# Rabbit care? Help pls!



## Evie91 (8 May 2018)

Ive accquired three rabbits. Dumped in a lay by. Im not set up for rabbits but agreed to take them.
They are currently in a stable. Have straw on the floor and a private area - upside down hay bar. They have water and rabbit food and a whole bale of hay. Ive looked up what veg to feed but there seems to be conflicting advice. 
They arrive yesterday and so far have eaten a whole bag - supermarket size- of rabbit food and a huge carrier bag stuffed of hay- thats why I put the bale in.
Theyve had apples, pears, carrots, lettuce, radish, beetroot salad mix, cucumber, celery, mint, blueberries,broccoli, cauliflower, dandelions and grass. They ate everything yesterday and have slowed up a bit today. 
Is there any veg or fruit they can't have? Ive read - tomato and onion, but apart from that?
They are booked into the vets for vaccination. They will be booked to be castrated. Anything else?
Ive bathed them today- they are matted in faeces. They will need another bath. They are covered in scratches, bites and matts. One doesnt seem to have much fur. They seem to get on ok- apart from trying to hump one another which Im hoping castrating will solve. They do sleep cuddled together.
Vet said no turn out until they have been vaccinated- we have lots of wild rabbits in the garden and paddocks but when I do come to turn out any suggestions? It will need to be Fox proof- cant bear the little pens Ive looked at in the garden centres, seem so small!
Any advice appreciated!


----------



## wkiwi (8 May 2018)

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/think-you-want-a-rabbit/

Also google blue cross rabbit care and rspca rabbit advice. 
Well done for taking them on - I bet they think they have arrived in heaven!


----------



## Evie91 (8 May 2018)

Thank you - great link!


----------



## Crazy_cat_lady (8 May 2018)

Used to have rabbits as a child, big thing to keep an eye out for is fly strike, lost a couple to this despite mum being vigilant with them, you need to check their bottoms daily and wash them if any poo gets attached to them as this seems to be what tempts the flies to lay the eggs, it's a truly horrible condition not sure if you can get any sort of fly spray for rabbits may be worth a Google and advice on what to look out for etc.

Know we always fed them dandelion leaves if they were feeling a bit poorly they had lettuce (in small quantities as quite rich) carrots kale cabbage cucumber celery and probably other bits but it's been several years since I've had them so can't remember all of them. They also had a hard feed such as Russell rabbit i think it was called back then!

They had free run of the garden as the fence was fully secure not sure you could do that now as more foxes around. You can get runs or have a run made but wouldn't leave them in it over night due to fox risk. 

Would love to see some photos bet they are so happy now!


----------



## Honey08 (8 May 2018)

Very interesting thread.  I had a sudden rabbit adoption a week ago.  I've a lot to learn.


----------



## Vodkagirly (10 May 2018)

Treat like a horse to an extent. Diet should be mainly grass/hay. Then supplement with veg/fruit,  I give mine equinvalent to an apple a day but tends to be mainly veg. Hard feed, pellets are better than muesli type feed, I use Haringtons.  
They need space to exercise themselves, some of the pet shop hutches are horrible and tiny. If they are in a stable they would appreciate a box to hide in ( and pull apart)

Mine are castrated and still hump, it's a power thing as well.

Any questions please ask. Adore my bunnies, they are very entertaining.


----------



## Quigleyandme (10 May 2018)

Our Rex rabbits loved a grisini each at bed time.  Apart from that their favourite treats were curly kale and sweet corn.


----------



## Evie91 (10 May 2018)

Thanks for the replies folks. I&#8217;ve put various boxes in the stable and upside down hay bar - which seems to be their favourite hiding place. Sealed some boxes and put holes in them so they can run through.
Think I&#8217;ve been giving them way too much veg!! They&#8217;ve had two broccoli,cauliflower, bag of pears, two bunches of carrots with tops, box blueberries, two peppers, bag salad leaves, two romaine lettuce, three apples, one and a half bunch celery, one cucumber, one parsnip and one sweet potato since Monday!! Plus grass and dandelion leaves and willow branches. 
They have a bale of hay in there but seem to prefer sitting on it! I bought the Museli stuff so will swap to pellets next time.
They went to vet today for check and vaccinations- they are all too thin, have poor coats but eyes are clear and teeth are good apparently. They are all male and adults.
I do plan to move them to an outside enclosure. I have a wooden Wendy house and it would be wall on three sides and then dug in cage type fencing. Mud though and weed, no grass grows due to overhanging tree. Vet said to wait 5-6 weeks before moving them out for vacc&#8217;s to be effective. No pics as rubbish at that type of thing. 
Vet couldn&#8217;t tell me what breed, they are all dwarf size but have sort of lop ears- well one doesn&#8217;t have much of his ears left - look to have bitten or chewed off. Only other thing vet said is that if scratches don&#8217;t clear up they will need treating for mites but he said just to keep an eye on them first. He also said not to castrate for a few months until they are in better condition. So I now have a bit of a plan! Any more rabbit advice most welcome! Can&#8217;t believe just how much they are eating - two bags of hay and two super market size bags of food gone plus all the additional extras!


----------



## Nudibranch (12 May 2018)

I've just put a deposit on 2 bunnies after not having rabbits for about 20 years and having done a bit of Googling, it seems feeding has evolved quite a long way since then! As VG says, think horse - forage, forage, forage. Apparently a lot of people feed only about an eggcup full of pellets a day and the rest is hay with a bit of veg. I think they'll probably need weaning off the hard stuff and to learn to eat mostly hay by the sounds of it. Mine will be on straw bedding and I'm planning to install a mini hay rack so they don't trash it. I've always had lops - dwarf and french - and they're lovely characters. Watch out for dental and tearduct issues with lops.


----------



## jhoward (20 May 2018)

apparently rabbits should not have carrot tops...posionus ...re feed most places now feed redi grass. i hve a rescure bunny ( who is the most un grateful little sod ive ever met) hes actually not a big hay eater so gets a couple of handfuls of grass a day, veg now and then as a treat and.. when i can catch the sod to bring him indoors he can then run outside too he ha a few sunflower seeds thrown about to give him something to hunt around for, i do have some of the pellets which again i spread about to give him some thing to find... and to encourage him into his litter tray ( and to stay there long enough to pee which to be fair he now does) you can get a lot of natural feeding treats, natures own i think is the brand, but the whole feeding mix etc  has gone out very fast!


----------



## catxx (12 June 2018)

Carrot leaves are not poisonous. Totally safe to feed bunnies!

Readigrass is a good feed but more as a treat than a staple as it is quite rich, too rich for some rabbits and can upset their tums.


----------



## PrancingPoniesxx (14 June 2018)

Theres so many veggies they cant have- if you have fb Pet Rabbit Advice is a great group for telling you things like that. I would cut back in things like carrots and fruits and give more things like Kale and Romaine lettuce. Dont give them iceberg and also make sure that theyre having nuggets and not muesli type mix


----------

