Chook Me!

I need some info about dwarf rabbits! read plz for an easy 10 points!?

Hi. I am thinking about getting maybe 2 or 3 dwarf rabbits. Can someone please tell me how much they will eat, and how much it will cost to keep them. Here is the hutch/run I am buying for them: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Giant-Poultry-Chicken-House-Coop-SHED-Rabbit-Hutch-0588_W0QQitemZ300316741075QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Poultry?hash=item45ec45cdd3&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1683%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50#ebayphotohosting 1. Is it big enough for a Netherland dwarf, and a Mini Lop? And maybe another of either kind? 2. How much does it cost to look after them each month? 3. How much will they eat each? So how much will each rabbit eat a day.

Public Comments

1. 1.Yes that should be fine for both of them ( and 2 more) 2. Well, you'll need food.(And hay and sawdust or something if you're gonna keep them inside aswel )Rabbits need a about 3 tablespoons of pellets each day. A bag of this won't be much more than `£4-5. Other than this there's vet costs and toys you'll devcide to buy them. So say 10 quid per month. 3. Most people just fill up their bowl with pellets, but they're supposed to have 3 tablespoons each day. I think this is very little. However, hay is the most important foodsource for rabbits. You should also give them a treat such as carrots, fruit and vegetables now and them. Rabbit's are very nice and quite easy animals. They're not that expensive to keep.
2. Did you check the postage cost for this item £79!! Why don't you visit your local pet shop and see how much a rabbit run would cost from them and then they would tell you all about keeping rabbits. Buy a good book, you will need one anyway to keep referring to it as you pets get older. You have to think what sex rabbit you are getting as some don't get along and fight. We always just kept one rabbit and then a guinea pig with it as well. Ask the shop how much their food costs, the bowls need cleaning out and topping up every day, sometimes they tip them over or go to toilet in them and so the food is wasted. We used to buy a bale of hay, which they would use for bedding and eating, this cost about £3 and lasted for months, if you buy the small bag from the pet shop it will cost about the same and only last a week. Then you top up with fresh greens, if you grow vegetables, or your mum buys fresh, then you can use the outer leaves ok, but if not then you will have to buy in specially, (not lettuce). You would have to check out the price for the dry food, we used to buy it loose as this was much cheaper than the fancy bagged up stuff and the price does vary from place to place. We had a secure garden so didn't keep them in a pen all the time, you can even keep a rabbit inside, they will learn to use one place for going to the toilet. Could your dad not make you a cage, we always made our own, putting lino in the bedding area to make it easier to clean. Don't forget to add in the cost of the rabbit they were £45 in our local store the other day, unless you know someone who breeds them, plus the cost of feed bowls.
3. Hi there. 1.Yes, your hutch/run looks great and would definitely fit at least 3 rabbits in it. 2. You need food, hay, wood shavings (sawdust can be too dusty). Rabbits need about 3 tablespoons of pellets each day. A bag of this won't be much more than £4 or £5. Other than this there's vet costs and toys you'll have to entertain them with. So I would say around £12 a month which isn't really much :) 3. Most people just fill up their bowl with pellets, but they're supposed to have 3 tablespoons each day. Though hay is the most important foodsource for rabbits. You should also give them a treat such as carrots, fruit and vegetables or nibble sticks (you can buy them from pet stores). Rabbits are amazing pets. Good luck :)
4. Clare, it is a beautiful space for a pair of bunnies AND it is made for chickens and has NO flooring. Don't you know that your rabbits can dig out of it and escape? Determined predators can easily get into it. I have been active in rabbit rescue for a year now - they never let rabbits go to outdoor homes. Even though it is a lovely space the rabbits will be subjected to fleas, ticks and other parasites. Even if raccoons don't get to the rabbits they carry a disease through their urine that is dangerous for rabbits. There are a lot of good sites for information on rabbit care -- http://rabbit.org http://www.binkybunny.org Do some homework before getting the bunnies and don't spend money on expensive housing that can cost your pets their lives and give you a lot of heartbreak.
5. I wouldn't say it is the best for rabbits as the ladder is quite steep and the rabbit could fall off it and they can easlier damage there backs. And there is no windows or wire on the house to let light in i have attacted a better hutch. And then you could get a large run that would be easy to move round the garden so you can rest the grass. The best food to buy is rabbit pellet that way they don't just pick out the bits they like to eat so they get a much better diet. It is hard to say how much they should eat as each rabbit are different. Rabbit are not cheap pets to keep if keep right. They need to have the dirty stuff taken out of the hutch at least once a day and a full hutch clean once a week. I buy my woodshavings in the form of horse woodshaving bale it works out alot cheap. They also need hay and i always give mine timothy hay as well as normal hay. They also need vaccinations every year every 6 months for myxo and then once a year for VHD. They are also prone to dental problem which means on going vet care which is not cheap. They need fresh food every day. I have always feed mine fresh food throught the day and evening. I will attact some good fresh food list. As for the cost each month mine have always cost me about £140.00 a months i only have two but i but them fresh food several times a week. http://www.petsathome.com/find/keyword-is-hutches/product-is-22474 http://www.adoptarabbit.com/articles/packet/abcvegi.html http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html
6. 1. It should be plenty big enough. The RSPCA recommends a 6x2x2 hutch for 2 rabbits, and then a separate run for them. Every rabbit requires the same about of room, apart from an giant breeds - which will need a lot more (obviously). They need the 2 foot high aswell as they need to be able to stand, ears pricked up, and also be able to jump around. My mini lop is sooo cute at that :o) You may need to place it on slabs though to stop digging in/out, especially as foxes are a big problem (especially in towns/cities too).. 2. Depends if you're going for known brands or not. I get through 90p worth of hay a week, and 90p a week of straw too. I line the hutch with newspaper which I get free from my grandparents once theyve finished with them. Food I got half a kg for 80p of russell rabbit (but I'd recommend feeding pelletts instead of a mix - its better for them as rabbits can be picky with mixes so dont get all the goodness in them. I'm only on meusli for the moment as its what he's used too, but I'll gradually move him onto pelletts later). For toys and treats, it depends if you want to make them (toilet roll tubes are great stuffed with hay) or buy them. If you buy them you'll be looking at more! 3. For a young bunny (per bunny) I give a handfull of food in the morning, and a handfull in the evening. Then atleast a body size of hay per rabbit too (if not more, as rabbits need an endless supply). For older rabbits (per rabbit), one handfull and a few mixed veg should be enough. Don't feed a young rabbit veg until atleast 12-14weeks as their stomachs are very delicate. Other info: If you're looking at getting some rabbits, try out rescue centres. They'll have the rabbits already bonded and neutered and vacinated (which'll cut down a lot of the cost and give a rabbit a good home). If you're rabbits aren't neutured, they can get very territorial and you may need to separate them. If you pay for the neuturing yourself it can cost anywhere between £40-80 average per bun, depending on size and gender. Vacinations - they need two different ones twice a year. Costing about £15 each (so about £60 a bun per year).