For info regarding
proper housing,
litter training,
bonding with your bunny,
bunny proofing,
diet, etc., you can begin at this site:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/choosing-your-first-bunny.html
As for being outside, the cottontails in the US cannot breed successfully with domestic rabbits. So no worries there. There are, however, other dangers to consider when housing outside. The site above discusses those
here. Be sure to check out the info on the recent outbreak of RHVD2 here in the US.
Preventing pregnancy is not the only reason to spay. It is recommended for health reasons (greatly reduces the chance of reproductive cancers that can be quite common by age 5 in intact rabbits), and also for behavior reasons (hormones may cause a variety of hormone-driven behaviors including aggression and spraying urine).
For "important things to know"... there really is quite a bit that is important. That's why I posted a number of links.
Diet is a very very important thing to understand right from the start. A sudden change in diet or too much of a good thing, or not enough of another can send a rabbit into GI stasis -- a common killer of pet rabbits. Their tummies can be quite delicate. This is something that needs to be understood from day one. (And when you get her, you'll need to be sure to get some of the pellets she's used to from wherever you're getting your rabbit.)
The transition to a new home can also be quite traumatic for a rabbit. There are ways to minimize that stress -- another important thing to know ahead of time as it can't be undone once done.
Here is some info on that.
And of course, along that same thought, having the housing for the rabbit completely setup beforehand is also important.
So glad you've come on the forum and are getting prepared ahead of time!
