Personality depends entirely on the individual rabbit. Males will mount and quite often spray, females are prone to hormonal mood swings and phantom pregnancies but all these problems can be solved by neutering.

Whether you choose to get a boy or a girl, make sure they have not been removed from their mothers before six to eight weeks.

It can be difficult to tell boys from girls when rabbits are young, so if you are in any doubt ask for a second opinion from an experienced rabbit owner or a vet.

Outside rabbits can kept in a hutch, nothing less than 5 foot by 2 foot by 2 foot with a 3 by 6 run attached, or in a shed you need a run so they can have exercise. If your garden is completely secure and bunny proof they can have the whole run of it- only under supervision though. And remember - bunnies do burrow and some garden plants can be poisonous.

Hutches need to be secured with bolts and padlocks; foxes can all too easily get into hutches with the swivel catches. Many people choose to take their bunnies inside, or into a shed or garage overnight - especially in the winter. If you choose to leave them outside, make sure their hutch is in a sheltered spot and properly weatherproof and protected from wind and rain - and raise it off the floor.

Rabbits need cleaning out at least once a week - if the cage becomes dirty you run the risk of serious health problems. It can be necessary to clean their litter corner daily - this shouldn't take long.

Rabbits can be kept in the house - and even freerange like a dog or cat (although supervision to make sure they can't chew electrical wires or cause damage is recommended). They can even be litter trained!

Hay, hay and more hay, a good quality pelleted feed should be given rather than a mix as most rabbits selective feed. Veggies should also form the main part of the diet, with pellets making up around 5% in total. Burgess Excel, Supreme Science Selective and Allen & Page Natural Rabbit Pellets are the best ones to use.

Its often better to buy a bale of Hay as its better value and better quality, your local farm/stables should be able to sell you a bale or sell you some in a bag

Rabbits also like regular small portions of fresh fruit and vegetables. In the summer they especially appreciate nice fresh grass and dandelion leaves!

Tender Loving Care! Rabbits should become part of the family and become a joy to have as a pet; they should not be locked away in a hutch at the end of the garden.

House rabbits often become like mini dogs, they have a fantastic personality and many enjoy sitting on the sofa and watching television with their owners.

There are an increasing number of rabbit toys on the market to keep your bunny amused. Some bunnies will think these are rubbish, and prefer playing with twigs instead - but whatever your rabbit's personality, you should try to make sure it doesn't get bored.

Never pick your rabbit up by his ears, chase him or make too sudden movements. Try pick him up by putting one hand under his middle and the other under his bum so his back feet aren't left dangling. Dangling bunny feet often mean kicked humans!

Regular check ups are essential, as are vaccinations for VHD (Viral Hemorrhagic Disease) and Myxomatosis. In high risk areas Myxomatosis should be given every six months, VHD is yearly.

Both sexes of rabbits should be neutered when old enough - females should be spayed at six months to eradicate Uterine Cancer, hormonal problems and phantom pregnancies. Males should be neutered as soon as their testicles drop at around 14/15 weeks of age; this will enable you to keep male and females together with out the risk of pregnancy.

You should also check your bunny's bottom regularly. Rabbits are vulnerable to something called 'fly strike', which can kill them quickly. If a rabbit's bottom becomes dirty - either because it is unwell, kept in dirty conditions or sometimes just a bit lazy then they could be attacked by fly maggots.

Rabbits claws often need clipping - keep an eye on them and buy some claw clippers to use if you need to. It's not hard to do. Sometimes a bunny's teeth might need clipping too - but this is best done by the vet. Check your rabbit's teeth regularly so that you know what is normal and what is not!

If you notice your rabbit is unwell - even if it is just 'off colour' and not behaving normally, it is best to take it to the vet immediately. Rabbits tend not to display symptoms until they are very ill indeed. If you are worried about the cost, it is possible to get pet insurance for rabbits. Most bunnies won't need much more than the routine vaccinations and check up, but you should make sure you have enough money set aside in case you need it.

At the time of writing there are currently over 33,000 rabbits in rescue, so think very carefully before breeding!

You will need to do a lot of research and be very knowledgeable about rabbits - it is certainly not recommended that you breed when you are a new owner. Feeding and looking after babies can be very expensive. You also need to think carefully about how you will rehome them - you cannot rely on sites such as findafurry to find you new owners (read the findafurry code) and if you sell your baby rabbits to a pet shop you will have no control over the quality of the new homes they go to.

If you would like to look after baby rabbits but do not want to add to the numbers of rabbits looking for new homes in this country, it might be worth getting in touch with a local rescue centre to see if they need someone to foster for them.