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Thinking about adopting a bunny (Questions)

3K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  BarkingPup 
#1 ·
Hi,
I have been wanting to adopt a small pet for some time, and now that I am going to be living in a place that allows them, I have been researching constantly to try to decide which is best for me. I am currently considering a bunny, but I had a few questions first. (I'm sorry if any of these questions are repeats, I couldn't find the answer anywhere I looked here.)

1. I was wondering about how much it costs to own a bunny, in particular a dwarf bunny (a per month or year estimate). I know that vet bills, food, etc. can quickly add up, and I want to be sure that I can commit financially. Also, I know that they have to see exotic vets, and do those cost more than the regular vets?

2. I was also considering a chinchilla and a hedgehog for awhile, and I saw that several people use fleece liners for their cages instead of bedding. I was wondering if anyone uses those for bunnies, also. The seem that they would be less messy, cheaper in the long run, and produce less waste. I would definitely do that as long as they are safe for bunnies.

3. I was planning on making my own cage out of the C&C or NIC (I think they are called) boxes because it seems that he will have much more room for cheaper. I was planning on adopting a dwarf bunny, and I wanted to make sure that he will not be able to escape. I know most small animals can fit into a very small space, and the last thing that I would want is for him to escape.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
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#2 ·
I dont really know the answer to any of these qustions except, yes, I think you can use fleece. I was just happy when I saw you were adopting instead of buying from a breeder/pet shop, and I read your questions and I can see you will be a great parent to your little bun, btw buns dont have to see exotic vets. Good luck!
;)
 
#3 · (Edited)
Hello, and welcome to paw talk!

First of all, that's awesome that you are doing your research before hand! :)

To answer your questions...

1. Bunnies I think can be more expensive than people expect them to be, but in my experence it's a managable amount unless there's an emergency. Yes exotic vets do often charge more than normal vets. As an example, I pay $50 for a general check up for my dog, and $80 for a rabbit because they need to see an exotics vet that has experience with rabbits. Spaying or neutering can be up to a couple hundred, but if you adopt it should already be fixed. Rabbits in the US don't need shots like dogs and cats do, so you don't have to pay for that. So on average, I pay $80 for each of my rabbits to get a yearly check up. Sometimes things come up like they get sick or hurt and that can get expensive, so I'd suggest saving up some money in an emergency fund just in case you ever need it. How much you pay will really depend on the vet you go to and the area you live in as well. I've seen a pretty wide range of prices between diffrent vets. Usually vets in the city are more expensive than in other places because they have to pay higher rent.

For food, I spend about $50 on hay once every two months or so. I buy hay in bulk online, so that price includes shipping. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find a farm that sells hay very cheap. Unfortuantly I live in the city so that wasn't an option for me. But keep in mind that I also have 3 rabbits, so what lasts me two months might last you three times as long. Pellets I don't remember the exact cost, but I wouldn't say more than $15 for a 10 lb bag. I only feed my rabbits a very small amount of pellets so a bag lasts me a long time. I also spend a little bit each week on them getting them fresh greens at the grocery store, maybe $10 a week, or less? Some of the greens I get them are pretty cheap, around $1 for a lb or even less sometimes. I guess those prices would also depend on your local store.

Other than that, I spend money on them getting them toys and you will need to get supplies like a litter box, water bottle or bowl, food bowls. Depending on what type of litter you want to use in the litter box you may need to buy that. I use Yesterday's News litter, but will sometimes just use left over paper or grocery bags if I run out of litter.

2. Yes you can use fleece for rabbits. I use it for mine, just not in their litter box. My rabbits are all litter box trained so the fleece is more to make them more comfortable, but it's nice because it's easy to clean and reuse if they have any accidents outside their litterbox.

3. I use to have a 2 lb netherlands dwarf bunny, and still do have a 2.5 lb lionhead. Neither of them were ever able to escape from NIC cages, even when they where young. The only thing I would be careful about is that I've heard that they changed the sizes of some of the cubes, and made the spacing between the bars bigger. I have a huge stock pile of older cubes so I didn't really look into this much, but I guess it was a problem for some people who where using them for guinea pig cages. I had a link about it but I can't seem to find it now. I'll post again if I do or maybe someone else will know more about it.

I think I answered everything. If I missed something or you have any more questions please feel free to ask! :) And if you haven't come across this site already, it's great for learning about keeping house rabbits.
http://www.rabbit.org/
 
#4 ·
Sorry to post again, but just to clarify, rabbits do need to see exotics vets. It's very important that you take your rabbit to a vet who is rabbit savy and has lots of experience with them. Normal cat and dog vets often don't have the training or experience to work with rabbits, and some medicine that is perfectly safe for cats and dogs can be deadly to rabbits if prescribed by an unknowing vet.
 
#6 · (Edited)
No problem, I just wanted to clarify :)
It's weird/confusing that rabbits are domestic, but then listed as exotic. It's important to find a vet who really knows what they're doing with rabbits, because they are sensative to things like antibiodics and anethesia. Their digestive systems are more similar to a horse than they are too a cat or dog. They can't handle some medicines the way that other animals (cats/dogs) can, so you really need a vet who studied rabbits and knows what's safe to give them.
 
#7 ·
I just wanted to say thank you for doing your research before getting a bunny. Bunnies are wonderful companions. Maybe you could spend some time with a bun at a rescue before adopting. Of course if you are like me you won't want to leave without one!
 
#8 ·
Congrats !!
Bunnies are wonderful to keep as long as you know what your getting into(which it does) up to 8 years they can live, sometimes surpassing that! So it's a commitment that you have to be prepared for. As for making the NIC cage, way to go ^-^ mine are set 2 high with a covered platform in both, I covered the top by the platforms because Acacia got out before. Acacia is pretty small and I haven't had any problems yet, only my stink-butt cat poking his paws through at them. Keep us posted on your progress and WE LOVE PICTURES!!
 
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