New baby petrified

[jelandusn]

Hi,
I just got a baby bunny yesterday. He doesn't seem to be adjusting well at all and I'm kind of worried. I've had bunnies before but I don't think this guy has been socialized that much. He just spent all of his time in a hutch with his family so thats all he knows. Now he's been thrown into a home with dogs and children. I have him in the bathroom with the door closed but he hasn't eaten or had anything to drink. He also hasn't gone poo since I picked him up. I'm worried this may be too big of an adjustment for the poor guy. They do have other babies but I can only afford one rabbit because of potential vet bills and future neutering. What can I do to help the poor guy adjust and start eating. I'm a little worried he may be too young. They're supposed to send his exact birthday but form the dates she thought he would be between 6-8 weeks old. Here's a pic. Any guess to his breed? The two that they said he is a mix of don't come in this color.

 

[BlackMiniRex]

how long ago did you get him? he made a little time to adjust to this big change. It may take a week or more for him to adjust. While he's getting use to his surroundings its best to only come near his cage to give him food and water (and change litter box if he has one) I would advise keeping Dogs and children away from him so he doesn't get stressed out so much. try not to pick him up, as that can scare a rabbit (only pick him up when COMPLETELY NECESSARY. Make sure he has plenty of spaces to hide (cut out holes in cardboard boxes, they make perfect hidey houses) and UNLIMITED access to hay and water. If he still isn't eating after a day or two, its best to bring him to the vet.



Here is a link to young rabbits diet, (the house rabbit society is a great place for rabbit care)

http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/

 

[jelandusn]

I just got him yesterday. The kids and dogs aren't near him. He's in a cage in the bathroom with the door closed. I just checked on him before going to bed and noticed he hadn't eaten or gone to the bathroom. I'll make a place for him to hide. He's in a much smaller cage than I planned but the one I was going to use is burried under 2 feet of snow. I thought it was in the garage but it isn't so it must be right outside the garage. This works out better because the other one wouldn't fit in the bathroom. I'll switch him to the bigger cage once he's eating well because he'll have to be out in the open in that one.

 

[jelandusn]

False alarm! I woke up to an empty bowl and poop everywhere! Phew! Any guess what breed he is? They say flemish giant and new Zealand white but neither of these breeds come in this color as far as I know.

 

[BlackMiniRex]

It could be Californian or Himalayan they generally have Black ears, but i do see some grey on the ears, soo..? possibly a mix?
I'm sure their many other people on here who can help with the breed
Definitely not a Flemish Giant, and I doubt it's a New Zealand.

 

[BlackMiniRex]

Also, is your rabbit fixed? do you have a litter box for him? its hard litter training when there young, but once he gets older it'll get easier. when he's litter trained its much easier to let him run around in a pen or a Bunny-proofed room in your house, without worrying about them peeing or pooping everywhere.
also your rabbit will probably need toys, to keep him busy, you can buy toys or make your own out of toilet paper rolls and many other materials you can find lying around your house.

 

[Aki]

Looks like a Californian cross to me.
A rabbit taking a few days to adjust is completely normal. But, do you plan to leave him in the bathroom? That doesn't sound like a good place for any animal to me. There are a lot of dangerous things on bathroom shelves, soap and jars and stuff and a big bunny will be able to jump everywhere. And it will be humid, which isn't good for his health and will make the hay mouldy (you will need to keep your bathroom door closed all the time because of the dog, and it will keep the humidity inside, which is bad for your bathroom also). Besides, except if you have a massive bathroom, the rabbit won't have space to roam. You do realise you can't keep a rabbit in a cage (even a big one) all day, right? He needs a run attached or something in the very least and a minimum of 5 hours a day with space to run.

 

[jelandusn]

Don't worry. The small cage and bathroom are temporary. I used to have 3 bonded rabbits that had free run of the house. I'm working towards that. The bathroom is just to keep him separate from the crazy houshold until he's eating well. It isn't all that humid in this bathroom because there's no shower. I also have the light and exhaust fan on and I opened the door when we went up for bed. He's only at the most 2 months old so not neutered yet. I plan to move him to a much larger cage inside an ex pen. He'll be neutered once he's a little older and settled in more.

 

[jelandusn]

I kind of said in my last response that I plan to move out of the bathroom and get him neutered...

 

[majorv]

I'm glad he started eating...let him adjust slowly to any changes you make because stress is a big factor in a young rabbit's health. He looks Californian. If he's a cross with something else I'm guessing New Zealand.

 

[stevesmum]

Cute. Make sure he has lots of hay to eat and keep that gut moving.

 

[Blue eyes]

Each time he moves to a new location, he'll likely get stressed all over again. Might be easiest to choose one location for him, put him there and let him adjust.

If having three bonded buns again is your goal, wouldn't it have been easier to get a trio that is already bonded and fixed? Rabbit rescues routinely have already bonded/fixed pairs and trios. Since you already have him, maybe an idea would be to have him meet some bonded pairs from a rescue after he's fixed (well, 8 weeks after he's fixed to allow hormones to dissipate).

 

[jelandusn]

I meant having him free in the house is my goal. I can't do vet bills and other things for more than one bun. At least not now. The problem with putting him where he will end up his that the dogs and kids will bother him and stress him. I've had the door open today and he's been lounging and eating so I think after a week I'll put him out in the mix. I just don't want him to be too scared. My dogs aren't aggressive and have been around small animals but one can be obnoxious and overbearing at first.

 

[RavenousDragon]

It sounds like he's getting more comfortable fast! And he's super cute! As you introduce him, just make sure he can 'get away' into his cage whenever he wants (as I'm sure you know). And, of course, make sure he's always eating. He's a cutie!

 

[jelandusn]

I just realized I have pictures of both his parents. I know it's hard to guess the breed based on pics but thought I'd try. I agree with the California mix guess.

 

[Aki]

Don't worry. The small cage and bathroom are temporary. I used to have 3 bonded rabbits that had free run of the house. I'm working towards that. The bathroom is just to keep him separate from the crazy houshold until he's eating well. It isn't all that humid in this bathroom because there's no shower. I also have the light and exhaust fan on and I opened the door when we went up for bed. He's only at the most 2 months old so not neutered yet. I plan to move him to a much larger cage inside an ex pen. He'll be neutered once he's a little older and settled in more.

OK, I hadn't seen mentions of the housing being temporary. I must have missed it, sorry ^^.
Then it's fine. A rabbit can do great on his own if he has a lot of interactions, so if your goal is to give him free access of the house he shouldn't be bored. If you used to do that, I guess your house is rabbit-proofed already. You're lucky if your dog can cohabite peacefully with the rabbit - mine is 2 y o, but he just get sooo excited whenever he sees a cat or a rabbit, and there is nothing you can do (he's a primitive, so big prey drive and such... he plays nice when I'm just behind him, but I don't trust him as far as I can throw him to behave if I turn my back, so no playing with rabbits for him and I have a baby gate in front of the 'rabbits' appartments' most of the time ^^')

 

[jelandusn]

Sorry for all the pics but just wanted to say that he is settling in nicely! He did so we'll yesterday with having the bathroom door open so I opened his cage door. It took him some time but he came out! He seemed to like my daughter and followed her around for a bit.

Ps. I don't trust my dogs alone with him! He'll be in his area and they'll be in their area when I'm not home.

Not sure why the pics end up sideways.

 

[BlackMiniRex]

aww the pics are so cute!

 

[ladysown]

looks to be a cali cross. Be a big rabbit when mature.

 

[mikenyny]

Hi,
I just got a baby bunny yesterday. He doesn't seem to be adjusting well at all and I'm kind of worried. I've had bunnies before but I don't think this guy has been socialized that much. He just spent all of his time in a hutch with his family so thats all he knows. Now he's been thrown into a home with dogs and children. I have him in the bathroom with the door closed but he hasn't eaten or had anything to drink. He also hasn't gone poo since I picked him up. I'm worried this may be too big of an adjustment for the poor guy. They do have other babies but I can only afford one rabbit because of potential vet bills and future neutering. What can I do to help the poor guy adjust and start eating. I'm a little worried he may be too young. They're supposed to send his exact birthday but form the dates she thought he would be between 6-8 weeks old. Here's a pic. Any guess to his breed? The two that they said he is a mix of don't come in this color.

/
From my experience, I would advise against buying one bunny. If you can't get a pair it is better not to bother; however, if you have bought one the sooner you buy a friend for it the better. I would say that every week you delay it will take 3 or 4 times as long for the rabbits to bond.