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Wildie Care

Hi all,

I'm just looking for a bit of reassurance and advice around caring for a wildie. I've just rehomed one from P@H and whilst I'm an experienced rabbit owner in general (I'm also bunny mum to 3 contis and 4 lionheads), I just want to make sure that what I give him is 100% suited to him and his needs and will give him the best possible future.

He's between 4-5 months old and was hand reared since he was found injured at about 3 weeks old and looked after by the veterinary staff there, so they are confident he is a picture of good health. He certainly looks it - he's perfect. He'll be having his vaccinations this/next week once he's fully settled and I've got him used to being in a carry case to minimise any undue stress to him. I also have the option to neuter him - would this be recommended considering he's a wildie?

He's going to be kept inside until the spring where he's going to get his very own wildie appropriate aviary setup in the garden that he can explore - beyond excited to make that for him. I know he's going to need a LOT of exercise. Until then we're going to bunny proof a room for him - not ideal as we can't give him 24/7 access but he'll get as much time as we can possibly give him! He's very confident and doesn't mind me at all, took no time settling in and getting used to his new surroundings. He's already running rings around the house and he's got his little zoomie routes sorted already. He's going to be the (pint sized) king of the castle, that much I already know! I'd prefer it if he keeps all four paws on the ground, the thought of him getting up on something and falling off terrifies me but I know he's just doing what he wants to do - he's eyeing up our sofas like he's found his thrones...

Diet wise, I'm looking to keep it as natural as possible - hay, forage and very, very limited pellets and veg (less than the recommended amount for your average domestic bunnies) - I hope this will be okay.

Is he likely to have any additional specific needs that I should bear in mind? I'd like for him to have company at some point in the future but I don't know if this will be possible?

Thanks for any advice you can give!



Should probably introduce you to the little guy while I'm at it - here's Speedy!

f2f30fd71d.jpg
 
Gasp :love: He's beyond adorable :love:

I've sadly not had experience of a wildie, but I know several forum members have and I'm sure that some of them have also bonded them.

Please continue to post pics of him and let us know how he gets on.
 
Oh, wow!
I hand reared a tiny half-wildie, definitely my soul-bun. As he got a bit stronger he would just leap up on to the windowsill and watch the world go by. He would hear my car come back! Yes, I would neuter. What he will need is lots and lots of space - as you already know - and I'm sure you will have a really exciting experience and he will have a lovely home.
PS He will dig tunnels like you've never seen before! I ended up fencing off part of the garden, with a raised bed, so he could dig to his heart's content.
 
What a gorgeous bunny and it sounds like you are going to build him a wonderful home. I guess he is very used to humans having been hand reared. He looks a real character :love:
 
Hi all,

I'm just looking for a bit of reassurance and advice around caring for a wildie. I've just rehomed one from P@H and whilst I'm an experienced rabbit owner in general (I'm also bunny mum to 3 contis and 4 lionheads), I just want to make sure that what I give him is 100% suited to him and his needs and will give him the best possible future.

He's between 4-5 months old and was hand reared since he was found injured at about 3 weeks old and looked after by the veterinary staff there, so they are confident he is a picture of good health. He certainly looks it - he's perfect. He'll be having his vaccinations this/next week once he's fully settled and I've got him used to being in a carry case to minimise any undue stress to him. I also have the option to neuter him - would this be recommended considering he's a wildie?

He's going to be kept inside until the spring where he's going to get his very own wildie appropriate aviary setup in the garden that he can explore - beyond excited to make that for him. I know he's going to need a LOT of exercise. Until then we're going to bunny proof a room for him - not ideal as we can't give him 24/7 access but he'll get as much time as we can possibly give him! He's very confident and doesn't mind me at all, took no time settling in and getting used to his new surroundings. He's already running rings around the house and he's got his little zoomie routes sorted already. He's going to be the (pint sized) king of the castle, that much I already know! I'd prefer it if he keeps all four paws on the ground, the thought of him getting up on something and falling off terrifies me but I know he's just doing what he wants to do - he's eyeing up our sofas like he's found his thrones...

Diet wise, I'm looking to keep it as natural as possible - hay, forage and very, very limited pellets and veg (less than the recommended amount for your average domestic bunnies) - I hope this will be okay.

Is he likely to have any additional specific needs that I should bear in mind? I'd like for him to have company at some point in the future but I don't know if this will be possible?

Thanks for any advice you can give!



Should probably introduce you to the little guy while I'm at it - here's Speedy!

f2f30fd71d.jpg


Twigs Way, aka Parnsipbun on here, has masses of Wildie experience.

She's not often round at the moment but you could send her a PM :D

As a side issue - where did your contis come from? I know you contacted me a while ago :)
 
He is gorgeous:love: I had 2 half wildie bunnies a while ago, I adopted them as a pair, they were brothers, and eventually I bonded them with my other pair of lionhead sisters. They had a shed with 10ft x 17ft aviary run. They were very active bunnies, definitely rabbity rabbits and hated any human contact that didn't involve being fed :lol: One of them was very good at climbing and climbed 4ft up the vertical weldmesh side of the aviary. They loved their runaround tunnels and levels in the shed for jumping on.
 
Aw what a beautiful bun :love: I wish we could get wild European rabbits over here,I'd have one in a heartbeat :love:
 
Oh, wow!
I hand reared a tiny half-wildie, definitely my soul-bun. As he got a bit stronger he would just leap up on to the windowsill and watch the world go by. He would hear my car come back! Yes, I would neuter. What he will need is lots and lots of space - as you already know - and I'm sure you will have a really exciting experience and he will have a lovely home.
PS He will dig tunnels like you've never seen before! I ended up fencing off part of the garden, with a raised bed, so he could dig to his heart's content.

He's definitely a little livewire - he is constantly on the go. When he's out in the back room he's always zooming around the room, binkying away and having a whale of a time. He always comes up to me when I'm sat on the floor as if to ask whether I'm watching him... hard not to - he's fascinating!

Definitely going to be a completely different experience to my other rabbits... He's tamer than all of them (definitely a surprise, was told he was skitty but would come up to you - he's not skitty at all and LOVES people!) but so much different in terms of his activity levels and general attitude to life. He's constantly on one. He's not yet developed a taste for heights but I definitely worry about him jumping off things and hurting himself - I don't know how much of a height he can handle before risking damage!! :?

I'll look into getting him neutered - I do worry with his size and his wild-ness... but it does need to happen.

Twigs Way, aka Parnsipbun on here, has masses of Wildie experience.

She's not often round at the moment but you could send her a PM :D

As a side issue - where did your contis come from? I know you contacted me a while ago :)

I'll PM her, thanks!

My conti babies came from the same breeder as Bruce (hoping I won't be judged for this...). Got to a point with him where I could tell he was really unhappy, bless him. He's a much happier boy now. He's not living with them just yet (but he has contact through mesh), but once Kara has been spayed (she's the one causing issues at the minute as she's at that hormonal stage) I'm hoping to have a trio of happy contis. :)
 
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