Advice on my bunnies! Help!

[l.lai]

Hey there!

So i've got two questions:

Question 1:

I recently purchased a Chocolate Otter Netherland Dwarf (Sydney, Australia). He's called Racer (pics will be up later in intro section) and he's awesome.

I've never had a Netherland before and i've heard they can be quite skittish but still make great pets. So far when i put my hand in the cage he will run to the corner but will let me pat it. I have to lift him to get him out of the cage, and he's pretty willing, as long as i do it slowly, once he's on my bed or on the ground he'll sniff around and eat from my hand etc but he wont exactly sit on my lap or next to me while i pat him, he'll run around and be scared of my hand a little, its inconsistent.

I know i've only had him 4 days but if i play with him each and everyday and be patient it should be better right?

I only ask as my mini lop was pretty friendly from day 1 (we got him from 4 weeks old and had to feed it milk). My mini lop LeeHom follows my hand around and follows me when i walk around the house. When i put my head down he'll come and rub noses. its awesome.

I was hoping Racer would be like LeeHom but obviously not!

So to the question, haha.

I bought this yesterday:

http://www.crazysales.com.au/42-six-panel-foldable-metal-pet-playpen-with-gate-38-handle-24-8-x-35-4-panels-_p5345.html#proName

This is to let Racer run around while i'm not at home so that he's not locked in the cage all day. I've got it set up in my lounge room on the tiled area so if he has an accident, its easy to clean up (rather than on carpet!).

Is it okay that its on tile? I'll probably put a towel in the middle so its softer.

Question 2:

So my 5 month old mini lop LeeHom was litter trained and VERY well behaved. The last few weeks i suspect shes reaching sexual maturity and has started digging all of the litter in her box and spreading it EVERYWHERE in the cage and pissing and pooing all over her cage, instead of just in the box like she always has.

Is this just a sign that its time to get her fixed at the vet?

She's also shown some signs of aggression, but not towards me, only towards my sister when she yelled "NO!" when LeeHom tried to chew a cable, it lunged and bit her.

Shes still very affectionate towards me, only thing is she is making a terrible mess inside her cage right after i clean it up.

 

[Fancy77]

Wow lots of changes going on in your house. Well I dunno about question 1 and dunno if I can help with question 2 but My Trixie started spraying so I felt it was time to get her spayed b/cuz of that and all my buns dig but I bought this stuff called eggcrate, its a white plastic used for florescent lighting. Then cut it to size for the litter box. I got it cuz one of the RO members suggested it...I'll b darned if I can find that thread now But I dunno if that helps for where u r located...

 

[Sox]

I'm new to this bunny business, have only had Sox for 5 weeks and he is about 12 weeks old now. I am probably the last person that should advise on anything! .... just wanted to mention that I purchased a playpen that looks somewhat like what you have just slightly bigger. Sox is a Dwarf X. She managed to squeeze out of the gaps which is about 1 1/2 inches wide. I have now purchases some plastic chicken wire to surround the whole play pen, even then every opportunity she gets, she will still try to see if she can squeeze through them. So far, she hasn't had much chance as I only let her in the play pen when I am around.

I have the play pen in my lounge which is also tiled. I line the playpen with fleece and Sox loves it. I have intentionally left the gate to the play pen open the last few weeks to let her out. She will only walk up to the edge the fleece and refuses to step on the tile, she will sniff it but won't step on it. I put her straight on the tile once and she was petrified, frozen and refuses to move. I am sure though they will be fine once they get used to it. The blanket fleece is washable if peed on.

Hope this is of some help anyway.

 

[kirbyultra]

Agree with the post above!!! My 8 week mini rex/dwarf bun squeezed through the fence exactly like that. It doesn't look like he can but he CAN. Watch him carefully. Just because racer doesn't do it when you are there doesn't mean he wont when you are not home. I have learned over time that rabbits, being prey animals, will do anything, anything!, to get to safety. If something or some foreign sound scares him he may shoot out of the fence and increase the risk of him hurting himself in a un-bunny proofed home. Trust me, small bunnies will surprise you. I went and bought a smaller animal cage for my Toby to live in until he was definitely too big to escape. He tries, but now he's too plump lol! The tile floor is ok but if you can give him a hiding place like a cardboard box or a little wooden box with a comfy towel so he can lie down I think he would appreciate it a lot any amount of grip he can get would be good.

On your other bunny, yeah I think she's a big girl now She may benefit from a spay to make cleaner nicer habits.

 

[l.lai]

Thanks for your help Sox!

Thats great advice, i have a fleecy blanket also that i'll use as a bedding, or maybe a towel, it'll arrive tomorrow (i was just notified online that its in the mail on its way).

I plan on using the blanket/towel on half of the playpen so that Racer (my netherland) will have to run across tile and blanketed surfaces.

Whats your bunny crossed with? Is it shy because its a Netherland?

 

[l.lai]

kirbyultra wrote:

Agree with the post above!!! My 8 week mini rex/dwarf bun squeezed through the fence exactly like that. It doesn't look like he can but he CAN. Watch him carefully. Just because racer doesn't do it when you are there doesn't mean he wont when you are not home. I have learned over time that rabbits, being prey animals, will do anything, anything!, to get to safety. If something or some foreign sound scares him he may shoot out of the fence and increase the risk of him hurting himself in a un-bunny proofed home. Trust me, small bunnies will surprise you. I went and bought a smaller animal cage for my Toby to live in until he was definitely too big to escape. He tries, but now he's too plump lol! The tile floor is ok but if you can give him a hiding place like a cardboard box or a little wooden box with a comfy towel so he can lie down I think he would appreciate it a lot any amount of grip he can get would be good.

On your other bunny, yeah I think she's a big girl now She may benefit from a spay to make cleaner nicer habits.

Thanks Helen!

I keep hearing that bunny's need an overhead shelter or some sort of box to hide in, how important is this? Currently my setup just has the litter tray, some Luceurn cubes, hay, toilet rolls, food, water and a mineral lick.

I put a box in there once but he never went in. The cage would start to get cramped if i bought him a large plastic roofing that they sell at the pet shop (i tried to buy one last night actually but they sold out...again!).

 

[kirbyultra]

I don't think buns need mineral licks but they do like a hiding spot. They need a place to feel safe. One of my rabbits almost never goes in his box but when he does it tells me he is scared or something is wrong and he is umcomfortable because he is seeking shelter. My other bun sleeps in his box all the time. Depends on the bun but remember they are prey animals - they need to feel safe to feel comfortable. Is the box big enouh to fit the bun sleeping? It might be busy and abit crowded with some shelter but if you don't plan on keeping him fenced in when you are home it's ok. Buns sleep through the day mostly anyway and come alive at dawn, dusk, and wee hours o the night

 

[l.lai]

Ahh okay good advice.

Once this play pen arrives it'll solve a lot more issues, i feel bad Racer is locked up!

 

[kirbyultra]

You might be able to get a small animal cage (they sell them in big pet megamarts like Petco) for cheap online or 2nd hand if you look around locally maybe. It's really not too useful to many pet owners who upgrade to a bigger cage or set up once their animal has grown to adult size. The little cages are ok for baby buns and tiny breeds for the most part. Mischievous buns find a way to spend a lot of time NOT in it... like mine... so I put a fence around him like yours, and put the small cage inside it. So it's like a house with a fenced yard. In the pic the fencing is around in the background, and the cage is the white/green thing.So he does stuff like this "outside":

In the pic is also his hiding box.

Box in a box view:

It's a little busy inside, but it's ok for the day time hours when he is mostly snoozing.

And he can do stuff like this in the wooden box:

 

[l.lai]

The photo of the bunny lying down is awesome! So cute!

 

[kirbyultra]

He's a relaxed bunny! I am a big fan of this hiding box for small bunny breeds. He loves it. My other one likes to sit under his willow tent and when he gets bored he also chews on it as a snack. Cardboard boxes are also an excellent cheap substitute that are easily replacable if bunny chews/tears it up. But my rabbit EATS the cardboard so I have to buy these wooden/willow things to let them sit in.

 

[spacyp]

I have to say that both of my girls hated the hiding places I gave them...I bought the largest domes and such I could find to help them but they never used it other than to try and escape...:highfive: They do love to hide behind the toilet, though, when I let them have their "bunny" time roaming free which I supervise. I am very careful since I am afraid they will try to chew on the pipes and ingest something poisonous.

I have them penned in with two Super Yard XT units with the extra pieces used as roof units of sorts. They have been happy there for the last 8 months when they outgrew their cage. I can also say that I have had no morning hopping through the bedroom (the FORBIDDEN zone) in quite some time so it seems to be effective.

 

[l.lai]

cool!

Thanks for your input!

 

[Sox]

That's a great idea just lining only half the play pen with fleecy so that the bunny gets used to tile, now why didn't I think of that - will do that now. But at the same time, I think I am having 2nd thoughts about letting Sox run around the house after having read about rabbits eating walls, furnitures, etc.

Sox lives in a proper hutch of which half is enclosed and the other half has a grill where he can see what is happening. She hates going into the dark and likes to be out in the open to see what is happening and only goes in there when something scares her. Due to this, I have put his litter tray in the enclosed area and he just stays out in the open most of the day. He no longer has a bedding. I have tried cushions, towers, lambswool, etc etc but Sox just likes to lie on the floor of the hutch which is lined with carpet tiles.

In the playpen when he is out, I have thrown in about 4 boxes with openings and he loves playing with them. He likes to hide in them though but it's different in his hutch. If you don't wish to buy a hide out for him, an A4 photocopy box I find is deal with 2 doors cut on each side making a flip door. Sox just loves going in and out of the flip door.

Soon when I find a proper place at home, I plan to put his hutch inside the playpen and leave the door ofher hutch open for her to have some freedom in and out. Just got to make sure that the playpen is safe from escape first which I don't think it is at present.

I find your posts rather interesting and I can learn lots from yours as it's also a young bunny.

Good luck, Carol

 

[Sox]

Oops, can't edit the above. Anyway just to say, I noticed that one minute I would refer to Sox as her then later I would refer to Sox as him ..... will have to get used to calling Sox her .... just found out from the vets that Sox is a girl!!! :laugh::bambiandthumper

 

[kirbyultra]

Gender fairy!