• 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.

I've just rehomed a rabbit/advice/help with situation etc.

Marmalade

New Kit
Hi everyone,

I was hoping I could get some advice- this will be long so please bear with me.

I have recently taken on an unwanted bunny and I'm not sure what to do on so many levels so looking for some help, advice and guidance.

I will say, I used to have one bunny as a child- he had a large hutch and was placed in a run very early in the morning and taken in at night. Whilst I don't believe he had a bad life, compared to some, I realise now that things weren't done correctly, having read up recently.

So, my conundrum is as follows... I let my heart rule my head and took the little one home. I have had dogs, horses and (strangely) hamsters my whole life and I'm very much an advocate of making sure everything is done correctly- diet, housing, exercise etc. My Syrian is spoiled rotten. He is a rehome and has come from being in a small glass tank with no form of stimulation to now living in a ZooZone2 (complete with playpen) with all the toys, puzzles and burrows I could accommodate.

Back to the rabbit; I am unsure whether to keep her or not. I took her on as the family who had her, though they seemed nice, didn't have time and she was left in a small hutch (can I say dirty without sounding horrible? :-/ )after the kids lost interest.

My friend had said she was interested in taking her (hence why I went and picked her up in the first place) as one of the reasons I haven't taken on a rabbit before, is because my yard is very small, I have dogs etc. and wasn't sure I could give one everything it would need.
However, having just rushed out and bought a large hutch (she didn't come with anything so had to buy her one immediately) vs some of the things my friend has said, I do wonder if she'd be better off with me.



I shall try and explain the pros and cons of each home (neither of us are perfect and some may argue I was stupid to pick her up in the first place, but I couldn't leave her where she was).

The hutch she is currently in, is the biggest and best I could find (rather than ordering online)having trawled round shops. It meets the RWA standards for depth, is double height and is only just under the required length (it's 5 3/4 foot) set out in their guidelines. When I told my friend the price of the hutch, she scrunched up her face and said 'oh F off' and informed me she could get one from a supplier for £30 (but can't until after the weekend so she'll have to live in a cat carrier 'til then)- having looked on the suppliers website the only one I can see for said price are the tiny old-fashioned ones (I remember friends having rabbits in them when I'd go over for dinner after primary school) in the very light coloured wood, with the red plastic catches and the cartoon drawings of rabbits on the 'sleeping area'. This has put me off slightly, as far as rehoming is concerned, I must admit.

Secondly, my friend is very old-school. Whilst she has a small holding, so the bunny will ultimately have more space as they'll build a big run, she's very set in her ways and isn't open to change as far as care is concerned.
She said 'yeah, I've got plenty of straw there and old bits of wood...'. I mentioned I thought it was incorrect to bed them on straw, due to dust spores and them getting pricked/injured. My friend just replied 'naaaahhhh'. Everything seems to be a scrunched up face or an 'oh, don't be daft' look, when I try to mention what I believe are the correct ways to keep a rabbit.

So, the run down is as follows... my friend is very set in her ways; she will love and look after the rabbit and she does care for her animals as she sees fit but she has a no-frills approach. It'll be straw as bedding, hay occasionally and standard rabbit food. She will have a small, basic hutch but will be let out during the day into what I hope would be a very large run. She won't be vaccinated (she lives in an area with many wild rabbits) or have a friend (again, when I mentioned this she went 'ooohhh, nooooo, they'd fight!') but will have space to roam.

The positives of her staying with me are: she will be vaccinated yearly (I live in a suburban area with no wild rabbits), she will be spayed, she will be fed a variety of different hays, numerous activity toys/boredom breakers, she will ultimately have a friend (should I keep her, it's something I'd like to look into as soon as possible) and as soon as I get the funds together, I will look into putting runaround tunnels in various configurations around the yard.

The negatives are: I have dogs and whilst she came from a multi-dog household and doesn't seem too bothered, one of my dogs is becoming very distressed and constantly pacing/whining at the door and won't settle (though this could be because it's all new and she's only just arrived- I don't know) so is it fair on dog or rabbit?! My dog is very sensitive and admittedly, whilst he's used to various different animals, his uneasiness is concerning me (I didn't think he'd react the way he has).

I have a tiny yard (and I mean tiny!) which is very awkwardly shaped. I do have a large garden out the back and whilst it's good for the dogs to run around, it is shared between myself and another lady. I wouldn't be able to put the rabbit out there as the freeholder is a funny beggar and it's technically his.

She's been stuck in her hutch since arriving yesterday and is obviously bored or distressed or worried or something as she was thumping throughout the night- My friend is meant to be taking her ASAP, hence just buying the hutch as it was only meant to be a stop-gap for a day or two until both hutch and bunny should've been going to friend. If worse comes to worst and I'm left with a hutch and no bunny, I'll take a £20 knock and stick the hutch up as near-new on Preloved or somewhere.

She (and hopefully a new friend) will never have a lovely converted shed or wendy house as there just isn't the room to fit another large building in the yard; like I say, the best I'll be able to do is expand vertically with top boxes/pipes and small corner boxes or narrow runs around the perimeter of the yard.

I am often pushed for time/money and whilst I always have savings/money there for the animals, if things go wrong, it'll be another (2) mouth(es) to feed- though if it means getting up half and hour earlier each morning to feed/clean, so be it, I suppose. ;)
I could go and buy her a run today, if she stays, but it'll be a standard pet-shop sized one which she will have to be placed in, rather than free-access and it possibly won't be until the New Year, before I have the money to start adding pipes/expanding and even then, it's never going to be as big as it would be if she went to my friend.
My housemate works shifts in the evenings so she has said whilst I'm out in the day with the dogs, she will let the bunny free-roam the yard (it's walled and secure but there are cats next door that share the large garden).

Ahh, I don't know! Tell me I'm being daft and I should stick to the original plan of getting the little thing out of the situation she was in, purely to rehome to my friend, knowing it would be difficult for me to keep one!
 
No, you weren't stupid to take her. To be honest, I came by my first rabbit on impulse too and although it's not ideal I knew I cared enough to find out what she needed and give it to her. It sounds as though you'll do the same.

I think the crucial thing here is that you've said you intend getting her a friend. My experience is that rabbits value company of their own kind above most other things.

Good luck!
 
Hi :)

To me it sounds like your rabbit would be loads better off with you in terms of care, at the very least. Giving a rabbit hay 'occasionally' is just a recipe for disaster IMO - the rabbit may well develop dental issues, which may also go un-noticed - and keeping her in a small hutch with no friend outside is really not in her best interests. Also not vaccinating the rabbit may lead to her dying a painful and slow death, if she contracts what the vaccinations prevent.

You sound like a much better educated and responsible owner, so I honestly would keep her yourself. What breed is the dog that is getting upset? If it's a working/hunting dog (i.e Jack Russel, Whippet, Greyhound etc) then I can understand why it may be a bit agitated at first, but surely it would settle down once it gets used to the rabbit being there and not being a toy to play with? Have you let them meet? Not face to face obviously, but have you let the dog sniff round the hutch etc? If said dog is trying to attack rabbit through the bars then you know you have a problem, but hopefully it'll just need a week or so to get used to this new thing!

Could you keep your rabbit as a house-bun (obviously with security measures to prevent the dogs getting to her!) in her own room upstairs, if your yard is so awkwardly shaped?

I really, honestly think she is WAY better off with you.
 
I agree with the above. I think the rabbit will be much happier with you, particularly as you plan a friend for her, but neutering, vaccinations, diet etc are all vital and you sound much more clued up.

Two of my dogs got quite unsettled when Arthur and Elsie came home, but they quickly got bored of them and dont bother now (although Cally still gets quite giddy at cleaning out time - I have no idea why, but it doesnt bother the rabbits at all and she settles as soon as the job is finished) Cally is a bit of an odd dog though!!

Well done for helping the bun :)
 
Sounds like you know what you want to do.
I was in a similar position with Rosie, rescued her from a neglectful home and to start off with her accommodation was not as good as I'd have liked but it was the best I could do at short notice and I had to keep reminding myself it was better than where she'd come from.
Two and a half years on she has a partner, a lovely home and big run, plenty of free range time and I can't imagine being without either of them. You could always just tell your friend you've become too attached to let her go?
 
You sound like a much better option for her. You have taken the time to investigate what her needs are and how best to care for her.

Set ups can be adjusted as you go along and what you have sounds a lot better than where she was. And you are thinking of getting her a friend which is lovely :love::love::love:

Go on - keep her. You know you want to.... :D :wave:
 
It sounds like you have things thought through ;). I think the fact that you are SO concerned demonstrates that you could house this little one very comfortably. Lots of people on here don't buy fancy hays for their bunnies, but buy bale hay from farms, which works out a heck of a lot cheaper!

Good luck in what ever you decide.
 
I think you sound like a much better owner for the rabbit than your friend, honestly. You have already researched so much and obviously care so deeply- she'll be much happier, and healthier, with you. You can learn as you go, you have already got her out of a not very good situation, things can only get better for her with you.

I second the suggestion of her becoming a house rabbit (mostly because I believe most rabbits should be house rabbits); however, you did mention a housemate, so, and do correct me if I'm being presumptious, you probably rent? If so, rabbits can be incredibly destructive (and messy!), even with rabbit-proofing, but if you can spare a room, or a blocked off part of one, without upsetting your other animals, you could try that.

And lastly... Pictures? :love: And does she have a name?
 
Thanks for the kind replies, everyone.

I've thought long and hard- even though I realise it's only been a couple of days and I'm going with my gut but some of the things my friend has said has made me decide I definitely will keep her- the problem is, my friend wants her today or tomorrow and was talking about the run she's going to build but again, when I mentioned I'd found some ok-ish ones for about £50, which I didn't think was that bad, considering some of the prices I've come across, she twisted her face again and said all she's ever bought in the past is wire to criss-cross over! God, now I sound like a right cow and she is my friend, after all. Think I'm going to have to have a very awkward conversation later today (I hope she never sees this post!).

Jemima: the dog is a Border collie- say no more! He is used to small animals (had hamsters around him from being a pup) and was born at the yard where I have the horses, so has come into contact with ducks, geese, guinea pigs, rabbits etc. He did once kill a chicken mind, or rather stalked it until it flapped around, he then jumped up and bit it and it was so traumatised, they knocked it over the head. :(
I've been using distraction techniques with treats and just not leaving him out there unsupervised so fingers crossed he'll get better. Like I say, he is overly sensitive and I don't fully trust him in certain situations but sure I can manage it. One good thing is he is literally just watching and hasn't made any attempt to nip at the bars or stalk. I'd never leave the dogs unsupervised anyway, even if they were good as gold and trustworthy- you just never know!

At the moment, keeping her in the house would be a bit of an issue due to space and dog crates. I sadly can't keep her upstairs as I live in a flat! People tend to recoil in horror when I say I have a flat and collies; don't worry, it's a downstairs flat and it's actually quite big and lovely (I like to think of it as more of a bungalow- it just happens to have a few people upstairs! ;) ). At some point, I would like to reconfigure the lounge and fit built in dog crates, under a deep window seat. When that's done, I could possibly look into putting a cube enclosure (not sure of the correct name- the metal squares that click together) in the corner and she could happily have a section of my room to run around in. I'm not sure I'll be in this place longer than another year or two so you never know, I may find somewhere bigger next time, with larger, more useable space. I guess there are a few options to think of in the future.

dizzyg; I have horses so I've been bringing bags of hay home (shaking any seeds etc out first) to use as both bedding and for her to nibble, this will keep my costs down in one area. She then has a tiny bit of Readi-Grass to try and encourage her to eat as she's not bothering much with the hay and is mad for her food (probably because I'm guessing that's been her entire diet up to now), I've also bought her a large bale of Timothy.

I made her a make-shift KONG out of a toilet roll at 2am last night. :oops: Stuffed it with greens and a herbal hay/beetroot mix and plugged the ends up with Timothy and this seemed to keep her occupied. I was getting a bit worried about her being bored and after the stamping and thumping on the first night (which I'm sure is to be expected), I was paranoid but it did the trick! :)

I've also bought her some nuggets and will phase out the mix having read some horrors last night about dental issues.
She's quite nervy but I'm going to attempt to get her into the vets as soon as I can to have her teeth/nails checked etc and get her vaccinated. Will talk to the vets about spaying too. :) Is there an ideal age for it? I believe she's around a year old now.

I've named her Marmalade- hence my username- I'm not very inventive! She didn't have a name and I thought it suited her, due to her colour.

I don't have any pictures on the computer as yet. I will post some ASAP.

Perhaps you lovely people could give me a better idea of her breeding, once I do.

She's a pretty small-to-medium sized, I think (she seems quite petite but then the rabbit I had when I was young (we found him in a carpark and after no one came forward and we couldn't find an owner, kept him) was quite large). The guy said he got her from PAH when she was younger and now fully grown, the kids couldn't be bothered anymore. I believe she's harlequin in colour. She has one lop ear and one ear that sticks up for the most part but will flop down every so often.
 
Last edited:
Marmalade sounds beautiful! The 'hay in a toilet roll' is a favourite toy for RU bunnies - cheap and effective! :). There's lots of ideas on here for similar homemade toys, so have a little look around.

While we are primarily a bunny forum, we also appreciate pics of all animals, just because, ;), so please feel free to introduce your doggies as well! Your collie sounds lovely.

:wave:
 
Ah, wonderful! I think you've made the right decision.

Hopefully your woof will settle down soon. At least he's not actually trying to attack Marmalade - then you'd have a problem! I think that, if you live in a flat with dogs, it's probably best if she stays outside where it's a bit safer. I suppose she's not vaccinated or neutered yet, is she?

Would love to see some photographs soon :D
 
Just had a quick look at some of the homemade toys on here- they're great, thanks for letting me know; so many ideas I would never have thought of! :)

I'll do a proper introduction thread at some point, complete with pictures of the whole 'zoo'. ;)

No, she's not vaccinated or neutered (I don't think). I didn't ask when I collected her but I'm very much guessing no. It's on my to-do list so she'll be getting both done ASAP.
 
Just a little update on Marmalade and more questions/help needed.

My gosh, I am so in love with this little bunny! I had no idea I'd become quite so attached. She is like a little person and I love her dearly.

Anyway, enough of the soppy stuff. ;) I didn't want to spam the board with yet more of my questions, so I thought I'd just add it into this thread.

She has had phase one of her runaround system completed and I am about to embark on phase two (just wish it wasn't so blooming expensive. but due to the small, awkward layout of yard, as said earlier in this post, it's the only real option to give her the space).

I have a couple of things that are on my mind and I need to once again pick your brains. At the moment she has tunnels and corner boxes to both a small apex run and a larger metal run (not ideal as not a huge space, more lots of little areas). I think she is getting bored and lonely as she has started thumping again in the early hours (often leading to me getting up at 3am to let her out and give her some sort of food or activity).

She gets let out for about an hour and a half at around 6am, to free range and then the same in the evening, about half 5ish. She has access to her tunnels and runs 24/7. I try to spend as much time as possible with her when I can, but obviously if I'm out, I can't.

She has been vaccinated but not yet neutered (I know, naughty of me but had so many unexpected bills to pay out for horses) but I am hoping to get her in before the end of the month.
I think it is time to get her a little friend (I had hoped I'd have the whole setup complete and her all neutered and settled before bringing in another but she really seems so bored and alone and it's worrying me sick).

Going back to the runaround, I shall be buying some more pipes and extending out again but I'd still say it's in no way big enough for two. I've spent £200 already, with the second section about to cost me a further £100. I then want to extend out in the opposite direction, behind the kennel and shed, around the perimeter, which is going to cost me another £100ish and eventually add a top box set (about £300) to finally make it big enough for two bunnies- making the total spend an eye watering £700. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a fab idea and I can't complain about the components and how well it is working for me as a system but I just can't get over how much it all mounts up to, by the time you've added in clamps and boxes and blooming doors!
It will be a while before I can spend the final £400 so I am more than aware that at the moment, it's not an ideal setup for two and I don't want fighting!

In the meantime, I've tried homemade toys and boredom breakers/different types of hay/veg holders etc. but I find that she must just be sitting there during the times I'm not around, being bored and under-stimulated. I read somewhere that rabbits abandoned in the garden and not bothered with, can become 'garden ghosts' and the term breaks my heart. :oops: Daft, soppy ****** that I am! I don't want her to become a garden ghost but with 3 dogs, I can't really bring her inside so need to split my time and give her as much attention as I can, when I can. So, does anyone have any other ideas for toys or games to give her something else to do whilst I'm out? Egg boxes and toilet rolls only seem to last so long and I don't really want every thing to be centered around food as I just think chucking her yet more treats is only going to make her gain weight. I feel so guilty as I think she must be getting cabin fever spending her days living in the same hutch, the same tunnels, the same runs... what does everyone else to do give their rabbits the best life possible, especially when they don't have the biggest of outside spaces?

I would love to think that I could get her a friend ASAP and that it would help the situation but with the lack of useable space at the moment, do you think it'd be asking for trouble? I was thinking of getting him a hutch and giving him access to a run and just keeping him in the yard near her but obviously not with, for the next few months, until I can extend my system a little more or do you think it'd be more sensible to wait a few more months, until I've completely finished extending, then start thinking about getting another, rather than bringing one into her space where she'll be able to smell him and he'll be on her territory?I will obviously get her neutered and have her heal properly first- same goes for new one.

I nearly came home with a little boy from the market a couple of months ago but had to put my 'proper head' on and stop myself. The plan will be to hopefully get one from the market (they live their lives in tiny little cages) as I'd like to give one the best life I can. I am worried about the risks of not being able to bond them (being a rabbit newbie) so that's another question, do you think it's a really bad idea? I know it would be more sensible to get in touch with rescues and go down that route but I can't help but think at least the ones in rescues are already safe, not sitting in their own muck, in cages just about big enough to turn round in.

Sorry for the overly wordy, long post! I do have a habit of rambling! Hope you can pick out the gist of things, amongst my ramblings! ;)
 
The thumping at night will be because she's either heard a noise that scared her or she's bored, or sometimes both! Unfortunately if you go out to her when she does it and give her food she will learn to thump when she wants feeding and it will happen more.
A friend really would be the best option for her and actually two don't need any more space than one.
Once she's been neutered and settled down hormone wise the easiest option is definitely to take her to a rescue to be bonded with one of their single boys, then you can just disinfect her hutch whilst she's away so it's a neutral space when they come home.
I'm sorry but I do think getting a rabbit from the market is a bad idea, for one thing it perpetuates the trade and getting one from a rescue means you know that you're making space for another bun to be rescued. You also get the help and support from rescues in any ongoing bonding questions, plus your new boy will be neutered and vaccinated already.

Glad to hear you and Marmalade are getting on so well, I didn't think I could love a bun so much until I had them :love:
 
Back
Top