Sawdust is a no-no. It can cause respiratory issues. You shouldn’t bathe your rabbit unless medically needed. And harnesses – well some people have success but in my opinion they are an accident waiting to happen (bunny becomes spooked, gets caught in harness, breaks legs etc. Actually happened to a member’s bun here) Other than that, I think you sound very prepared! But you will need a few more things I would reccomend water bowls in addition to the bottles as they can stop functioning and leave the bun w/o water. Depending on where you live, you’ll need something to keep flies and whatnot at bay and you will possibly need to medicate against worms regularly. You might also want a first aid kit. There’s a thread on here somewhere about what to include. I personally don’t have a first aid kit (yet) but I do have baby gas drops (simethicone) in case a bun gets a gurgling tummy.

How old are the new buns? Are they spayed and neutered? If they aren’t yet spayed/neutered, unfortunately you’ll need to separate them until afterwards so you might need two of everything!

Edit: You’ll also need one (or two) carriers to safely transport your buns to the vets. 

Also, I’m not sure if you’re already planning to, but I highly recommend having your rabbits micro chipped just in case *touch wood it doesn’t happen* but they get loose. Mine are house rabbits but I still micro chipped them. I’m a bit of a worrier 

I was advised by my buns’ foster mother against getting a water bottle, so I bought a big, heavy (you want crockery or ceramic for your bunnies’ water and food dishes so they don’t knock them over or throw them around – they LOVE doing that if a thing is light enough!) water dish for them. That dish holds 4 cups or more of water, more than ample for the day when I’m away at work, and I change the water twice daily.

If that outdoor run (exercise pen?) can be set up indoors, think about doing that. It can be risky to have domestic rabbits outside unless you’re keeping close tabs on them, and even then they can get frightened to the point of heart attack (no joke) by even the nearby presence or noise of predatory animals, including cats and dogs.

I don’t have a first aid kit yet either, but the House Rabbit Resource Network down in Texas appears to have a good “starter” one (though I’ll have to buy the simethicone separately) for $19.95 including shipping. Also consider getting pet insurance; people’s experiences here with that have been mixed, but to my way of thinking it’s better than nothing if you should have a medical emergency.

Don’t forget the dark-green leafy vegetables! I recommend getting, if it’s available where you live, spring mix packages (no salad dressing). Walmart sells 16-ounce boxes for $4.66, which is what I use.

The garden sounds lovely . I agree with no sawdust. I’m not sure about the shampoo, only because buns should not be bathed unless it is an emergency. Baths can put the bun in shock. If you are worried about insects, there are some natural repellents, or certain flea prevention medication. Only certain flea meds are safe for buns because other flea meds are toxic (I can’t recall which ones). Both water bottles and water bowls together are good to have: water bottles in case the bowl gets knocked over or accidentally pooped in, and water bowls in case the water bottle sipper leaks or gets stuck.

Frontline is the flea powder/medication that’s dangerous for rabbits. And in fact, I’m still considering getting a water bottle as a backup to the water dish; I discovered this morning that overnight, the water dish had both stray strands of hay and a couple of poops floating around in it. Ick. Naturally, I poured the thing out and put fresh water in.

For vegetables, review this list (derived from the House Rabbit Society’s list):

https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/VeggieList/tabid/144/Default.aspx

I would suggest wood pellets. The ones I use are wood pelleted cat litter but if you have a hardware store near, you could look for wood stove pellets. They are safe to use as long as they don’t have any chemicals added. The other option that I have experience with is Carefresh which is a paper based litter but it’s pretty pricey. Definitely look into getting wood pellets I *think* aspen shavings are okay but I’m not sure about the safety of other types plus of course there’s the respiratory issue – someone else will have to clarify all of this!

The downside to water bowls is they do get dirty quickly but it’s good to have a back up in case the bottles malfunction. You could get a bowl that anchors onto something so it’s not flat on the ground. Less chance of poop/hay/litter landing in it

Unfortunately, babies can’t technically be bonded (to other babies or adults). At the moment, you’ll need to keep the two separate. This is because the hormones that your little one has may cause him to be aggressive OR it could cause your spayed female to act aggressively in response to his hormones. And rabbits can really hurt one another. Check out the bonding section on here for further advise on that

In regards to harnesses – some buns can be trained to use them safely (we have a member here who uses one for one (or all 3?) of her male buns) But there’s a big risk so you’ll have to be very careful if you decide to try them out. 

I’ll try and locate the thread regarding first aid kits. Gimme just a sec…

https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/162082/Default.aspx

There’s the link for a first aid kit

Posted By BrokenBlue on 8/25/2017 1:17 PM

Great thanks for the links

So basil, lettuce and kale could be fed almost daily? (along with about 3-4 other vegetables each day to provide variety) That would be great as we grow lots of them.

 Could I use the cat litter I already have instead of the wood shavings? It’s called Eco Grain Cat Litter. It’s made of grain husks and is low dust. When you tip it out of the bag there is virtually no dust.

Here is a link to their website
http://www.ecograincatlitter.co.uk/

He should be neutered by the time I get him (might have been done already this week). Does this mean he could be bonded? Does it depend on how old they are or whether or not they are neutered?

Thanks again for answering my newbie questions

As long as both are neutered and spayed, age doesn’t matter so it’s great that he should be neutered when you get him But he’ll need to settle in for a few weeks and then you can start pre bonding. Pre bonding is where you swap the bunny’s litter trays, food and water bowls, toys etc so they become accustomed to the other one’s scent. Once you’ve done this for a while you can start proper introductions. It’s a very involved process lol. 

For the litter, I can’t seem to find on the website you linked – is it litter that expands when wet? If so, that isn’t safe for bunnies as they sometimes like to nibble and of course it would expand in their tummies. Are you in the UK? If so, the Pets at Home own brand wood pellet litter for cats is what I use. It’s £5.50 for a big bag

Here’s the link http://www.petsathome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/pets/non-clumping-wood-pellet-cat-litter-30ltr

Posted By BrokenBlue on 8/25/2017 1:57 PM

So does that mean that the last few weeks the kennels has spent bonding them counts for nothing? I am familiar with the bonding process (bonded a few bunnies and guinea pigs before) but I didn’t realise you couldn’t bond them before they were neutered.

I don’t think it expands. At least I haven’t noticed. Yeah I’m in the UK. I’ll get that stuff next time I go to Pets at home.

I’m afraid that, as far as bonding goes, that is in fact how it is. The fundamental problem is the hormones; they’re just too strong in un-altered rabbits. They can get along in perfect harmony before sexual maturity, but as soon as that kicks in, their breeding and territorial instincts take control of them. Every authority I’m aware of that I’ve ever read on the subject of bonding rabbits as companions says that they must be spayed or neutered before bonding activity takes place in order for the process to succeed. The most you can do before altering is to “pre-bond” them so that they get accustomed to the sight and smell of one another without being in actual physical contact.

In fact, as a general note, and apologies for preaching to the choir , the more I study the subject, the more I’m convinced that the development of safe anesthesia for rabbits which enabled veterinarians to carry out surgery – not only spaying and neutering – on rabbits successfully with the odds in favor of their survival and recovery is one of the key factors that has enabled the development of the modern house-rabbit movement. I know that people have been able to successfully keep rabbits as indoor pets for centuries, but it’s not until the last 30/40 years or so that it’s really become practical with the widespread availability of safe spaying and neutering. Before that, one would have to have been ready to put up with hormonal behavior of all sorts, including spaying and aggressiveness, and keep male and female pet rabbits strictly apart to avoid unwanted litters (not to mention keeping does apart, since unaltered does are REALLY territorial). I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the oldest books I’ve found, translations from the German in fact, dealing in detail with keeping rabbits as indoor pets date from the late 1970’s and early 1980’s (which means, naturally, that some of the information in there has been superseded as we’ve learned more).

It may be worth using both water bowls and bottles initially depending on how they have been brought up. My older bun was brought up as a baby using only a bottle before we got her so would only ever drink from bottle, whereas, my younger bun was brought up as a baby using bowls so would only ever drink from a bowl. Funnily enough, my older bun never touches bottles now and drinks only from the bowl whilst my younger bun uses both but mainly the bottle.

I would recommend bowls primarily for the reasons others have mentioned; I also believe it’s a more natural way for a rabbit to drink. However since late spring I have two bottles and a bowl in each of my buns’ hutches / runs simply because of the warmer weather and will continue using them all from now on even if they don’t use them all. Depending how you attach the bottles I’ve found sometimes they also spring off / get knocked off by the bun which would be a problem if you only had one. As Luna also mentioned, since you already have bottles I would still use them alongside the bowl.

We use timothy hay from Pets At Home for our buns’ hutch lining and litter ‘corners’ and then use timothy hay from Alfalfa King for them to eat.

Make sure when you do you keep them far enough apart so they can’t touch each other – intact rabbits have been known to bite and scratch one another through the bars in their cages if they’re too close. Heck, they’ve been known to mate if their cages are close enough even if they’re not in actual physical contact! One thing that often works in prebonding is giving each rabbit something that’s impregnated with the other’s scent – a stuffed toy, say – and let them play around with it or whatever. I don’t know how exactly that works, though, so I’ll leave it to those who know more than I do to explain.

Regarding the litter, I wouldn’t use the eco grain one, as it might be tasty to the bun since it is a grain derivative. It also looks pricey! 

I use pine wood pellets for both my bunnies and cat box. It’s the same as feline pine, but I buy it as horse stall pellets, and it is significantly cheaper. About $9 for 40 lbs! 

I read your OP but don’t have the time to read the other posts because my BB window is closing soon. So sorry if I repeat advice.

No sawdust, no shampoo of any kind ever (buns should only be cleaned with a tiny bit of warm water, if anything at all), and a heavy water bowl would be more enjoyable than bottles due to configuration of bun’s teeth and the fact that they drink by sipping rather than lapping.

The outdoor run, as long as it’s covered with a net to protect from predatory birds, supervised to make sure buns aren’t burrowing, and you check daily for flystrike, is a great idea! Despite what most people think, buns exposed to 10-15 minutes of direct sunshine each day have stronger bones and teeth and develop less related problems as they age.

Ye, I agree with you @sarahthegemini 

Posted By BrokenBlue on 8/25/2017 1:57 PM

So does that mean that the last few weeks the kennels has spent bonding them counts for nothing? I am familiar with the bonding process (bonded a few bunnies and guinea pigs before) but I didn’t realise you couldn’t bond them before they were neutered.

I don’t think it expands. At least I haven’t noticed. Yeah I’m in the UK. I’ll get that stuff next time I go to Pets at home.

I wouldn’t necessarily say it counts for nothing. It sounds like they have a good foundation to build their friendship so hopefully bonding will be quick and easy

Aww sounds lovely! <3 I know it can be sad to separate them when all seems happy and lovely but it really is for the best

Do the first option – they should be close enough to be able to see and smell one another, as I said, and good sturdy mesh between them will stop physical contact from occuring. I’m not sure how far apart exactly they should be, certainly far enough for them not to be able to bite or scratch at the other. Anyone else want to comment on this point?

I think the recommended is about 6 inches apart. Something to do with how far a bun can erm ejaculate :-/ Obviously your doe is spayed so this isn’t really a problem but I think that’s a good distance because if they try and push their noses through, they still shouldn’t be able to touch at that distance

Posted By BrokenBlue on 8/26/2017 2:34 PM

Ok great thanks everyone. They seem pretty happy here already. Two very cuddly bunnies. I know the vast majority of rabbits (well at least the ones that come into the rescue kennels) really don’t like being picked up. Nutty begs for cuddles and if you don’t give in she nudges your hand. The baby hops over to see what you’re doing and when I had him on my lap earlier he flopped over and lay there for a while. Unfortunately they couldn’t get him neutered this week Something about his boy bits, the vet said they weren’t fully descended yet or something. I have been told to take him back to the vets at the start of October when he’s 5 months old.

Aw, you’ve got a rare cuddle bun!  It’s a shame your little boy couldn’t be neutered yet, but if he’s only 3 months old (if he’s 5 months in October?) that’s not too surprising. Just means having to wait longer to start bonding! You could start pre bonding immediately tho if you wanted once the two have settled in.