Mini_Rex
Well-Known Member
Hello! New mini rex owner here.
My new rabbit is nothing like my old rabbit that I use to have and as a result, I am having a very difficult time figuring out how to get my new rabbit to trust me. Let me explain...
I use to have a Flemish Giant rabbit named Donny. He was my first bun. Despite Donny not wanting to eat or drink during the car ride home, (1 hour trip), it barely took any real "patience" or "work" to get him to feel comfortable around me. He eventually would let me pick him up and carry him around the house. I know rabbits don't like being picked up, but this Donny was almost like a dog. He nuzzled and licked my neck when I would pick him up. He enjoyed the attention he received from my children who were 2 and 3 years old at the time. I got him when he was 4 weeks old from a breeder. Eventually he would play with us by grabbing whatever shiny object was on the ground and running away with it. We would take it back, and then he would come back and run away with it and sometimes bring it back. He didn't really care much for my partner but I think it's because Donny viewed me as his "mate" and my partner was another male coming in his territory. I can't think of any other reason why. Unfortunately, I had to rehome Donny because the amount of food he needed for his size, and the larger cage he needed once he grew out of his smaller cage, I just couldn't meet his needs both financially and also living space. Donny got to be 25 lbs which was smaller than his dad. I would have had to house Donny on the first level of my grandma's house and there were dogs. (Wish I would have done more research before I got him.)
I waited 7 years before I got another rabbit. A mini rex. Now, my daughter is 9, my son is 10, and my partner and I now live in our own spacious house (1.3 acre lot, 2100 square foot house no basement). Still, I made sure to get a smaller rabbit after doing a lot of research. But, basic google searches can only go so far (of course).
I got a mini rex from a breeder who breeds regular rexes, mini rexes, lion heads, flemish giants, and also meat rabbits. He's been in the business for decades. I didn't go to the farm to pick up my family's new rabbit as I didn't want to get upset seeing all the other rabbits that might be sold for meat. (I don't know what breeds are sold for meat, and I don't want to know so please don't tell me.) This mini rex, I picked him up two days ago. He is 8 weeks old according to the breeder (April 24th 2023 is his bday). The breeder when I first got in contact with him couldn't tell me how many boys or girls he had available so he had to sex the kits and get back to me. I met the breeder at a local pet store parking lot to pick up the rabbit. From the little experience I had, he seemed healthy. His eyes and nose were clear, seemed to clean himself pretty well. Pee stains on his white hocks, but he didn't have marks on his feet and legs which made me suspect that he didn't sit on a wire rack. Like the last breeder, he picked the rabbit up by the scruff of the neck. That was probably the only thing that I didn't like.
On the way home, again, 1 hour trip, this rabbit ate and drank from his crate (got it from the toy dog section at the pet store). I was pleased to hear this (my daughter sat in the back with him and provided food and water every 5 minutes) and as such, I thought he would be a more confident rabbit like the flemish giant I had.
NOPE!
It's day two since we brought him home and he still prefers to hide in his hiding spots when I try to interact, and generally avoid my hand. I recently read not to pick up your rabbit when they're new and that's a mistake I've already made. I already spent two times on my bed with him. When I first brought him home after about 4 hours of putting him in his hutch, I allowed our dog (DNA test showed 10 different breeds all from various groups) to view him. It was very easy to get our dog Stella to break her "gaze" from him. She prefers to play with us over chase prey (but she still chases wild cotton tails in the yard, and deer) but I also would break her "gaze" at him the second it starts. I've seen farmers train their live stock guardian dogs not to attack the free range chickens with this tactic. However, I'd never trust any dog alone with a bun even with the bun in their home with blankets covering it.
All 4 of us decided to name the new bun Rocket.
Rocket seemed to be coming around and getting use to us, I think partially because I work from home and his house is right next to my computer desk. I just have to turn my chair around to view him, and he can see me while I sit at my desk. I waiting for him to "binky" around before I started to pick him up (he got a cat-ball toy with the bell in it and seemed to really enjoy it). But, last night, during "hang out on bed" time 2 (king size bed), I let my kids enjoy the time with him as well. I feel like this was a mistake. They had a hard time sitting still no matter now many times I told them, and continued to giggle. After about 10 minutes of this I asked them to leave. My daughter had her hand on the bed and when Rocket licked her finger and then nipped it, she yelled jerking her hand back really fast. I tried to explain that's how rabbits socialize, she still became cautious. Because of this, Rocket went from investigating the bed to sitting frozen in a "loaf" position on the bed with his eyes bugged. Once they left, I just layed still and he started exploring the bed including sticking his face in mine and hopping over me to get to the other side still walking around in a cautious manner. I later picked him up and put him in his home. He wasn't happy about that. I pick him up by placing one hand under his belly, and the other under his back legs.
This morning, Rocket wanted NOTHING to do with me. It took a few hours for him to become okay with taking a long piece of hay from my hand. But, on the flip side, he ate pellets from my hand for the first time a little later until he told me with a STRONG nudge that he was done. An hour later I offered him a small slice of an apple about half the size of my thumb nail (I have small hands. I use small-sized boxing gloves) and he cautiously came right up to my hand and took it. The first day when I offered him an apple slice, he refused to take it and kept turning his head.
My dog does share the room with my partner and I. We cover Rocket's home at night with two blankets so that Stella doesn't scare him. She doesn't do anything "bad" while we're in the room awake or not. It's once we leave the room that's when she will get "mischevious" with pretty much anything (like taking a shoe and hiding it on us. She's 2 years old.)
Rocket's first vet appointment is next week Tuesday, the 27th to get a full check up to see if he's healthy, food advise, and also to confirm his gender, to put him on any meds if need be, establish a rabbit savvy vet relationship, and when we should bring Rocket in for his neuter appointment and his next vet appointment. It's about a 15 minute drive.
Right now Rocket gets a mix of his previous food from the breeder and his new food. I'm unsure how much to mix the new food in so the mixture is mostly his old food.
He gets unlimited hay and it's a mix of alfalfa, timothy, and a few other hays. His water is given from a dish and both the food and water dishes are in a metal tray to keep the bowls from flipping over. However, Rocket has made a flew splashes during a few "binky" moments. I will not use a water bottle. I feel like they don't offer much water at once and there for the animal has to work more to stay hydrated.
My question:
Is this rabbit "slow to grow"? He seems more skittish and less handled compared to the flemish giant that I had. I also got the flemish giant at 4 weeks of age where as I got Rocket at 8 weeks of age. I do bring my kids in to look at him now, but today I told them that they have to sit very still from afar (about 3 feet from the corner of his house) and not stare directly at him as that's what predators do (I think?). So I told them to kinda glance at him from the side occasionally looking directly at him. Even then it was hard for them to sit still.
I'm unsure how to get Rocket accustomed to us. Will this up coming vet trip on Tuesday set us backwards? How do I fix this?
I do intend on harness train Rocket down the line so that we can enjoy outside time on the front porch together when the weather is nice. Our roof extends over the top of our front porch. The only animals that come to our front porch are small birds like robins and cardinals.
I also eventually down the line am thinking about getting another enclosed rabbit habitat, a larger one so he can spend time with us while we are gathered in our den. The current hutch is on wheels and during the 1st night, I had to put Rocket in the hallway (master bedroom is on the 1st floor) because his ramp and "2nd story" shelf was making too much noise. I removed the ramp and shelf and provided Rocket with two hideaways, one made of plastic in the shape of a house, and the other made 100% of woven timothy hay that he can hide in and chew. He prefers that hideaway I'm guessing because it's the one that's further from my desk.
He gets 1/4 a cup of pellets and unlimited hay. He has toys, one is a birchwood tree trunk with hay stuffed inside of it (purchased from pet smart), a chew stick, and a cat-bell. The cat-bell is removed at night time and also when no one is in the room to supervise Rocket with it. He likes the cat bell, but I've had rats that broke their cat bell in the past and cut their cheek on it. That was not a fun vet visit. My now deceased rats (RIP) were way more destructive than my previous rabbit.
Please see pic for set-up, he ate all his pellets. The water dish is closet to the cage door. I provided him with a ceramic hay bin. I will be getting a different hutch eventually. I'm not a fan of this one and the items it came with. I'll start litter training him when he's neutered.
Rocket is 4 lbs, male (will confirm Tuesday), 8 weeks old, and a broken blue mini rex.
My new rabbit is nothing like my old rabbit that I use to have and as a result, I am having a very difficult time figuring out how to get my new rabbit to trust me. Let me explain...
I use to have a Flemish Giant rabbit named Donny. He was my first bun. Despite Donny not wanting to eat or drink during the car ride home, (1 hour trip), it barely took any real "patience" or "work" to get him to feel comfortable around me. He eventually would let me pick him up and carry him around the house. I know rabbits don't like being picked up, but this Donny was almost like a dog. He nuzzled and licked my neck when I would pick him up. He enjoyed the attention he received from my children who were 2 and 3 years old at the time. I got him when he was 4 weeks old from a breeder. Eventually he would play with us by grabbing whatever shiny object was on the ground and running away with it. We would take it back, and then he would come back and run away with it and sometimes bring it back. He didn't really care much for my partner but I think it's because Donny viewed me as his "mate" and my partner was another male coming in his territory. I can't think of any other reason why. Unfortunately, I had to rehome Donny because the amount of food he needed for his size, and the larger cage he needed once he grew out of his smaller cage, I just couldn't meet his needs both financially and also living space. Donny got to be 25 lbs which was smaller than his dad. I would have had to house Donny on the first level of my grandma's house and there were dogs. (Wish I would have done more research before I got him.)
I waited 7 years before I got another rabbit. A mini rex. Now, my daughter is 9, my son is 10, and my partner and I now live in our own spacious house (1.3 acre lot, 2100 square foot house no basement). Still, I made sure to get a smaller rabbit after doing a lot of research. But, basic google searches can only go so far (of course).
I got a mini rex from a breeder who breeds regular rexes, mini rexes, lion heads, flemish giants, and also meat rabbits. He's been in the business for decades. I didn't go to the farm to pick up my family's new rabbit as I didn't want to get upset seeing all the other rabbits that might be sold for meat. (I don't know what breeds are sold for meat, and I don't want to know so please don't tell me.) This mini rex, I picked him up two days ago. He is 8 weeks old according to the breeder (April 24th 2023 is his bday). The breeder when I first got in contact with him couldn't tell me how many boys or girls he had available so he had to sex the kits and get back to me. I met the breeder at a local pet store parking lot to pick up the rabbit. From the little experience I had, he seemed healthy. His eyes and nose were clear, seemed to clean himself pretty well. Pee stains on his white hocks, but he didn't have marks on his feet and legs which made me suspect that he didn't sit on a wire rack. Like the last breeder, he picked the rabbit up by the scruff of the neck. That was probably the only thing that I didn't like.
On the way home, again, 1 hour trip, this rabbit ate and drank from his crate (got it from the toy dog section at the pet store). I was pleased to hear this (my daughter sat in the back with him and provided food and water every 5 minutes) and as such, I thought he would be a more confident rabbit like the flemish giant I had.
NOPE!
It's day two since we brought him home and he still prefers to hide in his hiding spots when I try to interact, and generally avoid my hand. I recently read not to pick up your rabbit when they're new and that's a mistake I've already made. I already spent two times on my bed with him. When I first brought him home after about 4 hours of putting him in his hutch, I allowed our dog (DNA test showed 10 different breeds all from various groups) to view him. It was very easy to get our dog Stella to break her "gaze" from him. She prefers to play with us over chase prey (but she still chases wild cotton tails in the yard, and deer) but I also would break her "gaze" at him the second it starts. I've seen farmers train their live stock guardian dogs not to attack the free range chickens with this tactic. However, I'd never trust any dog alone with a bun even with the bun in their home with blankets covering it.
All 4 of us decided to name the new bun Rocket.
Rocket seemed to be coming around and getting use to us, I think partially because I work from home and his house is right next to my computer desk. I just have to turn my chair around to view him, and he can see me while I sit at my desk. I waiting for him to "binky" around before I started to pick him up (he got a cat-ball toy with the bell in it and seemed to really enjoy it). But, last night, during "hang out on bed" time 2 (king size bed), I let my kids enjoy the time with him as well. I feel like this was a mistake. They had a hard time sitting still no matter now many times I told them, and continued to giggle. After about 10 minutes of this I asked them to leave. My daughter had her hand on the bed and when Rocket licked her finger and then nipped it, she yelled jerking her hand back really fast. I tried to explain that's how rabbits socialize, she still became cautious. Because of this, Rocket went from investigating the bed to sitting frozen in a "loaf" position on the bed with his eyes bugged. Once they left, I just layed still and he started exploring the bed including sticking his face in mine and hopping over me to get to the other side still walking around in a cautious manner. I later picked him up and put him in his home. He wasn't happy about that. I pick him up by placing one hand under his belly, and the other under his back legs.
This morning, Rocket wanted NOTHING to do with me. It took a few hours for him to become okay with taking a long piece of hay from my hand. But, on the flip side, he ate pellets from my hand for the first time a little later until he told me with a STRONG nudge that he was done. An hour later I offered him a small slice of an apple about half the size of my thumb nail (I have small hands. I use small-sized boxing gloves) and he cautiously came right up to my hand and took it. The first day when I offered him an apple slice, he refused to take it and kept turning his head.
My dog does share the room with my partner and I. We cover Rocket's home at night with two blankets so that Stella doesn't scare him. She doesn't do anything "bad" while we're in the room awake or not. It's once we leave the room that's when she will get "mischevious" with pretty much anything (like taking a shoe and hiding it on us. She's 2 years old.)
Rocket's first vet appointment is next week Tuesday, the 27th to get a full check up to see if he's healthy, food advise, and also to confirm his gender, to put him on any meds if need be, establish a rabbit savvy vet relationship, and when we should bring Rocket in for his neuter appointment and his next vet appointment. It's about a 15 minute drive.
Right now Rocket gets a mix of his previous food from the breeder and his new food. I'm unsure how much to mix the new food in so the mixture is mostly his old food.
He gets unlimited hay and it's a mix of alfalfa, timothy, and a few other hays. His water is given from a dish and both the food and water dishes are in a metal tray to keep the bowls from flipping over. However, Rocket has made a flew splashes during a few "binky" moments. I will not use a water bottle. I feel like they don't offer much water at once and there for the animal has to work more to stay hydrated.
My question:
Is this rabbit "slow to grow"? He seems more skittish and less handled compared to the flemish giant that I had. I also got the flemish giant at 4 weeks of age where as I got Rocket at 8 weeks of age. I do bring my kids in to look at him now, but today I told them that they have to sit very still from afar (about 3 feet from the corner of his house) and not stare directly at him as that's what predators do (I think?). So I told them to kinda glance at him from the side occasionally looking directly at him. Even then it was hard for them to sit still.
I'm unsure how to get Rocket accustomed to us. Will this up coming vet trip on Tuesday set us backwards? How do I fix this?
I do intend on harness train Rocket down the line so that we can enjoy outside time on the front porch together when the weather is nice. Our roof extends over the top of our front porch. The only animals that come to our front porch are small birds like robins and cardinals.
I also eventually down the line am thinking about getting another enclosed rabbit habitat, a larger one so he can spend time with us while we are gathered in our den. The current hutch is on wheels and during the 1st night, I had to put Rocket in the hallway (master bedroom is on the 1st floor) because his ramp and "2nd story" shelf was making too much noise. I removed the ramp and shelf and provided Rocket with two hideaways, one made of plastic in the shape of a house, and the other made 100% of woven timothy hay that he can hide in and chew. He prefers that hideaway I'm guessing because it's the one that's further from my desk.
He gets 1/4 a cup of pellets and unlimited hay. He has toys, one is a birchwood tree trunk with hay stuffed inside of it (purchased from pet smart), a chew stick, and a cat-bell. The cat-bell is removed at night time and also when no one is in the room to supervise Rocket with it. He likes the cat bell, but I've had rats that broke their cat bell in the past and cut their cheek on it. That was not a fun vet visit. My now deceased rats (RIP) were way more destructive than my previous rabbit.
Please see pic for set-up, he ate all his pellets. The water dish is closet to the cage door. I provided him with a ceramic hay bin. I will be getting a different hutch eventually. I'm not a fan of this one and the items it came with. I'll start litter training him when he's neutered.
Rocket is 4 lbs, male (will confirm Tuesday), 8 weeks old, and a broken blue mini rex.
, I had another of my breeders spayed at 7 years after she got accidentially pragnent and a kit got stuck.
