New and soon to be bunny owner

[blammers]

My name is Brittanie and in January I will be the owner of a Holland Lop bunny. I have several questions about rabbit food and care. I have a dog kennel that I would like to use as a cage for my bunny but I want to make sure it is big enough. It is a little small but I think it is still bigger than a typical cage. The dimensions of the pen are 24" L X 18" W X 19" H. It is the precision pet provalu 2000 pink 2-door dog crate from petco. What is the best rabbit friendly cleaner that I can use to disinfect the pen and what is the best way to set up the pen for my rabbit. Is bedding such as care fresh bedding a good idea or is it a waste of money. Also what is the best food for my bunny. I hope it is ok to ask so many questions I just want to make sure I have the best possible home for my bunny. I am setting up a room in my house where the bunny can roam free while I am at home. Thank you for all of your help.

 

[Tauntz]

Hi & :welcome1, Brittanie!
Congratulations on your new & soon to be home Holland Lop bunny. We have two Jersey wooly sisters. My breeder recommended an xpen to give them sufficient room to eat. play & have a cat litter pan. This is the one I purchased: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H8YTJI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 I'm really pleased with her recommendation & the xpen I purchased for my bunny girls. The cage/crate you have listed would be a wonderful carrier or cage for short term use such as when cleaning the cage/room or taking him/her to the vet or other places. I use a large cat litter pan with Yesterday's News plain unscented paper cat litter or the Petsmart Equisicat plain paper cat litter. Food they get hay at all times, pellets (Oxbow Essentials for Rabbits) for their morning treat, other treats in very small quantities such as papaya in small bites or Craisins (limited to 2 a day). If your new Holland Lop is under six months of age, he/she will not need to be eating any vegetables, just hay & the appropriate pellets. Water at all times of course. I prefer a crock, it is heavier so less likely to spill easily & bunny can't chew it up or throw it around. Clean, undecorated boxes are great play & hiding places for bunnies.

Other suggestions off the top of my head:
Be sure to ask the breeder or pet shop what foods your new bunny is currently eating, get a list if possible. Also, make sure before or when you bring your new bunny home that you have a supply of the foods he/she has been eating. You do not want to change anything unless absolutely necessary as just the transition from one "home" to your home is going to be stressful enough. It will take a little time for your new bunny to relax & feel at home in his/her new home with you so be patient. Try to keep everything the same & only make changes slowly. Especially with food as tummy upsets can be serious. Anyway hopefully other more experienced members will be along shortly to give you even more advice to help you & your new bunny to have a great start together!

 

[blammers]

Thank you for all of your information! I am looking forward to getting my bunny and want to make sure I give my bunny everything he needs. What is the best size for a rabbit cage?

 

[RabbitGirl101]

I have 24" x 24" x 18" cages for my Holland lops. This is a cage that is within the animal welfare standard and I personally really enjoy and like these cages (as do my rabbits as I always catch them binkying) But with only having a pet, most people like to go up and beyond for their babies A 4' x 4' x 2' is what has been recommended for a medium sized bonded pair, So a 4' x 4' cage would be plenty of space. In my research of rabbits I have found that sometimes it is better to have a small cage and to let the rabbit out for exercise instead of having just a large cage. In just large cages a lot of the rabbits begin to just lay around and do less exercise than a rabbit in a smaller cage. It really is personal opinion. Just make sure it is bigger than the animal welfare limits for your country.

 

[RabbitGirl101]

For diet it also depends on what you personally choose to do. I feed a non-vegetable, pellet based diet, and my rabbits strive on it. I have never had issues with an overweight rabbit, underweight rabbit or GI Stasis issues, However when I tried introducing veggies before the majority of my herd got GI Stasis and I even had a rabbit die on me. Pellets were scientifically formulated to be the base foundation for a rabbits diet. Hollands lops max weight is 4 pounds so 1/2 cup of pellets will be plenty for a holland (1/2 cup a Day once a day). Hay is important for your rabbit to have as well, it help keep their gut moving, wears down their teeth and keeps them busy! Fresh water is the most important thing for your rabbit to have, I change my rabbits water daily. I wipe out their dish and I wash the dish with soap and water once to twice a week. A rabbit can get very sick from a slimy water dish(the slim is caused by the water sitting in one spot) I prefer to give my rabbits crocks to drink out of. I never recommend feeding any veggies or fruits under 6 months. Also I never really recommend feeding treats under 6 months either. If you do feed treats keep them limited. You want the digestive system to be established before you start throwing different foods at them.

 

[blammers]

What is the animal welfare standard for rabbits in the USA?

 

[blammers]

I found this cage, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007BNE1YA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 , and I was wondering if this would be a good cage.

 

[RabbitGirl101]

The animal welfare standard for the USA is 9" x 9" per pound of rabbit. So essentially a 4 pound holland lops minimum cage size could be 18" x 18" or any cage dimensions that add up to 324"^2. A 2 pound netherland dwarf could be kept in a minimum of 12.5" x 13" cage.
The cage you posted a link of will be fine as the square inches of the cage are over 1012"^2. Just be careful with the bottom because it is plastic. Just put something with traction in the cage to help prevent pressure sores.
Edit: I keep my 3-5 pound Hollands in a 576"^2 cage and they are very content

 

[Azerane]

Hello there and welcome to the forum

If you're going to be letting your bunny out to run around a lot in a room then a cage like the one on amazon you linked to should be fine. In my opinion the best thing to do is get the biggest cage you can fit in the space (Within budget of course), but of course everyone has different needs for different set ups.

For food, hay should be available all the time, a grass hay like timothy is perfect. When they're young (below six months) you can feed them alfalfa hay, or alfalfa based pellets, and then transition them to timothy hay and based pellets from 6 months of age. The pellets you buy should be high in fiber, and very low in calcium. Don't get food with all of the seed bits and corn etc in it as it's not really good for them. 1/2 a cup per day should be sufficient per day as already stated, although up until 6 months you can probably feed more or unlimited to help with the growing process.

In terms of feeding fresh greens etc. Some people don't do it, others say introduce early, and others say intoduce after six months. If you are going to feed greens, some good types are cos lettuce, cilantro, basil, parsley, rosemary, silverbeet. Things like carrots and apple should only be fed as a treat in tiny amounts (like the size of a fingernail) no more than once a day. With any of these fresh foods, you should always introduce them one at a time and very slowly as rabbits have sensitive tummies. Start off with a small piece the size of a fingernail and slowly increase it if all is well, then introduce the next one.

Also, don't forget that your rabbit will need lots of toys Plastic baby keys, toilet roll tubes, old phone books, carboard boxes etc are all good fun for bunnies!

Also, the best rabbit friendly cleaner is white vinegar, I usually dilute it in a bit of hot water and then scrub away. Don't worry about asking so many questions, it's the best thing you can do!

 

[Bville]

To answer your question about the Carefresh bedding, I use it in my rabbit's litter box only. I see some people put it all over the cage, but I think that is a waste and confuses the rabbit for litter training. There are less expensive alternatives too for the litter box. A lot of people use wood pellets. I tried them, but the smell bothered my sinuses so I have continued to use Carefresh.

Is your bunny litter trained? If not, you could search for a thread about how to do it or post one yourself. I see a lot of posts from people having trouble litter training, but I have three rabbits that I litter trained within a couple of days. Before the were neutered, one of my boy rabbits used to leave droppings around the edge of his cage to mark his territory, but that ended the day after he was neutered. Also sometimes some poop accidentally gets knocked out of the litter box, but they always pee in there and any stray poops are easy to pick up and put back in the litter box.

Also, I like that cage you saw on Amazon. The little hideout and shelf on top are nice for a bunny to have.

 

[blammers]

Are the litter boxes with grates over them good?