First bunny ever!!!

[trixybunny]

I wrote a while ago saying that I might begetting my sister's rabbit Trixy (boy)...a Mini-Rex. Well Idid! He is about 2 or 3 years old I can't remember.I do have a question or two. First of all, do you have anyadvice on how to go about trimming his nails? They reallyneed it. Second of all, how do I clean his bum? Hehas poop stuck to it and it won't come off. I think that isall for right now, but I'm sure I will have many more questions tocome. Any other tips and advicearewelcome!

 

[Shuu]

Get a vet to show you how to trim nails.Especially be aware of the quick as it bleeds if you cut it. If he haspoop on his bum you can generally soak it in soapy water. Make sure thesoap is pure and rise well. He looks to be a bit chubby which could bewhy he has poop stuck to his bum - he can't reach it to clean it. I'dsuggested talking to a vet about a reduction in his weight.

 

[naturestee]

Congrats on the bunny!

Get a decent pair of small dog nail clippers. If you can, puthim in a trance by holding him on his back and gently petting him untilhe is relaxed. You can also have a friend hold him, or wraphim in a towel and take out one foot at a time. If the nailsare white, you'll be able to see through them to the solid, pinkishcuticle. Do not cut that! Cut in front of it, andleave however much space you need to feel comfortable.

See this link for cleaning his bottom:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/buttbath.html

I always have trouble telling from a picture, but he may beoverweight. Make sure he gets plenty of exercise.You may also want to switch him to timothy pellets if he is eatingalfalfa pellets. This was all my shelter rabbit needed, but Idoubt he had been out of a cage since he was born. If yourrabbit has been getting lots of exercise and is already eating timothypellets, you might want to have a vet recommend how to do a safe weightloss program.

He is very pretty. I love rexes!

 

[Nicky Snow]

very cute bunny. well in my house nail clippingis a two person job. and as for advice, you are definately in the rightplace. i have learned alot from looking through old threads/cheatsheets etc... and i'm still learning!

Nicole

 

http://rabbitsonline.net/reply.php?topic_id=1657

http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html

http://www.rabbit.org/care/vets.html

here are a few links to help you get started. read them theres a lot of goodinformation in these threads .More links canbe found in "The Top Picks " sectionatthe begining of the Forum .

 

[trixybunny]

Right now he is eating the Wal-Mart food, It islike Wild Harvest 8-in-1 or something like that. My sistergave me some timothy hay rabbit pellets, but she said that he won't eatthem. He is a very picky rabbit and is known for havingtrouble with diarrea. And he is slightly overweight, eventhough he did get to get out of his cage and hop around theirbathroom. He used to hop around their whole apartment untilhe chewed up the carpet....lol!

Oh also....when you wrap them in a towel, it is okay to cover theirhead right, or is it? And again also.....I checked his teethlast night and they are PERFECT! It looks like he had bunnybraces. The occlusion is great and all. Not toolong or anything.

 

First things first, a lot of his problem withdiahrea is the food he is eating . youneed to wean him off that crap slowly ,That brand of feed has way too much sugarand junk in it and should onlybe used as a limited treat . Itis also a contributing factor to him beingoverweight . Start weaning him off it byputting in a good quality Timothy pelletswith the Wild HArvest mixed thruit and only a small amount do this for 2weels slowly adding less and less of theWild HArvest until he isgetting none in his feed dish .Add more timothy hay as your doing thisand as always lotsof water .

 

[naturestee]

gypsy wrote:

First things first , a lot ofhis problem with diahrea isthe food he is eating . you need to weanhim off that crap slowly , That brand offeed has way too much sugar and junk init and should only be usedas a limited treat . It is also acontributing factor to him being overweight. Start weaning him off it by putting in agood quality Timothy pellets withthe Wild HArvest mixed thru itand only a small amount do this for 2 weelsslowly adding less and less of the WildHArvest until he is gettingnone in his feed dish . Add more timothyhay as your doing this andas always lots ofwater .

Definately. I've seen that stuff- it's so bad it'sSCARY. I can't remember, but the fiber in it may be lowenough, especially with all the high-suger treats, that it would becausing his diarrhea.

My first rabbit, Mocha, was eating a similar food until I found out howbad it was for her. I switched her food slowly, but shewasn't happy about losing all that junk food. If you stillhave trouble switching Trixy over to good pellets, try taking all thejunk out of his old food and get him used to that first.

 

[trixybunny]

Okay, so I trimmed part of hisnails!!! He was actually really good, I just wrapped him upin a towel and laid him on his back in my lap and went away at thenails. I realized that when you trim them, you have to cutfast once you have the clippers around the right spot. Theyare really long so it'll take a few days to get down to where theyshould be. I am not just cutting a lot of them off at onceyou know, just doing a little bit on all his nails.

 

[cirrustwi]

He's a beautiful bunny!

You're doing the right thing with the nails. If they growreally long, the quick can grow down further and will recede back asyou shorten the nails bit by bit.

As for the food, please heed Gypsy's advice. The Wal-Martfood is just bad. Do the slow weening and you shouldn't havea problem any more with the diarrhea.

Jen

 

[Kricket]

Good job with the nail trim! That's the way to go! And congrats on the new bunny!

You might be able to find inexpensive and healthy pellets at a feed store. Good luck and welcome!

Hugs! K

 

[trixybunny]

I actually was looking at my Dad's TractorSupply Co. book and they have good, inexpensive food andbedding. The Aspen bedding there costs like $2.82 Ithink. I was like....hmmm...that's cheap! Normally it costs$3-5.