Companionship

Rabbits are naturally sociable animals. In the wild rabbits live in groups, they do not live by themselves by choice. They enjoy company and get very bored and lonely when kept alone. Rabbits spend a lot of time interacting and grooming one another. They often seem much more relaxed when they have another rabbit to look out for them, as rabbits are naturally prey animals and have to stay alert for danger.

However introducing rabbits to one another is not always a straightforward process. Rabbits are extremely territorial in the wild and would strongly defend their territory from intruders. The same applies to the domestic rabbit.

There are a few basic rules we follow:

• In a hutch / run situation it is best to keep only two rabbits.

• The easiest combination to mix is a neutered male with a neutered female.

• Same sex pairs, mixed when young and neutered at an early age will generally live happily together.

Adopting A Pair Of Rabbits

If you haven’t any rabbits already the easiest option is to adopt a pair of rabbits which are already living together.

A Friend For An Existing Rabbit?

If you already have an adult rabbit and are thinking of adopting a friend for it, the easiest combination to introduce is a male with a female rabbit. We neuter all the rabbits that we re-home from the centre, however, if you wish to introduce a female to your male he must have previously been neutered to prevent persistent mounting. Males must be kept from unspayed females for 5 weeks after neutering to prevent pregnancy.

Mixing Adult Rabbits

We would recommend that you have separate accommodation for both rabbits so that they can be introduced gradually to one another and they can learn that the other rabbit isn’t a threat to them.

Ideally it is best if you have two separate runs that can be put side by side, or put a mesh divider in your existing run. This way the rabbits can get used to being near to one another but can not actually get to one another to fight. It is best to keep them like this for about a week before trying them together. You can normally tell when they will mix okay by how well they are interacting through the mesh.

When you first try the rabbits together it is best to eliminate territorial behaviour by introducing them in an area where neither rabbit has been before. It can be a good idea to put lots of tasty vegetables on the floor in the area that you are planning to mix them in, to take their minds off one another a little. If fighting breaks out separate the rabbits straight away and check them over for any injuries. House them again in their separate runs and try them together in a few days.

Often they will try to mount one another until they establish their relationship. It is a good sign if you see them grooming one another because this means that they have accepted their new friend. If they are getting on well it may be possible to house them together in the same hutch that night but if you are at all worried it may be best to separate them at night and try them together the next day.

Once you have an established pair you will realize that all the effort was worthwhile.

Accommodation

The larger and more interesting you can make the accommodation, generally the better it is. Rabbits have strong back legs and love to run and jump so you need to provide a large enough area for them to do this. They need a secure area because they are good escape artists, often being good diggers and jumpers. They also need protecting from predators.

Minimum Hutch Size: 150cm long, 60cm wide and 60cm high. (6ft x 3ft x 2.6ft)

Minimum Run Size: 2m square.

The run needs to have some form of shelter to protect the rabbit from the dampness of the grass, provide shade from the sun and to give the rabbit somewhere to hide. It is a good idea if the hutch is attached to the run although this resticts it from being moved around to fresh grass. The best life for a bunny is that of a house rabbit with access to a secure garden, although it can take a lot of work to make your home rabbit proof as they are great nibblers!

Diet

Rabbits teeth grow an average of 3mm per week so it is extremely important that they have a good diet to keep their mouths healthy. The best diet for a rabbit is one that is as close to its natural diet as possible. Wild rabbits spend 4 - 8 hours a day eating grass and other roughage. This is why their teeth grow so quickly. they have to keep up with the rate that they are worn down from all the chewing that they do. When rabbits spend 10 minutes eating concentrated food straight from a bowl it means their teeth are not worn down quickly enough. This is why many domestic rabbits suffer from dental problems that are very painful for them. As well as causing sores in the mouth, the roots can also grow upwards as well. Sometimes they can protrude through the tear duct which is why sore weepy eyes can be caused by dental problems. All of this is very painful for them, however it is very difficult to tell when a rabbit is in pain as in the wild a rabbit doesn’t like to show pain as this will stand out to predators.

The ‘Hay and Veg’ diet

We feed all our healthy adult rabbits a diet of good quality hay and vegetables. We recommend this diet as it means they have to spend more time eating, so therefore their teeth wear down at the correct rate. It also helps combat boredom as the rabbit is spending more time doing what it should naturally do. Of course grass is also very good but lawnmower clippings must not be fed as they rot down too quickly.

Young, under weight or poorly rabbits we feed ad-lib ‘super rabbit excel’ as well as hay and veg. It is very important that rabbits always have something available to eat as they have complicated digestive systems which stop working if they go for any period of time without food. If you notice your rabbit is quiet, hasn’t eaten or hasn’t passed any dropping you must take it straight to the vet as they deteriorate very quickly.

Adoption Charge

We charge £20 each for our rabbits. This includes the cost of neutering and having their teeth checked under general anaesthetic by a vet. We also vaccinate our rabbits against myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease (cylap vaccine). These are annual vaccinations although it is recommended to vaccinate against myxomatosis every 6 months if the rabbits live in a high-risk area, be guided by your vet. This also includes insurance for the first 6 weeks.

All our rabbits must be re-homed to live with another rabbit and as with all our other animals we do a pre-home visit, which normally takes 7-10 days.

Maintenance

• Rabbits need fresh food and water daily. They are clean animals and will normally toilet in one area. This should be removed daily. They can be litter trained.  

• Daily access to exercise area

• Rabbits can get fly strike so it is important to check their bottoms daily and clean them if they are sticky.

IN CASES OF CRUELTY, NEGLECT OR IN AN EMERGENCY TEL: (24 HOUR)