a few questions for new bunnies

I have not had rabbits for 6 years and today I got two young female rabbits locally, I got everything I need to get started, a good sized hutch, saw dust, hay, food etc

I know that they need flea treatment, how old do they have to be before you start flea treatment (I use spot on)

We have two lop bunnies and I also need help remembering how much dried food to give them, obviously they will have plenty of hay and I don't want to over feed them, during the winter we have quiet harsh winters here in Scotland, so Is there anything I can do to help keep them safe during winter months?

As they grow I will get them a bigger hutch and give away the old hutch, I will get a decent size run for them and I will go out there every day to look after them. I used to know all of this stuff but then I got PTSD which effects my memory. They arrive on Wednesday so I am going to spend the day in the garden tomorrow, making sure its nice for them, they will have fresh grass as we have a grass lawn in the back garden

Blow flies are something I worry about. I will be registering them with the vet too and the vets just a short walk from my home. I want whats best for my bunnies as I love bunnies because they are wonderful pets. I got two so they had companionship, the two sisters were already bonded and seemed happy together so I got the two female sisters.

Iv already named one snowy, I got to choose the name for the other one. I am not one of those owners who impulse buys a rabbit and then leaves it in a hutch for the duration and I don't have kids, these bunnies are my children.

hello!

actually its not recommended to give rabbits flea treatment. its very very rare that they get fleas and if they do its usually from an outside source (dog/cat in the home) for instance. its often considered more harmful to regularly flea treat inside or outside rabbits, and not recommended in all honesty. I've never flea treated mine until they got fleas, and even so I had to prevent the source which was my parents cat.

I am not sure if you're aware but, I want to mention it anyway so that you're aware that rabbits now require TWO vaccinations:
nobivac - which covers RHD1 & Myxi
and filivac/eravac - which covers RHD 1 & 2. filivac is the standard and erevac is for meat rabbits and only has an immunity of 9 months, but it can be used in pet rabbits.
its vital they get both vaccinations. without them they're left at extreme risk and its likely they could catch the disease. its rife across the country and I think rabbits that catch it often show no signs of illness before dying, so its difficult to treat as its often not known its there until its too late.
heres a few links on vaccines:
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/infectious-disease/rabbit-haemorrhagic-disease
https://www.companioncare.co.uk/fin...ll-vet-surgery/rhd2-is-your-rabbit-protected/
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/vaccinations/

due to these diseases its not often recommended to buy second hand or sell second hand, as it could put other rabbits at risk.

it would also probably save you a lot of money to just get a large hutch and run combo to begin with. hutches are recommended to be 6ft x 2ft at the minimum for most breeds, with a large run attached to them which they have access to at all times. lots of people buy a shed or playhouse as its often cheaper than buying a decent quality hutch and provides a lot more room, they use runaround kits to connect the shed to the a run or similar.
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-housing/why-hutch-not-enough/
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-housing/outdoor-rabbit-housing/

and finally, its vital you get them spayed. rabbits that aren't spayed have a high chance of uterine cancer at a young age, meaning that they don't live as long as a life as they could have. many studies argue that 60% of rabbits over the age of three have a tumour growing in their uterus, and its argued that upon reaching 6 years the number goes to 80%. its a huge risk and generally speaking, its far safer to get them spayed. not just for the risks, but rabbits are happier, calmer and better after being spayed. females are known for being grumpy and a female x female pair are extremely prone to fallouts if left unspayed. once those sexual hormones kick in, all hell usually breaks loose.
https://rabbit.org/faq-spaying-and-neutering/
https://www.vets4pets.com/pet-health-advice/rabbit-advice/neutering-your-rabbit/
https://www.saveafluff.co.uk/rabbit-info/neutering-spaying-rabbits

sorry for bombarding you with so much info! I just want to cover it all as you never know how much information somebody knows or is aware of nothing is meant will ill-intent so sorry if you know a lot already!

bellabinky said:

I have not had rabbits for 6 years and today I got two young female rabbits locally, I got everything I need to get started, a good sized hutch, saw dust, hay, food etc

I know that they need flea treatment, how old do they have to be before you start flea treatment (I use spot on)

We have two lop bunnies and I also need help remembering how much dried food to give them, obviously they will have plenty of hay and I don't want to over feed them, during the winter we have quiet harsh winters here in Scotland, so Is there anything I can do to help keep them safe during winter months?

As they grow I will get them a bigger hutch and give away the old hutch, I will get a decent size run for them and I will go out there every day to look after them. I used to know all of this stuff but then I got PTSD which effects my memory. They arrive on Wednesday so I am going to spend the day in the garden tomorrow, making sure its nice for them, they will have fresh grass as we have a grass lawn in the back garden

Blow flies are something I worry about. I will be registering them with the vet too and the vets just a short walk from my home. I want whats best for my bunnies as I love bunnies because they are wonderful pets. I got two so they had companionship, the two sisters were already bonded and seemed happy together so I got the two female sisters.

Iv already named one snowy, I got to choose the name for the other one. I am not one of those owners who impulse buys a rabbit and then leaves it in a hutch for the duration and I don't have kids, these bunnies are my children.

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dear bellabinky,-inspecting for fleas,-start at the head ears-parting the fur with a flea comb-and the neck,and follow down the spine to the tail,--flea poop looks like black pepper-[dried up blood],--only use approved rabbit insecticides,ie advantage,[no insecticide is safe]-and must follow instructions.[exactly].-blow flies,mosquitoes,are a threat-[fly strike]-and must be avoided.- http://www.medirabbit.com dr.esther vanpragg is the premier exotic dvn highly recommended..call your local exotic dvm-about myxi in your area--jabs are required-[u.k.] to keep the virus at bay-,yes,-our [babies]-are our life..sincerely james waller from across the great pond-usa

I knew they needed Mixy vaccination but didn't know about the other, how old do they have to be before they can have such vaccination?

There are a few cats I come in to contact with so looking for fleas with a comb is something I will do and buy one

Will also get the girls spade

myxi can be given from 5 weeks, I believe filivac is 10 weeks of age. they need to have two weeks in between the vaccinations, so if you got 8 week old babies it would be best to do myxi then rhd2. that being said though, RHD is airborne and there is no possible way you can protect against it, compared to myxi which is spread via flies and body fluids of infected rabbits. so if they are over 10 weeks of age I would always suggest getting the filivac done first, as it covers RHD 1 & 2, and then precautionary measures against myxi such as keeping flies away, until they can be vaccinated against myxi also

Hi! Just to add there is a lot of good information on the Rabbit Welfare Association's website. How old are the bunnies?

My bunnies which arrive tomorrow are 8 to 9 weeks old and I've booked them in at the vet for vaccinations

I will get them them vaccinated. I think the airborn virus is pretty unheard of in Ayrshire

I will have a look at the website thank you. I got the garden ready for when they arrive tomorrow and the.day after they have an appointment booked at the vet and I've already registered them.

bellabinky said:

My bunnies which arrive tomorrow are 8 to 9 weeks old and I've booked them in at the vet for vaccinations

I will get them them vaccinated. I think the airborn virus is pretty unheard of in Ayrshire

I will have a look at the website thank you. I got the garden ready for when they arrive tomorrow and the.day after they have an appointment booked at the vet and I've already registered them.

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possibly, however its rife almost everywhere in the country and is killing lots and lots of rabbits. there is a map here which shows cases, however these are only reported cases, and I imagine there are many, many more unreported cases going on every day
http://rhd2map.buntools.org.uk/index.php?&p=cases

RWAF covers it also:
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rvhd2/

its a mutated strain and its killing many rabbits wild or pet, across europe & oceania. its awful. often a sudden death, and they show no signs of illness.

the forum also has a sticky in 'health', which covers it:
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?476263-New-Variant-RVHD-Known-as-RVHD2

I would only trust the RWAF for rabbit info as there are many bogus articles out there as you can imagine, they actually back their information up with sources and are talking to vets, valuing facts over their opinion, something hard to find with a lot of other sources.

but its really good you're getting them vaccinated and spayed both are vital for their health! xx

The RWA is quiet confusing and I am not certain that our vet will even have vaccines since RWA claim its hard to get and the vet Needs a license for it. Out vet hardly sees any rabbits because we are in a seaside town and they said when we called. I will talk to them, RWAF doesn't seem to make it clear if such vaccination even offer protection.

If the vet doesn't have it what do I do ?

bellabinky said:

If the vet doesn't have it what do I do ?

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Tell them to get it in, or more preferably, immediately change to a better vet

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If your vet does not see many rabbits, it might be worth trying to find another vet locally who is more experienced in rabbits. This would be especially important for their spay.

Omi said:

If your vet does not see many rabbits, it might be worth trying to find another vet locally who is more experienced in rabbits. This would be especially important for their spay.

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dear omi,-yes,research-for the closest exotic dvm..absolutely worth it..--if you have to settle for a dog/cat vet,-you must be knowledgeable of rabbits,[medical care,and medications..in my experience the nearest exotic dvm was over 30 km away-through the most miserable traffic..-,but I did it for the best exotic dvm dr.holly carter--I,am sure there are a lot of people who knew her,as she attended a college of lagamorphs in jolly ole London..sincerely james waller from across the great pond-usa

There are only two vets here but I am not sure either is experienced with rabbits, might have to see if the vets at pets at home can do, it’s a way out the way and might need to get a taxi (we don’t have transport) but I will look in to it. Pets at home vets were always good in the past

jewaller said:

dear omi,-yes,research-for the closest exotic dvm..absolutely worth it..--if you have to settle for a dog/cat vet,-you must be knowledgeable of rabbits,[medical care,and medications..in my experience the nearest exotic dvm was over 30 km away-through the most miserable traffic..-,but I did it for the best exotic dvm dr.holly carter--I,am sure there are a lot of people who knew her,as she attended a college of lagamorphs in jolly ole London..sincerely james waller from across the great pond-usa

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yes. such a shame that very few vets seem to know much about rabbits. to most of them it's just another small animal

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

I got my bunny Bertie from the Ayrshire branch of SSPCA and he was routinely vaccinated for myxi and both types of VHD by the centre. Although the viral disease is still rare in Scotland your vet should have the vaccines available or be able to get them in.

You must be so looking forward to having rabbits again. Hope you'll post some photos when they are settled in.