Dwarf rabbit care and hutches?

Lucifer

I am considering buying a small pet and am thinking a dwarf rabbit. Can anyone give me a little bit of advice, the pet shop said thay are easy to handle and look after but I want some advice from someone who may have / had one thmeselves. Are they very smelly if I was to keep it inside and do they need to be cleaned out everyday or is once a week ok? And also does anyone know places in dublin that sells good quality hutches please? Thanks

Sigma Force

If you neuter/spay the rabbit at 6 months of age there won't be a smell (well everything smells but you know what I mean) their wee can be strong so it is best to clean the wee area everyday as in litter tray, it's easy enough to litter train a rabbit, they will still poop in places but the pee will be contained to one area which will make cleaning easier.
Hutches are pointless for rabbits except as an area to sleep and hide in, they are usually way too small. If you have to get a hutch make sure when the rabbit is fully grown the rabbit can stand up straight on it's hind legs in it, can stretch out and run about in it.
Even though dwarf bunnies are smaller they are still the size of a large kitten or even a small cat depending on wether they are a pure bred etc. Think of it this way you woudn't confine a kitten or small cat to a hutch and a rabbit is the same size, they are also agile and love to hop high and sumersault so they need the space to do so.
If the bunny is litter trained it can be easier to have them in the house sometimes or confined to a safe room in the house, saves you having to run out in the rain and clean them.

The larger their home the less often you have to clean it, if it's a very large home or a shed you can do it once a week and just clean the toilet area daily and top up food/fresh water etc.

At this time of year young rabbits brought into pet shops are probably used to the warmth of being indoors so putting them straight outside might cause problems, you might have to gradually do it or wait until the weather warms up again in spring.

Two rabbits are better than one unless you have loads of time to spend with the bunny, even then it's a lot more fun to watch two playing, but they need to be neutered of course before they breed.

You could try rescues, they sometimes have dwarf bunnies eventhough some are far away transport can be organised sometimes it's best to contact rescues directly though to find out. Clare animal welfare has rabbits at the mo.

Not sure what area you are in so not sure what shop to recommend to buy the hutch in, if it has to be a hutch get the biggest one you can afford.
Also some I have noticed don't even have a solid door it's all mesh and the bun would freeze.

So the things to look out for when buying a hutch is, can it be lifted off the ground so it's not in direct contact with the wet ground.
Does it have a seperate sleeping area with a solid door and a partition inside with a hole for the bunny to go in and out of.
Are the locks secure enough (sometimes you have to replace them with better ones).
Is the felt roof on properly.
Avoid the plywood type ones they are useless and the walls are very thin, try getting a solid thick one and mabey one that has a run attached, although runs need to be modified sometimes.

The basic things you need before you get the bunny are.

Appointment at vet to get bunny health checked, vaccinated against Myxomatosis and then 2 weeks later against VHD.
Neutered/spayed by an experienced smallie vet at 6 months of age depending on the gender (vet will tell you more). Spaying females is very important, if it's a lone male you might not need to neuter him but it does help stop them marking their territory.

A heavy ceramic bowl for food.
Fresh hay
Large water bottle
Don't bother with salt licks or mineral blocks they are just gimmics and some buns become addicted to the salt ones, if they have a good diet they don't need them.
Also avoid shop bought treats.
Fresh fruit and veg (more veg than fruit is best) introduce new foods a little at a time too much and bun will get and upset tum.
Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage (no iceberg lettuce in fact avoid lettuce), carrot, apple, pear, brussel sprouts, herbs like oregano, thyme and fresh grass if you have it.
A good quality rabbit food like Burgess for Rabbits.
Fruit and veg must be washed well before hand and not straight out of the fridge, try and buy organic when you can.
Other treats and toys like wood chews, untreated apple branches, plain brown paper bags stuffed with hay and veg or herbs they love. Cardboard boxes with holes cut out for playing in.
Willow balls, kitchen roll inserts, treat balls and lots of space to run about.

I've waffled on loads but there yah go lol.
They are great to have as pets though, if the bunny is nervous just take it easy and slowly and once you have food they will love you eventually lol.

Lucifer

Thanks for the advice!! I'm living in south dublin and am having problems getting a big enough hutch...I want a two story hutch with the living quarters on the top and a ramp down to a run area. any ideas anyone please? Thanks

Nala

best bet is to build your own, the ones in pet shops are usually far too small. you don't have to be much good at carpentry to build a rabbit hutch because its basically a wooden box, a run is basically a wooden frame with chicken wire on it. as long as it is sturdy and safe the rabbit won't care if it isn't like a masterpiece. just don't use creosote on it, my grandad killed 2 rabbits by doing this because the fumes poison them.

Lucifer

How do I go about training a rabbit? litter training