Bunny Knowledge Base
This page was made to educate new bunny owners and share helpful information
- Proper Bunny Housing
- Transitioning Your Bunny Into Their New Home
- One or Two?
- Bonding
- Spay and Neuter
- Vet Cost Expectations
- Rabbit Droppings & Urine
- Can I give my bunny a bath?
Proper Bunny Housing
Your bunny’s environment plays a huge role in temperament, litter habits, and overall health. Here are a few things you will need before bringing your bunny home.
- A spacious enclosure (about a 4 foot x 4 foot area with tall walls (40 inches or higher) so your bunny can’t hop out.
- Proper flooring or washable rugs
- A spacious litter box (We recommend Rooly or something similar)
- Dust free paper-based bedding. No wood shavings or clumping kitty litter recommended
- Fresh romaine lettuce, fresh herbs (parsley/basil/cilantro)
- Unlimited hay – alfalfa (1st 6-7 months), timothy, orchard, meadow, grass, or botanical are all acceptable
- Hay bag/rack
- Heavy ceramic bowls for water & food
- Grooming supplies (brush, nail clipper, and comb)
- Enrichment toys/chew toys
- Hides or cardboard boxes (bunnies love to hide!)
- Carrier
Transitioning Your Bunny Into Their New Home
Bringing home a bunny is super exciting, but it is also a major adjustment for them.
Your bunny may be shy, quiet, and observant for the next few days. They may want to avoid being handled. Their eating and pooping habits may change slightly which is normal. Your bunny is a prey animal. Let them come to you and explore at their own pace. Trust needs to be built. Bonding is not instantaneous, it requires time.
One or Two?
One of the most common questions we get is should I get one rabbit or two? Our recommendation is almost always start with one. While it’s true bunnies love their own company and thrive well with another bunny it’s best to start with one bunny. Then consider adding another once the other is fixed.
Single rabbits require daily human interaction to avoid getting depressed and developing destructive behaviors.
A pair of bunnies provide companionship for each other, they are often happier long term, and must be properly bonded. The best pairing is a fixed male and a fixed female. You can also have two fixed females together.
Bonding
How long does bonding with your rabbit take? Bonding takes time – plain and simple. The initial building of trust takes about a week or two. More comfortable interactions about 2-6 weeks and a real deep bond can take up to 3 months to develop. Every bunny is different.
How to build trust:
- Sit on the floor at their level
- Let them approach you
- Offer hay/pellets/baby bunny treats/fresh greens from your hand
- Speak to them softly
Spay and Neuter
This is one of he most important decisions for your bunny’s health and behavior. This is typically done between the ages of 4-6 months by a licensed exotics veterinarian. Female rabbits do not have a heat cycle or bleed. They are induced ovulators which means they can have babies at anytime.
Benefits of this include:
- Reduced aggression and territorial behavior
- Improves litter box habits
- Less “spraying” pee
- Prevents reproductive cancers in females
- Makes bonding with other rabbits much easier
- Cannot reproduce
Vet Cost Expectations
Owning a rabbit comes with ongoing veterinary responsibilities, and understanding these ahead of time helps ensure your bunny receives consistent, high quality care throughout their life. It’s important to know and expect what proper vetting costs will be for a bunny. Bunny’s are considered an exotic animal and will need to be seen by an exotic vet. Your first vet visit should be within 72 hours of getting your bunny home. Below is a breakdown of costs that you can expect. Pricing will vary by location.
- Initial vet visit – $150-$300
- Annual check ups – $150-$250 (monitor teeth, weight, overall health)
- Vaccines – $75-$150 (BunnyVac, RDVH2)
- Parasite prevention – $50/month
- Spay/Neuter – $450-$600 (This can change depending on your location)
- Emergency Visit – $500+ Depends on what needs to be done. Rabbits decline quickly.
Recommended Exotic Vets
Rabbit Droppings & Urine
Below are some useful charts of what are normal and abnormal poop should look like as well as urine colors.
Credit: https://bunnylady.com/rabbit-urine/
Can I give my bunny a bath?
Your bunny should never be fully bathed in water. This can cause shock or serious illness. Bunnies are like cats and are always self cleaning themselves.
You can spot clean dirty areas and also rinse their bottom or give them a “bottom bath.” A bottom bath is filling a shallow tub or something similar with warm water and dipping the bunny’s bottom in it to clean the dirty area. After this blow dry the area that is wet.