Maybe first time bunny owner...

[Lindsay]

I met an English Loptoday for the first timeand kind of fell head over heels for him. It was like a dog!-about 10 pounds and so social- hopping over and standing up to meet people and eating hay out of my fingers.

Now I really want one.I found him at a pet shop andthough it'sone of the good locally owned kind- this buck had aBIG pen with toys-I didn't feel right about buying from a pet store- or buying him on impulse.

I have a few questions:

Can bunnies live in harmony with a terrier in the house? (I wouldn't feel right with it outside, and I'm in the process of moving and will have a sunroom just perfect to gate off) I heard lops will stand up for themselves a little?

I've been reading lots of threads here and learning so much already- what a great resource. I know a couple of you have elops- are they good first time bunnies?

This buck was $79. I thought that was a little high, but now I'm looking on the Internet and can't find a breeder of english lops inside of a 6 or 7 hour drive. How terrible would it be to get this guy from the shop?

Do rabbits in the housemake the house smell? I hate that "small animals in a small room" stink. :? Will my whole house smell like that? I've been reading about that woodypet bedding, is it odorless?

I have a BIG wire crate from when my dog was younger, would that work as an indoor cage?

Oh yeah, their "hay". can you feed them regular hay or do you have to buy special hay? I have horses so I just wondered if "hay" was "hay".

 

[Lindsay]

Whoops... I think I put this in the wrong category. Can a mod perhaps move it please?

 

[naturestee]

Welcome to the forum! I'll see if I can answer some of your questions.

Dog-rabbit relationships really depend on the dog's attitude and how well trained it is. Does he follow commands well? Does he have a high prey instinct? Even if the dog seems to act perfectly behaved with the rabbit, it's best to keep an eye on them when they're together. When you get down to it, dogs are still predators. But there are many people here that have had good experiences with dogs and rabbits.

I don't know about any specific breed, but bigger breeds make great pets. Lots of people instinctively go for the tiny dwarf breeds which tend to be more hyper and harder to handle. Larger breeds like elops, New Zealand Whites, Flemish, etc. tend to be more mellow.

I'd recommend calling around, maybe going to a rabbit show, and trying to find a closer breeder that way. Or if you go to a show, you can contact a breeder ahead of time and have her bring some of her rabbits for you to decide from. Or you might be able to arrange transport. It sounds like this pet store might not be as bad as most, but if you want a purebred it's still preferable to be able to talk to the breeder and maybe visit the facility and meet your rabbit's parents. You could also check at shelters, but elops are a pretty rare find there.

I have four rabbits in a small house and the only smells are hay and wood pellets. I really recommend wood pellet litter, such as Woody Pet or Eagle Valley ABM, for the litterbox. It's more absorbent and better at controlling odors than anything else I've used. And the feed store brands are super cheap.

A big dog crate would probably work for a cage. I used to use one for my bonded Polish and Dutch pair. Other good options would be a dog exercise pen (with something for the floor) or a cage or pen made out of wire shelving grids, usually referred to as NIC cubes.

Grass horse hay is exactly what a bunny needs, so it sounds like you're set for that. Alfalfa is too rich for them, although growing bunnies do need alfalfa-based pellets.

Hope that helps!

 

[Spring]

Hi! Welcome to the forum!

Do you know if there are any rabbit rescues near you? They adopt out rabbits around that price, or less. The rabbits have full health exams, fixed, and usually the first round of shots down. Although the process can be long and can be picky, but it's well worth saving a bunnies life

I don't think it would be bad to buy from a pet store. It sounds like they properly care for the rabbits, and the high price is probably to wean out people buying it because it's "cute". If it looks healthy- no running nose, no weepy eye, overal looks healthy, then I don't think there would be a problem with buying this bunny from apetstore. Where there many other rabbits there?

I don't know your dog, but I have a nosy dog and he's fine with my buns. I just keep my buns away from the dog and they are fine. Do you have a quite room you can put a bunny in if your dogs yappy? Usually dogs/bunnies don't have a problem living with a distance between them. My bunnies are off the ground, and that stopsmy nosy dog .

I have two rabbits, and you don't smell them at all practically. As long as you get the right litter, change it often, and mantain a clean cage you rarely have any smell. Yes, if you find woody pet it's great for controlling smell.

What kind of hay do you feed your horses (alfalfa, timothy, oat.. ect?)? Horse hay is fine for buns, although if you do feed alfalfa you might need tofeed your bun timothy. Alfalfa tends to be high in fatand calcium and protienand isn't the best choice for an adult bunny. They don't need special hay, any good quality grass hay willdo .