When buying a baby rabbit there are certain things you must know and have prepared!
Shopping List1)Water bottle
2)Heavy non-tip food bowl - do not buy a large bowl, this will only encourage you to fill it up with pellets! 3)Rabbit Probiotics 4)Rabbit Pellet -I recommend burgess excell pellets 5)Hay - lots and lots of hay of different varieties, meadow hay is a basic for bedding and feeding and timothy hay is the best of feeding hay. Cammomile, dandelion, freeze dried, readi grass and many more are avaliable and should be used to add variety to your bunnies diet. 6)Rabbit hutch for outdoors - minimum of 4x2x2ft for dwarf/mini rabbits - house rabbits, bunnies still need their own space so i recommend an indoor cage of around 3ft in length 7)Solid and secure rabbit run- i recommend a minimum of 5ft long x 3ft wide x 2ft high Outdoor hutces need weather proof covers 8)Litter trays - i find cat litter trays work well 9)Nail clippers 10)Bunny first aid kit |
Does and Donts!
DODO have everything ready for your rabbit before you take it home
DO make sure you get a supply of the rabbits current food for a gradual transition onto your chosen rabbit food DO Have a rabbit experienced vet chosen before getting your bunny. Most vets are not experienced with rabbits as they are considered an exotic pet. Also try and choose a veterinary surgery that does out of hours emerency call outs. DO Carry out a 31 day panacur worming treatment on new rabbits, this as good as eliminates the deadly E.C parasite DO Quarantine new rabbits from existing rabbits for 4-6weeks DO Spay and neuter rabbits as soon as they are old enough DO Use spot on treatments twice annually Carry out routine 9 day worming wit panacur annually. DO ensure your rabbit has a constant supply of fresh clean drinking water and unlimited amounts of hay DO Contact the breeder and/or your vet if there is anything you are unsure of. DO make sure the rabbit you purchase is a minimum of 8 weeks old. DO record rabbits date of kindling, breeders contact details and date of purchase |
DO NOTDO NOT suddenly chane your bunnies diet!
DO NOT give a baby rabbit grass/fruit/veg straight away. Gradually introduce food stuffs once the rabbit is a minimum of 12 weeks old. Observation of stools is of upmost importance at this time! DO NOT wait until your rabbit is sick for you to take it to the vets, unusal behaviour is a sign of potencial illness so even if your bunny is behaving slightly differently, this justifies a visit to te vets! DO NOT place a new bunny with an exisiting resident bunny - without proper supervised introductions, hell could break loose and rabbits CAN kill one another! DO NOT forget to either check yourself or ask the breeder to show you the following: 1) How the rabbit is sexed and if possible compare genitals of both genders 2) the rabbits accomodation - look to see how clean the hutch is- good rabbit keepers will keep their hutces clean and tidy 3) to look at bunnies teeth and make sure they appear healty and normal - see bunny health 4) check to see the rabbits bottom is clean and not soiled 5) check rabbits ears for dark crusty residue - evidence of mites 6) check rabbits eyes, nose, skin and hocks |