Hi! Future bunny mom-have some questions!

[LizzyMayHarvey]

What I think is a good idea is getting all the basics like food, cage, bowls, litter/bedding, etc. and hold off on the expensive toys for a while. Just give them some cardboard boxes, hay stuffed cardboard rolls, sticks, and random bits and bobs that you can get for free. Then after you have had your bunny for a while and gotten to know him/her you will know if they like climbing, hiding, jumping, chewing, and/or digging. Then you can buy them the appropriate toys and accessories because animals being animals you could buy them the most expensive amazing thing and they won't even look at it but play with the box it came in instead. Also make sure your bunny has space. Being shut in the cage at night or something is fine but if you can give your bun some hours for running round or exploring in their own time then they will be a lot happier. My buns have 12 hours+ to run around and do whatever they please every day. If you give them 1-3 hours roaming time a day then they will most likely just spend the time sleeping. If you give them 6+ hours then they can choose to sleep and run and explore when they feel like it.
Bunnies are amazing pets but they are not all cuddle buns. My girl will sit next to you for ever and give you the sweetest bunny kisses but if you try to pick her up and cuddle her she will do anything to escape and bite and scratch. On the other hand, my boy won't sit still for pats and doesn't like humans in general but if you manage to catch him then he'll sit quietly in your arms. Every bunny is different so don't expect a certain personality or that your bunny will even want to be cuddled or taken on walks in a stroller.

 

[peanutdabunny]

You can get small pet select on amazon. You are endangering the health of your rabbit, as most amazon listings dont tell you where the ingredients or supplies are from. Small pet select does tell you, and its on amazon. Lennon the bunny has said the same thing about wish. The quailty is not very good, the listing photos are showing the mat yellow

 

[BunbunBannana]

There are actually some pretty decent methods to rabbit-proof carpet if the carpet is the only deterrent to free roam. The method I used was getting a large (9'x9') flat woven area rug to cover 90% of the carpet and then placing "wood" linoleum tiles on the edge to prevent any access to the carpet. It worked very well and actually greatly improved the aesthetic of the space (although I have quite the vendetta against carpet in general). I greatly enjoy "McGyvering" rabbit proofing problems, many of them can be solved with some troubleshooting and stuff you have on hand.

I think Preitler and John Wick did a really good job playing devil's advocate, so I won't try to play with perfection. I will note that the Bay Area is home to tons of awesome rescues for you to check out and contact. Breeders are a wealth of information and often a very good place to get a rabbit, however, I generally think an already spayed/neutered adult is the best choice for a new rabbit parent. Occasionally breeders will have an adult rabbit they are looking to rehome (such as a failed breeder or a rabbit they hoped would be show quality but turned out to be pet quality) and that could be a good option too.

I would HIGHLY recommend a read-through of Rabbits for Dummies for anyone new to rabbits. I cannot describe how much this book helped me when I was starting out. It's pretty general, but it answers all of the questions you should ask before selecting and moving forward with a new rabbit.

Thanks!

 

[peanutdabunny]

There is only 1 thing I reccomend on amazon thats not SPS. It is the 12/14 chew ball set for bunnies, its okay quality. If you want a good size cage get the Furplast krolix 200. Or 160 if you cant get the 200

 

[peanutdabunny]

Can you see this picture?

 

[BunbunBannana]

42 by 82 inches? it still sounds quite a bit too small. Thankfully, it's not a thin line between a caged bunny and a free-roaming bunny. There are loads of options in between, the best might be an xpen. However, your bunny will still need a few hours (or preferably most of the day) out of the pen to exercise x

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F97RJH6/ref=twister_B0922Z8KR6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks! I plan on letting the bun have playtime whenever I'm in the room 1-6h

What I think is a good idea is getting all the basics like food, cage, bowls, litter/bedding, etc. and hold off on the expensive toys for a while. Just give them some cardboard boxes, hay stuffed cardboard rolls, sticks, and random bits and bobs that you can get for free. Then after you have had your bunny for a while and gotten to know him/her you will know if they like climbing, hiding, jumping, chewing, and/or digging. Then you can buy them the appropriate toys and accessories because animals being animals you could buy them the most expensive amazing thing and they won't even look at it but play with the box it came in instead. Also make sure your bunny has space. Being shut in the cage at night or something is fine but if you can give your bun some hours for running round or exploring in their own time then they will be a lot happier. My buns have 12 hours+ to run around and do whatever they please every day. If you give them 1-3 hours roaming time a day then they will most likely just spend the time sleeping. If you give them 6+ hours then they can choose to sleep and run and explore when they feel like it.
Bunnies are amazing pets but they are not all cuddle buns. My girl will sit next to you for ever and give you the sweetest bunny kisses but if you try to pick her up and cuddle her she will do anything to escape and bite and scratch. On the other hand, my boy won't sit still for pats and doesn't like humans in general but if you manage to catch him then he'll sit quietly in your arms. Every bunny is different so don't expect a certain personality or that your bunny will even want to be cuddled or taken on walks in a stroller.

Thanks! I narrowed the list down.

You can get small pet select on amazon. You are endangering the health of your rabbit, as most amazon listings dont tell you where the ingredients or supplies are from. Small pet select does tell you, and its on amazon. Lennon the bunny has said the same thing about wish. The quailty is not very good, the listing photos are showing the mat yellow

I would, except they only have food for adults. As soon as the rabbit turns 1yr I will transition him...

 

[peanutdabunny]

no, no! Don't give small pet select food! Give there toys. Their food isnt good quality, For food, for best quality get sherwood when they are an adult. Did you see my post about the furplast 200 cage? its 6 feet by 2 feet

 

[BunbunBannana]

Can you see this picture?

no, no! Don't give small pet select food! Give there toys. Their food isnt good quality, For food, for best quality get sherwood when they are an adult. Did you see my post about the furplast 200 cage? its 6 feet by 2 feet

I did, but is it big enough as a cage for 10h of the day?

 

[peanutdabunny]

I did, but is it big enough as a cage for 10h of the day?

Yes and no, its much above the minimum, it would be good for the first 6 months of life, while you get them litter trained, even after that it keeps the litter in the cage, so you can have an x pen attached. This does not mean make the whole cage a litter box, but put your litter box in the cage and it will keep it contained

 

[BunbunBannana]

Yes and no, its much above the minimum, it would be good for the first 6 months of life, while you get them litter trained, even after that it keeps the litter in the cage, so you can have an x pen attached. This does not mean make the whole cage a litter box, but put your litter box in the cage and it will keep it contained

Thanks! Except, the long concept doesn't really work. how about this cage? After 6m, I do plan on starting free roam! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0854G5KLN/ref=twister_B07VLKKGC7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1?

 

[peanutdabunny]

Thanks! Except, the long concept doesn't really work. how about this cage? After 6m, I do plan on starting free roam! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0854G5KLN/ref=twister_B07VLKKGC7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1?

I cant look at the links at the moment, whats the cages name>

 

[BunbunBannana]

Here's a screenshot, its 61.42 x 40.94 x 26.02 inches

 

[peanutdabunny]

Here's a screenshot, its 61.42 x 40.94 x 26.02 inches

Yea thats okay, but why not get an xpen then, it has an open floor like an xpen (xpens are also cheaper)

 

[BunbunBannana]

Yea thats okay, but why not get an xpen then, it has an open floor like an xpen (xpens are also cheaper)

Mm, I just like the built-in hides and look.
Here is the new list.
Rabbit cage $200
Food-$10
Brush-$20
Hay from Pet store
food and water bowl-$9
Rabbit chew set $14
Nail trimmer $4
Timothy treat $1

 

[peanutdabunny]

If you are looking for ways to save of hay, (hay gets very expensive from the pet store) Buy in bulk from amazon from TRUSTED companines. Aka oxbow, small pet select, hay hole. Those guys sell 50lb boxs on amazon. IF you have tractor supply near you, you can get hay there too

 

[BunbunBannana]

If you are looking for ways to save of hay, (hay gets very expensive from the pet store) Buy in bulk from amazon from TRUSTED companines. Aka oxbow, small pet select, hay hole. Those guys sell 50lb boxs on amazon. IF you have tractor supply near you, you can get hay there too

Ok!!!

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I think you are on the right path, but I thought I should share some suggestions.
Pellets: Oxbow is a great brand and is very very healthy. If you get the young adult alfalfa pellets and feed those until the rabbit is 4 months (at 4 months start swapping from alfalfa pellets to timothy pellets) the rabbit will be in great condition. Sherwood is a healthier brand, but it is also a more expensive brand. If money is not an issue, you could feed Sherwood, but Oxbow is a great option. Sherwood has baby rabbit food and adult rabbit food.

Hay: Instead of buying hay from a pet store I highly suggest finding a local farmer or farm store where you can buy hay. The hay from farm stores will be very high quality because it is for horses and people are very picky about what they will feed their horses. I think someone already said this, but DO NOT FEED ALFALFA HAY TO BABY RABBITS. Baby bunnies should have Alfalfa pellets, but if you feed them Alfalfa hay when they are babies they will never want to eat timothy hay.

Cage: If you want a cage that will last forever and be super convenient, get an xpen. Xpens need to be 48" so the rabbit doesn't jump over them, but if your rabbit doesn't jump over it then you could use a shorter one. If you want it to look really nice get on Pinterest and search "rabbit pen ideas" and you will see there are tons of super cute options.

Food/Water bowls: You need a heavy bottom ceramic water bowl that your rabbit can't spill. I wouldn't suggest getting a food bowl because lots of rabbits have a bad habit of eating too fast and will choke on their food. I prefer to scatter feed so Theo has to search for his food and won't eat super fast and choke.

Brushes: Wait to see what the rabbit's fur is like before buying the hairbuster. If your rabbit's fur is like normal rabbit fur then I would buy the brush, but if the rabbit is mixed with the Rex breed then the brush won't work and it would have been a waste of money.

Toys: Try to avoid any toys that include food/treats because they are not normally safe. Instead of looking on Amazon for toys, look at BinkyBunny and Etsy stores. The toys are way healthier for your rabbit.

Treats: Give a fresh piece of fruit or if you really want to buy cute treats check out Etsy shops. Just make sure to check the ingredients!

Here is a list of what I would buy if I was getting a bunny for the first time:
*I'm sure I have forgotten something so let me know what I forgot
Xpen-$100
Baby Rabbit Food-
Sherwood: $20
Oxbow: $16
Hay-$21
Water Bowl-$19
Brush- wait until you get the rabbit
Nail Clippers-$4
Toys-
Treat Ball Toy: $8
Seagrass Mats: $25
Tunnel: $20
Hideyhouse: $20
Treats- (Any treats and toys from this Etsy store are safe in moderation!)

 

[Blue eyes]

Actually, you'll save much more on hay if you just get it from a local feed store. There is no need to buy a "brand name" of any hay. You can buy in bulk from a feed store. A bale (talking over 100 lbs) may cost just $20 and will last you close to a year. (Will stay fresh if stored properly.) At that price you can buy it every 6 months and throw away any leftover if freshness is a concern. [edit: apparently, @Mariam+Theo was writing her post at the same time ]

You asked earlier about a cage that would be 42" x 82". That is 24 sq ft, which is not bad at all with daily free time. [The one that @peanutdabunny suggested (2' x 6') is only half that and definitely not large enough.] So the 42" x 82" should work for now.

For pellets, look for a brand that has a line specifically for juveniles/babies. You can see a selection here:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/pellet-food.html
You've narrowed your list down nicely. I'd skip any treats though. Treats are not a good idea for the first few weeks with a new rabbit. That's like changing their diet and can cause stomach issues. No treats at all until they've settled into their home, transitioned to the new pellet food (will take a few weeks), and are old enough to have begun being slowly introduced to greens. Greens also take many weeks before they've adjusted to a variety of greens. After all that, then they can have treats.

I'd suggest looking through the rest of the site that is linked here for further info.

One thing you may not have considered is a first-aid emergency kit. Here's a link to what should be on hand:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/first-aid-kit.html

 

[peanutdabunny]

Sorry for the smaller cage, for some reason it wont let me load amazon links, (we are trying to figure it out). The only reason oxbow is not the best (@Mariam+Theo ) Is because it has grains and soy, which are bad for rabbits and can cause health issues later in life. I would use the rabbits pellets as treats, as its healthy and will form a stronger bond. Also @Mariam+Theo my bunny ate alfafa hay, and transitioned easily to timothy/orchard/oat mix. Maybe I got lucky?

 

[Mariam+Theo]

The only reason oxbow is not the best (@Mariam+Theo ) Is because it has grains and soy, which are bad for rabbits and can cause health issues later in life.

That all depends on how many pellets you are feeding your rabbits. If you are feeding your rabbit lots of pellets then you should feed a super high-quality pellet (such as Sherwood) but if you are only feeding your rabbit pellets as treats or only small amounts (1/8-1/4 cup each day) then Oxbow is a great brand.