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New to rabbits please help

L

lauraandben2010

New Kit
Hello,

I am hoping to rehome a rabbit very soon and wanted to ask people in the know some questions so i don't do things wrong.

I have googled and read books etc but got so many different answers ...so..

I have bought a large hutch/ run and also a seperate run to be moved about for a bit more outside fun. Is it ok to have an outdoor rabbit in the warm summer months and then keep it as an indoor rabbit in the colder weather?

If i was to get a male about 14 weeks - what will i need to get done medically. What injections/ when to spay etc.

Also the rehoming place has one male and lots of females. If i was to get the male and then rehome a female after he is spayed would this work?
 
lauraandben2010 said:
Hello,

I am hoping to rehome a rabbit very soon and wanted to ask people in the know some questions so i don't do things wrong.

I have googled and read books etc but got so many different answers ...so..

I have bought a large hutch/ run and also a seperate run to be moved about for a bit more outside fun. Is it ok to have an outdoor rabbit in the warm summer months and then keep it as an indoor rabbit in the colder weather?

If i was to get a male about 14 weeks - what will i need to get done medically. What injections/ when to spay etc.

Also the rehoming place has one male and lots of females. If i was to get the male and then rehome a female after he is spayed would this work?
Click to expand...

Hello :wave:

A good place to start is the info and leaflets here:
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/index.php?section=leaflets.html (it's worth becoming a member if you fancy it as the quarterly magazine is wonderful for new and experienced rabbit folk alike)

and this is the US equivalent sort of http://www.rabbit.org/
The articles from both charities are reliable sources of info.

There are also some good articles to be found right here on RU - in the reference section of the forum.

It's great you are going to get a rescue bun - does not this rescue already neuter all the rabbits they rehome? This is a usual policy for rescues - and it might be worth finding a rescue that operates in this way if the one you have found doesn't as good rescues do tend to neuter and vaccinate before rehoming and will also give you lots of good care advice. Male rabbit neutering is called castration. Females are spayed. For males this can be done as soon as the testicles descend - usually 12wks+

Yes you could rehome a female at the same time or later but she would need to be spayed (for girls this is a big Op so is usually done around 4-6 months depending on vet preference) It is safest to wait to put them together once both have been neutered and healed. All bonding MUST be done in NEUTRAL territory. As you are new to buns, I would recommend having a reliable rescue do this for you. Have you thought about getting a ready bonded neutered male/female pair from a rescue?

The RWAF link I gave you will show you that the min hutch size for a reg pair of bunnies should be 6ftx2ft with an attached run minimum 6ftx4ft. I think another run for interest is a great idea. Yes buns can come indoors in winter - but you must make the change in Autumn before their autumn moult means their fur grows too thick to tolerate the heat inside. You will then need to safely bunny proof your house and sort out some sort of enclosure for inside:)
 
Thank you - Away to read all teh links in a mo.

I live in the sticks on the easy coast of scotland and there are not too many rescues about. The rescue i am prob going to use is a lovely lady that is trying to help as many bunnies as she can that are being abandoned or just not wanted by kids any more!

She seems to know her stuff but i wanted to ask others their advice too. She doesn't neuter as it is all donations and run from her house - so you can see her problem there. Just someone wanting to do her bit i think. And most people round here just go buy from pets at home etc so wanted to bypass that place
 
:wave: Welcome!

Look around for a bunny savvy vet too. It's good to know which is the best vet before you get your bun.
 
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