Is this a Rex rabbit?

My wife recently aquired a rabbit from a good friend of a friend for my 7 year old daughter. They said it is a Rex, but I would like to confirm this. I have attached some photos. My wife bought a 3ft hutch for it (see photo), but I think this is way too small. We now have a custom hutch being built 5ft x 3ft x 3ft. We also have a very large enclosed run with shelter being built. I am very against having pets myself, as I think it is cruel, but now we have one, I want to ensure that it is comfortable and has the best life that we can provide it. We believe that it is a male and have been told to have it neutered before 4 months, as it may become agressive. We handle it quite alot at the moment and let it run around in the kitchen and living room. It is very well behaved and seems to love attention. Any help and advice to give this rabbit a happy life will be much appreciated.

hi

Oh what a cutie! Looks like a Rex but the rex expert would be Rexy Bexy I guess - you'll get a lot more replies when everyone goes back to work Monday - meanwhile you have a commendable attitude in wanting to do your best for him - don't panic about the aggression as that's usually females more than males - males may squirt wee all over though, so best to neuter around 5 months old - some vets wait till 6 months...Have a look at the bunnyproofing section in the care section of the forum - they are manic chewers sometimes!

Best of luck with him (may even turn out to be a her) - have you thought of a name yet?

Hiya,

I'll let someone else identify the breed, it looks like it still has it's baby coat.

You're right, a three foot hutch is too small for a rabbit and the one you are having built is much better.

Male rabbits can be neuter from about 14-16 weeks. He's unlikely to become aggressive towards you but he would towards another male. Neutering is a good idea though as he's hormones will start taking over and you'll see behavour such as spraying urine and mounting things.

In addition to neutering he'll need vaccinations for VHD and myxymatosis.

Rabbits are very social so it's good he's getting lots of attention. You could start litter training with him by putting a litter tray in the toilet corner of his hutch for him to use and bring that inside when he's playing. You might find when he gets around the age neutering can be done he loses his toilet trainingg abit but neutering should get it back on track.

After he's been neutered you might want to consider getting him a companion so he has company all day.

Rabbits love playing so providing toys is essential. Things to throw around, climb on etc. they don't need to be expensive just things like cardboard tubes and boxes are popular.

Diet wise making sure he has plenty of hay is important so his teeth wear properly. The fibre is really important for his digestion as well. Some bunnies can be fussy about hay so it's much easier to get them in the habbit of eating it when little.

Hope that helps.

Tamsin

Yes its a rex no dought about that, there is no reason for it to get aggressive if u handle him often they are a good tempered breed. val

aww he is a beautiful rabbit and well done you for wanting to do the best you can to give him him a good life

i wouls say he is a mini rex due to the size. do u know how old he is i would say he is a mini rex cause of his size but also because he look to be a tort in colour and there are more tort mini rex about than rex
becky

Welcome to the forums (and you have a very cute bunny I might add )

Why do you think housing domesticated animals is cruel? I am sure you will give that cutie a great home, and after all it is a domesticated rabbit that had been with people its whole life. It will live a long happy life and I'm sure it will be loved and well cared for!!!

Its not cruel to keep a domesticated animal ,whot is cruel would be not to look after it properly u sound as if u are . val

welcome to the forum what a beautiful rex rabbit what its name?

lisa

Hi all. Thanks very much for your replies. The rabbit is now 8 weeks old, my daughter has named him Flopsy. We are currently having some trouble with our neighbours cat who keeps jumping at the hutch and scaring him. The day before yesterday we came home from work and found that he was holding one of his front legs in the air and would not pitch on it. We think this may be from a fight with the cat, but not sure. We were very worried that it may have been caught in the hutch mesh and broken it. He seems a little better on it now though, but still limping.
I have tried to scare that cat away as much as I can, but it still keeps coming back. My wife saw them this morning 'kissing' through the hutch wire, but i'm not so sure myself! Hopefully he is a little more aware of the cat and will run for cover if he feels threatened. Any ideas on how to stop the cat hassling the rabbit? Thanks again everyone.

how long have you had him? eight weeks seems early! they are suposed to be with there mother until aleast eight weeks.

how do you excercise him? if its in a secure run there is a product you can buy from hardware stores or pets@home called "get of my garden" it may deter him!

eve x

We got him at 7 weeks old. We were told by the owners that they can leave their mothers at 7 weeks. I suppose some people have different ideas. We are new to this, so we can only learn.

hi

Yes quite a few breeders let them go early - it's a sad fact that some are in it for the money, so you weren't to know...

As for the cat, well maybe they will get used to each other - the problem with using a product to deter cats is that you won't be able to put your bunny on the grass either, although it's not a good idea to put it on grass if it's never eaten any before - he's probably best running around the house at the mo. for exercise, especially in this heat...

My neighbour's cats are interested in my bunny, but they give us a wide berth now as they got squirted with a water bottle a few times (you always wanted an excuse to buy a super-soaker didn't you?)

With him being a rex (thin fur) and on his own, have you thought about making him a house rabbit permanently? Most house rabbits enjoy living in a 4' dog crate like these:
http://www.prizepets.co.uk/Public/Dog_Cages__Crates/13.htm

Rabbits like stretching up high, and if you are handy you can put some shelves in for him to have extra levels like this:
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=6267

It's lovely to have them around all the time but you do need to watch the electric cables and other hazards which a cat would probably ignore:
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5757

He's so sweet - enjoy all he has to teach you

he's lovely can u not keep him as a house rabbit and let him out under supervision from you or your daughter

lisa

A supersoaker water pistol would be good to get the cat away, as they squirt a fair distance :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I have used them on Magpies before at 4 am in the morning when they have been making a racket in the garden!

Flopsy is so gorgeous ... if he can't be a house rabbit what about a shed bunny? I have bunnies that live very happily in the shed with access to their runs

awww beautiful bunnie what is its name? oh and is it a boy or girl?
i dont think its cruel to put the bunnie in that hutch it seems fine to me!

Hiya
i have 3 rex rabbits
Heres a pic of claude at 8 weeks he felt like velvet even as a baby,does yours?

Aww you have one gorgeous little rex! I love rexes, my rabbit Henry is one... This is him trying to get out of his cage! LOL

We have some fawn rexes in the rescue I volunteer at and they look just like Flopsy, so s/he could be a standard rex, but does look very small.

rex

AAAWWWW Henry...you can come & live with me anytime (must find that large bunnynapping bag) :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Hello all and thanks once again for your replies. Making him a house rabbit is not an option unfortunately, as we just don't have the space in our small modern house. The only room he could possibly have gone in would have been the kitchen, but there really is no free space at all.

We now have a run for the garden that we can put him in (supervised). I may extend it in the future, but I think it is ok for now. It is 8ft x 5ft. The only thing that concerns me about the run is that it uses chicken wire instead of strong solid mesh. It seems ok, even though he can poke his head though the mesh as the mesh diameter is quite large. I think he knows he can't get out, and i'm pretty sure that a cat/dog won't get in. He won't be left in it unsupervised anyway. We have a spare small 3ft hutch that we can also put inside the run at any time for shelter if it looks like rain. His new hutch is 5x2x2.

We do have an 8x6 shed which we are thinking of putting the hutch inside when winter comes. Unfortunately, we cannot link the shed or hutch to the run, as they are on different levels. The garden is also seperated by the patio and a dividing wall. He will be in the hutch from 9am-3:30pm weekdays whilst we are at work and then in the run until we go to bed. He will also be in the run for half and hour or so in the morning before my daughter goes to school. Hopefully this will be enough. He will obviously be handled every day and my daughter will play with him in the run and kitchen. Hopefully this will keep him happy.

Flopsy is now very active and inquisitive and runs/jumps around alot. He's just like a meercat, always standing up on his hind legs on full stretch and looking around. I cannot believe how fast he is now after only 2 weeks. I plan on putting some more playthings in the run including a pipe for him to run through. Can anyone suggest any good rabbit toys to keep him interested? Here is is pic of the run. How big will he get and what age will he be fully grown?



PS. Bluebunny/Delphinum, my daughter and wife both think your rabbits are very cute and thanks for the photos.