What to look for when buying a rabbit

Some people buy their rabbits from breeders, but the average Joe will buy one from a pet shop. But before you buy from a pet shop, have you considered the many thousands of rabbits in rescue homes? Many rabbits in rescue homes are young and perfectly healthy, so even if you feel that you can’t take on the responsibility of an elderly or ill bunny, you can still help out by checking your local rescue centre (remember there may be several of them!). Many rescue rabbits have the advantage of being vaccinated, neutered and sometimes microchipped. The cost of these from a vet can easily be upwards of £100. Go to www.rabbitrehome.org.uk to find the location of your nearest rescue centre, or run a search on the internet.

If you absolutely must buy from a pet shop, please check the following to ensure are buying a happy, healthy rabbit. First check the condition of the pet shop itself. Do the animals have enough space to run and stand up fully in their cages? Are the cages overcrowded? Are the animals exhibiting signs of stress such as irritability, repetitive behaviour or aggressiveness? Are the animals inactive and bored (bear in mind rabbits sleep quite a bit, so check all of them!)? Are the animals’ cages clean, with plenty of food and fresh water? If the answer to any of these is unsatisfactory, then please buy from another pet shop. Whatever you do, do not buy an animal from a bad pet shop out of compassion, no matter how instinctive it may seem. You will merely be putting money into the pocket of a bad pet shop owner and you will most likely end up with a sickly animal. If you do find a pet shop where you believe animals are not being cared for properly, please call the RSPCA who will be able to assess the situation professionally and take all appropriate action.

If the pet shop is of satisfactory condition and you wish to select a rabbit, first ask for the sex of the rabbit. If you only wish to get one rabbit, either sex will make a loving pet. If you wish to buy two, I strongly recommend you delay purchasing the second rabbit so as to be able to introduce them gradually – rabbits do not automatically get on with each other. More importantly however, is the reason that the best pairing is a castrated male and spayed female, and because rabbits cannot be neutered until around 5-6 months (and your rabbit is likely to be aged around 10 weeks when you get him), you may end up with lots of little surprises! Two females or two males are likely to fight, so avoid these pairings.

Next, ask the pet shop owner whether you may inspect the rabbit. Keep the rabbit as close to the floor as possible and hold securely, supporting its rear end and shoulders. Rabbits do not really enjoy being picked up that much, but shouldn’t mind it if it’s on less than a couple of occasions per day. If the rabbit looks scared rather than just wary, this may mean he hasn’t been used to handling. If the rabbit is young, this shouldn’t be anything to worry about as he will get used to you handling him when you get him home, although he will require a little bit more patience whilst he gets used to you.

Once you can look at your rabbit, things to look for to check his health include: bright, clear eyes; clean ears; a smooth coat with no matting; no overgrowth on his front teeth (also, if he’s dribbling, this could indicate overgrown back teeth) and, most importantly, no discharge from his bottom.

If your rabbit meets all these criteria, you can buy him! Just ensure that you also purchase all the other equipment as well (and that you are able to transport it all home), and a suitable pet carrier to take him home in. It’s worth investing in a small plastic carrier for cats with a front opening door. It’s around £15 but well worth the investment, as with a little hay, some wood shavings and a few treats it can become a comfy, secure place when travelling not only from the pet shop to your home, but also to the vet, to other people’s homes when you go on holiday, and so on.

Make sure you buy a bag of the food that the rabbit is already eating. If you wish to out him on a different food you must mix this in gradually with his existing food over a period of weeks to avoid serious (possibly fatal) digestion problems.

So, in summary, here’s what to bear in mind when buying a rabbit:

·         Please, PLEASE try to get your rabbit from a rescue centre. They are far more in need than those in pet shops, and you could still get a baby rabbit if that’s what you really wanted.

·         Many rescue rabbits have the advantage of being vaccinated, neutered and sometimes microchipped. The cost of these from a vet can easily be upwards of £100.

·         If you are to buy from a pet shop, choose a rabbit from a clean, spacious pet shop where the animals look happy.

·         Don’t buy a rabbit in poor condition out of compassion, call the RSPCA instead.

·          Check the sex of the rabbit. Don’t buy two rabbits together as they will not automatically get on, and male-female pairings will breed before they can be neutered.

·          A castrated male and a spayed female make the best pairings, as same-sex pairs will likely fight.

·          When holding a rabbit, always support their rear end securely and hold them as close to the floor as possible.

·          Check for bright eyes, clean ears, smooth coat, teeth that aren’t overgrown, and no discharge from his bottom.

·          Invest in a pet carrier, a good one will be extremely useful on many occasions in the future.

·          Make sure you buy a bag of the rabbit’s existing food source.

 

When you get your rabbit home

When your rabbit arrives home, fill his cage with a layer of untreated wood shavings around 1cm thick, add some straw, some hay (put it in a hay rack to avoid him trampling it), a few toys, and somewhere to hide if he gets scared or upset (a cardboard box with a hole is a good idea). Disinfect his water bottle and fill it up with clean water, and fill up his food bowl.

It will obviously be very tempting to pick him up, cuddle him, and generally make a huge fuss of him! However, the stress of moving to your home – full of new sights, sounds and smells – should not be compounded by lots of fussing. Leave him for at least 24 hours to become accustomed to his new home. You will find that sitting next to his cage and gently talking to him or letting him sniff the back of your hand will help get him used to you.

It’s worth noting that your bunny will tend to use one corner of his cage to do his business. As soon as this corner becomes obvious, remove all soiled bedding and place a corner litter tray in this corner of the cage. Put some cat litter in the tray, and place a little soiled bedding in there too, so he knows by scent where to go. He should soon get the idea. If not, see my FAQ page for more tips on litter training.

After a day or so, open the door of the cage and he will make his own way out in time. Do everything on your bunny’s terms – if you go to stroke him and he seems uncertain, just leave it and try again after several minutes. He’ll eventually appreciate your attention so don’t worry if you’re rejected at first! You will find that as each day goes by, your bunny will become more and more accepting of you, allowing you to do more and more things. After just a couple of weeks, he’ll be coming to you for a fuss!