• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Essentials for a new rabbit!

fizabella

fizabella

Alpha Buck
I've been trawling the internet for weeks, looking for the best deals on coroplast and grid panels for the beautiful little lionhead rabbit I'll be bringing home on the 25th of May

Finally, I've gathered the basics!
20 x grid panels from wayfair £35
2 x sheets of 2000mm x 1000mm x 2mm coroplast from teacrate packaging £14.95
2 x 3.5" diameter bowls from eBay £6.60
1 x 1.5kg Science Selective rabbit pellets from eBay £6.18

Total: £62.73

All of this includes P&P

I've also managed to gather lots of bedding (fleece, towels, newspaper - outdated newspapers are free from Tescos, just in case you guys didn't know) for from family and friends, as well as Tescos :lol:

Took me a while to save up for all of it as I'm only 16 and have had to work hard doing odd jobs for family and friends for a spare fiver here and there, but I got there eventually. You know what they say, if you really want something, you'll work for it!

I still have to save another £10 for a grooming set from eBay but other than that, I'm pretty much there! Really excited to bring the littl'un home :love:

I'm very pleased and just wanted to let you all know, hopefully this will help anyone preparing for a new addition to the family! :wave:
 
Well done - you've obviously put a lot of thought into this.
Are you getting a dog crate to attach the run to?
 
What about hay? Their diet should be 80-90% hay, 5% pellets and 5-15% leafy greens.

Is bunny from a rescue? If not, you'll need to pay for vaccinations and neutering when the time comes.
 
yaretzi said:
What about hay? Their diet should be 80-90% hay, 5% pellets and 5-15% leafy greens.

Is bunny from a rescue? If not, you'll need to pay for vaccinations and neutering when the time comes.
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention that, yes, I've bought hay but I'm not sure if it's Timothy hay, it doesnt say on the front, I bought it from the pet section in Tescos. Do you know if this hay is any good? If not, where should I buy better hay from?

No, she isn't from a rescue, but my dad has agreed to pay for her vaccinations and neutering since I've done so well to save up for everything she needs so far (I've been saving up for a few months now - this is the only time I've ever saved up for anything, or in this case, anyone, but she's so worth it!) :love:
 
Babsie said:
Well done - you've obviously put a lot of thought into this.
Are you getting a dog crate to attach the run to?
Click to expand...

No, I didn't know you could do that. Can you explain it to me and also tell me roughly how much it would cost to buy one? I'd like to get one if it means she'd be happier, but I'll have to save up again :lol:
 
fizabella said:
I forgot to mention that, yes, I've bought hay but I'm not sure if it's Timothy hay, it doesnt say on the front, I bought it from the pet section in Tescos. Do you know if this hay is any good? If not, where should I buy better hay from?

No, she isn't from a rescue, but my dad has agreed to pay for her vaccinations and neutering since I've done so well to save up for everything she needs so far (I've been saving up for a few months now - this is the only time I've ever saved up for anything, or in this case, anyone, but she's so worth it!) :love:
Click to expand...

My two love tescos hay, but then they seem to love all hay :lol: they were getting through about two-three bags per week of it so it got expensive, I now get a whole bale of hay (about 10-15kg) for £4.50, it lasts for about 4+ weeks :shock: if you can find a farm that sells hay bales nearby it would definitely be worth looking into it :thumb:
 
A dog crate is really just a prebuilt cage some people prefer over the panels. It doesn't make a lot of different as long as you've got something that will contain a bunny :lol:

I'd suggest a litter tray - makes cleaning so much easier. A underbed storage box or similar works for that. Also somewhere for her to hide even if it's just a cardboard box.

Don't forget you'll need some sort of carrier to get her home/take her to the vet in! If you are budgeting try the local free ads/freecycle and just take it apart and clean well.
 
*Funny*Bunny* said:
My two love tescos hay, but then they seem to love all hay :lol: they were getting through about two-three bags per week of it so it got expensive, I now get a whole bale of hay (about 10-15kg) for £4.50, it lasts for about 4+ weeks :shock: if you can find a farm that sells hay bales nearby it would definitely be worth looking into it :thumb:
Click to expand...

Well I live in London so farms are few and far between, I'll just have to stick to Tescos hay :lol: :(

Where do you get your hay from so cheaply?! :shock:
 
Tamsin said:
A dog crate is really just a prebuilt cage some people prefer over the panels. It doesn't make a lot of different as long as you've got something that will contain a bunny :lol:

I'd suggest a litter tray - makes cleaning so much easier. A underbed storage box or similar works for that. Also somewhere for her to hide even if it's just a cardboard box.

Don't forget you'll need some sort of carrier to get her home/take her to the vet in! If you are budgeting try the local free ads/freecycle and just take it apart and clean well.
Click to expand...

I have a big cardboard box filled with towels and newspaper for her to hide in, it's facing my room so she can get used to her surroundings while she's hiding in there

I also have a cat carrier to bring her home in, that should be fine, shouldnt it? The holes in the front grid are about as big as the ones in my cage :)
 
fizabella said:
Well I live in London so farms are few and far between, I'll just have to stick to Tescos hay :lol: :(

Where do you get your hay from so cheaply?! :shock:
Click to expand...

From a farm, do you live in central London? If so you're right it'll be difficult to find anywhere :( if you're in some of the suburbs there may be some farms not too long a drive outside of London? I just googled something like "hay bales for sale Coventry" to find the one near me, I was a bit surprised it's a farm only 5-10 minutes drive from Coventry city centre! And they're really nice and I get my rabbits' food there too :D
 
*Funny*Bunny* said:
From a farm, do you live in central London? If so you're right it'll be difficult to find anywhere :( if you're in some of the suburbs there may be some farms not too long a drive outside of London? I just googled something like "hay bales for sale Coventry" to find the one near me, I was a bit surprised it's a farm only 5-10 minutes drive from Coventry city centre! And they're really nice and I get my rabbits' food there too :D
Click to expand...

I live in East London, it's a really urban area so I doubt there are many farms that would be convenient for me to get to :(
 
Rabbits require a lot of space :) so have a look in the housing section for inspiration. For example the minimum space for 2 rabbits is a 6xx2x2 hutch and attached 8x4 run, we passed a homecheck for an indoor rabbit and the minimum was a 6ft x 6ft space but the bigger the better :) puppy pens are a good way to extend space and they're cheap off eBay :)

Their diet should be mainly hay based with unlimited hay on offer at all times, they don't need a lot of pellets, they don't need pellets at all tbh, 2 of mine are on a hay only diet. While they're younger they can have more food but once about 5ish months, start reducing it to around an egg cup full a day :) 90% hay (good quailty hay, I buy ings and timothy&rye from hay for pets website and pay £16 inc p&p for a 9.5kg bag which lasts ages, I also buy baled hay which is £6 for a bale) 5% pellets (not muesli, any diet change should be done slowly as rabbits have very sensitive tums. If the rabbit is on muesli then leave it like that for a while. Good pellets are science selective and excel) 5% veg/herbs (I don't feed any veg, only carrot tops and herbs, but things like that should be introduced slowly and when the rabbit is around 6 months old).

Carrot (the stereotypical food choice for rabbits) is full of sugar so if you did feed that (after introducing slowly at 6 months old) only offer tiny amounts as a treat, things like dandelions leaves and other forage type foods are better as they're more natural for their tums :)

Rabbits can be litter trained, just get a large enough litter tray, line it with wood based cat litter, megazorb or newspaper and fill with hay, rabbits like to toilet while they eat. Many of us use 32L storage boxes because when rabbits wee they pick their tail up and it generally goes over cat litter trays.

Whether male or female, once old enough (around 6 months old) I would get them spayed/neutered. In tact rabbits are ruled by hormones and can make a mess spraying and pooing/weeing in places you don't want them to to mark their territory. Also females aged 5+ have an 80%+ chance of uterine cancer which can be eradicated from a spay. They can be vaccinated from 5 weeks old I think so you'll be fine getting that sorted, it's one vaccine and that needs to be done yearly. It helps protect against myxi and VHD which can still affect indoor rabbits, while it doesn't immunise them, if a rabbit ever did contract one of them it would be easier to treat and a higher chance of survival.

A spay/neuter also means you can find a friend for you rabbit, they are very social animals and love company of their own kind and there are over 67,000 in rescues waiting for a home. They are already neutered and vaccinated and you will only pay a fraction of the cost of those things in a donation, donations are usually £30-£50.

Rabbits aren't cuddly animals, you have to let them come to you :) they are also prey animals so prefer to keep all 4 paws on the ground, I only pick mine up if I have to as it stresses them out and I handled 2 of them from day 1 of getting them. They're 2 now and hate being picked up.
 
Aly&Poppy<3 said:
Rabbits require a lot of space :) so have a look in the housing section for inspiration. For example the minimum space for 2 rabbits is a 6xx2x2 hutch and attached 8x4 run, we passed a homecheck for an indoor rabbit and the minimum was a 6ft x 6ft space but the bigger the better :) puppy pens are a good way to extend space and they're cheap off eBay :)

Their diet should be mainly hay based with unlimited hay on offer at all times, they don't need a lot of pellets, they don't need pellets at all tbh, 2 of mine are on a hay only diet. While they're younger they can have more food but once about 5ish months, start reducing it to around an egg cup full a day :) 90% hay (good quailty hay, I buy ings and timothy&rye from hay for pets website and pay £16 inc p&p for a 9.5kg bag which lasts ages, I also buy baled hay which is £6 for a bale) 5% pellets (not muesli, any diet change should be done slowly as rabbits have very sensitive tums. If the rabbit is on muesli then leave it like that for a while. Good pellets are science selective and excel) 5% veg/herbs (I don't feed any veg, only carrot tops and herbs, but things like that should be introduced slowly and when the rabbit is around 6 months old).

Carrot (the stereotypical food choice for rabbits) is full of sugar so if you did feed that (after introducing slowly at 6 months old) only offer tiny amounts as a treat, things like dandelions leaves and other forage type foods are better as they're more natural for their tums :)

Rabbits can be litter trained, just get a large enough litter tray, line it with wood based cat litter, megazorb or newspaper and fill with hay, rabbits like to toilet while they eat. Many of us use 32L storage boxes because when rabbits wee they pick their tail up and it generally goes over cat litter trays.

Whether male or female, once old enough (around 6 months old) I would get them spayed/neutered. In tact rabbits are ruled by hormones and can make a mess spraying and pooing/weeing in places you don't want them to to mark their territory. Also females aged 5+ have an 80%+ chance of uterine cancer which can be eradicated from a spay. They can be vaccinated from 5 weeks old I think so you'll be fine getting that sorted, it's one vaccine and that needs to be done yearly. It helps protect against myxi and VHD which can still affect indoor rabbits, while it doesn't immunise them, if a rabbit ever did contract one of them it would be easier to treat and a higher chance of survival.

A spay/neuter also means you can find a friend for you rabbit, they are very social animals and love company of their own kind and there are over 67,000 in rescues waiting for a home. They are already neutered and vaccinated and you will only pay a fraction of the cost of those things in a donation, donations are usually £30-£50.

Rabbits aren't cuddly animals, you have to let them come to you :) they are also prey animals so prefer to keep all 4 paws on the ground, I only pick mine up if I have to as it stresses them out and I handled 2 of them from day 1 of getting them. They're 2 now and hate being picked up.
Click to expand...


Thanks for this information, it's really helpful - I'll probably refer to it a few times while I get used to her portions of food :lol:

I was actually thinking about litter training her, but would I have to wait until she settles into her new home first or would she be okay to be litter trained from when she first arrives? How would I go about actually litter training her?
 
fizabella said:
Thanks for this information, it's really helpful - I'll probably refer to it a few times while I get used to her portions of food :lol:

I was actually thinking about litter training her, but would I have to wait until she settles into her new home first or would she be okay to be litter trained from when she first arrives? How would I go about actually litter training her?
Click to expand...

Nah it will be fine, just get a litter tray (the 32L storage boxes are never more than £4 in my experience) and line it with about 10 sheets of newspaper, then completely fill it with hay :) it's easy to top up with fresh hay then :) you can put any hay racks above the litter tray and it should hopefully reinforce the litter training behaviour until she is spayed. You will still find poos even after a spay but wees should stay in the tray, I litter trained a 4 year old unspayed rabbit and used puppy pads in the corners where she still weed, after her spay she keeps wees in the tray (and soft things :roll: :lol:).

Puppy pens are good too, I bought mine from eBay and they were £25 and the taller ones were only £33 :) a great and easy way to give plenty of space when you can't supervise :) Seeing rabbits binky and have spurts is great :) they are awake when we are asleep (dawn and dusk) so lots of space is important :) one of my rabbits was kept in a very small hutch for 5 years and has muscle wastage in his back legs so offering plenty of space is great :thumb:
 
Last edited:
Aly&Poppy<3 said:
Nah it will be fine, just get a litter tray (the 32L storage boxes are never more than £4 in my experience) and line it with about 10 sheets of newspaper, then completely fill it with hay :) it's easy to top up with fresh hay then :) you can put any hay racks above the litter tray and it should hopefully reinforce the litter training behaviour until she is spayed. You will still find poos even after a spay but wees should stay in the tray, I litter trained a 4 year old unspayed rabbit and used puppy pads in the corners where she still weed, after her spay she keeps wees in the tray (and soft things :roll: :lol:).

Puppy pens are good too, I bought mine from eBay and they were £25 and the taller ones were only £33 :) a great and easy way to give plenty of space when you can't supervise :) Seeing rabbits binky and have spurts is great :) they are awake when we are asleep (dawn and dusk) so lots of space is important :) one of my rabbits was kept in a very small hutch for 5 years and has muscle wastage in his back legs so offering plenty of space is great :thumb:
Click to expand...

They sound very easy to litter train :eek: I'm thinking of making my own fleece pee pads once I have enough money to buy some more fleece, all in good time though :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
New here
Replies
2
Views
1K
tonibun
T
Amy Sanders
New Rabbit Owner
Replies
3
Views
910
Zarla
Zarla
J
Rabbit with a Broken Heel and Sore Ears
Replies
1
Views
585
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
Back
Top