Just got a new bunny! Super nervous...

[lavendertealatte]

I am feeding alfalfa hay cause he’s only 3 or 4 months old and that’s what I read.
They sleep with eyes open?? Hmm is there a way to tell if they’re sleeping then? Actually yeah right now it does seem like he’s sleeping.... I can kind of see him slightly moving with his breathing and his eyes are sort of halfway open. But if his eyes are fully open and alert looking i don’t think he’s sleeping right?
I don’t think it dribbled off the side based off of where the pee was ... I’ll have to keep watching.
Compared to other rabbits I’ve seen and been with he doesn’t seem scared of humans relatively speaking.. i wonder if it’s cause of his age?

 

[JBun]

Well it's no wonder he only wants to eat hay then. It's like the best treat ever to them. It's not really ideal to only feed alfalfa hay(even though some rabbit sites suggest it). It has too much unbalanced calcium which could cause bladder issues, and it can make for a very picky bun when it's time to take them off the alfalfa and switch to grass hay.

I would suggest to gradually reduce the amount of alfalfa hay and start introducing a grass hay like timothy or orchard. Then get him mostly on grass hay with only alfalfa as a treat. While you are trying to get him onto the grass hay, you will need to keep a close eye on his consumption and make sure that as you are reducing the amount of alfalfa, that he starts eating the pellets and grass hay well.

If he seems settled and loafed, not moving and not really reacting to anything, they are usually sleeping. It's different when they are hunched up and feeling sick. They will usually eye squint, grind their teeth, seem restless by moving their feet or shifting position. If you aren't sure, you can always disturb them. If touching him wakes him up, then he was sleeping. If you do that and he still won't really move around or react much to you, he may be feeling unwell.

 

[lavendertealatte]

Oh dear. I wonder if I mix in the orchard grass if he will eat it or pick around it. I’m confused now cause the website I read it from seems like solid advice.

 

[Blue eyes]

Mixing the hay is a good idea because it helps bunny get used to the grass hay. He's bound to get some of the timothy or orchard grass hay even if by accident. That helps him get used to it.

Alfalfa is rich so it is usually fine for rabbits still growing, however there is that possibility as Jbun mentioned that a bunny will choose only the hay. Not all rabbits will do that. Since the pellets are already alfalfa-based (juvenile pellets) it is even ok to feed hay that is only grass hay when they are young. But since your bunny already loves the alfalfa hay, mixing it with other grass hays will help him switch later on.

Don't worry too much. It's great that he's liking his hay and hopefully he'll like the grass hay too. I'd rather see him happy to eat hay over pellets than eating pellets to the exclusion of hay.

By gradually reducing alfalfa and increasing grass hay (as Jbun suggests), he should transition without much difficulty.

 

[lavendertealatte]

So after 48 hours it does seem like he's a different bunny. While cleaning up the door was open and he took the opportunity to hop out .. I thought okay that's fine, but then he started leaving poops around and I realized I hadn't fully prepared the area for a bunny and it wasn't blocked off yet from the rest of my house so I tried to pick him up twice and he kicked which was unusual since he didn't kick at all when I picked him up before. So I'm thinking ohh no what have I done.. he's going to hate me now.. so then tried to say "Home!" and herded him to an area where I could pick him up (luckily no kicking this time) and place him at the entrance and herd him inside. After that he started squeezing his head through the bars and periscoping a lot more and the tile doesn't seem to be bothering him at all! He is running about just fine... so I guess he was just cautious when he first got here?

 

[lavendertealatte]

Also what treats are okay for a rabbit his age? Also just gave him a bunch of orchard grass and he ate it phew!!! no rejections yet. Ummm I think I'm kind of allergic to orchard grass though ... or it's in my head... I'm feeling a bit itchy after touching it.
Sat in his pen and he was very comfy coming up to me and I think asking for pets, so I'm glad he's not mad about earlier.

I can't tell if he's drinking enough water! I've only seen him use the water bowl, not the bottle, but I just checked the litter box and I don't see any expanded pellets .. I did spy some pee outside but it was a very little amount compared to the first time. By the way are water dishes safe for him?

 

[bluebird]

Water dishes are just fine,they will need cleaned more often than a bottle.

 

[lavendertealatte]

Ok thanks! I'll take the bottle out then I think all it's doing is dripping.
Found pee on the grass chewing mat so I guess he's not litter training as well as I thought! Unfortunately it wasn't a corner.. so I'm not sure what happened there, wouldn't be a logical spot to put a second box.

 

[Blue eyes]

Poos outside the cage in a new area is perfectly normal. Thankfully, poos are (or should be) dry and odorless -- easy enough to sweep up.

I prefer water dishes for rabbits. They tend to drink more from them. It is more natural. He'll drink enough water if he's eating hay.

Avoid picking him up for now -- especially avoid doing so to get him inside the cage. He'll just grow to resent it. That's where that exercise pen comes in handy. Just shrink it in until he has no choice but to hop in. In his eyes, he is still the one deciding to go in (as opposed to being placed in or near the door).

He's old enough to start gradually introducing greens. Read here on how to introduce them slowly and safely to avoid tummy upset. Once he likes a certain green, you can use that green as a "treat." I wouldn't try to give any fruit yet because of the high sugar. Wait on that until he's grown accustomed to a diet that includes daily greens. He will see the greens as something special when hand-fed.

 

[Blue eyes]

Ok thanks! I'll take the bottle out then I think all it's doing is dripping.
Found pee on the grass chewing mat so I guess he's not litter training as well as I thought! Unfortunately it wasn't a corner.. so I'm not sure what happened there, wouldn't be a logical spot to put a second box.

Maybe remove the grass chewing mat. Remember, nothing on the cage floor until he's fully potty trained.

 

[lavendertealatte]

Blue Eyes which x-pen do you have?

 

[Blue eyes]

I have two, actually.
This one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H8YTJI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

and one similar to this one:
https://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/...living-things-small-animal-playpen-21862.html

 

[lavendertealatte]

Thanks, how high do you suggest? And what is that blue thing? Looks useful. Is it a chair mat?

 

[Blue eyes]

I've always used 30" and never had a problem. There is the very, very rare bunny that actually seems to climb. (read about it on this forum, but none of mine ever did)
The white pen is actually 29." Just be sure to not have a box against the side that can act as a step over. You'll see I keep the boxes away from the pen sides.

The blue thing is just a fleece blanket. Any fleece fabric can work.

For the hotel set up, I had a heavy duty tarp on the floor (which happened to be blue) and then put that fleece blanket on top of the tarp.

 

[lavendertealatte]

Yeah I just saw my bunbun on top of the box.. no idea how he managed to jump that high to get on top.. and then he was scared to get down but instead of jumping down and before I could help, stumbled off the edge falling into the space close to the wall .... X_X

Tried offering lettuce to him. He smelled it, didn't want it. Next veggie...

Oh when do you think I ought to change the litter box out? I wanted it to get good and smelly before I did so he would associate the smell.

How big are those spaces between the bars? Bun is pretty small and might try to squeeze through.

 

[lavendertealatte]

Is it a bad idea to be picking up poops with my bare hands?

I also noticed bun bun in the weirdest position today basically totally laying on his back in the litter box so kind of against the edge picking at his underside and there was this interesting white looking blob so I tried to pick him up to see what it was. I think it was only matted hair... he was wiggling a lot so I couldn't get a good look.

Also I let him out into the rest of the den.. it's so fun to see him doing zoomies, but alas, he peed under the chair on the carpet.. I picked him up as quickly as I could and put him in his litter box so I think some of the pee ended up in my hand, and I wiped the area with vinegar and water .. is that going to be enough to get the smell out so he's not tempted to do it again there?

 

[Blue eyes]

Don't give up on the lettuce. You need to offer it multiple times. It is unfamiliar to him so it isn't unusual for a rabbit to ignore it at first. He doesn't know what to make of it. The more it is offered, the more familiar it becomes and the more likely he'll try it.

The space between bars with the black x-pen is only 1.6" -- too small to fit through. The white pen is even smaller.

Too much space too soon causes potty accidents, as you just found out. I'd suggest keeping him more confined. Remember, it takes time to work up to that much space precisely for this reason. That's the benefit of the x-pen: create a limited exercise space just outside his cage. That way he can return easily to his litter box. Using that confined area for exercise may need to continue for weeks before expanding. Take it slow. (You can review the process here.)

His early wanderings out in the x-pen may result in territorial poos. I'd leave them there until he goes back in his cage. Otherwise he may feel the need to keep marking. Those typically subside as time goes on. Don't see any harm in using your hands. I use a tiny brush and dustpan. The dustpan is just a few inches wide. But that's only if the dogs don't clean it up first .

 

[Sue]

Owning a new bunny is always scary. I wanted a bunny when I was a little girl and the answer was always no. I have had many bunnies as an adult and they are all different in their needs and personalities. Feed your little friend timothy hay and plenty of fresh greens. Consult the HOUSE RABBIT SOCIETY for diet needs and other rabbit information. Wishing you all the best!

 

[lavendertealatte]

Found a lot more pee in the pen not in the box this morning. Hoping this isn’t impossible! He keeps digging out the paper towels. I just read on your site to put it underneath the litter so I’m going to try that and clean it out today.

Is it really necessary to not reach in while he’s inside to refill food dishes? So he knows the cage is his? Cause that’s not really possible for us right now. I also sit in the pen sometimes but I try to confine myself to one side.

 

[Blue eyes]

Is it really necessary to not reach in while he’s inside to refill food dishes?I also sit in the pen sometimes but I try to confine myself to one side.

Not sure where that idea comes from. Reaching inside to refill food dishes is fine. I don't encourage people to reach inside a cage to pet bunny but rather to reserve petting for when bunny is outside the cage.

Do you mean that you sit inside his cage or inside a pen that is set up outside his cage? Ideally it would be inside an x-pen that is set up outside the cage (where bunny still has access in and out of his cage).

Until he's fixed, he may not litter train well. Hormones can wreak havoc on your efforts.