Hey

[Demismith]

Hi, I'm from the UK, new to the forum. I'm really interested in finding out the differences between the UK and USA and rabbit care, and if it differs as much as it does here

I used to breed Thriantas on a small scale but due to family problems I've stopped, I did really well in shows at one point winning many best juniors, a few best fancys and even a reserve best in show

 

[MaggieJ]

Hello Demismith! Welcome to RabbitTalk. :hi:

There are many different styles of rabbit care here in North America, as I am sure you will see from reading on our forums. I look forward to hearing more about rabbit raising in the UK.

 

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

Welcome to RT
Yep i can already tell there are some differences lol whats a best fancy?...i assume its like a best 4 class here lol

 

[Demismith]

All breeds are split into four groups, fancy, fur, lop and rex sometimes Rare varieties are seperate but I'm not quite sure how that works, they also do best U/5 fancy, Adult fancy etc. and they're put forward to Best in show, Best junior is like Best in show for under16 exhibitors

Here things like housing differ a lot between breeders and rescues, it's very common for breeders to keep smaller rabbits in 2x2ft cages but rescues reccomend 6x2ft with attached 8x4 run, or alternatively a shed and run combo. Do rescues in the USA reccomend much bigger cages than breeders? And do they use wire floors?

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

Holy cow-- that is a lot of square footage for ONE rabbit!! I don;t mind giving a working meat doe 8 square feet of cage flooring-- after all, litters need to be accommodated, as well--It sounds like the UK rescue orgs are just as blind as ours are!

 

[Brody]

I don't think the characterization of all rescues as blind is particularly fair or balanced

to answer your question Demi (and welcome) I suspect North American rescues are looking for pet homes ...
what I look for when I screen a home is a committment to providing for the rabbit for life. Depending on home circumstances (and the individual rabbit)sometimes I suggest larger accomodations than other times. Most rescues are opposed to keeping rabbits outdoors full time.

 

[Demismith]

I don't think the characterization of all rescues as blind is particularly fair or balanced

to answer your question Demi (and welcome) I suspect North American rescues are looking for pet homes ...
what I look for when I screen a home is a committment to providing for the rabbit for life. Depending on home circumstances (and the individual rabbit)sometimes I suggest larger accomodations than other times. Most rescues are opposed to keeping rabbits outdoors full time.

Yeah the rescues do great work here, I'm not sure if our rescue situation is worse over here but there's an estimated 33,000 in rescue each year :shock: I don't agree with many of their views on breeders or that all rabbits NEED 6ft hutches, I mean I love seeing them running about in a bit space but its just not ideal for people who want lots of rabbits (plus hutches this size are usually around £200!)

I didn't know that your rescues oppose to keeping them outdoors all the time, is this in certain areas with certain climates or 'all round'? Here they're fine with either unless the rabbit has health problems or can't be bonded (in which case they should be inside)

There's been a lot of problems with the BRC recently and member numbers are dropping and dropping so I can't see it going on for much longer unfortunately, I think a lot of people are struggling with space and money, especially younger members which are obviously needed to keep the club going. It seems quite a lot of you have big barns and rabbitrys where as here most people are limited to a garden shed or two

 

[Jack]

I got into it with a UK pet owner, in the US we use thick gauge wire 1x .5 INCH flooring, runs aren't mandated and there is MUCH less invasive regulations, you DON'T have to treat your rabbit better than your kids...

 

[Brody]

I think the outdoor thing is a big thing aroudn me for 2 reasons ...
one is the temperature - but rabbits really don'tmind cold if given adquete shelter - the other is predators ... we have a LOT of animals that think rabbit is a welcome supplement to a meal - coyote, fox, hawk, racoon, snakes and more

 

[Demismith]

I think the outdoor thing is a big thing aroudn me for 2 reasons ...
one is the temperature - but rabbits really don'tmind cold if given adquete shelter - the other is predators ... we have a LOT of animals that think rabbit is a welcome supplement to a meal - coyote, fox, hawk, racoon, snakes and more

Ah right Temperature's not a massive deal here, a lot of rabbits cope pretty well with winter with a nice thick bed of straw and something to cover the hutch, and in summer they can be moved into shade and there's quite a lot of different ways to keep them cool

We don't have as much as a predator problem either, the only thing that can really get to them are foxes but strong mesh will often keep them out (we have sonic fox repellents too and apparently male urine keeps them away!), and dogs I guess if one escapes if you have an open garden.

 

[Miss M]

I know a lot of us meat rabbit people would really love to be able to give our bunnies that kind of space. I surely would. But we have to be practical, too, and treat our rabbits as well as we can space-wise, while still keeping our costs manageable.