Help a newbie to rabbits by answering a few questions please!

[boykin2010]

Ive thinking about getting into rabbits and had a few questions.
1. is a cage about 48in longx 36in deep 24in high big enough for one female rabbit?
2. Can 2 rabbits stay together in the same cage? Female and female or male and male .
3. What is a good breed to start out with that is medium size, easy to take care of, heat tolerant ( i live in south georgia ), and friendly.
4. About how much food does an adult rabbit eat. What are some things they eat. What do you feed your rabbits daily? I am guessing there is rabbit food probably in pellet form???
5. Can rabbit manure be used as fertilizer in gardens?
6. Can rabbits live on top of hardware cloth or do they need to have a solid floor.

I will probably post some more questions but for now that is all i can think of.
Thank you - boykin2010

 

[Tracey]

Hi Boykin,

I'll give my opinion, but I am relativly new to rabbits myself.

1) Yes, that is a good size cage, esp for med to large. Perhaps not for flemish giant size
2) I kept two sisters together in a double cage - this worked well until the first time they were with a buck - after that they started fighting. I currently have two unrelated males together in a double hutch and one is quite amourous, but no fighting. This however may be an unusual occurance.
3)What is your purpose - 4h, pets, meat?
4) my large breeds have about 1 cup of pellets per day. I give them hay in the morning and restock their pellets in the evening. They also get some vege scraps/ garden greens/dried fall leaves etc
5) Yes!!! If you wash of the urine it can go straight onto the garden. Also great for composting worms etc
6) I keep my angoras on hard wire floors (to keep them clean) but they each have a plastic resting board on the floor and a wooden box they sit on top of. Give them a rest from the wire if they need it. It is much easier to keep rabbits clean, cages clean etc with wire floor

hope that helps!

Tracey

 

[boykin2010]

yes that does help!
if i dont get 2 rabbits will one rabbit get lonely in a cage by itself?
I will be keeping my rabbits as pets but i would like to get a female that could have at least one litter.
Ok so wire is ok as long as you have a resting spot. Will kits have a hard time on the wire floor?
Can you give me an example of how big a nesting box needs to be?

 

[boykin2010]

anybody?

 

[savingdogs]

Nesting boxes look roughly like a chicken nesting box, or perhaps the dimensions of the typical recycling bin we use here on the west coast, you can google it and there are lots of pictures. It is mainly a box that mom can get in and out of but the kits can't. The kits stay in the nest box until they are a few weeks old, and they start hopping out and moving about. By then they are big enough to act just like little bunnies (so cute!).

I have kept one rabbit in a cage and they do not seem lonely. I have also known rabbits that lived as bonded pairs. It is a little individual I think.
I'm new to rabbits myself but I've been taking care of my first group of kits.

 

[rabbitgeek]

yes that does help!
if i dont get 2 rabbits will one rabbit get lonely in a cage by itself?
I will be keeping my rabbits as pets but i would like to get a female that could have at least one litter.
Ok so wire is ok as long as you have a resting spot. Will kits have a hard time on the wire floor?
Can you give me an example of how big a nesting box needs to be?

Kits will learn to deal with the floor but have been known to get a leg stuck. Usually they learn to deal with it and will grow big enough to be safe.

One rabbit in a cage is okay. You can give her toys like plastic golf balls or plastic cup to toss around.

Have a good day!

 

[Legacy]

Or as I found out just a few days ago, plastic Easter eggs are something they enjoy playing with.

 

[boykin2010]

ok thanks! are there any tips i should know before possibly starting this whole rabbit thing. Any ideas for hutches, anything that you prefer over another. Seems there are a lot of different ways to build a rabbit hutch online and wanted some opinions.
Thanks for all the info