I Need Your Opinions on Where to Keep a Pet Bunny!

[_-Captain BRM-_]

Yes, I have looked into probably all the shelters that have rabbits in my area and the first thing I check is the adoption fee. Anything above 50-60 dollars is where I start looking elsewhere because it is my parents that are buying my bunny, and they have made it obvious that they don't want this to be a very expensive ordeal. I would be willing to pay for the bunny and some of the supplies myself, but I am not even old enough to work yet and I wouldn't exactly say I have plenty of money to spend on pets. I will look into morabbits though, I wasn't aware of all the extra things the adoption fee included!

Here are the dimensions of the hutch I was looking at:View attachment 3248238
Keep in mind that I am aware the hutch alone is not a big enough of a space to house a rabbit. I would have an xpen attatched to it and always have the door to the hutch open. The hutch would only be a "home base" and a place for the rabbit to go if it wants to be alone.

As for what kind of bunny I plan to get, I wouldn't get anything bigger than 5-6 lbs because of hay and feed prices near me, and I don't think the space I have available is large enough for any giant breeds. I don't have a particular breed that I'm looking for although I have a strange love for the way Holland Lops look.

Thanks for the help! Like I said, I'll definitely look into morabbits but if I end up getting a rabbit from the humane society I will contact a bunny specialized shelter for advice on finding a rabbit savvy vet.

Holland Lops, Mini Lops, Mini Plush Lops, and Rexs are some favorite's!

 

[Happy Novogens]

Yes, I have looked into probably all the shelters that have rabbits in my area and the first thing I check is the adoption fee. Anything above 50-60 dollars is where I start looking elsewhere because it is my parents that are buying my bunny, and they have made it obvious that they don't want this to be a very expensive ordeal. I would be willing to pay for the bunny and some of the supplies myself, but I am not even old enough to work yet and I wouldn't exactly say I have plenty of money to spend on pets. I will look into morabbits though, I wasn't aware of all the extra things the adoption fee included!

Here are the dimensions of the hutch I was looking at:View attachment 3248238
Keep in mind that I am aware the hutch alone is not a big enough of a space to house a rabbit. I would have an xpen attatched to it and always have the door to the hutch open. The hutch would only be a "home base" and a place for the rabbit to go if it wants to be alone.

As for what kind of bunny I plan to get, I wouldn't get anything bigger than 5-6 lbs because of hay and feed prices near me, and I don't think the space I have available is large enough for any giant breeds. I don't have a particular breed that I'm looking for although I have a strange love for the way Holland Lops look.

Thanks for the help! Like I said, I'll definitely look into morabbits but if I end up getting a rabbit from the humane society I will contact a bunny specialized shelter for advice on finding a rabbit savvy vet.

Gotcha.

With an ex-pen permanently attached to a hutch or cage, the size of the cage isn't that important. So the size of the one shown isn't much of an issue. However, it is not laid out well for a rabbit and -- fair warning-- it will be a hassle to keep clean. The doors don't allow for easy access. When something is a hassle to access for cleaning, it tends to not get cleaned very often. The ramps are just space wasters. You can get/make a better hutch that is easier to clean for less money.

Regardless, before you decide to buy any housing for the rabbit, you may want to first look at the adoption orientation that morabbits provides. They encourage people to wait until orientation before purchasing housing.

It's actually good that you are not set on a specific breed because that means you'll have more options. It'll be great fun to meet various rabbits and figure out which ones you are especially drawn to (and which ones seem to be drawn to you). Personality is king over appearance. When you find a rabbit with the personality you like, it'll be such a fun experience.

 

[quailheart]

I'll have to bring it up with my parents and schedule a date to check out morabbits. Until then I'll put a hold on my search for the perfect hutch. Can't wait, I know this is going to be a very fun experience!

 

[Skye'sDucks]

I think the shelter you are considering is not a bad idea at all! While knowing the personality is a big plus, I got my rabbit from a general shelter and learned about her myself. She ended up being the sweetest rabbit ever. All three of my bunnies have been rescues, and despite my Lionhead being a bit grouchy, all have been fun and nice pets.

I personally save the vet for emergencies with my rabbits. But as others said, if you are more comfortable doing annual checkups, then you do you. In my opinion not taking my rabbits to the vet for checkups saves money and also hassle and stress for your bun. Amazingly there are a lot of home cures for some of the more minor injuries/sicknesses rabbits can get--You just have to be willing to do some research! Even if I bring my rabbit, or any animal in fact to the vet, I will always always do research first so that at the very least, I can have some knowledge about what is going on with my pet.

As it was also already mentioned, it can be tough to find an "exotic" (bunny) vet. My first vet wasn't even an "exotic pets" vet, but he tried to help our bunny with his knowledge. He turned out to be great, but that might not always be the case. Hence back to my thing about research--if you do your homework, you have a better guess at if your vet knows their stuff or not, unless you find a really good rabbit vet.

Also as was mentioned--research your area about vaccines and RHDV2. If you are never letting him outside you might not have to worry much at all about this. Over the years I've been lax on this myself, but my rabbits live in a pretty controlled environment with few wild rabbits near us. Plus I don't think there's been many reported cases near where I live. But it all depends on where you live.

 

[Ccort]

I have two pet rabbits of my own and I foster rabbits from time to time. I actually have a new foster one coming in tomorrow.

I bought one of those Atuvin cages you mentioned but they're expensive and really low quality. The bun may just eat it as well and they really don't have much room. I recommend either making a "cubes and coroplast" cage OR trying out free ranging.

I know you said you can't free range but...
I have two dogs and both my rabbits are now 100 percent free range in my house. My dogs seemed totally unfazed by them. Of course, at first they were very curious about them but not anymore. Just something to think about. Also, rabbits can be litterbox trained. Could they just free range in one room but away from the dogs? Like in your bedroom?

Lastly, rabbits don't smell unless you aren't scooping/cleaning their litterbox. I have two small litter boxes that I put either Aspen litter or Carefresh in. Every three days, I just dump it and rinse/wash it out and refill.

One more thing and I think it's most important, if you only get one rabbit, please make sure it's a rabbit that does not want to be around other rabbits. That's a fairly rare thing. Otherwise, they get so lonely. They love their rabbit friends and are generally much happier living with a second rabbit. Also, solo rabbits are more likely to get bored or anxious/lonely and chew the house or cage up. If you adopt and absolutely only want one, I recommend adopting from a rabbit rescue and getting one that they recommend being a solo bun.

 

[educators2010-]

I saw this on Pinterest today and thought of you. It looks like a fairly simple build, and would be larger and cheaper that a prefab hutch.
View attachment 3242838
Of course the rabbit would still need either an expen or free roam time, but this could be a great space saving home-base. It could be decorated to look cute like this one too.

Just be careful about the type of wood you use, incase the rabbit does decide to chew it.

Very pet bunny cage

 

[BDutch]

Very pet bunny cage

The thread starter @quailheart wasn’t online since august. But I wonder what the outcome was. Did she get her rabbit(s)? And where / how.
I I had seen this thread a year ago I would have advices to buy a small prefab chicken coop.

For anyone who is reading this:

I had 3 bunnies outside but the rabbit cage was falling apart. Around it was a rabbit run , but the wood under the sand (40 cm) rotted in the corners and we had a problem with the rabbits digging theirselves a way out.

I bought this prefab chicken coop for the 2 bunnies that survived a fox attack.

In the summer I put the coop on the lawn, and had fine hwc under the coop/run + 25 cm against digging foxes.
In winter the coop moved to the terrace.
The rabbits always pooped in one of the nestboxes. Easy acces to clean.

I still have this coop after 12 years. With a new roof.

 

[dripbabygirl]