Brand new and a million questions!!

[warmdontburn]

First off hello

I have never owned a bunny but somehow my cute little girls talked me into 1!
We purchased him from a pet store and the lady seemed to know quite a bit but I didn't think to ask a few questions so I just called her and she seems to either not really know or contradict what I have read. So since I found a lot of info here I figured I would join and ask the people who have been there done that!

He is a male lop. I have no idea how old he is and neither does she He only weighs 12oz. She said he is the smallest they have ever received.

I have contacted a few local vets and from what I have gathered so far there is 1 vet that specializes in bunnies but he only comes down twice a month and I have already missed the 1st one so I won't be able to get Oreo in until the end of the month. In the meantime I need to know what I can/can't give him and what he needs daily.

I know he needs hay. She was giving him Alfalfa and said carrots too but with him being so little I am not sure if it is because he is a mini or just a baby or what.

Where do I start? Does he need constant access to hay? She said a little every day but I am sure I read he must have access to it all the time.

I just want to do the right thing for him of course so please any tips would be amazing. I am heading shopping very soon. He has a litter pan, food, water and a little wood house to hide in and chew on.

Thanks so much for any and all help

 

[Imbrium]

my holland lop was 10 oz at 9.5 weeks and 15.5 oz at 11 weeks, so your bunny is probably in that age range

hay should be available 24/7... and skip the carrots, he's a little too young for veggies and carrots are very high in sugar. you can feed babies a lot of pellets... 1/2-1c per day split into 2+ feedings would be good for his breed (adjust the amount if it seems like he's not eating enough hay).

best tip I can give you when shopping - check out feed stores! (like horse supplies and stuff) - you can buy hay by the bale for a FRACTION of what pet store hay costs... like $1 for 7-8 lbs instead of $3-6 for 1 lb. baby bunnies can have alfalfa until they're 7 mos old and/or ANY type of horse-quality grass hay. a bale can be stored for a year or more as long as you keep it clean and dry. while you're at the feed store, grab a bag of wood pellets - they're great for litter boxes and only $4-7 for 40 lbs.

skip the bedding in the cage, as it can confuse them when you're trying to litter train.

cage info:
http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm
http://breyfamily.net/bunnycage.html
best deal on grids for the cages: http://www.sears.com/stor-floor-standing-6-cube-storage-unit/p-00913332000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
(you can order online for the sale price/do site-to-store to avoid shipping fees)

here's my condo:



other great rabbit sites:
http://www.rabbit.org/index.html
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#babies
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/spay-neuter.html
http://www.3bunnies.org/feeding.htm
http://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/Default.aspx
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=75235&forum_id=48 - first aid kit info
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f21/
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_forum.php?id=9 - rabbit savvy vet listings
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=53690&forum_id=93 - great litter box system; I highly recommend the grid even if you don't want to build the whole thing (check 1/3 of the way down the first page)

 

[whitelop]

First off Welcome to RO!

Alfalfa is fine for him, as long as he was eating it before. And yes, access to hay all the time! Unlimited hay is what he needs.
Are you feeding him pellets? Are they the same as what the pet store was feeding him? If they aren't, then you need to transition him slowly onto them. Like 1/2 a teaspoon starting out and then if he's poops are solid and round then start to add more each day until you get up to 1/2 to 1 cup of pellets everyday. They get "unlimited" pellets, but unlimited for some bunnies is a little much. If he stops eating hay to eat just pellets, then you need to find a balance of pellets. I know that 1/2 a tsp seems like a really really small amount, because it is. BUT, as long as he has hay ALL the time, he will not starve. You want to instill good hay eating habits young so they eat hay throughout their lives.

Right now, my baby bunny gets 1/2 cup of pellets each day, split into two 1/4 cup feedings. She gets a small handful of alfalfa twice a day and unlimited coastal hay. My bun isn't on a 100% alfalfa hay diet, because she didn't start out like that. She is on a 98% grass hay 2% alfalfa diet. To be honest, I would probably go buy a small bale of a grass hay(timothy, orchard, coastal, bermuda, broom) and mix it into his alfalfa, so when you have to switch him to only grass hay at around 7 months, the transition won't be as difficult. (I've heard several stories about it being hard for people to transition their buns, buns tend to love alfalfa more than grass hay).

As for carrots and/or veggies/greens. Its recommended you start at 12 weeks. In the library section is the rabbit safe food lists. So no carrots for him yet!

He does seem quite small, but I'm not sure of his age. I'll go with about 8 weeks though, maybe someone else will be able to advise you better. He is a mini lop? Well, he should get to be about 4-6 lbs, I had a mini lop who was 5 lbs.

For his litter, is the bedding just in the litter box or is it in the whole cage? If you're planning on litter box training, then you'll want to take the bedding out of the whole cage and put it JUST in the box. That way he won't get confused about where to go. I wouldn't put any bedding or anything in the bottom of the cage, so when he poops or pees, just sweep/wipe it up and put in the litter box. He is a baby, so it might take a little longer to get him used to a box, but eventually he'll get it. I was lucky with my baby, she picked it up in a few days. But usually, neutering helps litter habits, but that won't be until he's like 6 months old.

Welcome again! Congrats on the new addition to your family, he's a real cutie!

 

[Imbrium]

oh yeah, is he a mini or a holland? I don't know how to tell them apart, lol. if he's a mini, then when comparing his weight to my lop's weights/ages, keep in mind that hollands are a slightly smaller breed (3-4 lbs fully grown).

 

[JBun]

Welcome and congratulations on your new bunny! What a cutie!

I agree with what's been said so far. Unlimited hay, add some grass hay(but probably not oat hay unless it has no seed heads in it) so you don't get a picky bun. All food changes with a rabbit should start small and be increased gradually, with everything except dry grass hays. Make sure all products and woods that you use for your rabbit, are rabbit safe, as they like to chew on everything usually. Don't get treats or chews that have sugars in them as they can cause digestive upset. Always use a rabbit safe litter, never cat litter, or pine and cedar shavings. And check the water level each day to make sure your rabbit is drinking ok( sonetimes the ball in water bottles can stick so the rabbit can't get water). Another thing that is good to keep an eye on, especially the first week a rabbit is with you, is it's poops. Make sure he is pooping and they look like normal round poops that are generally the same size. Changes in poop can indicate a digestive problem. Soft poops mean something in the diet needs to be changed and no poops can indicate an emergency situation. Rabbits can sometimes get stressed being in a new environment so keep an eye on his poops this first week, check his bum each day to make sure there are no soft poops stuck there, and make sure he's eating his food as a stressed rabbit sometimes will stop eating. if he is very quiet. and not hopping around much then he is probably stressed and should be given some space for a few days and not handled too much. If he is inquisitive looking around and hopping around, then he's probably not feeling nervous and is just fine. Sometimes it helps a new rabbit to feel more comfortable in it's new home if you get them out and let them hop around and explore a little while you just sit and watch them without petting or anything(unless he hops on your lap and wants pets ). You want to keep an eye on your rabbit when he is out hopping around, as most rabbits love to chew and dig. Don't let him chew carpet as injested fibers can make him sick, and watch those power cords. They seem especially tempting to rabbits

 

[LakeCondo]

Welcome & what a cutie.

Many people use water bottles, but I prefer a ceramic bowl [heavy enough it can't be tipped over]. Or some bowls attach to the sides of pens or cages. Especially with a growing bunny, the height of a water bottle has to be monitored & moved up to keep it at the right height.

 

[Chrisdoc]

Hi and welcome to RO, you´ve certainly come to the right place for advice and tips on feeding and looking after your little chappie. He looks gorgeous. All the advice so far is spot on, lots of hay, good quality pellets and lots of water. He should litter train fairly quickly if he´s smart and just keep his bedding in the tray to avoid confusing him.

Look forward to seeing more photos of him and progress as he gets older. Do you have your living set up already planned, Jennifer´s is really cool but there are lots of tips and advice as well as great ideas on the housing and environment section.

Enjoy your bunny !!!!

 

[JBun]

I forgot to mention that the kind of pellets you want to give him are a plain alfalfa based pellet, that doesn't have any fruit, seeds, grain, nuts, or colorful bits added to it. If you need to change pellets then just transition slowly like whitelop mentioned. When he gets to be an adult at about 7 mo., you stop feeding the alfalfa hay and will also cut back on the amount of pellets based on his weight. Then you will feed limited pellets and unlimited grass hay.

 

[erinmoveit]

he's adorable! Welcome to the club!

 

[BinkyBunny]

Everyone has really covered everything I would suggest or warn against, so I will just say WELCOME

 

[Katielovesleo3]

Welcome! He is adorable and looks like an Oreo all right! MMM now I'm hungry lol.
Hey aren't holland lips smaller than mini lops?

 

[Blue eyes]

:wave2 Hello and welcome to the forum. Your bunny is unbelievably adorable!:heartbeat:

 

[kmaben]

Expect him to poop everywhere. Expect him to always break out of his pen. Expect him to eat your last phone charger. Expect him to punch the dog. And expect him to never get punished because he looks at you with that ridiculously cute face you can never resist.

Welcome to the world of rabbit keeping! Embrace the slavery and it will go much smoother :nod

 

[warmdontburn]

Wow thank you all so much!!

Guess I better get to reading

I appreciate the help and once I have read all the replies I may just have a few more questions!

 

[Tuckerbunnies]

Hello

What a gorgeous little bunny :bunnyheart

 

[mochajoe]

WELCOME to the world of bunnies!

 

[agnesthelion]

Awww just saw the pic of your new little guy and boy is he a cutie pie!!

Welcome to RO and glad you found us here. You have gotten some great information and please ask all the questions you need to.