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How do you keep down the cost of owning rabbits?

B

Beapig

Mama Doe
I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to reduce the cost of my rabbits. The pellets and the hay aren't so expensive because they last a long time, but buying kale and spinach every week can add up.

I was thinking I could feed forage only and grow my own veg and herbs.

Asking because I am considering taking a giant continental for free from freeads. The owner has used extremely abusive language in the advert, describing her as 'a jerk' because she keeps escaping from the *dog cage* she's kept in, in the garden!

I emailed the owner and when I asked her specific questions, she basically said take the rabbit or sod off :/

So question is - how much do you think your rabbits cost you monthly and any advice on keeping living costs lower?
 
Day to day costs are low here. I spend £30 a month on hay & megazorb (for 3 bunnies) but forage like a crazy thing. With the weather being as it is I'm also drying loads for winter. Its the unanticipated costs of vets bills that worry me, otherwise I'd definitely take on a fourth. Its really sweet of you to want to help another bunny - she sure sounds like she needs someone to fight her corner. I can't look at free ads
 
Foraging like crazy is a fab idea - where do you go to find good forage? :) I have been finding it easy to get lots of brambles but the dandelions are all dead as can be from the scorching sun.

And I agree completely about vet bills - Plumpkin was £10 to initally rescue but she has cost me close to £500 on vet bills. The other two have hardly cost anything aside from spay and neuter/vaccinations.

The description of the rabbit says:

'Giant female continental giant rabbit not spade, she is a escape artist, doesn't come with a run she has trashed hers, used to live in doors but switched to out doors due to the heat and now having a garden, want her gone as she is terrorising our small dogs and just trashing the garden despite every attempt we make to trap her in a run she has broken them over and over, would make a good indoor substitute dog, she is about the size of a small terrier will eat carrots from your hand.
Pick up only.'

Maybe someone complained because she has changed the description completely since I last looked. Before she called the rabbit a jerk and said she hated her :censored: The above still doesn't come across well.

I should NOT check freeads, I'm so stupid...
 
I'm too scared to look at how much is spent per month on the buns.. [emoji38]

Totally get what you mean with veggies though, I buy a huge bag of kale, spinach rocket and watercress mixed together, tenderstem broccoli [emoji849] and loads of herbs every 3 days or so [emoji38] and I've just taken two more on.. So ima need more...

It's vet bills that worry me too, if anything really catastrophic happens and they need a huge op. I wonder often about insurance.. But then I'm just not sure.. Plus for two of mine already it probably wouldn't be worth it with their ongoing issues.

We spend a lot of hay a month, because we feed different types I think, pellets barely anything - I buy the biggest possible bag and store them.

That poor rabbit :( some people have no idea do they...

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Me and hubby go to the shops almost everyday and look at reduced veggies, there is always kale, watercress, spinach etc there and all perfectly fine to be eaten that night and the next day or two so that could save you a few pennies.

Currently looking at the logistics of buying baled hay locally (saw one of loobers pics) and they're usually advertised for £4/5 a bale so maybe an option there too?

I feed fresh hay daily, 3 different types currently but the leftover hay I put into their toilets so I get one more last use along with newspaper my MIL saves up for me. I also collect grasses from nearby cemetery and allotment

It's the cost of the hay which is my biggest outgoing atm aside from Luna's vet bills. I'd love to have insurance but need to wait until I'm off maternity leave until I sort that - I also would like a third bun :eek:

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Beapig said:
I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to reduce the cost of my rabbits. The pellets and the hay aren't so expensive because they last a long time, but buying kale and spinach every week can add up.

I was thinking I could feed forage only and grow my own veg and herbs.

Asking because I am considering taking a giant continental for free from freeads. The owner has used extremely abusive language in the advert, describing her as 'a jerk' because she keeps escaping from the *dog cage* she's kept in, in the garden!

I emailed the owner and when I asked her specific questions, she basically said take the rabbit or sod off :/

So question is - how much do you think your rabbits cost you monthly and any advice on keeping living costs lower?
Click to expand...



I forage loads of stuff and also dry it, including grass at the moment. I grow food for them and haven't had to buy anything food wise apart from a bag of pellets and hay.

The main way I save ..I take out insurance on the very day they hop through my doors.
 
Great advice MM. My cat is insured but none of my rabbits are. I talked to my OH about at least insuring Plumpkin, but he thinks that because she has known health problems to will be v.expensive and the threshold will be high?

Do you have any general insurance advice?
 
I’m usually at the shops at least twice a week buying herbs & veg for the bunnies, I would estimate I spend around £5-6 per week on fresh foods which isn’t too bad. Pellets last ages, probably only work out around £1 a week. Hay I buy from timothyhay.co.uk and it costs me £12 a bag which lasts a month, maybe slightly more depending on how much they are eating!

I have tried growing my own but I am clearly the world’s worst gardener as I never have much success :oops:

I feel sorry for the poor bunny being given away, that’s why I don’t look at ads :cry: I have enough temptation through volunteering for a rescue! The unknown costs / vet bills always worries me with taking on a bunny from freeads.
 
Beapig said:
Great advice MM. My cat is insured but none of my rabbits are. I talked to my OH about at least insuring Plumpkin, but he thinks that because she has known health problems to will be v.expensive and the threshold will be high?

Do you have any general insurance advice?
Click to expand...


I shop around online for the best deal but I try and get them insured before they have a single vet visit (with me).

I shopped around for their vaccinations as the costs can be so different. Last year I saved nearly £200 by using a different vet for vaccinations, so worth it for me, especially as the second vet knows them and is a wonderful back up :)
 
My 3 are insured too so that’s another £40+ per month. I did wonder if it was worth paying that out every month but I’ve since had a £1k+ vet bill so was glad I hadn’t decided to cancel the insurance!
 
I have never insured any of my rabbits, but I would do if a large vet bill would cause me a problem. Other than vet bills, I spend very little on food for them. Hay is the biggest cost and is about £25-30 per month. They have very few pellets and so that cost is minimal. I forage every day and we grow any herbs and veg that they have. Kale plants produce for very many months, even in Winter. Hazel, Hawthorn, Willow, Maple etc I also get daily either from the garden or from the hedgerows either side of the house.

I shall be interested to hear some more about the new rabbit. When are you going to collect her?
 
You could always rescue poor bun and hand her over to a rescue centre,get her away from couldn't care less owners.:(
 
if you are questioning the price of veggies my advice would be to not take on another rabbit. Veggoes will seem silly if a vet bill comes along and free ad buns often come with surprises of the not-so-nice kind
 
Omi said:
I have never insured any of my rabbits, but I would do if a large vet bill would cause me a problem. Other than vet bills, I spend very little on food for them. Hay is the biggest cost and is about £25-30 per month. They have very few pellets and so that cost is minimal. I forage every day and we grow any herbs and veg that they have. Kale plants produce for very many months, even in Winter. Hazel, Hawthorn, Willow, Maple etc I also get daily either from the garden or from the hedgerows either side of the house.

I shall be interested to hear some more about the new rabbit. When are you going to collect her?
Click to expand...

I'd love to see some pictures of your garden Omi, it sounds very inspirational!

The rabbit has already gone, which is no surprise to me, because the description was so violent it would be enough to inspire any animal lover to pick her up on a whim. Probably for the best, as I imagine Plumpkin will continue to be more expensive than the average rabbit throughout her life...I just hope that the neglected bun fell into good hands :(
 
Poor bunny [emoji17] I really hope she has gone to a good home.

Just as an aside, I agree with the general gist of this thread that you can feed bunnies very cheaply by getting baled hay, growing herbs and veg and foraging. It's the vet bills that really drain the bank balance. Definitely worth looking at insurance or setting up a savings account.


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Beapig said:
I'd love to see some pictures of your garden Omi, it sounds very inspirational!

The rabbit has already gone, which is no surprise to me, because the description was so violent it would be enough to inspire any animal lover to pick her up on a whim. Probably for the best, as I imagine Plumpkin will continue to be more expensive than the average rabbit throughout her life...I just hope that the neglected bun fell into good hands :(
Click to expand...

Haha, I'm not sure everyone would think it's inspirational :lol: It wouldn't be everyone's idea of a garden, it's not tidy enough!

Shame about the rabbit, but yes, let's hope that the rabbit went to a good home.
 
Omi said:
I have never insured any of my rabbits, but I would do if a large vet bill would cause me a problem. Other than vet bills, I spend very little on food for them. Hay is the biggest cost and is about £25-30 per month. They have very few pellets and so that cost is minimal. I forage every day and we grow any herbs and veg that they have. Kale plants produce for very many months, even in Winter. Hazel, Hawthorn, Willow, Maple etc I also get daily either from the garden or from the hedgerows either side of the house.

I shall be interested to hear some more about the new rabbit. When are you going to collect her?
Click to expand...
Oo I didn't know that about kale plants :D I grow lots of herbs and human food, but not much bun food other than so forage type things and herbs... Should I wait til next spring to plant so kale seeds? Or can I do it whenever indoors? :)

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I spend so much money I need a accountant for my bunny spending please help

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Graciee said:
Oo I didn't know that about kale plants :D I grow lots of herbs and human food, but not much bun food other than so forage type things and herbs... Should I wait til next spring to plant so kale seeds? Or can I do it whenever indoors? :)

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

If you sow Kale seeds now, the plants will last all through to next Spring. The growth will obviously be slower in the colder months, but as long as they have got established by Autumn they will be OK. Curly Kale will be hardier than Cavalo Nero for Winter. They don't need to be grown inside.
 
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