Newbie Bunny Owner introduction (Pic Included)

The Story:

Toffee was originally owned by one of my Nan's neighbours. She lived in a hutch in the garden. My Nan noticed that this rabbit kept hopping into her garden for about a week, so she managed to get her today and ask around the neighbours who she thought it belongs too.
A young lad came to the door and my Nan asked him "Do you own a rabbit?"
The boy replied, "I think so.." (!!?!) He then called for him mum to come and speak to her.
My Nan then spoke to the mother, telling her about seeing it in her garden for a week. The lady then confessed that it was bought for the kids but they've just lost interest in it and as it escaped from the hutch they were just going to let her go free (!!!!!)
My Nan offered to re-home it and then women agreed.
Firstly, my Nan was going to keep it herself and put her in the large homemade chicken run that they have built to keep chickens in the future, but she found that her german shepherd dog just didn't really get on well with this, leaving her questioning whether they will even be able to get chickens.
So she phoned us up and asked if we would want to take her in, and we accepted!

My Nan stopped off at her pet store and bought a decent sized hutch, bedding, hay, dry food etc.. for her on her way over (Which we didn't expect, very kind of her) We want her as an indoor rabbit so we've put the hutch down in the utility room, quieter area usually free from loud children, but still somewhere were people regularly pass through and use. It's somewhere that doesn't get too hot or cold as well.

When my Nan asked about her in the pet shop, the staff seemed to think she is still very young (Despite the fact she's a pretty big girl) and they told her she looked like a lionhead or lionhead cross. What do you guys think?

The Family:

Our household currently consists of:
My Mum & Stepdad, Me (25), My Brother (20, Lives between home & Uni), My 3 step brothers (7, 9 & 10), Indi, the dog (Rhodesian Ridgeback) and plenty of Fish!

Newbie Bunny Owner Questions:

I've only ever owned a rabbit once and that was when I was very little. None of the family really know the ins and outs of caring for her in the best way possible so I'm the one who's been landed the job of 'Researcher'. I have seen that the forum has a FAQ section which I have had a quick skim through but will thoroughly read after posting this. I have been watching a couple of videos on YouTube.
As Toffee is new to us since today, we don't really know very much about her temperament, confidence, personality and I'm sure it will take a little while for her to settle in.
I have noticed a lot of people suggest that rabbits are best with a companion. Although currently we have no plans on getting another rabbit, this may be something we look into if it's very important.
If anyone could offer a breakdown of advice and tips for beginners that I can make notes of that would be really helpful to go along with my own research. Sometimes I seem to find conflicting information so that's why I thought it best to come on a dedicated rabbit forum and ask people who love and have genuine experience with them!

Thanks in Advance

Bex

Hello! You have a gorgeous bunny there. Not good with breeds but I would say she looks floppy eared to be a skinhead. Hay is the main part of my buns diet, I give them a few pellets in the morning and dark leafy greens, herbs and a treat of something veg or fruit (a small piece) for their dinner. The rest of the time they eat hay which is good for tummies and teeth.
It is important for health reasons to get her spayed and she will need to be vaccinated too.

Just to add that your bun can be litter trained which is esp good as she is an indoor bunny

Heya, Thanks for the tips. I have been looking up about the litter training. It surprised me as I didn't know they could be but doesn't seem hard to train by the looks.

I enjoy clicker training my dog and I think I will be able to use the clicker with Toffee too in the future.

Bexyb&Bunny said:

Heya, Thanks for the tips. I have been looking up about the litter training. It surprised me as I didn't know they could be but doesn't seem hard to train by the looks.

I enjoy clicker training my dog and I think I will be able to use the clicker with Toffee too in the future.

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It surprised me too, my buns are in a pen so they have lots of room to run about and I have 2 32 L storage box's with newspaper and lots of hay on top for their toilet. They like to eat and poop so I top up with fresh hay a couple of times a day and they are quick And easy to clean out.
Rabbits can respond really well to clicker training. I never knew how cleaved rabbits were until I owned one :wave:

Hello welcome to the forum! :wave:

Toffee is gorgeous and it's great that you're researching to provide the best care.

Most importantly, vaccinations. There is a combined vaccine that rabbits need once a year which protects them from 2 deadly diseases: myxomatosis and VHD. This costs on average between £20- £30 but is a fab price considering it covers 2 diseases and they only need it once a year.

Secondly, Toffee will need to be spayed. Sadly female rabbits have an 80-90% chance of developing uterine cancer So spaying is very important. It also means that if you get her a companion in the future, she can happily live with a neutered male which is usually the best combination!

Food wise: Toffee will need hay at all times as it should be 90% of a rabbits diet as it helps wear down their teeth and keeps the gut moving! Toffee will also need rabbit food. Pellets are the best to feed unlike the museli mix which can cause selective feeding. Burgess excel or science selective are very popular. Toffee will only need about an egg cup full every day though as hay is the most important.

Space wise, rabbits need as much room as possible. Minimum sized housing for a rabbit outside is a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft hutch with an 8ft run attached but as Toffee is a house bunny I'm guessing she will have lots of space anyway.

I think that's the most important things, sorry for the information overload! Toffee seems to have landed in the right hands now though and I can't wait to see more of her. Good luck.

Mischief and Tinker's Mum said:

Hello welcome to the forum! :wave:

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Heya, Thanks for the welcome and Thanks very much for all the info! That's actually really helpful, especially with what and how much to feed. Also the info on what vaccines she needs and price, which is very very reasonable.

We have no clue what she's had done from the previous owner (If anything by the way they seemed to not care for her). Is there any way to tell if she has been spayed already and I'm guessing that it probably won't cost much to have her done as I know cats are fairly cheap so it can't be far off.

I'm going to go in armed with all this info tomorrow and tell my mum all about it so she's got the same understanding. Me and her will be the primary carers for the rabbit as it goes. During the weekdays, I'm the one who's at home most of the time until they all get home from work and school so I will be letting her have supervised free roam of the house and when the weather is nicer she can have a play in the garden and munch on the grass So I'll need to get her litter trained asap for these reasons.

How long do you think she'll need to get fully settled down and comfortable with the new household?

Also, do rabbits respond to their name being called if said/taught enough (Like a dog or cat would) ?

Oh another important thing to mention is that rabbits can become ill very quickly. There is a certain illness that many people wish they had known about and that's stasis. Basically if Toffee ever seems lethargic, all hunched up and is refusing all kinds of food then it's highly likely she's gone into stasis. This means she would require urgent veterinary care so that they can get her gut moving again. Hopefully this will never ever happen but I do think you should be aware of it and I don't mean to worry you!

As Toffee is settling in, she may not be eating much at the moment but no need to worry, it's only if she ever stopped refusing all food, was lethargic and hunched up. I hope you never have to experience it but it's best to be aware. xx

Bexyb&Bunny said:

Heya, Thanks for the welcome and Thanks very much for all the info! That's actually really helpful, especially with what and how much to feed. Also the info on what vaccines she needs and price, which is very very reasonable.

We have no clue what she's had done from the previous owner (If anything by the way they seemed to not care for her). Is there any way to tell if she has been spayed already and I'm guessing that it probably won't cost much to have her done as I know cats are fairly cheap so it can't be far off.

I'm going to go in armed with all this info tomorrow and tell my mum all about it so she's got the same understanding. Me and her will be the primary carers for the rabbit as it goes. During the weekdays, I'm the one who's at home most of the time until they all get home from work and school so I will be letting her have supervised free roam of the house and when the weather is nicer she can have a play in the garden and munch on the grass So I'll need to get her litter trained asap for these reasons.

How long do you think she'll need to get fully settled down and comfortable with the new household?

Also, do rabbits respond to their name being called if said/taught enough (Like a dog or cat would) ?

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You're welcome.

Depending on which vets you use, the price for a spay varies a lot. I've heard of some charging £50 and others £120! It doesn't come cheap but it's worth it in the long run as can save you from large vet bills later on. The vets might be able to tell if she's been spayed if there's a scar but most bunnies heal pretty well so it can be difficult but chances are she is not spayed. I highly doubt her previous owners will have done that due to the fact they were happy for her to escape.

Sounds great, Toffee will have lots of room then.

Every rabbit is different, some settle in within a day, others a week and some even a little longer so we can't really know for sure but I don't think it will take her long to settle in. Oh yes they do respond to their name My three , Hector, Theo and Poppy come running when I call them. Well to be fair they respond to each other's names too :lol: but yes they can learn their names. :thumb:

Well I've just learned and written down 3 pages of info I think I'll need to know & remember using this sites FAQ's and the RSPCA website which has a really good in depth section all about rabbits which was very helpful. I'm sooo excited now, I feel like I've got a better knowledge and understanding so I can really care for her

I'm going to get mum to ditch the mixed dry food that my nan bought round as it seems this stuff is not very good for buns and I've decided to give the Science Selective a go which I'll probs order online as it'll be cheaper. Only using an egg cup a day, it's going to last a fair while so well worth it.

I'm not sure what hay she's got at the mo, but I'll check tomorrow (Well, later today since it's 2:00am!), I want her to have the Timothy hay as it's said to be the best and I can get it fairly cheap from some places.

Going to get everyone to save boxes, tubes etc.. so I can make toys, obstacles and dig boxes for her to play with.

I've downloaded a handy list of veg and herbs that are safe and good for rabbits from the rspca website which I'm going to keep on me when I'm at work. I work at tesco and usually at the time I finish at night there's been quite a bit of reduced items in the veg section along with a discount it's a win situation for getting a good variety of stuff for Toffee.

I'm going to get a litter tray for her and train her, seems simple enough. I have a question though, should I get 2 litter trays, one for the hutch for when she is in there, and one for the house for when she's out? Or would she return to the hutch when she needs to go (When properly trained)?

I'm going to tell my mum about the vaccines and spaying and will get her booked in asap.

One last thing I wanted to ask about, something for the future when she's been with us for a while and comfortable.
Do yo agree with the use of a rabbit harness? I was thinking what a lovely idea it would be to take her to a quiet field (when no dogs etc are about) or along the grassy riverbank opposite us or somewhere like that so that she can have a hop around. We live in a pretty quiet rural village surrounded by farmland so there's plenty of areas to go to. Do you think this is Ok to do, or are people generally against it?

Hello and welcome :wave:

Just trying to think of things no one has mentioned yet! When you choose a vet it's really important to look for a rabbit specialist as they're classed as exotics and your standard vet is likely not to know how to properly treat a rabbit. There is a sticky somewhere on the forum (I think in health) about questions to ask a vet to be sure they know about rabbits! You can also post a new thread in here asking for a rabbit savvy vet in your area, or email the RWAF and they will let you know the closest rabbit specialist on their database.

In terms of using a harness, most people are against them as rabbits have very fragile backs and can break them fairly easily if constrained on a harness. Even if she is very calm on the harness, she could pick up illnesses etc from walking where wild bunnies have been. There is also always the chance that a dog or cat could come out of nowhere and it only takes a second for them to hurt her. Personally I would stick to exercise at home! Some people allow free ranging in the garden, although as you are keeping her as an indoor bun you shouldn't let her outside until spring as temperature changes can cause respiratory problems in rabbits.

I can't think of anything else at the moment, it sounds like you are doing fantastic research!

With regards to the mixed food, you will need to introduce the SS pellets slowly and gradually over time. Everyday add a few pellets whilst reducing the amount of mixed.

I would stick to exercising at home too. Some rabbits are great on harnesses. My 2 boys are and will binky in them (a binky is a happy jump!) but the majority of rabbits tend to not like wearing them. I use a shoulder harness so that it doesn't go around their neck and they are fine in it. However not all bunnies like them.

I think it's brilliant that you're doing all this research. :thumb:

Hiya and welcome :wave:

I think everybody's covered everything already, but just wanted to say congrats on your first bunny & well done on doing your research. Toffee is gorgeous! She could be a dwarf lop x lionhead like my Slipper


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Hello and welcome! :wave:

Toffee is adorable