i just want advice on how to care for them

I know, but Nancy McClelland said look at a Rescue group for some info. They would be a great place to start. Asking about local regulations and laws for keeping rabbits. And they could offer some tips on keeping them.

 

[kirbyultra]

If you learn nothing else about bunny care - remember that they need to have a LOT of fiber in their diet. Hay should be a big portion of their diet.

Lots of rescues would be happy to run you through basic and essential rabbit care info. They may even be very helpful in teaching you how to handle/pick up/hold a bunny, clips their nails and so on. Sometimes you can only read so much without getting some hands on experience.

For a cage, since you are thinking of building one, I would make it as big as your space allows. But absolute bare minimum should be big enough to fit the litter box, food dishes, water bowl and still have enough space length-wise so that the rabbit can stretch out and lay down to rest. Rabbits are pretty small when they are sitting scrunched up, but when they relax and straighten out, they are quite a bit longer! Baby bunnies grow super quickly too. Depending on your breed, the size of the cage will have to accommodate accordingly. I would also throw in that if you get a dwarf bunny or any small breed bunny, don't assume that it is small so it needs less space. The smaller ones tend to be more hyperactive and they need *more* space otherwise you may soon have yourself a bunny that is frustrated and wants to escape any way it can!

There are lots of bedding choices. I'm not going to list em all, but here's a library article that goes into a lot. http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12084&forum_id=17 Whatever you do though, don't buy the clay-based cat litter stuff. It's very harmful to bunnies.

 

[Kizza]

Have a look around the site a bit more and get some back up info on diet, bunny habits and suitable housing.

A couple of basics are they need a high fiber low protein and low calcium diet, best to go for is grass and grass hays like timothy, meadow hay, oat hay, etc. steer clear of legume hays like lucerne.

When you get your bunny ask what he/she is being fed so that their diet isnt changed suddenly which may cause problems with their stomach.

They need lots of space to exercise. if they need to be kept in their cage a lot make it a big cage so they can stretch out and try to take them out as much as you can so they can run around. be careful of chords as they LOVE to chew everything. fly screens to keep the mosquitos away is a good idea for outside.

and the rest you can find out by doing what the guys said above, looking around the site or talking to a good exotics vet.

Good luck and if you would like answers to anything more specific dont hesitate to ask

 

[flagrl]

thank you. i read that once my bunny gets used to the place he can roam around free. like at night i can leave him/her out while i sleep so he doesnt have to be in his cage or if im gone during the day i could leave him out in my room, is that not a smart thing?

 

[Sweetie]

Your rabbit can be in a cage at night. It would be better so that he/she doesn't get into anything he isn't suppose to get into. Rabbits love to get into stuff. I always supervise my rabbits while they are out of their cage. One likes to chew the carpet, which is not good for her and I have to stop her. The other likes to hop onto things, I have to watch him to make sure that he doesn't get out of the rabbit area or break his leg hopping down off of things.

It is always a good idea to supervise your rabbit when it is out of its cage because of the things that they could get into, and problems they can have.

 

[flagrl]

ok thank you. will try to build a big cage then