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I'm getting new pet bunnies! Help!
Hello Everyone!,
I'm new to this and very naked :oops: , so I'm starting this thread to chat about the coolest thing in my life at the moment... My new bunny rabbits of course! I will get 2 in about 1 month and I am pumped. I've never owned rabbits before, so any helpful advice would be appreciated. :) I already have a cage, but I have no clue what food, litter, or hay to use. Anyone with rabbits have any suggestions? |
hello! is this your introduction thread? ^^; If so i think it's supposed to go in the fresh meat area. but don't worry a mod will move it for you. and as for bunnies... I LOVE THEM. they're soo cute. <33 but i've only ever had a bunny for about two days. LOL. in 5h grade we had bunnies for out class pets though. :O if you go to the pet store, you'll be able to get the essentials for food and litter stuff. i think people use newspaper for the cage bottom though underneath the hay like covering (if you wanted that). |
Ohh, we've had a lot of rabbits over the years. Our newest one is so sweet. The best thing to do for food and litter and such is talk to the people you're getting them from. That way they'll have stuff they're already used to. There are also rabbit care books out. Maybe you can find one at your library, if there's one close by.
I would make one recommendation, though. Don't use cedar. We used to use it for all our caged animals until our short-haired rat got a horrible infestation of bugs. I cleaned her and scrubbed the tank, and she just got them again right after, so we know it was from the cedar. Now we use Healthy Pet Pet Bedding, and it's wonderful. We also used shredded newspaper for a bit when we had no litter, but it's not very absorbent and I'm not sure how healthy it is long term. Good luck with your bunnies. ^_^ |
How to Care for Rabbits
Basic Bunny Care Hi there :) Although ideally you should have a better idea of how to care for such animals before you contemplate getting them, a month seems like ample time to prepare :) I would like to stress the fact that most bunnies chew everything. If you intend to let them run free for any amount of time (even under supervision), make sure you have at least one room or fenced in area that is free of bunny-dangers. The links above specify Timothy Grass Hay, as opposed to alfafa, they also contain a great deal other useful information, read them thoroughly ^^. Be sure they're 'fixed' ;) and keep their nails trimmed , follow the rest of the advice above, and you should have a pair of happy healthy rabbits :). |
I used to have bunnies growing up and used to take care of rabbits through vet school in the animal testing labs. They're really easy to take care of, which is why I liked them, although mine were a chore since I had 15 of them at one time. Pretty much just have a bowl of rabbit diet available to them with timothy hay in a separate holder for extra fiber, fresh water, and clean out the cage once a week. Chew sticks is something else that I would recommend since their teeth grow continuously through their whole lives.
I would also try to get them from a rescue group since there's a ton of homeless rabbits out there in need of a home. You can check out petfinder.org and find a rabbit rescue near you. EDIT: AS for bedding, I agree with the statement above about the cedar. I never recommend it since it can carry pests and it can also cause repository and skin infections because of the oils in the wood. pine's the same way as far as oils go. I would go with a paper based bedding such as Yesterday's news or carefresh. Personally, I love Carefresh since it seems to hold the odors really well. |
Thank you everyone for your advice.
I have done a lot of research about owning rabbits before deciding to get them, but it's hard to choose what brands of supplies to start with. No rabbit guide is going to endorse a brand, and if they do, they are probably getting paid for it. I can't really use what the previous owner does for litter, food, or hay because the parents of my two are farm rabbits. The parents are not litter trained, so I am on my own with that. The farm uses hay that they grow, and I might not be able to buy some of their hay for my bunnies. They get their pellets from a farm supply store, and I don't have a store like that by where I live. So, It would be hard to continue buying that same food to my pair. As for adopting rabbits from a rescue group, I have considered that. I want a pair because I have heard that they are happier with a buddy, and most rescue places do not have bonded rabbits. Also, the rabbits I am getting would have been slaughtered for food if I didn't take them. So in a way, I am still rescuing them. Sorry about posting in the wrong place. I'm new to this. I'm not just introducing myself, so I figured general discussion was the way to go. Thanks again everyone! |
Congratulations and welcome to Menewsha!
I've found that both rabbits and guinea pigs (although I don't keep them together, of course!) are quite easy to litter train, as long as you are patient and consistent with them. Other people here have already given great advice, and there are plenty of really knowledgable, helpful websites and forums out there. Just make sure that your bunnies have all of their vaccinations (even if you are planning on keeping them inside). And getting them spayed or neutered (by a good vet that is experienced with operating on small animals) is a really good idea, obviously because you don't want them breeding, but also because I've found that male rabbits in particular tend to get a little nasty as they get older if they are not neutered. As for chosing a brand of supplies, I strongly recommend that you join a rabbit forum. There are tons of them out there, and there will be a lot of experienced rabbit owners who will give you great advice, and will also be happy to recommend brands or types of supplies for you. :) |
Oh, you're lucky, I always wanted rabbits. :o
Since I never owned any, I don't have any advice in particular that I can remember. One teacher at my mom's school did have rabbits though, and they kept getting pee outside of the cage, so you might want to be careful about that sort of thing. |
I've never had a rabbit myself, but they look so cute! So, I'm afraid I have no advice for you... but I hope that you enjoy having them around! I've had friends with rabbits, I just love their long ears.
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I have only had one bunny, but he's a pretty great little guy...xD
Um, cage them separately unless they're both female. Males will not always get along, despite what people tell you. I had a second bunny thrown upon me and he was a boy too...and did things to the one I'd chosen. D< So...I gave him to my cousin in less than 24 hours. Next time I say I just want one bunny...I think that should stick. :P But my cousin has kept three girls together. Personally, I think caging bunnies separate is more ideal...especially if you get one of each gender. ^^; While having baby bunnies will be nice...you'll end up with ten, and then the momma will get pregnant right after giving birth, which is VERY unhealthy for her. ;-; I seriously stress the idea of either fixing/separating genders... Do not use cedar or pine chips! Bunnies have allergic reactions to cedar quite often, and occassionally with pine chips. Aspen is safe though! ^_^ Hay usually is too rough and icky for me, and that newspaper stuff they sell just isn't absorbent. I used to use this one stuff that was aspen, but in shredded chunks, and it was SO good smelling and absorbent...it would basically absorb and expand all liquids. Water bottles...are GREAT at leaking and molding. I have to replace one at least once a year half the time, because they eventually do something weird. D< No matter how often you clean them, they just get loose or something. Clean the cage about every other day as far as picking up any major messes, and do a thorough cleaning of it every week (as in taking everything out and making it completely fresh). Bunnies like variety. They don't just nibble pellets, hay, and carrots. Yogurt dips, apples - make sure they're specifically for rabbits. Get some berry stuff to mix in with the regular food, that's sold for rabbits. My bunny has a pretty good diet. Salt licks...I hear you NEED these but my rabbit NEVER touched them. Lastly, rabbits play with toys. They really, really do. And they sell toys specifically for bunnies, so you're in luck for that! ^_^ If you want them to interact with you, let them out to play all the time. My rabbit has lived 7 years and is getting older and older...he's closer to 7 and a half... Overall, he's pretty healthy. He gets along with all of my pets (except one of the cats, that we've had for four years who thinks he's a meal) so...yeah. He's had interaction with lots of animals. He's cantankerous, but I wouldn't have him any other way. xD Edit: Also, you said you already have a cage, but make sure it's not a cage with a wire bottom where the pellets fall through to the bottom. I made the mistake of getting one of those and two things happened. 1. Urine and poop messes fell outside the cage 2. My bunny's foot was damaged and he had to go on antibiotics because the wire rubbed off his fur/skin on one foot. T_T So I bought a cage that you take the top off, instead of sliding a tray out...and it pretty much is a flat bottom, with his litter there directly where he is. He likes this a lot more to walk on - it's more comfortable! The best thing is that it comes up about three inches on each side before the mesh starts, and so it keeps everything pretty much in the cage - except the litter. xD |
I don't know that much about bunnies except that they chew through everything.
when I worked at Cost Plus World Market (an overpriced import store)we sold these mats that came in 9 foot squares, and they were all attatched together. They were sold in strips of 1x9, and we had to cut them apart (not fun) People used to come in and buy them to use as rabbit food. O.O They were made out of some sort of straw / alfalfa / something. Have fun with you new rabbits! Are you buying baby rabbits, or older rabbits? Two or three days ago I bought 4 baby water turtles. They are 1-2 inches in diameter, and simply adorable! @[email protected] They swim around, and follow your fingers, and run away when you get too close. I'm so glad I got them! @Mushy - your rabbit sounds like so much fun! I have a lot of animals too, but most of them are reptiles. I have 4 cats, a dog, an iguana, a ton of bearded dragons, and 4 baby turtles!! We used to have a huge snake, but she got mites and died while we were on vacation. D:< |
Awe, my friend has a bunny, but I know nothing about them so I won't say anything about aking care of them.
The only thing I know about them is that they are soft and cudly and super cute! |
Thank you so much for the info Mushy.
I built my cage out of wire mesh shelves. (Neat Idea cubes). I'm still going to put in a floor so the rabbits are not on the bare wire. My rabbits are going to be same sex siblings, so NO babies. There are 2 litters I get to pick from, so my bunnies will be either 3 or 4 months old when I bring them home (SO CUTE!). The siblings from the same litter are already housed together, so I already know that the 2 I choose will get along. I can't tell the gender of the baby rabbits, so I'm still trying to decide how to choose which ones to keep. I'm probably going to have to call a vet closer to the time I'm adopting them to help figure that out. I will definitely be getting them fixed once I take them home. Still, I want same sex bunnies because I have read that a buck can still impregnate a doe 1 month after he was fixed! Yikes! Padfootsy, your reptiles sound really cool. I would like to get some someday too. I especially like turtles. I'm in college right now for per-veterinary medicine, and I think it would be so cool to be an exotics vet. I would get to see so many cool animals like yours. I am very sorry to hear about your snake. I'm sure it was a wonderful pet. :cry: |
Some bunnies are picky. Mine doesn't like alfalfa, but he does like timothy hay and thankfully we have a lot in my state. Remember that bunnies like treats like humans do, but don't always know when to stop, so it's your job to regulate his/her diet.
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Oh, something else you might want to watch out for. We never had this problem, because we always caged our rabbits separately, but my friend has two female rabbits. They're two different types, but they were housed together. So, she went and caged them together and they were fine for awhile, but as they grew older they started humping and nipping at each other. She said she found out it was a dominance thing, but the nipping got so bad she had to put them in separate cages.
Some rabbits are really picky. Ours doesn't like pellet food. She won't eat it unless it's got other food bits in it, and she doesn't like salt licks, either. In fact, I don't think any of our rabbits have liked them, except maybe Pipkin, but he liked anything he could bite at. But, if you're going to be calling a vet anyway, you could probably just ask them for suggestions, too. If it's one close to where you live, they might have suggestions for stuff that you can find in stores near you. |
I had a bunny before. They are really adorable, but watch out for there sharp nails. Oh wait, you're getting bunnies, but better watch out for the nails when they grow up. Also, make sure you watch the floor. I stepped on my rabbit's pee all the time. Bunnies !!!!!
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Re: I'm getting new pet bunnies! Help!
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Hello Kreest, Wow I'm amazed I didn't spot a bunny topic! Luckily my friend James did and directed me here *is the crazy bunny lady* What type of rabbits are you getting? Different types need different things. But generally speaking here's the 411. The BEST rabbit food to buy is science selective pellets. Absolutly everyone I know involved with Bunnies reccomends it as it's got very high levels of what rabbits need so your buns get what they need. However some buns can be very stubborn, like my Charm, and like viriety, which pellets don't offer. See when Charm gets bored of pellets he stops eating. My method for overcomming this is to buy a large bag of SS and a normal sized bag of Wagg bunny brunch meusli. Mix the two together so he gets the viriety in his food, but I'm still giving him all the nutrients that he needs. I would never recomend just giving a bunny meusli as they are known to selective eat and so won't get all the neutrients they need, which WILL lead to problems. I use regular wood shavings in their litter trays. The buns seem to like it better than most other things. It's softer. But I do know a lot of these natural litter things are terrible. On the rabbit forum I visit the members each tipped out a litter tray sized ammount of their litters and sifted through them...finding staples and things :shock: Turns out most litter is just that...litter, swept up off of a floor. I would never use it. The damage it can do your buns feet alone is a terrifying thought, let alone what internal damage it could do as buns LOVE to eat their litter. I'd make sure you put hay in their litter tray too, as previously mentioned, buns like to eat while doing their buisness. Timothy Hay is wonderful! Although I rarely buy it. Once you get used to your buns you know what hay they like. Some people have gone through 15 brands of hay before finally settling on one their buns like :shock: You just have to pay attention to your bun while feeding. Hay should be given in unlimited doses. They should always have hay to munch on throughout the entire day. Veggies are a must too! Now a lot of people seem to be of the opinion that lettuce is a no no...well yes and no. Do NOT feed your bun Iceberg lettuce, but all other types are fine to feed. Cabbage is excellent! It's pretty tough which is great for their back teeth! Wears themn down so they don't over grow and cost you an arm and a leg in dental bills. Pay attention to your buns teeth and nails. Rabbit teeth constantly grow! The front teeth are pretty easy to monitor. When they get too long they start to curl. When that happens they need a dental. When you get experiance you can cut the front teeth yourself, but until then, the vets are required. The back teeth are harder to monitor, but basically if your bun stops eating, it's generally dental problems. Lops apparently are more at risk from dental problems than uppy eared buns. And no matter how wonderful an owner you are, you'll probably have to visit the vets at least once. Also, don't forget imunizations! Vital! Have you ever seen a rabbit suffering from Myxi or VHD? It's terrible! So always get them vaccinated. My buns are vacinated every six months against myxi and yearly against myxi. It is expensive, but nowhere near as distressing as if they get those diseases. If you're getting a female please, please, please get her spayed! Spaying your female will cut the risk of her getting cancer. Also neuter your males too as when they get older the testosterone will increase and can make them pretty moody and anti social, people are wrongly advised that breeding them will cut this behaviour. But neutering really is the only way! As your buns aren't digging like they would in the wild, their claws will grow, so you should learn how to trim them as otherwise this is more vet trips and can be pretty costly. It's very easy to do though. You just have to learn where the nail is alive and dead. The hardest part is convincing your bunny to sit still for it. Most bunnies will trance for you to do their nails. Mine don't. Desty will not trance at all, and Charm only half trances. Get your rabbits out daily. They love to run around! And get them toys so they don't get bored. The range of rabbit toys available is awesome! And don't just stick to rabbit toys, make your own, cat toys are good too! I recently bought a rope mouse with a bell on its tail and a rope to pull it with, bought it in the cat section and ZOMG does Destiny love playing with it! I think I covered the basics, if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask me. I'm crazy bunny lady. I love rabbits and most of my pets are rescues so I've had experiance through pretty much the worst experiances you can imagine, and deffinatly the best. |
Wow Jayms_fallen_angel! Thank you and everyone else for all of the info.
Well, my rabbits are mixed breeds. Their mom is bigger, white with tan spots, and has lopped ears. I've been told that she looks like a holland lop. The dad is a little smaller, all gray, and has shorter erect ears. I'm not sure if I'm getting boys or girls, but I am getting 2 same sex litter-mates. So about the wood shavings, are they the kind you get at pet stores, or something else? What is the difference between that and the "natural litter" you mentioned? Is there any way to check a bunny's back teeth? Sorry for all of the questions. I want to have happy bunnies. And thanks again to everyone who has posted. :D |
Bunnies? Aww...
I'm new here also...and i love bunnies. The truth is, I've never had one before or anything but one of my best friends has two of them. They're so CUTE! I visit them a lot and let them nibble on baby carrots. Your bunnies should be rewarded with treats if they're good...like a puppy, kind of. And you should give them tons of fresh vegetables but if they don't eat them...throw them out! They could rot and make your bunnies' life smelly. Get a big cage :shock:
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Aww that is so cute! I love bunnies me and my sister used to have one each.
The biggest advice I can give you is.... tie down your water bowl. I did not know this and it got cold out one night I did not have the little nipple water bottle things. They guy we bought the bunnies from said its ok just use a bowl. I tired that and one night when it was really cold out my bunny headed the bowl of water on him self I do not know if he steped on it and flipped it up or what. But the next morning he was sick and shivering. He did not live long after that. SO get the bottle if all possible or tie down the bowl or use something really small they can not head over. |
aww that cute when you get them do post pictures please i dont have bunny's and never had them and also welcome to Menewsha good luck and have fun ^^
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Holland lop? Oh how sweet! I love hollands, so small. Mine are both frenchies! They're like 2ft long! If your getting two boys be careful and deffinatly get them neutered. If they're not neutered they may fight and that is terrible! My sisters faught and one had his ear ripped in two...by the docile one! Deffinatly neuter and keep an eye out for trouble. I never recomend two boys but it can be done.
Wood shavings are just that, they're the shavings of some wood. If you go to big brand pet stores they'll be in nice packing like the image I shall include at the end of this message, if you go to a small pet store they'll just be in clear bags. It's generally the cheapest option. But I also think it's the best. Other natural litters include carefresh. If you're going to use actual litters this is the one I recomend. It's the most widely used one appart from woodshavings and magazorb. I shall also include a picture of this at the bottom of the thread. Magazorb is probably the hardest to find. It's made of wood pulp and was designed origionally for horses. So that's generally where it's found, in horse stores. It comes in really huge bags. I generally use this for lining the hutch, and woodshavings for the litter tray and cary cases. There is no perfect way of checking your bunnies back teeth without them being sedated. The best way to check is to just stick your fingers in and feel. My vets showed me how to do that a long time ago, but be careful, a bunny bite is nasty! I would always recomend that if you think the back teeth are overgrown go to the vet. You WILL generally take your bun to the vet for this anyway as when teeth over grow bunnies will stop eating. That is possably the biggest cause for bunnies not eating. But cabbage, hay and other tough food will wear down their teeth as they eat so stopping the teeth over growing. Wood and carrots and other stuff that bunnies gnaw on will grind down their front teeth. So it is imperative to watch how much your bunny eats and to offer your bunny things to wear down their teeth. As for the whole tie down the water bowl...no, there is no need to do that AT ALL. If you do choose to feed your bunnies with a bowl you want to get a ceramic one that they can't tip over. If you tie down the bowl your bunny will try and eat whatever you use to tie it down with and bunnies are little decorators, they like to move their bowls around. A ceramic bowl offers your buns the ability to move their bowls around, plus the added benefit that they won't accidently tip it on themselves. However, I will always recomend bottles for a rabbits water. Firstly the ammount of pellets, hay and poo I have to clean out of my buns water bowl daily is slightly....gross. Not to mention the megazorb they kick in that just absorbs so much water! If I use a shallow water bowl I often am left with half a bowl of much in it. (Charm is a rescue rabbit and is unable to use a bottle for many reasons so I have to use a bowl.) Plus a bottle takes up less room, leaving your bunny that little extra to lay on. And don't worry about asking questions, as my friends will tell you, once I get started on Bunnies it's hard to shut me up, hence the super long posts ^_^ http://www.pets2home.co.uk/shop/medi...ail/575368.jpg <---- woodshavings http://www.petplanet.co.uk/shop_dev/...fresh_pack.jpg <----carefresh http://www.lamp-post.co.uk/prodimages/mason/rabb.jpg <----recomended rabbit bowls http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...ZL._AA280_.jpg <----water bottles |
I used to have a rabbit, It was litter trained. However be sure to keep cords away from it, they chew through EVERYTHING if you don't keep them caged.
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Not true, that really depends entirely on the bunny and how well trained they are. Charm never chewed through anything, even when he had front teeth (they were removed for health reasons), but Desty will eat anything in site...provided it isn't coated in anti-chewing spray. Get some sour apple spray and coat whatever your bun likes to chew in it. The bun will learn that that now tastes bad and will stop chewing it.
Almost all bunnies can be trained out of eating the things that they're not supposed to be eating if you know how and have the patience to do so. In fact most house bunnies are left free range 24/7 unsupervised and they don't eat wires. It's just like a puppy. An untrained puppy will chew everything, wee and poo everywhere and be a nightmare, so too will a bunny. And just like a puppy you can train your rabbit out of these bad habbits. |
I love bunnies. They're so cute, but then they poop everywhere and it looks like chocolate. Now I'm craving chocolate.
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