[Aidy]

Hello peeps.

Never thought I would find meself in here 

I have been bullied by my dear wife into allowing the brats kids some fury bunnies. I have never kept them before only cooked them so can you guys point me or advise me into the pitfalls of bunny keeping, we are picking them up tonight I heard.

The basic house keeping I can sort but it is the health side of things, and what to look out for.
Cheers

[maxyboo]

That is a lot of info you need Aidy and it would be worth googling rabbit care to get more details unless someone here can point you to a good site.

However, the basics. What sex and age are the bunnies and are you confident that the person who sexed them knows what they are talking about? I ask because I know of countless people who have bought 2 girls or boys then found out they are one of each, usually when one of them is already pregnant. Male rabbits really need castrating once their testicles have descended. (I think around 3 and a half to 4 months). Even if you have 2 boys together I would still get them neutered as they may fight. Not many people in the UK get the girls spayed as well though opinions differ as not doing so increases risks of gynae cancers etc. Unfortunately it is not cheap. (Around 60 - 70 quid where I live).

Make sure they have fresh water, and most importantly hay. A bunny diet should be around 75% hay with other food in small amounts. Stick to whatever food they are currently on and introduce new foods gradually. Bunnies have very complicated digestive systems which are easily upset and diarrhoea can kill a bunny, particularly a baby. You can use a dry food such as supa rabbit excel which is pellets that all look the same and stops selective feeding. I just use a standard and cheaper bunny brunch but don't give too much and my bunnies eat it all. Obviously small amounts of greens and carrots can be given too.

Mxyamatosis shuld be vaccinated against. Where I live the vets advise it every 6 months but in some areas once a year might be enough. It depends how prevalent mxyi is in your area but your vet will advise you. There is another deadly disease. viral haemmorhagic disease that you can vaccinate against. Again your vet can advise if he feels it is necessary. I don't think VHD is very prevalent in the UK but it is highly contagious. I have never heard of a rabbit dying from it in my area.

Generally, check the rabbits teeth. the front teeth should be straight and even otherwise they can have problems chewing. Often vet nurses can do teeth checks and they can be free of charge. Check their bottoms are kept clean and dry or fly strike can occur which will be fatal if not caught quickly. This is more likely in older infirm buns but some bunnies are not good are cleaning themselves so look out for this. I just check my bunnies look ok every morning, that they are eating and have pee'd and poo'ed and running around. A bunny hunched in a corner is usually a sign of a poorly or injured bun.

Thats the basics I think but I don't want to overwhelm you If you have any specific concerns let us know and we will attempt to help.

[spottymint]

HI

Been a while with bunnies, but look for clean, bright eye's, no discharge/crusty eye corners.

Check their bottoms, no poo stains (could indicate the runs) & a sick bunny.

Watch out in the summer especially for "flystrike", any dirty bit's, like bottoms can encourage flies to lay their eggs, the maggots then eat bunny alive.  

I have seen fly strike in bunnies & sheep, really not nice.

maxyboo has mentioned lots of good points like teeth, sexing, myxy ect.

Too much veg can make them runny too. No point offering lettuce, carrots, cabbage, brocoli, kale should be fine. Lot's of clean hay for roughage.

As mentioned, goog is good for advise.

Spotty.

A good site, British Rabbit Council

http://www.thebrc.org/

[Aidy]

Many thanks for the basic info.

The bunnies are 11 month old and are the giant kind ( wallace and gromit springs to mind when I saw them).

The person we got them off has kept them very well and they are so tame, she has also given us a load of cleaning stuff as well as shampoo etc, chew stick things, well everything I can imagine.

the pet shop I get my layers pellets from has been really good to, popped in today to get some more pellets for the chooks and they were really helpful.

One question, is it worth getting bunny insurance?

They have been double checked for sex and are both female.

[maxyboo]

Personally I don't think bunny insurance is worthwhile. I had it 10 years ago and it was £5/month then. Never used it. When my buns have been seriously ill they tend to die quite quickly. I can't imagine putting a rabbit through extensive treatment for serious long term conditions and run of the mill stuff won't cost more than the excess anyway. I could only imagine it being of use if a bunny was injured by another animal or broke a leg but I think the shock might well kill them anyway and if they were in pain I would probably have them put to sleep.
I just try and make their runs as safe as possible to avoid injuries and animal attacks. As they are giant buns please don't let your kids sit on them. I have cared for a few rabbits chucked out by a rare breeds farm that had injured backs. They used to free range the giant bunnies and I'm sure parents let they kids sit on them to have a picture taken. I would not give them any places that are high to jump up and down from to try and avoid bone injuries.
We have had several giant bunnies and they are usually quite docile. You might find 2 girls together can be a bit stroppy if they have not been spayed but hopefully by 11 months they would have shown signs of this.
Enjoy them. Giant bunnies are beautiful creatures.

[Aidy]

Thanks Mayboo, very helpful.

At first I thought you were joking about the kids sitting on them!

I believe they can grow pretty large  Found this out last night and I think my wife is still in shock, I often say to her that sometimes she opens her mouth before the brain has engaged, I have a feeling this maybe one of those times 

As a pair they seem to be very close to each other, following each other around and cuddling up together.

I am gonna stick to my chooks and leave them with the rest of the family 

[NormandyMary]

Thanks Mayboo, very helpful.

At first I thought you were joking about the kids sitting on them!

I believe they can grow pretty large  Found this out last night and I think my wife is still in shock, I often say to her that sometimes she opens her mouth before the brain has engaged, I have a feeling this maybe one of those times 

As a pair they seem to be very close to each other, following each other around and cuddling up together.


I am gonna stick to my chooks and leave them with the rest of the family 

Well as my husband always says..If you're going to have one, have a biggun!!!

[sarajane]

If you let them in the house, keep your beady eye on them.  They will chew on anything, including wires and cables