Is this too risky?

[Shannon]

Hi there,

 I have been researching rabbits for a while now. I have found a person on the buy and sell who wants to give me her rabbit. I thought I would get a companion for him. First I am rabbit proofing my house. Getting some boxes for the rabbit to play in and various other stuff to play with. Also wrapping up electrical cords etc.

My question is, there is another person who is looking at giving her rabbit away. But my concern is it has been mostly an outside rabbit in a hutch. Is there risks of the rabbit having some illness or diseases from being outside? Also, should I be taking size into consideration? The first rabbit that I am getting is a dwarf dutch mix, so it is smaller. The other rabbit is a lop and is 14 pounds! She describes it as bigger then most cats. What about West Nile? Can rabbits get it?  Bein in a hutch the rabbit would be exposed to many misquitos. i would hate for it to hae a disease and die. Any tips would be appreciated.

Shannon

[osprey]

Bunnies can definitely get West Nile, just like we can.  For an outdoor bunny, the most common ailment they may bring in is a Coccidia infection.  It is fairly easy to treat, but is also highly contagious.  Also bear in mind that two bunnies that are strangers may hate each other, bonding can be a tricky business.  If the lop really is 14 pounds, you’ll have to give him more room in his housing setup due to his size.  In my experiance, the bigger bunnies are usually easier to manage and less likely to bite.  Do you know if these bunnies are neutered?  They cannot spen any time together until they are fixed.

 

[MooBunnay]

I have found that with bunnies, looks rarely matter when dating, it is all about the personality! Even the teeniest of buns can get along with the biggest if the personalities go together. Also the gender is important, and I don’t really trust anyone to sex bunnies other than rescuers, and vets, so this person with the hutch bunny might not actually know if it is a male or female for sure. You’d probably need someone whos more of an expert to tell you. Usually a male/female pair gets along much better than any other pairing, however, I’ve seen all types of pairings work.

I think the biggest risk you would have is the actual bonding, if you wanted to save this poor bun from its outdoor life, I think that would be great of you, but the first thing I would do is get the bunny to the vet for a check-up, and to be fixed. Then your bun also needs to be fixed (if he is not already), and then they both need time to heal. This will also give you time to introduce big lop bunny to indoor, proper bunny life.

As far as big lop bunnies, I wish I had one myself! I’ve found that the big ones generally have the sweetest and most chill personality, and are the best indoor pets. The person who has him/her now is really missing out by keeping him outside in a hutch and he must get so hot out there in the summer!

Anyways, I generally recommend that you take the bunnies on a date to see how they get along, but if you are unsure of the genders, or if they are not fixed then that is not possible at this stage. I would still recommend going to see the bunny and see what his/her personality is like to see how the two of you get along.

[Beka27]

you can rescue both of these rabbits, but it will take work, time and patience. as Osprey mentioned, illness is a possibility. both rabbits will need to be checked by a vet ASAP and undergo some exams to rules these things out. they will both need to be neutered or spayed and allowed to heal for about 1-2 months BEFORE being introduced to each other. they will need separate cages and separate runtime (at least a few hours a day per rabbit) for the time before bonding. once you start bonding, it might take a week, it might take months. size is usually not a big deal. sex IS a big deal. typically, the easiest bonds are male/female. two females can be very territorial, as can two males.

it sounds like these rabbits need help, and i think it’s wonderful you are wanting to do this, but i think for your 1st rabbit(s), you might want to check out a shelter or rescue near you. often, these rabbits are already altered, litterbox-trained, and vet-checked. you can see them and interact with them to determine if their personality will mesh with yours. you can get bonded pairs, or you can adopt two single bunnies there, have a bunny date and start bonding at your house from day one.

or, if you are already sold on the dutch dwarf, get him… alter him. spend some time with him and see what rabbits are REALLY like. if you decide, you can adopt a companion for him later on down the road.

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