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Cost of getting a bunny

ShivyRex

Mama Doe
Hello everyone,

I purchased a brand new bunny hutch today in the view of getting me some bunnies. I am trying to get all the research in first before I actually get them. I am considering rehoming one of the bunnies featured in your rehoming section but I have some issues with that and I am waiting on some replies (see the thread for tortoiseshell rex Plymouth).

I just have some general questions about cost really. I have the most expensive thing sorted thank goodness. I am just wondering how much it costs for bunny vaccinations and general check up at the vets?

I am also wondering whether it is actually worth buying pet insurance for my bunnies and could I buy this for a bunny that is 4 years old+?? Any idea how much insurance for bunnies is monthly?

Also, generally how much is it to get a bunny neutered? And would a vet consider neutering an older bunny (say 4 years old) or is this generally for younger bunnies?

Thanks very much, any additional advice would be greatly recieved also :D

Shiv
 
Hiya,

ideally, unless you are going to spend a really lot of time with your bunny, you should try to get it a companion as they are sociable animals and can become depressed if lonely, which obviously will double your costs.

okay, here's what I've outlaid so far: £100 to get them both neutered (boys, so costs less than girls), £30 to get both vaccinated against myxomatosis (this has to be redone every year), and £20 to get both vaccinated against VHD (again, this has to be done every year). I also spend up to £10 per week on bedding food etc. Obviosuly, if they were ill there'd be the cost of this too. When Harly got his cut on his head I was £15 for a weeks course of antibiotic fluid for his water and a tube of antibiotic gel. That's why insurance may be a sensible option.

I picked up a leaflet from my local pet shop on pet insurance, I think the company was called PetPlan, or the policy was. It seemed to be the best as it covers dental costs, which may be an issue as many bunnies have dental probs. I was quoted £16 per month to cover the 2, and I got 1 months free trial. So far i have not begun my actual policy, but I am still considering it. If you decide insurance isn't the way to go (who knows, they hopefully may never need it, and I believe once they get to a certain age they are no longer convered), why not set up a savings account and pay say £10 or £15 into it every month, then you have that if bunny falls ill, and if not you can treat yourself instead of lining an insurance mans pocket? That's what I think I'll do.

Hope this helps, :D
 
I'd recommend PetPlan, Miffy was ill the month before last and her total bill was £250 - PetPlan covered it all apart from the excess and a bit of recovery food. It just means you have the peace of mind knowing you can get whatever needs doing sorted out without a scary capital outlay.

Well done for doing your research! :thumb:

AMETHYST
 
Hi and welcome!
Basic costs of my 5 bunnies:
£6 for sack of A+P pellet food (lasts about 3 months)
£10 various types of hay (per month)
£7 bedding (per month)
£15 veggies (per month)
£100 myxo jabs (per year)

Then this last month Ive had Squidgy at the vets with ear mites (£30), Salt with a small infection (£6) and Bobby needing a dental (£43).
I personally don't insure my bunnies.
 
called PetPlan, or the policy was. It seemed to be the best as it covers dental costs
PetPlan doesn't cover dentals - unless they have changed the policy in the last year or so... :? They used to many years ago, but because it is such a common problem in rabbits, they stopped it. Vera
 
Hi guys

Thank you for your replies it's really helped. It's difficult at the moment as I am looking for a job and I don't have any spare cash but once I get a job all my spare cash will go on the bunnies (well not all but some hehe).

I am planning on getting 2 bunnies as I know they get depressed when they're alone and I don't want that as I am looking for full time employment. I have purchased myself one of these hutch-run combos http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/KING-SIZE-6FT...6QQihZ020QQcategoryZ63513QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I am looking to get mini bunnies (preferably rex or lops) as I know it isn't massive but its the best I could afford and I have to have 2 bunnies so they can keep eachother company. They will have regular supervised roam of the garden (as long as it isn't raining which is seems to do a lot of here). When the weather turns bad could I bring them inside for a play in my kitchen in the evenings? Or would splitting them into half house and half outside bunny be bad for them? I know there can be body temperature issues but I don't know how severe that can be over a few hours. My kitchen is fully tiled so it wouldn't be an issue for them to roam with me there but they couldn't live in there full time.

The costs seem about right. I thought petplan would be a bit less for bunnies but not to worry. I will look into it :) i may do the saving up thing - have a bunny account :)

Also what does A+P in the pellet food stand for? Seems a lot of people use this so I would like to make sure I get the best stuff. I will of course give veggies regularly. I can't wait it experiment with foods (will research first of course)

Anyway I think I have asked enough questions for now. Thank again for your replies and look forward to reading more.

Shiv
 
A and P= Allen and Page. Another good food is Science Selective, which is more expensive but easier to get hold of than A and P.

Why don't you get a bonded pair of rabbits from a rescue, that way you will not need to worry about getting them neutered as they already will be- I can almost guarantee that it will cost you more to buy from a breeder/pet shop and then get them neutered yourself.

The price of neutering varies considerably, and is cheaper for males.
I paid £66 for a male neuter- which is much more than most rescues charge for an already neutered buck.

Have a look on the rescues listed on rabbitrehome home page for ones in your area.
 
Hi ya

Thanks for that. I have looked to rabbit rehome and I have searched for other rescue centres in my area but there doesn't seem to be many.

Am I right in thinking that my hutch is ideally only going to house a pair of mini type rabbits? Hutch is 4ftx18inx18in and attached run is 4ftx6ft. I will be happy to rehome a larger pair but I don't want to squeeze them in just for the case of rehoming them as I want them to be comfortable.

Does anyone else have 2 bunnys in similar housing? Please don't suggest I buy extra accomodation etc as I am jobseeking at the mo and have no spare cash for extra hutches etc at the moment. I am fine for buying the bunnies, taking them to vets, food, bedding etc etc but not more wooden structures :) Also I live in a rented property and don't have a massive garden so the hutch I have is the best I can do.

I am going to ring a local sanctuary in a bit and see if they have any small bonded breeds that need rehoming. Fingers crossed.

Any advice on bunny size and hutch would be great :)

Shiv
 
Hello!!

Exciting that you're going to get bunnies!!

I pay £16 for a full set of vaccinations ( so myxi and VHD) and that includes a free health check.

I insure my buns because I once had to pay about £350 for an operation and after care :shock: . My insurance costs me £7.50 ish a month (and one of my buns is over 4 yrs old - it doesn't cost any more :D ) - that's with Petplan.

Neutering - about £40 - £50 for a male and £50 - £60 for a female (But if it's a rescue bun then it may already be neutered :thumb: ).

I would say it doesn't matter how big the buns are as long as they can do a few hops to the endof the hutch and lie down stretched out comfortably - aslong as they have access to the run most of the time should be fine. (You can always buy a bigger run later when you can afford it :D )

I had myLionhead & Dutch pair in an indoor cage about that size just for night time and it was fine - they just need lots of exercise - in the cage for a few hours overnight will be fine. :D

Dutch bunnies are quite small but big enough to be cuddly!!

If you want tiny how about a netherland dwarf??
 
Hello again.

I just looked at your hutch/run setup on your other thread.

That will be fine for a couple of average to small size bunnies, :D

e.g.

lionhead, dutch, nethie, etc

Really you need a couple that are not more than 2.5 kg. :D
 
ShivyRex said:
Hi ya

Thanks for that. I have looked to rabbit rehome and I have searched for other rescue centres in my area but there doesn't seem to be many.

Am I right in thinking that my hutch is ideally only going to house a pair of mini type rabbits? Hutch is 4ftx18inx18in and attached run is 4ftx6ft. I will be happy to rehome a larger pair but I don't want to squeeze them in just for the case of rehoming them as I want them to be comfortable.

Does anyone else have 2 bunnys in similar housing? Please don't suggest I buy extra accomodation etc as I am jobseeking at the mo and have no spare cash for extra hutches etc at the moment. I am fine for buying the bunnies, taking them to vets, food, bedding etc etc but not more wooden structures :) Also I live in a rented property and don't have a massive garden so the hutch I have is the best I can do.

I am going to ring a local sanctuary in a bit and see if they have any small bonded breeds that need rehoming. Fingers crossed.

Any advice on bunny size and hutch would be great :)

Shiv

I must admit that the hutch is a bit small, but with the large run they should be happy :) (Make sure you don't leave the hatch of the run open at night though.)

I do think you should go for a small breed yes- maybe mini lop, netherland dwarfs, lion head or small cross breeds.
Hope you find some nice bunnies.
 
toffee said:
Really you need a couple that are not more than 2.5 kg. :D

I think smaller than that- Belle who I am fostering is a 2.6kg and she is huge- there is no way a hutch that size would be ok for two of her!
Her torso is the same size as my cat's.

A mini lop is about 1.5kg.
 
Am I right in thinking that my hutch is ideally only going to house a pair of mini type rabbits? Hutch is 4ftx18inx18in and attached run is 4ftx6ft. I will be happy to rehome a larger pair but I don't want to squeeze them in just for the case of rehoming them as I want them to be comfortable.

Does anyone else have 2 bunnys in similar housing?

I have my 2 boys (they're dutch) in a similar hutch, it's also 4ftx18x18 but the run is smaller (only 4ft square), and it is fine for them, even with the trapdoor up and the ladder access in there is room for them both to be at the front part, although tbh they don't spend much time in there when they can be out in their run :D ! Tbh tho i am considering getting a larger one nearer to winter, as they'll be spending more time in it then. ALso, I take them into the house in the evening for a visit, and if I'm in the garden they're out with me. If you were getting smaller bunnies than mine I'm sure they'd be ok in there all year, and they'll love the run.
 
PetPlan doesn't cover dentals - unless they have changed the policy in the last year or so... They used to many years ago, but because it is such a common problem in rabbits, they stopped it. Vera

Hmmmmmm I've just downloaded the full insurance policy, and it says they won't pay the cost of trimming rabbits teeth, the flyer I got tho said "the only uk insurer to cover dental care", they must mean other dental care, sneaky :? :shock: :? ! The girl on the phone when I set up my free trial said it too. Hmmm unless it wasn't petplan cuz i did look at a few (going away to rake out the paperwork....)!
 
At the absolute min for two small Rabbits you want a 5ftx2ftx2ft hutch.

Rabbits need plenty of room to stand on their back legs and stretch.

Louise
 
Oh thats good. Ideally I wanted to get 2 mini rex rabbits. I know a local breeder that has a mini Ermine Doe ready 17th July and some black mini bucks ready in August. Could I get the ermine and a black buck and put them together providing I get them both neutered? Could I get the Ermine and have her for a month or so on her own get her neutered etc and then get a mini buck and have him neutered and then try and bond them? My issue is money at the moment and I don't think I would be able to get 2 bunnies at the same time and get them vaccinated and neutered at the same time. It would be different if someone would give me a bleedin' job!

I have rang the local rescue places and none of them have any small breeds available at the moment, only large bunnies. Its a shame as I would really like to rehome some bunnies but due to the small space of the hutch I just can't.

I may try and extend the sleeping section of the hutch in the future when I get some money and the b/f decides to do it for me but it will have to do for now.

Thanks again for all your help you're great.

Shiv

Elle - even though I have the run? What do you suggest I do then? I would rather have two small bunnies who would have to go into the run for a full stretch rather than one lone bun depressed on its own all day. I don't want to get this wrong but I don't want to be cruel either. They will also have supervised roam of the garden and will be brought into my kitchen as often as possible for a good play with me.

This is the ermine bunny. Isn't she gorg?!! She is a bit pricey though - are ermine's special because they're all white?
Erminebunny.jpg
 
At the very least you want to get a 2ft high and 2ft deep hutch. 18" is just not big enough for them to stretch, especially if they are going to be kept in the hutch at night with no access to the run.

Louise
 
Well I'm afraid it isn't possible :( I have paid for the hutch and I cannot return it. It's possible my partner will be able to extend it height wise in the not too distant future and the extension bit I am planning I will definately make 2ft.
 
Nope I don't think that is going to work as I will lose money.

I'm just a bit confused. Other people have said its ok and you say it isn't. I'm not undermining your experience or expertise as obviously you have more experience and knowledge than me but there is obviously some blurred lines here.
 
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