Need encouragement -- House Bunnies

[heatherjoy11]

Hi there!

A few weeks ago,my familyadopted two little buns,Barley and Hops. I absolutely love them. But I just need someencouragement...we are trying the House Bunny approach and it is brandnew to me.

I guess, I am just not used to having bunnies living in the house. Ireally want to do this. I want them to be a part of the family. I justdon't want to be stressed trying to figure this thing out.

Now, of course, I know that bunnies are a lot of work...but they poopall over their cage, and I am trying to figure out the best way to getthem used to their litter box. I am just trying to get used to thiswhole process of having them inside.

Now, please don't get me wrong. I, in no way, shape or form, amdisappointed in them. I love them! I know it takes time...I just needsome advice and/or encouragement.

Is this normal if you have never had buns inside before?Is there something to make the transition easier?

I know that some may feel like I should have known beforehand what Iwas in for...but I don't think there was any way I could have knownabout House Bunnies before having them, since I have only had anoutside bunny.

Thanks for your opinions!

 

[ayglnu13]

Hey!

Congratulations on your new addition! Whatbreed are they? Do you have pictures? On this forum we LOVE pictures!!!

How old are the bunnies? When they areyoung they tend to have very bad litter box habits. I have a 8 weekold baby right now and he goes EVERYWHERE!

If you haven't already I would check outthe top thread at the beginning of the page called "Top picks" and thenselect "Care Sheet" it had so much valuable information in there, Ihave learned a lot from it! I even include it in my care sheet when Iadopt out bunnies!

My advice is to read everything you can get your hands on!

Here are some good websites that I have used

Http://www.HLRSC.com

HL Info/articles and then scroll down*

This one below is a GREAT one!

http://www.rabbit.org/

And of coursehttp://www.rabbits.com/then scroll down for the articles

~Amy

 

[naturestee]

Hi and welcome!

I had the same problem with my bunny. She was 8 weeks old when I gother and went everywhere. At least she managed to keep the pee insidethe cage... until she started marking territory at 3 months of age.Don't worry, not all buns do that. Spay/neuter helps stop that.

Read up on the litter training articles on the sites Amy gave you. This is another great site with tons of information:
http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html

Mocha slowly started using a smaller area of her cage. I started usinga litter box in her cage after a couple of weeks, but I probably shouldhave started sooner. It didn't cover her whole area so she peed andpooped in it put also pooped in a second spot next to it. As time wenton, more and more poo ended up in the litter box. She's still notperfect about it yet, but she's only 4.5 months old and she just gotspayed on Monday.

Anyway, congratulations on your first house rabbits! My husband hadoutdoor rabbits when he was a kid and he adores our little house bun!

 

[heatherjoy11]

Thanks so much! I thought I was doing something wrong!

They are about 8 weeks old now. And, yes, they go everywhere.Hopefully, they will go in the litter box soon...I guess I am just soused to my cat!

They will be getting spayed/neutered as soon as they can. It really is a process and I just want to be doing the right thing.

Thanks for your support!

Heather

 

[ayglnu13]

What breed arethey? Smaller breeds should be neutered/spayed around 6 months andlarger breeds (flemish ect)can be neutered at4-5 months. Your babies should be sexed by a vet before they are 12weeks. If you have a male and female they will breed and that could befatal for the doe, she can get pregnant as early as 12 weeks.

I am just saying this as a warning

~Amy

 

[heatherjoy11]

Oh, and these are my buns!!!!

This is Hops!

This is Barley!

 

[naturestee]

Ooooh, pretty buns! How big are they now? Looks like they might get fairly large.

 

[CorkysMom]

VERY Cute!! I just love when they stretch out as far as they can like that!!

 

[heatherjoy11]

I think someone said they look like they are mixed Palomino...anyone have a guess?



thanks!

 

[rabbitgirl]

It is totally normal for 8 wk. old babies tomake messes everywhere. It gets much, much better. Think of this as the"diaper phase".

I had problems with babies using their food dish as atoilet.:XWhen they got too big to fit in there, it stopped. Ifound that they don't have good control or habits until a few months ofage, so give them time.

best luck!

Rose

 

[Kricket]

Heather! They are beautiful!I wanna bunny-nap your sweeties Since they are young, Ithink it might be fairly easy to litter train them. Yeah,they are difficult, but all of your hard work will pay off.They will catch on.

Hugs!

Shorty & Star