• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Rabbit care 20years ago

loppy ears

Warren Veteran
Those of you who had rabbits 20 years ago

Where did you learn about rabbit care?
Were you aware of the vaccinations available and the importance of having bunnies vaccinated?
Did you know that bunnies should be neutered?
Did you keep your bunnies in pairs/groups?
How much space did you provide for your bunny to live in?

Was it common for vets to carry out dental procedures on the bunnies molars?
 
Where did you learn about rabbit care? My parents did most of the care, from what they learnt from their parents.
Were you aware of the vaccinations available and the importance of having bunnies vaccinated? No, my current bunnies are the first ones to be vaccinated although I have been aware of vaccinations being available since 2002.
Did you know that bunnies should be neutered? No.
Did you keep your bunnies in pairs/groups? No, they were kept with guinea pigs.
How much space did you provide for your bunny to live in? I really cannot remember the size. Probably bog standard 3ft or 4ft hutch.
Was it common for vets to carry out dental procedures on the bunnies molars? Nope, I don't think our rabbits ever even saw the vet.
 
Where did you learn about rabbit care? I had (and still have) the RSPCA care book from the late 1980s/early 1990s
Were you aware of the vaccinations available and the importance of having bunnies vaccinated? No, my bunnies have only been vaccinated since 2001.
Did you know that bunnies should be neutered? No.
Did you keep your bunnies in pairs/groups? No, it was advised against at the time as neutering was uncommon so the result would be lots of babies or fights.
How much space did you provide for your bunny to live in? a 3ft hutch which was considered spacious for a rabbit at the time. I remember insisting my parents bought the bigger one of those we saw.
Was it common for vets to carry out dental procedures on the bunnies molars? No, I think my rabbit went to the vet maybe 3 times in his life all in the last couple of years and there were no available procedures. It was diagnosis and then a choice between take him home and pts - actually that's not quite true I think he had antibiotics once...
 
This is 30 years ago rather than 20 but...............

Where did you learn about rabbit care? We didn't! Dad "looked after them" they had a reasonable diet though and I know they had hay and veggies and no commercial rabbit food.
Were you aware of the vaccinations available and the importance of having bunnies vaccinated? No
Did you know that bunnies should be neutered? No
Did you keep your bunnies in pairs/groups? Yes, sometimes, Dad would breed them for meat *grimaces* I didn't know that and thought they were pets.
How much space did you provide for your bunny to live in? A small hutch in the garden, probably 4 ft.

Was it common for vets to carry out dental procedures on the bunnies molars? The rabbits never saw the vet, if they were very unwell my Dad would "deal with them". He also used to sell to a local butcher *grimaces again* and I would be told that the rabbits that had gone whilst I was at school had "gone to live on a farm" which at age 8 I believed. I only found out recently from my Mum that Dad bred them for meat. I had no idea.
 
Those of you who had rabbits 20 years ago

Where did you learn about rabbit care? My Parents (mainly my mum who had a friend who worked at a pet shop)
Were you aware of the vaccinations available and the importance of having bunnies vaccinated? No...I dont think they ever needed to see the vet.
Did you know that bunnies should be neutered? No
Did you keep your bunnies in pairs/groups? Pair
How much space did you provide for your bunny to live in? 6x2x2 hutch and run (separate), when Benji (female...sister named her:roll:) died, age 9, Bonnie free ranged in the garden all day, later she didnt want to come back in her hutch at all and lived in the garden with burrows under the shed. She lived to 12 and was a lovely rabbit.

Was it common for vets to carry out dental procedures on the bunnies molars?
I cannot remember ever needing to take them to the vets, they may have gone with my mum but they were really healthy rabbits:love:
 
Where did you learn about rabbit care?

From reading books mainly.

Were you aware of the vaccinations available and the importance of having bunnies vaccinated?

I had a part time job in a vets surgery so yes.

Did you know that bunnies should be neutered?
It wasn't really an option back then, very little surgery was done on rabbits as the anaesthetic risks were too great, not very much was known about rabbit health.

Did you keep your bunnies in pairs/groups?
My first rabbit was a single, but after him I got 2 females from the same litter as I wanted them to have a friend and 2 females was the only really pairing advised! I had to separate them at about 6 months though due to fighting, I didn't know anything about bonding and neutering wasn't available.

How much space did you provide for your bunny to live in?

Was it common for vets to carry out dental procedures on the bunnies molars?
 
How much space did you provide for your bunny to live in?

I had my own 6ft x 2ft x2ft hutch made after seeing an example in a book! It even had insulation between two layers of wood! I'm quite impressed with myself now!! :D there was an attached run about 4x4ft but when anyone was home the buns had free range of the garden :D
 
Was it common for vets to carry out dental procedures on the bunnies molars?

No, the only dental treatment I was aware of was clipping the front teeth if they were overgrown. Luckily my buns never needed this!
 
Those of you who had rabbits 20 years ago

Where did you learn about rabbit care? from a book, pet shop and word of mouth
Were you aware of the vaccinations available and the importance of having bunnies vaccinated?Mxy vaccs yes
Did you know that bunnies should be neutered?no
Did you keep your bunnies in pairs/groups?No either along or with a g pig!!
How much space did you provide for your bunny to live in? 4ftx2ft hutch at night free range in the garden during the day

Was it common for vets to carry out dental procedures on the bunnies molars?No not at all never even got teeth checked
 
Those of you who had rabbits 20 years ago

Where did you learn about rabbit care?

from a book called dwarf rabbits and other books from the local library

Were you aware of the vaccinations available and the importance of having bunnies vaccinated?

I believe we always vaccinated against Myxi. VHD only appeared in the 90's.

Did you know that bunnies should be neutered?

No


Did you keep your bunnies in pairs/groups?

No, we always had a single rabbit which was kept with a guinea pig
How much space did you provide for your bunny to live in?

They had a hutch with a small run attached. Probably the hutch was about 3 ft. The run was narrow but probably added and extra 4 or 5 ft by maybe 1.5 ft. However, I always brought them in after school so the rabbit and GPs had a lot of free range time

Was it common for vets to carry out dental procedures on the bunnies molars?

I think so, we had a guinea pig with dental problems and the vet operated on her molars. Sadly she didn't pull through the op and died under the anasthetic. Jasper, my nethie had malloclusion of the incisors and at the time the only treatment our vet offered was to clip them. I think now they tend to burr them to get a neater edge or remove them completely.
 
Where did you learn about rabbit care?
All we had was a super skinny little RSPCA book and what my parents thought. They remember more about the care side of it than I do! He was fed muesli, had hay, and whatever veges we had available. He shortly shared with a Guinea Pig, the Guinea died (probably from being bullied) pretty quick, no one told us they shouldn't be together, was acceptable then. It was memories of this little guy that fuelled me to get bunnies again!

Were you aware of the vaccinations available and the importance of having bunnies vaccinated?
He was never vaccinated I don't think. Maybe had a myxi vac? Can't remember!

Did you know that bunnies should be neutered?
Was never mentioned and he wasn't neutered.

Did you keep your bunnies in pairs/groups?
Nope, he was kept alone :(

How much space did you provide for your bunny to live in?
He didn't do too badly on this front, lived in an unfinished extension with a 3ft hutch and ramp down to the floor, had the run of what should have been the breakfast room. On nice days he had a home-made run in the garden he was carried out to (about 5-6ftx3ft ish).

Was it common for vets to carry out dental procedures on the bunnies molars?
No idea if it was common, but my bun had a chronic abscess problem and went under GA twice to have teeth checked and tear ducts flushed. Sadly they just kept coming back and he was put to sleep age 3.
 
Where did you learn about rabbit care? Borrowed books from the library. Mostly terrible advice, with hindsight - but that was where we were as a nation back then.

Were you aware of the vaccinations available and the importance of having bunnies vaccinated?
Yes I had my bun vaccinated against myxi - I don't think VHD vacc was available then, but there was a myxi one which came in a vial of 6 which had to be used within 2 hours of opening, so the vets used to get a waiting list of owners and try and arrange them to all come in at once.

Did you know that bunnies should be neutered? It wasn't advised to have bunnies neutered back then (certainly not spayed, although a few were castrated), as the medicines available at the time made it a very risky procedure.

Did you keep your bunnies in pairs/groups? Yes I had 2 female littermates who lived together unspayed. When one of them died, I got another unspayed female bun from a friend who didn't want her because she was grumpy, and I managed to bond them :shock: Not something I'd advise now :lol:

How much space did you provide for your bunny to live in? At first they had a 3ft hutch with a 3x4ft run attached, over time the run got extended to about 6ft, then I upgraded to a 7ft sideboard with a 7x4ft run attached.

Was it common for vets to carry out dental procedures on the bunnies molars?
No it wasn't normal for any surgical procedure under GA to be carried out on bunnies back then, and any surgery had a very poor prognosis so it wasn't often done.
 
Where did you learn about rabbit care?
My parents, and I had some books although I know now that the info in them wasnt thorough and wasnt ideal

Were you aware of the vaccinations available and the importance of having bunnies vaccinated?
I wasnt aware of vaccinations and their importance til about 8 years ago, the bunny previous to my current bun

Did you know that bunnies should be neutered?
I knew of the benefits of neutering again about 8 years ago although the bun previous to this was a pet shop bunny and never was very well so we didnt neuter him

Did you keep your bunnies in pairs/groups?
All my bunnies have been singes due to no neutering til buzzby who is currently awaiting a friend (parents wouldnt allow a second bun when I lived at theirs)

How much space did you provide for your bunny to live in?
First bunnies had a 4ft hutch each I believe (seems so much bigger when you're tiny) and a large run plus alternating turns on our fenced in area (about 10mx5m) or the old aviary when it wasnt used for birds anymore (about 12ft x10ft).
Subsequent bunnies had a 4ft hutch with permanent patio access of about 3mx10m
Buzzby had a 5ft6 hutch and access to the above patio

Was it common for vets to carry out dental procedures on the bunnies molars?
One of the first 2 bunnies had dental problems from very young and my vet was happy with regular teeth maintenance. It was his last anaesthetic at about 10 years old that he never fully recovered from which was for molar spurs.
Another bun later had dental trouble, but he was so ill he only had molar trouble a couple of times before we lost him to other causes.
 
does 15 years ago count?

Where did you learn about rabbit care?
My mum and my stepdad looked after them at first, but then the job of feeding and cleaning out etc became mine and my sisters responsibility.

Were you aware of the vaccinations available and the importance of having bunnies vaccinated?

I am pretty sure that she was vaccinated for Myxi, but I can't be certain (I am almost positive that she was though because I am sure I remember my mum saying that at least bubbles was safe when we found a wildie with Myxi and took it to the vet)

Did you know that bunnies should be neutered?
I don't remember, I don't think they were neutered though

Did you keep your bunnies in pairs/groups?

No, kept with a guinea pig

How much space did you provide for your bunny to live in?

A double 4 foot hutch and free range in the garden most days.

Was it common for vets to carry out dental procedures on the bunnies molars?
No, even then, anaesthetic was very risky for rabbits and that's why our rabbit had to be put to sleep when she got a tumour as the op was too risky
 
Back
Top