Pet advice needed :)

MarthaMyDear

Hey, just looking for some advice on my pet rabbit!

I have a lop eared rabbit she's almost one. She lives in a hutch in the back garden right beside the house so it's slightly sheltered. I've had her for a good while now and I adore her but I have a few questions about her that I'd love to get some feedback on!

Firstly, I feed her rabbit pellets from the pet shop. Does anybody know the amount I should be giving her? I looked it up but there seems to be a few different views on this. I usually give her a large handful which she eats fairly fast. She also gets some veg which she nibbles on during the day.

Also, when I first got her last winter she was very young so I kept the hutch in my room due to the cold weather. She was very noisy at night and my room smelt like a pet shop but I suffered

So what do most people do with their rabbits during the winter? We have a shed would it be enough to clear a space and put the hutch in it at night? Would we have to cover it with a blanket too? Or how cold can rabbits withstand?

Thanks

Fluorescence

Could you put a radiator or some other heat source in the shed? That should keep the rabbit warm during the winter.

kildare.17hmr

once the hutch suitable enclosed indoor space and the rabbit has good bedding it should be fine, they are hardy animals

MarthaMyDear

fluorescence wrote: »

Could you put a radiator or some other heat source in the shed? That should keep the rabbit warm during the winter.

There's no plugs in the shed, maybe I could look into one of those heat lamps? It's just difficult as I'll be in college during the winter and I'll only be home at the weekends. My parent's aren't exactly rabbit lovers and I can just imagine what they're going to say when I ask can they move her hutch in and out of the shed twice a day!

I'm guessing it wouldn't be good to leave her in the shed all day even if it was cold? She loves looking out of her hutch at the garden And the shed is dark it would be like just leaving her in a dark box all the time apart from when she's let out to exercise in the garden or house.

Irishchick

Put the hutch in the shed with a blanket over it on winter nights. Make sure it has alot of bedding aswell and it should be ok.

Otherwise you could get a cage from the petshop and keep her inside in that at night (put the cage in the kitchen or pantry)

boomerang

If she is going to be on her own for long periods I would suggest getting another female to keep her company, OP - once they are acquainted she'll be far happier. (You'd have to put a wire division between them for the first few days so they get accustomed to one another.)

Also she should be getting unlimited amounts of hay as the main part of her diet - important for her teeth, digestion and as a comfort to her as it's a natural behaviour for them.

MarthaMyDear

boomerang wrote: »

If she is going to be on her own for long periods I would suggest getting another female to keep her company, OP - once they are acquainted she'll be far happier. (You'd have to put a wire division between them for the first few days so they get accustomed to one another.)

Also she should be getting unlimited amounts of hay as the main part of her diet - important for her teeth, digestion and as a comfort to her as it's a natural behaviour for them.

Yep, she gets lots of hay! The hutch isn't huge though it's just one of the average sized ones do you think that would be ok for two rabbits or would they be on top of each other?

When I say she, I'm not actually 100 percent sure if she's male or female! I asked a vet and they didn't really give me a straight answer, she was a lot younger then. I've tried checking but I just can't really tell!

Sigma Force

First thing is change your vet, go to a rabbit savvy vet and have the rabbit sexed, and then neutered/spayed. Then go to the DSPCA or other rescue and see if they have a suitable neutered/spayed rabbit you can pair her/him up with.
Ensure vaccinations are up to date.

A hutch is not a suitable place for any rabbit as in if that's all the rabbit has. Hutches should be used only as a place to sleep, shelter and hide in they must be attached to a large run or shed or something safe in a large area so they have space to run around. Most rabbits are the size of a small cat and people don't keep cats locked up in a hutch 24/7 and rabbits are almost as agile (except for the climbing trees part).

The winter was so severe last year the rabbit should be kept indoors from the end of Sept. yes rabbits can be hardy but only if their housing is kept warm and dry, condensation builds up and bedding gets wet and they have no way of keeping themselves warm. In the wild wild rabbits build deep burrows and change their own bedding so the two can't be compared.

Food wise one of the best brands to feed is Burgess, you need to find out the brand of food the pet shop is selling you especially if it's re-packed stuff because some rabbit food has a lot of additives. You need to keep the diet as natural as possible. Generally a cup full of dry food is enough but the packaging will tell you more the Burgess comes in a green bag, if you do change the dry food introduce the new food gradually.

Veg is of course good, just make sure you avoid lettuces, they have little nutritional value and iceberg is not good for them. Carrots, broc. cauliflower, the occasional apple, certain herbs are safe. zooplus has a range of chews and treats.

Unlimited hay and water of course, good quality hay, I found that woodland hay too musty and used to use plospan or other brands with a fresher scent and greener. As a treat check out the oxbow website.

HTH