Pondering Getting A Bunny

[catxx]

I've been in my little rented house since January and have a nice patio and lawn (infested with bindweed - are bunnies ok eating bindweed?). The last few nights I've had dreams about the bunny I had when I was a kid, he got a serious problem with his tear ducts, despite endless trips to the vet, medication and vets flushing them out, they never got better and he had to be put to sleep. I keep having dreams he's still alive and I've forgotten to feed him!

It's made me want another, although he was a pest, didn't like to be picked up, would do some mean scratching, and, as an unneutered male, would try and hump feet all the time.

A house rabbit is out of the question as this is a rented house and indoor animals are not allowed (but my big fish tanks are ok, they won't chew on the wires and rip up the carpet...).

Any recommendations on affordable hutches? Would like a double decker one really. And decent runs, but could probably get one built, my dad built one for the bun I had when I was kid, that's long since rotted and be taken to the tip though!

I need to get a tape measure out and work out which spot we could put a hutch in.

Any recommendations in the Hertfordshire area to get buns? I know a few shops that sell them, but wary of shop bought furries! Found a rescue in Hertfordshire, but want a youngster I can get friendly with being picked up, don't want the shredded arm nightmare of the bunny I had when I was a kid! I swear he tried to slit my wrists one time...

 

[seffieuk]

Really looking forward to watching your bunny progress I wouldn't rule out a rescue bunny though, just make sure you have a good talk with the staff so they know what you want from a bunny

Seffie x

ps sure Scot an Aly will be along soon to help you with hutch ideas. How about making your own?

 

[chesterscot]

Hi so glad you resued there them thats really good of you they will get tamer honest
once you intoroduce them to grass they should be much calmetr what size hutch can you accomomodate dont buy one as a much better one can be made buy your self if you need sizes just reply

good luck
regards scot
ps glad you like my set up means aliot aly can help you with rabbits more thyan me but if i can help ..........

 

[catxx]

I've found a rescue not toooo far from me, kind of the other side of Herts in Royston, with a lot of bonded pairs so I've emailed them. They will probably know some good hutch manufacturers here too.

I will probably make my own run though, well not me, I can't be trusted with hammers and things, but my mum's boyfriend is rather handy with wood and my dad made us a run for our old bun when I was a kid (long since rotted and went to the tip).

 

[JoshuaA]

As much as I hate pets at home they do have the most affordable hutches and most spacious.

I bought the "Rose cottage" nearly if not more than a year ago. I got it for about £80 when there was a deal on and due to the online discounts I got even more off it for some reason.

The only thing you really have to do with it is get some animal friend wood preserver. If it a good coating all over outside and inside, preferably before you put it together and you're golden. A double layer on the inside is also a good idea as it makes cleaning rabbit spraying off easier with some anti bacterial sprays.

The space is fantastic I keep a female Lionhead and Male Harlequin in the hutch together, initially kept in a conservatory but during summer months it goes outside into the shade. Have had no problems with the hutch the instructions are a bit vague but go together easily.

I worked in a pet&aquatic store for a short period of time and the prices of hutches from there were ludicrous and so are all small non mainstream stores they weren't very spacious or well built for their price. It's usually best to just swallow your pride and go to pets at home for them. Ordering on-line is a lot easier as the workers are a bunch of retards.

Delivery is cheap as well and the delivery guy WILL carry it to where you want, or at least it was specified that he would and although he offered I insisted I would be fine.

For the aspect of runs, I made my own when I initially introduced my rabbits to the outdoors (they had been house rabbits for their first year until they were mature and neutered/spayed. For the run I got some small garden posts 2x2 from BnQ perhaps like 1.49 each or something. They were a good 4 foot tall. I then bought a roll of chickenwire and U shaped pins.

Got rolled out the mesh and calculated an equal distance between each post. Making a semicircle around the hutch I attached each end post with screws to the hutch but not to deep that so it could be easily removed. The gap between each post ended up being about 1.2m with 8 posts in total. So the perimter including the fence came out to about 11 metres. Including the space upstairs and downstairs most people would say it is somewhat suitable for life. However once my rabbits were adapted they were released and have total freedom of my garden/conservatory and sometimes house. I will sometimes come out my room to find a rabbit stretched out in the bathroom yawning!

Edit:

Really sorry for the awful spelling/grammar on this post, I'm very tired but since its a topic which interests me I decided to continue with my post haha.

With regards to entering the pen, I usually just stepped over however for my girlfriend we two small step stools those plastic things and we just placed them either side whenever we wanted to access it. Obviously removing it when you're not using it.

I would always recommend a bowl of water to go outside as well as the bottle in their cage, as well as some additional sun cover outside, some a simple tarpaulin will suffice.

 

[catxx]

The Rose Cottage one is only a 4ft hutch though. On chatting with the rescue and other bunny mad types, I think I'm going to seek out a proper single-story 6x2x2ft hutch, that's the minimum the RSPCA recommends also. The rescue lady pointed out not all bunnies are agile enough for the two tier hutches!

The run I'll sweet talk someone into building for me. I may have to get the hutch custom made too, despite the minimum recommendations it's REALLY hard to find a proper sized hutch! If I had the space I'd just get a shed and bunnify it instead!

 

[seffieuk]

Why dont you get someone to custom make you one - round my way there is always some chap making stuff like that - I could think of two chappies without any trouble, maybe there is someone in your area?

Seffie x

 

[catxx]

Commissioning one may well be what I have to do to get what I want! It will also need to be able to be dismantled to get it in to my garden unless big tough men want to lift it above their heads as the gateway from the side of my house to the back is narrow (21" at its narrowest point, measured yesterday!) And the fence is about 6ft tall. A lot of the ready built ones are going to be very heavy, and bringing it through the house would also be impossible - tight turns and kitchen cabinets in the way!

Commissioning it is.

 

[aly_starh]

hi, yes.

I would go ahead with making it yourself. Atleast that way you can add what you want and tweak it about.

Although, whats really in just now is buying a regular garden shed and attaching a small run to the outside, something like this ; Shed

Or you could buy a small playhouse, which is nice looking aswell;- Playhouse

Both of these, you would have to add the 2nd level in yourself.


Also, Alfie (my rabbit) has a 2 storey hutch, but he has free run of our enclosed garden all day. So we dont have a run for him.

 

[seffieuk]

Chicken houses might be suitable as well.

Seffie x

 

[catxx]

I only have a tiny 40ftx14ft garden, so sheds or playhouses are out! Sadly. I can fit a 6x2x2 hutch though as it's that bit narrower.

 

[silverrabbit]

Rabbits make great pets. If you want one that will be generally more friendly and accepting of cuddles, a male is better. Un-neutered females can become extremely aggressive and possessive over their hutches, and commonly suffer from phantom pregnancies.

A neutered male bunny is a pleasure to have - no nasty spraying or humping, and they'll become really friendly.

It's better for the rabbit to have a friend as they do get lonely without human company during working hours. Bonding rabbits is very easy, especially if you get a male first, have him neutered and then introduce a baby female a few weeks after that. aggression should be non existant and the female can be spayed at 6 months when she's a good size.

Sometimes dwarf breeds aren't as friendly (I have trouble with both my netherland dwarf bunnies having attitude problems), and i've found rex rabbits to have the best personalities. Very sweet and loving (my rex, Banjo, comes to sit on your lap and licks your hands and nose, haha) with low allergy fur, and in general are quite an athletic breed that would cope with a double hutch if you were to get one of those.

You can train pretty much any rabbit to use a litter tray in its hutch, which makes cleaning out really easy and better to combat fly strike (very dangerous) as the tray can be emptied every day or 2 days.

Rabbits are great, I have 9 atm and they really are lovely pets.

 

[JoshuaA]

The Rose Cottage one is only a 4ft hutch though. On chatting with the rescue and other bunny mad types, I think I'm going to seek out a proper single-story 6x2x2ft hutch, that's the minimum the RSPCA recommends also. The rescue lady pointed out not all bunnies are agile enough for the two tier hutches!

The run I'll sweet talk someone into building for me. I may have to get the hutch custom made too, despite the minimum recommendations it's REALLY hard to find a proper sized hutch! If I had the space I'd just get a shed and bunnify it instead!

Hmm.. I don't know why you're thinking 6foot is the minimum required. RSPCA is pretty bad when it comes to advice in my eyes for homing animals.

Rabbits ideally should be out for the majority of the day or at least until the night. A run is not ample for them to stay in for the long run so if you were to follow the RSPCA advice neither would be suitable.

I keep both a Harlequin rabbit and a Lionhead, Male and Female. Both have the entire run of the garden and both enjoy the multi story rose cottage hutch.

I don't really know what rabbit breed isn't agile enough for climbing up a two storey hutch after all they are rabbits and even my rabbit can jump from outside up onto the 2nd tier through the window. Which is a good 4foot straight from the floor.

If you insist on getting a rabbit you really will need to get a rabbit safe garden because a run and hutch isn't good enough in the long run.

I only have a tiny 40ftx14ft garden

Though with the dimensions of your garden and with whatever else you may have in the garden, it probably won't be all that big once the hutch and other items are accounted for.

This really does support the idea of getting a multi storey hutch, only a disabled rabbit or an obese one would have problems.

Finally get a good water bottle, Ferplast Sippys are usually the best the standard double ball bearing ones leak consistently. Whether or not you don't mind leaking, a rabbit doesn't like sitting on damp bedding and the wood doesn't like it either.

 

[Assaye]

My partner seems to think that a house bunny would be OK as there is a law that says every household is allowed a rabbit. It's an old throwback from the war. Might want to check that but if it's all good then that means rabbit can have the run of the house as well =)

 

[fishyfeet]

Several points to consider before buying a rabbit.

We have have had a male lop eared rabbit, which caught mixy despite being vaccinated, then two females, one lion head and one dwarf dutch, firstly all rabbits chew so if they access to the house you need to protect all wireing and furniture.

Also even in an enclosed garden mine used to escape often, the small one could get under the gate, about 2" space, and they both dug holes under the fences into neighbours gardens.