LovinLops
Active Member
Ok so I have a black Holland lop named Anakin born on 4/19. He is super sweet and even though he's still new to my home (I got him from a breeder on 6/29) , we are bonding really well. I do have a few questions that need specific answers, so I thought I'd ask for your help.
1.) The breeder that I got Anakin from came outside with him in her arms when I rang the doorbell. She didn't have an enclousure where I could put him down and see how he hopped set up outdoors, so I just gently tugged his legs to make sure they all worked. I asked to see the other rabbits she had, and she explained to me that they were all in her basement in makeshift crates because the extreme heat wave we had was too much for them to handle(she said she lost several from heat stroke before she coulf relocate them all). As you can imagine, the makeshift cages were pretty small, but from what I saw conditions were good and the bunnies seemed healthy. When I brought Anakin home and set him down to see him hop, I was a little worried about his back legs. He seemed to kind of army crawl instead of hop. Since then, his hop has improved and he's even doing binkies, but still does his army crawl. Should I be concerned, or just patient while he grows and gains strength?
2.) I made the mistake of introducing cilantro into Anakins diet, because I read first that it was ok to introduce greens to young buns slowly as long as you kept feeding pellets and, of course, hay. He seemed to absolutely love it. I monitored his waste and it was still solid and fine. Then I read that babes should have no greens at all at his age. Do you think it would be ok if he still got a little cilantro here in there since I haven't noticed a problem?
3.) I have a pretty large rectangular cage for Anakin. I was told by a friend to start off by putting the Carefresh all over his cage, but I think it's confusing him. I want to take the Carefresh that isn't in his litter pan out of the cage, but will he be uncomfortable laying on the cool plastic bottom? Is there something else I should out down that he would like better?
Any and all feedback is GREATLY appreciated. I feel so lucky to have found such a friendly and caring group of people to go to when I need information I can trust.
1.) The breeder that I got Anakin from came outside with him in her arms when I rang the doorbell. She didn't have an enclousure where I could put him down and see how he hopped set up outdoors, so I just gently tugged his legs to make sure they all worked. I asked to see the other rabbits she had, and she explained to me that they were all in her basement in makeshift crates because the extreme heat wave we had was too much for them to handle(she said she lost several from heat stroke before she coulf relocate them all). As you can imagine, the makeshift cages were pretty small, but from what I saw conditions were good and the bunnies seemed healthy. When I brought Anakin home and set him down to see him hop, I was a little worried about his back legs. He seemed to kind of army crawl instead of hop. Since then, his hop has improved and he's even doing binkies, but still does his army crawl. Should I be concerned, or just patient while he grows and gains strength?
2.) I made the mistake of introducing cilantro into Anakins diet, because I read first that it was ok to introduce greens to young buns slowly as long as you kept feeding pellets and, of course, hay. He seemed to absolutely love it. I monitored his waste and it was still solid and fine. Then I read that babes should have no greens at all at his age. Do you think it would be ok if he still got a little cilantro here in there since I haven't noticed a problem?
3.) I have a pretty large rectangular cage for Anakin. I was told by a friend to start off by putting the Carefresh all over his cage, but I think it's confusing him. I want to take the Carefresh that isn't in his litter pan out of the cage, but will he be uncomfortable laying on the cool plastic bottom? Is there something else I should out down that he would like better?
Any and all feedback is GREATLY appreciated. I feel so lucky to have found such a friendly and caring group of people to go to when I need information I can trust.
