# First Time Rabbit Owner



## PrancingPoniesxx (1 September 2016)

So today went with my granny to pick up her new puppy! Woman was so nice asked what animals I had mentioned I wanted a rabbit and she told me she had two rabbits & two hutches that she would give me for free. 
I'm going to pick them up this evening but Im new to having rabbits! 
Wondering about getting one for a long time now and my dad finally agreed
She's giving me everything I'll need and that she has because she her children aren't interested anymore!
Looking forward to having them but any tips you would give me for looking after them??
I know about cleaning out and believe me compared to mucking out stables this'll be easy! 
Just any general tips to keep them happy
I'm finding out everything about them when I go:d
Fingers crossed everything's good


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## poiuytrewq (1 September 2016)

I may be stating the obvious but give them loads of hay to eat not just rabbit food! Mine didn't touch his hay at first so i stopped feeding it and he developed really runny eyes which turned out to be because he wasn't wearing his teeth down sufficiently on just pellets!  Persevered with hay and cut down on hard feed and his eyes cleared up! 
Most rabbits seem to waste the mixy looking food (or mine do!) so a pellet type seems better. 
Have fun with them x


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## Redders (12 September 2016)

Firstly, rabbits are awesome! My girls live free range in my bedroom (bunny proofed from wires etc) and they wake me up in the morning with 'snuffles' to my face when they want their morning greens! I Also wake up to find them sleeping by my feet! They are completely house trained and use a litter tray with wood pellets. An unneutered rabbit will be almost impossible to fully litter train. Rabbits digestive systems are very similar to horses and so their diet should be very similar to a horse. 80% should be hay/grass, 15% veggies/greens and 5% pellets. That will also keep their teeth in good nick. A lot of popular breeds and crosses have issues with malocclusion though and will require regular vet checks that their teeth are wearing properly. Rabbits should live with bonded company as they are very social creatures- they can actually die from loneliness (makes them miserable and more susceptible to diseases). Rabbits enjoy human interaction and are very playful little beasties. They are also very clever. They should be neutered, 80% of female rabbits will develop uterine cancer in the first five years of life. They can have a tendency to get fat if over fed and not allowed sufficient exercise; this increases the risk of digestive issues, and also fly strike as they are unable to eat their ceacotrophs (initial poops that they eat directly from the anus and ESSENTIAL for their health) which attracts flies who then infest the rabbit- it is hideous for the bunny. Outdoor rabbits are more at risk of this- fly screens are a good idea.
Cared for correctly, rabbits live to around ten years of age, so it is quite a commitment.
So many bunnies end up lonely and ignored at the bottom of the garden- this is not how they should be kept.


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## webble (12 September 2016)

Everything Redders said


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## chillipup (12 September 2016)

Oooh how exciting. Everything Redders said, especially the last line... plus never forget if rabbits could only bark, the poor souls living in cramped hutches, at the end of the garden, wouldn't or couldn't be ignored.

Read everything you can in books and on the net about keeping these lovely creatures properly as pets too and if in any doubt, you can always ask on here


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