New Bunny Settling In...

[ceetee]

Well, George and I are getting our rescue bunny tonight, his name's Sergeant Flops



Pics soon.

He's not litter trained yet, and he's a year old. I was told older bunnies take better to litter training than younger bunnies though so I hope he'll adjust smoothly. He'll be living in a pen for now but as soon as he's ready (fully litter trained) he'll be a free roam rabbit n.n



He's a very very sweet lop, sort of camoflouge... brown and black. A big attention seeker. Loves petting.

So, it's been three years since I've had a bunny. So far I've got...

water bottle. food. food dish. towels. litter (yesterdays news), vitamins, grooming brush, toys...

I'm making a cuddle cup for him myself and I'm not sure whether to go with a corner litter pan or a big... square one... Perhaps a square one?? I'm getting him later tonight so I'm hoping to make the decision soon...

Any tips on a good cage/pen setup for a bunny that's just learning litter training??

 

[elrohwen]

Congrats on your new bun!

For litter training:
1) Get a nice big cat box - no corner boxes! Corner boxes are too small.
2) Only put litter in the litter box - not throughout the rest of the cage.
3) Put hay in the litter box on top of the litter.
4) Put the litter box in the back corner of the cage. If he starts peeing in a different corner, move the box to where he's peeing. Clean up the pee with a paper towel and throw that in the litter box. Pick up any stray poos and put those in the box too.

Is he neutered? If he's not, he may have a hard time getting the hang of the box because he'll want to mark his territory. Neutering will help a lot.

What kind of vitamins did you get? In general, bunnies don't need vitamins - they just need a diet of unlimited hay, measured pellets, and veggies. Vitamins should be unneccesary.

Good luck with your little guy! Sounds like he's harliquin colored from your description.

 

[ceetee]

No he's not neutered... I'm hoping to take him to the vet soon to make a check-up and neutering.

I had vitamins for my old bunny... Perhaps I won't use them then... they were more for having a happy digestive track... I think some type of acidopholous.

Yes, now that I googled it he definately is a harliquin lop.

Now, I was told it's better to start him off in a cage when litter training than a pen. Right now I'm using the... connector shelves for a pen idea.

So, he'll probably have a hard time peeing in the box... pooing will be fine though right? Until he gets fixed of course...

 

[elrohwen]

I don't think there's any difference between a cage and a pen as far as litter training goes, actually. It's really up to him. Before my bun was neutered, he had perfect litter habits, so it's pretty unpredictable - not all unneutered buns are messy and not all neutered buns have perfect litter habits. If your guy wasn't litter trained in his old home it might take him a little while to get it, but I think he'll figure it out with time.

Typically rabbits are better at getting all of the pee in their box than the poo. Often a perfectly trained rabbit will leave a few poos around. They're so easy to clean up though so it's not a big deal. Just clean up any accidents and put in the litter box. Then clean the area of the accident (if a pee accident) with a vinegar/water solution to get rid of the smell.

 

[ceetee]

Thanks!~

Well, I called up my vet, and she said the exam plus the neutering would be about $255 in total. So, I'm hoping when I get my next paycheck I'll be able to cover it.

My friend works at Northshore Animal Hospital and she says that if I show them my taxes and proof of low income (I don't make much since I'm still in college) they might give me a break and do it for free. That's what they did for my dog but I'm not sure its the same for rabbits....

Sergeant Flops was rescued from a petshop that was well, breeding their rabbits in their basement. Then they had more bunnies than they could sell so they told me they'd let him gor for $10 instead of $45

He had no food in his cage, which is probably why the cage was so clean and bare (hardly any poo). We're taking him tonight though... giving him a good bath and a brushing, and letting him settle in I was told he was a year, he seems a little younger to me... (6-9 months maybe).

He seems like a smart bunny so hopefully he'll get what litter trainings about x)

 

[elrohwen]

Good luck with him! It sounds like he wasn't even given a chance to use a litter box, so he might pick it up right away. And hopefully you'll be able to find somewhere good to do his neuter - I know Queens isn't a cheap area and surgery can be very expensive (you don't even want to know how much I had to pay up here in Connecticut )

One last tip - unless he has poopy butt or something, I wouldn't recommend bathing him, especially since it's winter. Bunnies are self-cleaning and baths can be very traumatic for them (and can cause illness if they cannot get dry fast enough). In general they should only be done if a bunny is in dire need of a bath and even then it's recommended you only bathe the dirty part rather than the whole bun. I would just let him settle in and not worry too much about the grooming for now.

eta: The conditions he was in sound very sad! All bunnies should at least have access to hay 24/7 for their own health. Poor little guy.

 

[aurora369]

I would not give him anything fabric or soft until after you're certain he's well litter trained. Most rabbits will pee on fabric, so not great for litter training.

I find that cleaning the cage often (like 4 times a day) helps with litter training. Anytime you notice an accident, soak it up with paper towel and place in the litter box. Then clean the floor with 50/50 water/vinegar mix to eliminate the pee smell.

I have had good success litter training both fixed and unfixed rabbits. Unfixed just takes more patience and persistence.

-Dawn

 

[ceetee]

Thanks~

So no cuddle cups or soft things until he's done training then? I guess I'll do te setup now and take a pic...

I was planning to line the floor with towels... and then have the litter box and his bed in another corner...

But, from what I'm hearing it would be best to keep towels and soft things out??

 

[elrohwen]

I would leave them out at first so he can get the hang of the litter box without the temptation to pee on something soft and abosorbent. You can probably add soft things back within a few weeks.

 

[aurora369]

I have one bunny that will pee on beds. If the floor is bare, he has perfect litter habits. Put a bed or piece of fleece in the cage and he starts peeing on it. And he's been neutered for a long time.

I would have a solid, water proofed and easy to clean floor. My cages have bottoms made of plywood with lino glued onto them and metal stripping around the edges to prevent chewing. Super easy to clean up with a spray bottle and some paper towel.

-Dawn

 

[ceetee]

Well, I was planning to line the floor with newspaper for now, so that way when he pees out of the litter box I can easily tear off the pee spot and put it in the litter box so he knows. Then, decrease the amount of newspaper on the floor bit by bit until finally when hes ready, there won't be any newspaper on the floor at all and just the litter box....

Then, gradually he can be a free roam bunny in my room.

Is this... an okay idea??

 

[elrohwen]

I wouldn't use the newspaper - since it's absorbant, he might think "Oh great, I can pee here now!"

If he pees on a hard surface and the pee doesn't absorb, he'll get the idea that peeing there is messy and not a good idea.

 

[ceetee]

mk, So Ill just have the litter box then... and a bit of my hardwood floor showing...

I don't think his pee on my floor would matter anyway, since it wont absorb.. my floors are.. coated or something...

and then... when he pees out of the litter box 50/50 vinegar and water solution..

Well I'm off to pick him up guys... Ill take pics and stuff once I get back.

Thanks so much!~

 

[ceetee]

Well, finally settled in took some pictures. He got a little anxious on the way home, but he was finally introduced to my doggie and ratties :'D

Here's his setup so far... to start off with his litter training... I added a few small stuffed animals... I took the pic before I put in the water bottle.

and of course some handsome photos of the Sergeant Lops himself

I dont have any fleece or beds or towels, because.. well you said he might pee on them and get confused.... So the set up is alright so far for a litter learning bunbun?

 

[crystal]

I don't have much experience in litter training, but I would imagine he might also pee on the toys? see how he goes I guess.

I wonder if he might like a box or something to hide in? although if you do that be careful that he can't jump on top and then over the edge of his pen!

He sure is a good looking boy! I love his colouring. He is very handsome. He looks pretty relaxed lying down there too

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

Nice cage setup. But it doesn't look like you made your self a door to access inside the cage....

 

[ceetee]

They're snap-on snap-off connectors... So its really easy to get in, plus I can just reach in its not that tall for me... only tall enough so he cant hop out...

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

Oh so you choose that way. I hate those conector pieces.

 

[ceetee]

Haha, honestly its not the best... but its what I had left over... My dad had an extra box of those snap together build-it shelves and I figured I'd use what he had and save some money.... I think its suitable for a good starter cage, once he gets better aqcuainted with his litter box he'll have a larger pen, or just as planned free roam to his hearts content.

My cousins rabbit roams her house like a cat, and has about two litter boxes (one for the second floor and one for the first). That's basically my plan for him as well. n.n

 

[cheryl]

Oh my..he's absolutely gorgeous..i have always loved that harlequin colour...it really is such a "pretty" colouring.

But yeah he is just a very handsome little guy.