Hello everyone! I know I have been a bad blogger as usual, but I finally made a calendar schedule, so I will try to adhere to it. One of my friends on facebook recently asked me about owning a rabbit, so they inspired me to write this ^^;
Here are some recommendations for owning an awesome pet rabbit, which I would say is like a mix of having a dog and cat: They need love but they like to have their way :)
Taking care of Chester: My rabbit is the breed called a Flemish giant, so he weighs 16 pounds! (the average rabbit weighs 4 to 6 lbs)....he eats enough for four bunnies, and we love him! :)
He loves snuggling on the couch! and he loves to go to the park and have fun outside too! Rabbits can be easily leash trained!
Average cost: (includes food, litter, hay, and chew toys) about 60 a month
Most important thing: Please get your rabbit fixed if they aren't already! You don't want to suddenly be taking care of a large rabbit family unexpectedly :) They will also chew less and in Chester's case, stop spraying everything he wanted to mate with, haha! The local rabbit rescues usually partner with a vet to get a rebate as well, so Chester getting neutered cost me a grand total of $20.
Rabbit rescues in your area:
SAN DIEGO: San Diego House Rabbit Society in Kearny Mesa sandiegorabbits.org
ORANGE COUNTY: Bunny Bunch in Montclair and Fountain Valley bunnybunch.org
SANTA BARBARA: BUNS at the Goleta/Santa Barbara Animal Shelter bunssb.org
Here are some supplies I buy for him:
-litter box (cement mixer from home depot for $5)
-litter: I use Carefresh brand, but pine shavings work great too :), if you have a compost pile, rabbit litter is compostable! Also their droppings work as good as any fertilizer!
-pellets: I buy the regular rabbit pellets 10 lb bag at Petsmart
-hay: Timothy is usually what Chester eats :) most rabbit supplies (mentioned above) have 10lb boxes for about 12 dollars, and Chester uses up about a box every 3 weeks (so a smaller rabbit will use less)
-Good quality shedding brush: if you don't buy a brush and groom them regularly and they get a furball it will destroy their digestive system and they will have serious expensive health issues, since they are not like cats and cannot throw up :(
-place to store food and treats (we use a set of drawers that used to belong to my old desk)
-veggies: carrot tops and carrots or dark leafy vegetables
-chew toys at busybunny.com
-treats: When Chester is good he gets dried pumpkin or papaya, but not more than a dime size once a day
-carpets from Walmart and space (for Chester there’s not really any cages big enough for him to roam around, so I bought two 5x7 carpets at Walmart for 20 bucks each, but everyone else that has a rabbit will tell you that is VERY generous in terms of space. the cage just needs to be four times the size of them lying down.) I also have an exercise pen that keeps him enclosed when he's visiting my parents or the boarder we use when we go on vacation (Club Pet at Helen Woodward! awesome! http://www.animalcenter.org/clubpet/)
-lint roller *necessary*
-grooming expenses (it’s about 15 every two months for a nail trim, usually at San Diego house rabbits)
-vet bills? (he originally had ear mites so he is on Revolution which is 90 dollars every six months)
-food bowl and waterbottle (you can find these at a rabbit supply or petsmart)
That is the basics for taking care of your bunny! Don’t forget to spoil them with lots of attention and new treats and toys, and someday hopefully Chester will get a friend :) They are very social so they need your love, or else you might find parts of your house getting chewed up ^^ Have fun and don't forget, please don't give rabbits as gifts at Easter unless you are willing to make a 10 year commitment and make them a part of your family :)
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