new lop

[clairdelune]

Hi, I'm a new rabbit owner with a lovely little doe named loppy. she's a lilac 12 week old mini lop and I'm critically besotted with her already - I'm making a very conscious effort not to spoil her but I stupidly taught her to beg for her treats a few days ago (think outstretched paws, extended ears, little quivering face...who could say no to this?!) so I'm afraid she's going to be quite a chubby little bunny if I'm not careful.

Since I'm new to this, I have a few bunny questions and I can't find answers anywhere so I thought this might be a good place to get them

One thing my lop absolutely adores is me scratching her inner ears - she starts twitching all over and thumping her legs and she licks my hand uncontrollably the whole time. all I've been able to find online is that itchy ears mean an excess of wax or ear mites. I got lops from a breeder so she's never had access to any wild bunnies or other animals. While it's ridiculously cute watching her toss and turn when I pet her ears, I'm worried something might be wrong with her! Has anyone else found this with their bunnies? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Kizza]

Hello and welcome! She sounds adorable

It is so hard not to give them treats when they beg! I'm sure you wont let her turn into a little chubster you sound like you love her to bits and pieces.

Rocky gets itchy ears and they are dry and a tiny bit dandruffy, the vet said it was an allergy to something, maybe grass (go figure)

He likes it when i scratch his ears. Maybe take her to the vet to have a look at them to make sure it isnt mites as this is a common cause of itchy ears.

She could have got mites from anywhere really, breeders with no other pets can get them too. Might also just be dry ears but I would get it checked just to be sure

 

[Kizza]

Also, welcome from another Aussie! lol

 

[LakeCondo]

Yes, welcome. Dry skin could mean the humidity should be higher or maybe a drop of oil to eat now & again. It's always so hard to tell what causes what.

 

[Buttercup n Charlie]

Buttercup scratches her left ear a lot, but she has no problems at all. Just habit I think, like humans cracking knuckles. However that doesn't mean that you shouldn't check your bunny for fleas/mites and excess wax, it's still a possibility.

On the other hand, what treats are you giving her? If she's only 12 weeks old, treats can be very bad for her tummy!

 

[clairdelune]

Thanks guys, I will definitely make sure I visit the vet as soon as I can. hopefully it's just a habit! Though the weather here tends to fluctuate a lot so that might be drying her skin out a bit. I've been looking into humidifiers recently (I think I'll also benefit, as a north queenslander living in melbourne I actually miss the extreme, drink-the-air-rather-than-breathe-it humidity) so we'll see.

for a treat (given in return for good behaviour, aside from those displays of will-crippling cuteness) lops will get some vegetables. she currently favours parsley (she will do anything for parsley..) some root vegetables and cauliflower leaves. and the occasional rose

 

[Buttercup n Charlie]

Be careful with those veggies! Bunnies shouldn't be getting much fruits/veg till they're about 6 months old. Although I usually do introduce them to parsley when they're about 5 months old, that generally seems to be ok. Also the veggies should be introduced slowly, one at a time, or you might find yourself suddenly with a bunny with tummy troubles :bunny19:

 

[clairdelune]

Oh I do introduce them one at a time, but to be honest I'm really confused about the whole vegetable issue as I get so much conflicting information. Much of what she's eating she was already getting from the breeder and I heard it was dangerous to alter their diets too much. Then again, I've also read in some places that she shouldn't receive vegetables til 5-6 months - I asked the lady about that when I got her and she dismissed that as nonsense and told me to continue with the vegetables. I've also read that pellets aren't all that healthy in general and to subsidize her diet with vegetables. but at the same time I've been terrified to let her touch pretty much anything in case she drops dead (have read in many places about the foods that are deadly to bunnies...everything, apparently) blegh. So I basically have no idea what to do (does anyone else find that everything about bunnies on the internet tends to be contradicted in the next article you read, if not contradict itself throughout?) I don't know, Lops seems to be a very healthy and happy bunny (despite ye olde itchy ears), but thanks for the advice, I'll cut down on the vegetables and just continue to use them as an occasional treat til she gets older, and I definitely won't introduce anything new for a while!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Our vet told us to give Alfalfa hay and pellets till six months--the extra calcium and protein help them grow. After six months transit them to timothy hay as they don't need the calcium and protein in such high quantity. Also was told that veggies shouldn't be given til 4 months, but if you not having any problems don't really see the harm as ours got veggies when they were younger too and we didn't know any better. The ear thing may not be anything but enjoyment, but always best to have a rabbit savvy vet look over your baby--we always take new arrivals to the vet before they meet the herd.

 

[Buttercup n Charlie]

I find rabbit.org to be an extremely trustworthy source.

http://www.rabbit.org/care/index.html

 

[Wabbitdad12]

I would like to welcome you to Rabbits Online, my name is Dave and I am a moderator on the forum. So if I can be of any help please let me know. This is a terrific website for rabbits and their slaves, not only is it very active but also friendly. I am so glad you’re here and I know you will enjoy it.

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*The House Rabbit Society has a lot of good information on what veggies are safe for bunny’s, etc.

*Here is a link to learn what your furry master is trying to say to you How to Understand Your Bunny's Language

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