A House Bunny

[lscarincio]

I recently bought a 4 mo. old bunny. I amnot sure what breed she is: she is mostly white with tiny black earsand black around her eyes and nose. She is quite small forbeing only 4 mos. -- does anyone know what breed she might be, also howbig does a bunny of this breed grow??

Also, I am litter training her in hopes that she will be able to roamour apartment. She is doing very well so far... peeing mostof the time in the box and occasional poos here and there on thefloor. Does anyone else let their pet roam??? Ifso, do you have any advice for me? I am weary to let her roambecause I do not want her to chew a wire. Has anyone everused Bitrex with rabbits to control biting? I have a "PetTaxi" for her to be in during the day while I am not home and at nightwhen I am sleeping -- is this acceptable or will she get confused aboutwhether or not she can roam? I am a nervous new mommy:? Any advice you could give will be veryappreciated. Thanks and happy "bunny" trails!

Leigh-Anne

 

[pamnock]

Do you have a photo of your bunny? Thereare a number of breeds (and mixed breeds) that have that colorpattern. You can email me a photo at[email protected] and I can makea guess. Without actually seeing your rabbit, it does soundlike a dwarf because of the small ears. Netherland Dwarfssometimes come in broken or dutch marked colors as well as Dwarf Hototsand Polish.

The House Rabbit Society has some excellent information on traininghouse bunnies. Carolyn (on this forum) has a wealth ofinformation and experience with house rabbits, and I'm sure she'llreply and help you out.

Pamela Nock ~ ARBA Registrar

http://www.geocities.com/pamnock

 

[wishbone332]

I know how you feel. I've usedBitrex and it worked, strangely. I let Mr.Cuddles roam and if you wantyour rabbit to use the litter box for ALL of his or her "business" heor she does, you can use this method. I saw it in a cat owner's manualand it MAYbe suitable for rabbits. Here it is: "(Modifiedfrom book's version. Modified words will be capitalized. I have alsoskipped some phrases to make all of this much shorter.) A RABBIT WILLNOT generally take to using the litter pan naturally. (Skip.) DeterYOUR RABBIT (Skip.) by lightly spraying the area with cologne. MostRABBITS MAY like to lick perfume and MAY NOT soil where theylick." Is that usefulenough?

 

[lscarincio]

Pamnock, Thank you for your information. I will send a picture of "Pips" as soon as I take one.

 

[lscarincio]

Wishbone, Thanks for the info.I have the bitrex already, but if that doesn't work I will try thecologne method... very interesting. "Pips" is a little girl(I think -- according to the pet store people) so hopefully she willcooperate.

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Iscarincio,

I have little time at the moment, but will respond more thoroughlylater on today if you have more questions. I, too, have a rabbit thatlives in an apt. with me and he roams all around when I'm home. I'dnever let him roam when I wasn't able to keep an eye on him: when I'mnot home or sleeping. Rabbits are very curious and that curiosity canget them into a heap of trouble if not carefully supervised whenthey're out and about.

I hope you've gotten your rabbit a proper sized cage so that he's notin a pet travel box all day. The rabbit should be able to stretch,stand up, and spread out to sleep in the cage. S/he should have a dropcage (rabbit cage with a wire floor and a drop pan under it so that therabbit stays dry). Don't use cedar shavings, and I wouldn't use pineshavings as it is said that such litter types can cause respiratoryinfections (which the rabbit can die of quickly and is very hard tocure) in your rabbit.? I know of a breeder that uses pine shavings.?Personally, I wouldn't risk it.

You must be careful where you place your rabbit's cage. Do not put itin the sun as rabbits develop heat stroke quickly and die as quickly;don't put it in a draft where the rabbit is suseptible to getting acold. The cage should be placed in an area where the bunny can seewhat's going on in the room, but still be able to tune out and take anap when the little one needs to. Don't have the cage in a room that isparticularly noisy as rabbit do literally get scared to death.


I disagree with Wishbone. You don't need to buy anything to train yourrabbit to go in the litterbox. Furthermore, I'd be reluctant to putthis 'cologne' anywhere where the rabbit can lick it. The parts in thebook that were left out due to shortening the information may be themost valid points in the book.?? Please read the post about "LitterTraining", and the posts about having a "new rabbit in the house" and"Digging". Some of the questions you've asked have been addressed inthose threads. Any questions you have after that, I'll be happy toanswer.

Your rabbit must chew in order to keep his/her teeth filed down.? AskPamnock to post the address of her page entitled "The Tooth aboutRabbits".?? It's an excellent article. ?In short, rabbit's teeth growcontinuously, hence they need to chew in order to keep them fileddown.? Your rabbit needs to be able to chew on a good hard wood.? I wastold by a wildlife biologist that putting a spice such as Tabascodiluted with furniture polish and rubbing it on your wooden furniturewon't hurt the rabbit and keep it away from the wood.? I didn't findthat to be the case.? Distraction is half the battle when you're tryingto keep your rabbit on chewing things that you don't want it to.? Havealternatives for the rabbit to play with and chew on.? When my rabbitstarts to take a nibble on the furniture, I now just correct him and hehops away.??

Pamnock is an expert in rabbit health and type. Look to her for such information if you can't find it in the books.

Congratulations on your new bunny.


-Carolyn

 

[lscarincio]

Thank you for the wealth of information.It was very helpful. My little one seems to be adjustingquite well, she even plays games with me... if I have her out and Ipretend to ignore her she will jump around or come up to me and nuge myhand with her head to get my attention. Thanks again foreverything.

 

[lscarincio]

Oh...here is a picture of "Pips"

 

[Carolyn]

Awww!!http://www... She adores you!!

Couldn't pick up the picture. Bummer!

 

[Carolyn]

The address for Pam Nock's article entitled, "The 'Tooth' aboutLagomorphs", which I would hope everyone reads is:http://www.geocities.com/billynock/TEETH.html

 

[lscarincio]

Thank you for the great article. I boughtPips wooden chews that are fruit and veggie flavored. So farshe has taken preference to the fruit flavored ones. I havebeen lucky thus far as she has not attempted to chew anything otherthan what I have provided her with.

Has anyone tried the "Yogurt Chips" snacks ffor rabbits??Pips LOVES them -- she is only allowed one per day but when she getsit, she is in heaven! I bought the blueberry ones but Inoticed there is also a strawberry kind, we'll try that next.

Leigh-Anne

 

[DJ_Bunny]

My rabbit runs around freely when I'm home. Littertraining was quite easy. We let the rabbit out and about every tenminutes we put him back in the cage in the litter pan. We haven't hadan accident since day three and it has been seven months! AS far as thewires, I just chase him away! I'll have to look into the stuff youmentioned!

Good luck!

DJ's mom

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Leigh-Anne,

Tucker LOVES those Yogurt Chips. He's crazy about them and quitefrankly, it's hard for me to resist giving him more than just one aday, but I have to. Actually, I haven't gotten him another box in aweek because he was getting too much 'junk food'.

Yogurt chips are high in starch and sugar. Such things are fine ifgiven in moderation, but too much sugar can reek havoc in a rabbit'sG.I. intestinal system and once that starts having troubles, you're ina lot of money to treat it at the vet and your rabbit will have a hardtime coming back from it once the signs are visible.

As much as we want to please our rabbits, we have to be careful ofliterally killing them with kindness. Stick to as little treats aspossible for the best health and longevity of your rabbit's life.Believe me, I love giving them to Tucker as much as he loves gettingthem, but as I wouldn't give a child chocolate cake every day, I don'tdo it for my rabbit. They go just as crazy over Cheerios and oats. I'dstick more to that type of treat for him/her than the Yogurt chips.Much less additives, sugar, and starch. Timothy Hay, a good pellet foodand lots of water is also exciting for a rabbit. My rabbit will fancyanything I eat. He's a little pigger!

* * * * * * *

Hi DJ's Mom,

It'd take a lot of pressure off you if you could manage to get thosewires in a hard plastic tubing protective casing or up higher so thatyou don't have to worry.

As much as I try to keep my rabbit away from things, he's smart enoughto sneak around me quietly when I'm distracted and get to where hewants to be. He's so fast, and all it takes is a second.

-Carolyn

 

[lscarincio]

Where can I get plastic tubing to cover the wires?? Maybe a hardware store?

I am also afraid that she will hide under my couch or something and notcome out -- any tips to relieve this fear? "Pips" is a good girl andcan usually be coaxed out with a treat but I am just afraid that shewill give up and just not come out of hiding someday.

 

[lscarincio]

Tucker's mom,

I have found that if I break up one Yogurt Chip intoseveralpieces,and feed Pips one piece at a time she is still veryexcited and happy

So, it is ok to feed them Cheerios?? That is good to know -- I am sure she would love them!!!

 

[2bunnies]

I have found the best litter for the pan under thecage is compressed wood pellets, when it gets wet, tou just scoop outthe wet as it turns to sawdust, very neat and clean with no smell, aswe know how bunny noses smell everything!! I can't remember the namebrand but it is in bunny-friendly pet stores, comes in a 20 pound bag.

 

[lscarincio]

I am currently using "Critter Litter"potty training pearls. It was recommemded by the rabbit vetwe see. No odor and it absorbs very well. It isdust free -- however it is a clay material, but it is safe forrabbits. It is actually used as a digestive aid in somerabbit hay cubes and pellets. She never eats itanyway. Very useful product

 

[2bunmom]

Hi DJ'S Mom, Please listen to Carolyn onthe bunny proofing issue. It does only take them a second tochew cords. My laid back lazybunnyTrixie, has done this twice now, and I wassupervising both times. It is very easy to get distracted,the phone rings, a knock at the door, bathroom break what ever, it doeshappen. Chewing cords can be very dangerous, especially ifthe cord is plugged into an electrical source.
They are some what like small children, they are curious, quick andlove to get into things! So please bunny proof and saveyourself possible heartache. Thanks for listening.Beckie

 

[Carolyn]

Greetings Iscarincio,


That's a good plan for the Yogurt Chips. Tucker gobbles them up sofast! Yes, try Cheerios and/or oats. You'll get the same result fromPips without the unnecessary sugar. They sure act like they're deprivedwhen they get treats, don't they? As if they never have something goodto eat. Such phonies!

To keep Pips out from under the couch, the only easy answer is to blockthe area off with whatever you can. Towels? If there's little damagethat can be done under there, I wouldn't worry too much. Pips will comeout when she's hungry or thirsty. She probably just likes it underthere because it's a good hiding place. If wires run under therethough, you definitely want to keep her out of there.

To get a good hard plastic covering for the wires, you could try ahardware store. A friend of mine had gotten the cheap kind that had afoam in it. The rabbit ate through the tubing, ingested the foam, and$1400 later after a surgery that was very iffy, made it out okay. Thatbeing said, don't waste your money on the cheap kind of casing. Makesure you get a good hard plastic that the wires can go into, and eventhen, you just want to keep an eye on her. Some rabbits just chew morethan others, as my friend's does that I just mentioned. He even caughther chewing some of the hard plastic covering he'd gotten for her, butthat's a lot easier and sooner caught than the damage that can be doneif trying to save pennies on a cheaper casing. Tucker really doesn'tbother with wires much anymore, but I still keep a very close andwatchful eye on him when he's out. As the rabbits get a little older,they seem to know what's acceptable and unacceptable behavior and willrespond to your voice when they do something wrong. Just yesterday,Tucker started nibbling on a piece of furniture, I said, "TUCKER!" andhe stopped immediately and looked at me. As soon as he stopped, I said,"G'boooyyyyy!!!!" and he came darting over to me and did a skid into meas he jumped up on the couch to get a pat for being good. They're veryhappy to collect on compliments, and are eager to get praise.

-Carolyn

P.S. That's very interesting about Critter Litter. Thanks, Iscarincio.I'll have to keep an eye out for it. I've never heard of it.

* * * * * * * *

Hi 2BunMom,

DJ's Mom would be well served to listen to your advice. You said itperfectly when you said that it's easy to get distracted by a phonecall, a knock at the door, or even a bathroom break. So True! Tuckerdefinitely is most mischievous when I'm on the phone or my attention iscaught up in something else. You're right. Electricution only takes onesecond. Thanks for your input.

-Carolyn

 

[I LuV MaH BuNs]

**bump** i thought this was interesting