1st time rabbit owner help!

[KayT]

hi ive never owned a pet rabbit and neither have any of my family but weve now decided to get one soon but dont know much about them. wont be getting him until the middle of september because a) we want to know a bit more about them before we purchase one and b) were going to florida for a 2 week holiday and dont have anyone who can look after a rabbit while we're away, so its best to wait til our return. we plan to adopt a rabbit from a rescue centre as i hear rabbit over population is a growing problem in the world.

ive just a few questions about the basic facts but the main thing i want to know is how to line a rabbit hutch i.e. what do you put on the floor, bedding, litter. are any products unsafe?

any other general information would be great. thanks for reading

 

[queenadreena]

Hello, very sweet that you've decided to get a rabbit from a rescue centre As for lining the hutch:

First of all you can put some sort of plastic lining on the bottom(like that stuff you line artificial fish ponds with) but I've stopped doing this, it makes it easier to clean out though. After that, you place down newspaper, along with a good layer of sawdust or safe kitty litteron top, then after that goes the hay. The sawdust/litter helps soak up urine.

 

[naturestee]

Thanks for adopting a rescue!

By hutch do you mean an outdoor hutch? Or are you using the word for an indoor cage? There's a difference in what you do with them, as usually with indoor cages the only litter is in the litterbox. Also, Florida gets really hot and rabbits are sensitive to temperatures over 80 degrees. Not to mention parasites and predators, which have been known to kill rabbits from fear without even touching them. I really suggest that you look into keeping your rabbit indoors.

There's lots of information in Bunny 101, including stuff on behavior and care.
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_forum.php?id=17

 

[KayT]

hi i will be keeping the rabbit in an indoor rabbit cage. i was told it's called a 'hutch' it has a plastic base and a wire top. i will be buying the rabbit when i return from florida so the rabbit wont actually be coming to florida.

do i leave the plastic floor with nothing on it and then have a litter box with litter in it?

 

[naturestee]

Oh! Sorry, I guess I misread that.

You can put down untreated grass mats. I get mine from Pier 1. Those plastic floors can be a little slippery on fuzzy rabbit feet. Some rabbits are okay with towels, but take them away if he eats them! Other than that, I keep litter in the litterbox. The best stuff ever is wood pellet litter. Woody Pet is a common brand. It's the best I've ever used for absorbance and odor control. Plus it's really cheap if you get the big bags from farm stores. It's also sold in more expensive bags at petstores under names like Feline Pine.

Since you haven't actually put the rabbit in the cage yet (and can still return it), have you looked into dog crates or cages made with wire shelving grids (NIC cages)? I'm asking because most of those pet store rabbit cages are too small even for dwarf rabbits and you may find yourself needing a better cage soon. Best to return it while you can, especially since the bigger, better alternatives are often as cheap as or cheaper than the "rabbit cages."

Here's more info on cages:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11792&forum_id=17

And here's a thread where members post pics of their cages. You can get a lot of ideas here.
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=1931&forum_id=1

 

[KayT]

oh dont worry im sure the cage is plenty big enough. i read that it needs to be at least 4 times the size of the rabbit, which its more than that. it has a large sleeping area, feeding platform, and room for rabbit to stand and lie down comfortably.

so for the bedding i usewood pellets in the litterbox, a towell (maybe a fleece blanket) to line the floor, then newspaper witha thin layer of sawdust then some hay for in the bed?

 

[naturestee]

Don't use sawdust. It's really dusty and can irritate their eyes and nose. Newspaper and hay is fine. Although many people keep hay in hay racks or the litter box because rabbits often poop next to the hay. It's great for littertraining because of that.

I've also found that my rabbits often push aside any bedding and lie on the bare floor.

 

[ayglnu13]

Oh I am so glad you are adopting! I hope you post some pictures when you adopt him or her! This forum is also a great resource for getting advice when you cant find it on other websites. This forum's members are really amazing and have seriously saved some of my rabbits lives!

As for bedding I usually have a place where they can get off the floor if they choose. Like one of my rabbits has a bed made for a ferret in his cage. He can either sleep in it to get off the floor or sleep on the floor when the bed is too hot .

Good luck in your search!

~Amy

 

[KayT]

thank you very much for all of your help