New member- and looking for some advice!

[Ana_The_Dreamer]

Hello all! I'm going to be adopting a Holland Lop baby doe next week, and I've been doing tons of research, but really would like some advice from some experienced bunny owners. She's going to be an indoor family pet, have a large spacious hutch, and get lots of attention (I'm at home practically 24/7). I was just wondering if anyone had some tips for a newbie in the rabbit business. Oh, also: my mother is allergic to timothy hay/grass. Are there any alternative grasses my bun would be able to munch on?
Thanks for everyone's time! I look forward to getting everyone's advice.. I sure need it!:rabbithop

 

[Tammy B]

Hi and Welcome to RO...

I don't have advice for you being a new bunny mom myself just wanted to welcome you to the forum
there are many experienced people on this site to help you with any questions that you may have regarding your new bun.

Make sure to post some pics of your lil one when she arrives..we all love looking at everybody's bunny cuteness:bunnyheart

 

[PaGal]

Litter train your bun as it makes life with them easier.

Pick up your bun from the beginning so that both you and her are used to it. It makes nail trims, trips to the vets and emergencies much easier to deal with.

Learn everything you can. RO is a great place for that. Filled with so much info and kind, understanding, friendly people ready to help and share in the joys of bunny companionship.

Get everything set up and ready to go...and then expect to change it over and over and over as you learn your buns personality and as they learn new things to test your puny human mind. Ha!

You can feed another grass type hay that may not affect your mother. My one stepdaughter is also allergic to timothy hay but the timothy hay we keep inside for the buns does not cause her too much trouble although she does take zyrtec everyday so maybe that helps. My hubby on the other hand who has no known allergies to it did react when we drove home a newly cut bale of timothy hay from our neighbors which only took five minutes. All of that to say that although your mother is allergic maybe any hay you get for your bun won't be a problem for her. Maybe for some people they have more of an issue with growing timothy that is outside and not cut timothy.

Buns tend to drink more water when offered a bowl as opposed to a bottle. You want a heavy bowl the bun cannot tip over or want that attaches to the side of the cage. I had to look in the dog section to find both of those items.

If you want something soft for your bun to lay on fleece is the best. It is safer if the do ingest any. Buns do not NEED to have something soft. My male prefers laying on the plastic bottom of his cage and the girls chew everything so they can't have something soft. Keep in mind buns seem to like peeing on soft items and there is a risk if your bun turns out to be big on chewing.

Get a pellet that does not contain colorful pieces or corn. Those are not good for buns and just there to look good for you. Unlimited pellets to adulthood and then cut back. Unlimited hay forever. No veggies or fruit until about 3 months old. Then start out with one at a time and tiny amounts so it's tummy can adjust. Fruits are treats so limit those due to the high sugar content.

There are plenty of free or cheap bunny toys available. Cardboard boxes as long as any printing on them is not shiny, paper towel tubes or toilet paper tubes (you can stuff them with hay as well), whiffle balls, cat balls, cat treat balls with pellets placed inside, plastic slinkies, hard plastic toys such as baby keys...

Be prepared to have fun, laugh and have your heart stolen!

 

[Tauntz]

Hi & welcome!
As far as hay is concerned other than Timothy, my girls favorite is Orchard grass. If you are buying at a pet store it is available in most pet stores at a slightly higher price than the Timothy. If you will be buying by the bale or half bale at a local feed & seed store then you will be limited to what is grown in your area. Here I've only found Bermuda (which my bunnies do not care for). There are a number of places online where you can order hay as well. The important thing about hay is to be sure your bunny always has plenty of horse quality hay that she will eat. Hay is important to both their digestive tract & dental health.

 

[lovelops]

Welcome and congrats!

Our grandmother started this "Oh the hay is bothering me" business (she was staying in my house in the spare bedroom with the bunnies) and I started growing wheatgrass, alfalfa, and some other grasses that are good for bunnies and would put the trays out in the bunny play area for them to much on. I had a mini portable green house that we kept on the sunny/south side of the house and had the stuff growing in good amounts. When the buns would finish one, we would swap it out and get another. I also have a sprouter kit that I keep in my kitchen that I used to sprout rabbit friendly greens/grasses and it works really well. It's a Kitchen Crop Sprouter from NK and it really does get those grass /wheat grass/ any seeds sprouted in about 3 days with little care. I some times transplant that into soil and then let it go for the bunnies.

I think I have a picture of one of the containers of the wheatgrass with Chico eating it. I also kept other pots of different grasses for them in their play area and they loved that. They would hop up in the plants and eat, other times if they felt like playing in the dirt a little bit they could. If you get a bunny that likes to dig, that would be something to help with those digging urges. We took a window box and filled it with the grass, once it was gone, they can use it to dig or portable litter box.

Additionally, there are other items such as dandelion greens, arugula, other food items in the grass family you can feed your bunny you just need to take care that you don't feed them too much of certain items..

Good luck and I hope everything goes well with the new addition! Please be sure to post photos!

All the best
Vanessa

 

[lovelops]

Hello all! I'm going to be adopting a Holland Lop baby doe next week, and I've been doing tons of research, but really would like some advice from some experienced bunny owners. She's going to be an indoor family pet, have a large spacious hutch, and get lots of attention (I'm at home practically 24/7). I was just wondering if anyone had some tips for a newbie in the rabbit business. Oh, also: my mother is allergic to timothy hay/grass. Are there any alternative grasses my bun would be able to munch on?
Thanks for everyone's time! I look forward to getting everyone's advice.. I sure need it!:rabbithop

Forgot to mention one of my rescues is a Holland Lop girl also! Gotta love those lops! :yes:

Vanessa

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Hello. I'm allergic to Timothy also, so we use orchard grass.