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Please help an inexperienced soon-to-be owner?

Ali-Bear

New Kit
Hello there!

This is the time I've done something like this, but I have a tonne of questiins for those of you that would be kind enough to read and reply!

I am looking to get a pair of mini lops in the new year, a buck and a doe as I've heard that they bond best. I will be neutering them so would you recommend keeping them apart until then or would it be better to bond them as soon as possible if I am getting them at about 10 weeks of age?

I've also been wondering about hutch sizes, as I will be keeping them outside. I would like to get a double hutch so that they can be separated when necessary and had thought that a 5ft one would be large enough considering that the mini lops aren't that big fully grown and they will have the entire top and bottom floor, but as I said I don't know as much as all of you! I also would be getting a 6ft by about 4ft run, so do you think that this would be large enough too?

I thought that I would be better to go to a breeder rather than a pet shop, so would you suggest lookinb around the place first?

I had a rabbit and some guineas when I was younger but don't really know where to start with stuff which is why I don't want to rush into anything! Any tips that you could give me would be really appreciated :D
 
Hi:wave: I hope you dont mind me suggesting something, have you thought about adopting 2 bunnies from a rescue, they would already be bonded together and neutered and vaccinated, saving you having to do all that yourself. If you look on rabbit rehome there are lots of paired buns waiting for new homes, as regards hutches etc the minimum size recommended by rspca is 6 foot x 2 foot x 2 foot with a large run attached, but a lot of people on here have sheds for buns as tbey offer so much more space for the bunnies, hope this helps:wave:
 
Hi
If you get young bunnies you will need to separate at about 10 weeks but keep them close together so they can still smell each other. When they have been neutered/speyed and waited 6 weeks after the operations they can slowly be re-introduced and re-bonded back together.
Females need to be 5/6 months for neutering and males about 4 months or when the testicles are showing.

With regards to hutch sizes, the bigger the better! If you go for a double hutch it will be good to keep them separate but when they are together you need to bear in mind that the ramp will take out a lot of floor space on both levels. I would therefore recommend at least 6ft x 2ft x 2ft for each level. Bigger if you can. Again with the run - it can never be too big. I have a 6ft x 4ft for my mini lops but wish I had an 8ft x 4ft. Again it is cheaper to only buy once so best to get the biggest you can rather than regret it and have to buy a bigger one in the future.

A good breeder would probably be better than a pet shop because hopefully they would give good advise and only breed rabbits they know have a history of good health and be traced back at least 3 generations. But beware this is not always the case!

There is a lot of rabbits in rescues where you could adopt a pair of young rabbits that have already been bonded. They will have been neutered already so will save expensive vet bills. This route would also ensure a good bond. If you try to bond rabbits there is no guarantee it will work and you may end up with 2 single rabbits who are lonely and then you will need to bond them with new partners and may end up with 4!

Hopefully this helps to start with. Sorry have to go to bed now but I'm sure other people will be along soon.
 
Hi:wave: I hope you dont mind me suggesting something, have you thought about adopting 2 bunnies from a rescue, they would already be bonded together and neutered and vaccinated, saving you having to do all that yourself. If you look on rabbit rehome there are lots of paired buns waiting for new homes, as regards hutches etc the minimum size recommended by rspca is 6 foot x 2 foot x 2 foot with a large run attached, but a lot of people on here have sheds for buns as tbey offer so much more space for the bunnies, hope this helps:wave:

Hi! Thanks for replying! I will definitely look into it as I know there are a lot of unwanted animals (I have a rescue cat and dog!) but wanted some baby buns and haven't been able to find many rescue centres in my area unfortunately. I will ask around, though, and will hopefully find somewhere that has young rescue bunnies!

I looked at some of the hutches with runs attached but they all looked a bit small to me, do you think that I should get one custom made? Thanks again for replying!
 
I looked at some of the hutches with runs attached but they all looked a bit small to me, do you think that I should get one custom made? Thanks again for replying!

How about a playhouse or shed? They can be really good value and give your buns much more space :) you can also get really creative with them!
 
Hi
If you get young bunnies you will need to separate at about 10 weeks but keep them close together so they can still smell each other. When they have been neutered/speyed and waited 6 weeks after the operations they can slowly be re-introduced and re-bonded back together.
Females need to be 5/6 months for neutering and males about 4 months or when the testicles are showing.

With regards to hutch sizes, the bigger the better! If you go for a double hutch it will be good to keep them separate but when they are together you need to bear in mind that the ramp will take out a lot of floor space on both levels. I would therefore recommend at least 6ft x 2ft x 2ft for each level. Bigger if you can. Again with the run - it can never be too big. I have a 6ft x 4ft for my mini lops but wish I had an 8ft x 4ft. Again it is cheaper to only buy once so best to get the biggest you can rather than regret it and have to buy a bigger one in the future.

A good breeder would probably be better than a pet shop because hopefully they would give good advise and only breed rabbits they know have a history of good health and be traced back at least 3 generations. But beware this is not always the case!

There is a lot of rabbits in rescues where you could adopt a pair of young rabbits that have already been bonded. They will have been neutered already so will save expensive vet bills. This route would also ensure a good bond. If you try to bond rabbits there is no guarantee it will work and you may end up with 2 single rabbits who are lonely and then you will need to bond them with new partners and may end up with 4!

Hopefully this helps to start with. Sorry have to go to bed now but I'm sure other people will be along soon.

Thanks so much for your reply! I'll definitely look into some rescue bunnies, I'll just have to try to find some!! I would hate for them not to bond and havd to be separated. And I'll keep that in mind about the hutch size, it will probably have to be made by someone because I haven't managed to find any that big with a run attatched.
 
How about a playhouse or shed? They can be really good value and give your buns much more space :) you can also get really creative with them!

I'm not sure that I'll have a big enough garden :( and I think I'd worry that it wouldn't be secure enough! Would I just need to create areas for them to sleep and feel safe?
 
You could always have a separate run attached with a run around tube and then you could move the run around the garden as required.
Really must go to bed now!
 
When i had scarlett and benji in the shed i put a lock on the door which made me feel it was safe enough, it had an aviary attached to the front which they haf access to 24 hours a day. Scarlett passed away in may unfortunately so we now have benji indoors with us as a house bunny which he loves, he is currently asleep on the rug :love:
 
Thanks marleysworld, I'll have to look into that!
And sorry about Scarlett's passing, I bet Benji's missing her too but appreciating being inside! I'd love to have them inside but just don't have the room for them without it being cruel. A shed or playhouse seems like a good idea, but the ones that I've looked at just now are seeming quite expensive and are only 4x4 and I'd rather they had a little more room than that!
 
There are some good examples of housing in this sticky that might help you think about options: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?311878-Outdoor-Housing

A pre-bonded rescue pair would be easiest, although they do have babies too - if you post where you are someone might be able to recommend a rescue. Some rescues will also rehome out of area.

At 10 weeks you'll need to keep them seperate, and then you can rebond after neutering. The other option is to start with one and add the second later. Sometimes breeders will have slightly older bunnies so you could get a male, have him neutered and then introduce a girl - either from a breeder or go to a rescue for her.

To be honest, baby rabbits grow up so quick, by 10 weeks you'll only have about 3-4 week before they are just about full grown. You'll have them as adults for 8-10 years so don't get to hung up on the baby bit :)
 
That's really interesting thank you, I hadn't really thought about them not being little for very long. The link was good too, thanks! I'd love to be able to get a Wendy house and attach it to a run like in some of those pictures, those rabbits look like they live in better places than I do!!
 
Hi :wave:

I would definitely recommend getting a 6 x 2 x 2 hutch if you can afford to. I bought a 5 x 2 double hutch for my three mini lops when they were babies. I thought it would be fine as they were so small, but the didn't stay small for long and I've invested in a 5 x 4 wendy house (£200 from B&Q).
The ramp in a double hutch really gives them little space left for relaxing.
Here are mine squished together in the old hutch
0.JPG


I am currently bonding two bunnies. It's my first time doing this and it's going ok, but I am not keen on repeating the experience. I would suggest you read up about it to really get a feel for what's involved. I found this web page really helpful for bonding http://www.cottontails-rescue.org.uk/matchups.asp After researching you may feel differently about getting an unbonded pair :)

I bought three of my buns from a breeder, because i thought rescues generally only re homed older rabbits. I now know that this is not true and if i could turn back the clock I would definitely get some rescue buns :thumb:
 
:wave: Welcome to RU x

I would definitely get rescue bunnies, there's so many gorgeous buns in rescues that are getting so full:(
It's upsetting to think there's still breeders when rescue centres are working so hard.

I understand why you want to get from a breeder, and i'm not trying to direct it at you, but please check out the Rabbits in Need section of the forum:)

With housing, once again i would definitely get a shed. Speaking personally, I have bought a shop hutch, and now knowing a lot more about rabbits, really wish I could get a bigger hutch. I would get something as big as possible, even it seems massive now, because when you learn more and your buns grow, you'll want to give them more space and end up having to buy a whole new set up again.

If you look at this:
http://www.gardenbuildingsdirect.co...Range?oid=17308&rtag=category-product-banners
It's cheaper than this:
http://www.welfarehutches.co.uk/6ft_Single_Hutch/p1466125_10873389.aspx
But It's much bigger, warmer, more convenient for cleaning (and sitting in:D) and will last a long time.
You don't need to worry about it being fox proof, if you make sure you've got strong walls and base and have a lock on it, a shed is a lot safer than a hutch!


For a run, the RWAF minimum for a pair of buns is 8 foot x 4 foot. You could attach this with a runaround pipe, which is a safe and popular option for humans and bunnies.
http://www.runaround.co.uk/

Hope all goes well with your researching!:wave:
 
As others have said RWAF's minimum reccomended size (for small to medium sized buns) is 6x2x2 with an 8x4 attached run.

I looked at some of the hutches with runs attached but they all looked a bit small to me, do you think that I should get one custom made? Thanks again for replying!

Look at ryedale and the welfare hutch company - if you google these youll get up lots of discussion threads on them too. They are both exceptional quality and delivery is very cheap on them so it doesnt matter where you live.

Also look at "runaround" pipes they do connection kits where you can link a hutch and seperate run together with a tube - the buns love the pipes too.

I have a welfare hutches 6x2 double hutch (2ft high each floor), with an 8ft runaround tube to a 6x6.5ft run (also made by welfare hutches). They are really good quality. However i would say that looking at my two small netherland dwarfs in a 6x2 double hutch that i think a bigger bun (even if they are only a mini lop or dwarf lop) should have an even bigger hutch. 6x2 really isnt much space for an average bun but is accepted as the minimum size for small to medium sized buns by RWAF.
 
Thanks for all the Advise! I've looked into it and finally found a 6x2x4 double hutch which I think would be perfect, and it comes with an attachable 6x8ft run too so it's the best of both worlds! It's not cheap but then again if I want them to have the right home it's worth the money! Unfortunately, as mx has if love a Wendy house or she'd I just won't have the space for that plus a run, and a lot of the Wendy's I saw were quite expensive and still only 4x4 or so and so wouldn't be big enough :(

I have done a lot of research into rescues around me and I don't think any of them have young rabbits in but I'll just have to keep looking!

Does anybody know about mini lion lops at all and if there temperament is much different to that of a mini lop? I've heard thy the grooming is a bit more intensive!

P.S Tidgy those bunnies are so cute! I can't wait to get mine, I am so, so excited!
 
Thanks for all the Advise! I've looked into it and finally found a 6x2x4 double hutch which I think would be perfect, and it comes with an attachable 6x8ft run too so it's the best of both worlds! It's not cheap but then again if I want them to have the right home it's worth the money! Unfortunately, as mx has if love a Wendy house or she'd I just won't have the space for that plus a run, and a lot of the Wendy's I saw were quite expensive and still only 4x4 or so and so wouldn't be big enough :(

I have done a lot of research into rescues around me and I don't think any of them have young rabbits in but I'll just have to keep looking!

Does anybody know about mini lion lops at all and if there temperament is much different to that of a mini lop? I've heard thy the grooming is a bit more intensive!

P.S Tidgy those bunnies are so cute! I can't wait to get mine, I am so, so excited!

i have 2 mini lops that were 8 week old siblings when we got them , brother and sister we kept them together got them neutered at 16 weeks together and never had to part them.....or you could get the boy neutered by 11 weeks if you were concerned then the girl at 16 weeks and still never have to part them.

bonding rabbits is a nightmare and should only be attempted by the experienced so you would be best to get babies who are siblings or a bonded pair from a rescue.
 
Welcome to the forum.

My rabbit Doughnut is an indoors rabbits so can't advise about outside housing but I support a rescue centre and they had a couple of young bunnies in which have now been adopted.

Some rescues are happy to travel a bit so I would maybe look a bit further afield. You may think you want two young rabbits but when you look around you may fall in love with a couple of older rabbits.

I know when I was looking for Doughnut I wanted a grey or black male rabbit. Didn't want a "patterned" one but when I saw her I just knew she was for me!
 
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