New Rabbit Owner

[cjc1301]

Is the rabbit you are getting already fixed? If so, she should take to a litter box almost immediately provided you have a good setup. Based on what you are showing in the photos, the following would be my suggestions....
1. remove the water bottle (it's hanging too low anyway) and just use the bowl. The bowl you have is a bit small -- half the size I'd suggest.. I would suggest getting a 20 oz capacity bowl.

2. Do not use puppy pads in the bottom of the cage while litter training. Any place soft is where they like to potty. So during training, the only "soft" place should be the litter box.

3. I agree that the litter box is too small. Corner ones just make litter training more difficult. If you want to litter train in the easiest way, get a larger rectangular or square box. Any plastic box will do. It doesn't have to be an "official" litter box. Check here for proper litter box setup:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/litter-training.html
4. The hay should go on top of your litter inside the litter box for easiest litter training. You'll add fresh hay on top a couple times per day. The hay racks that come with those cages are pretty useless as the primary way to feed hay. They are ok for nibbles of hay.

5. Free roaming. The others are correct who said that it isn't wise to allow free roam right away. That often results in potty accidents that are very difficult to un-train! The first 48 hours, bunny should be left completely undisturbed in her cage. You can talk to her, but no reaching into the cage to touch her or pet her. Two important links here: one for what to do the day you bring bunny home and the other on how to free-roam.
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bringing-your-rabbit-home.htmlhttps://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/free-roaming-how-to.html
5. Toys. The woven grass mat is a great option! The smaller plastic cat balls tend to be very thin plastic. Bunny may chew and ingest the plastic Any plastic toys should be real thick plastic. So I wouldn't use the thin plastic balls. The cylinder-shaped ones may be thicker. The cat wand is a no-no. The string and feathers are both dangerous for bunnies. Don't use it. This also applies to the the string and ball attached to the tunnel. Cut that off. Don't use any of the toys with feathers. There also appears to be a crinkly foil type ball -- avoid that.

6. I'd still suggest getting an exercise pen. This is most helpful during bonding time. It's also helpful when you want bunny to have some exercise but can't watch her closely. You'll also need an ex-pen when you begin to free-roam because free-roaming needs to be done in stages (as the link above explains). When you begin to bond with her (after that 48 hours!), it is very important that you do not reach into the cage and pull her out. You'll use the exercise pen to create a space around her cage and open the cage door. Then you may sit inside the exercise pen and wait for her to come out if and when she feels ready. You can read more detail on this here:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-with-your-bunny.html
7. As for exercise, rabbits exercise (binky and dash about) in areas they are comfortable. That's best done in the safety of indoors. Outside can be scary and intimidating for many (not all) rabbits. I would not be taking any new rabbit outside until you've had them for months and are fully bonded with them. Then, if they do go out, it's best in a run or enclosed pen. Harnesses can be quite dangerous and pose many risks. But most important, right now the House Rabbit Society is saying to not let any rabbit outdoors because of the outbreak of RHVD2 in the US. There's a separate link on this forum about that.

Oh wow this is amazing info, I will DEFINITELY be looking this over, thank you!!

 

[cjc1301]

Update!

I have finally brought home my new baby Hazel! She has been very shy whenever I try to get close to her cage just to sit in front of it, but if I sit long enough she'll get the courage to run around her cage while I'm sitting in front of her.

She's a Harlequin and French Lop mix (8 weeks old), just this morning I have been sitting in an enclosed area with her cage open so she can come out when she wants to and get to know me. Though it seems like it might be awhile before that happens.

 

[Fuz]

She's gorgeous!

 

[AVIE]

Hi to Hazel!!! I know how excited you are! Even if she's shy, look at her body language in there... Those legs stretched out in comfort, that's a good sign!

 

[Blue eyes]

Congratulations! How long has she been home?

You've got quite a few dishes in her cage. I'd suggest removing that pale gray "hay rack" altogether. It serves no purpose and the hay is far too difficult for her to access it in any meaningful quantity. You have hay in the litter box and that is most important. Plus you have the extra hay rack on the left side. So the pale blue one isn't needed.

Be careful of electrical cords. I can't tell in the photo if she would be able to access the cords if she hops out. Cords are often a favorite chewing toy for rabbits -- they can get electrocuted!

One other suggestion since the bottom of the cage is plastic (slippery). A seagrass or edible mat could be put down so she doesn't splay her legs. It will give her better grip. She probably can't hop out of the cage since the floor is so slick. She can't get grip since rabbits have only fur (not pads like cats) on their paws. Here's an example of such a mat:
https://store.binkybunny.com/double-weave-sea-grass-mat-bbkp-1-p124.aspx

 

[cjc1301]

Congratulations! How long has she been home?

You've got quite a few dishes in her cage. I'd suggest removing that pale gray "hay rack" altogether. It serves no purpose and the hay is far too difficult for her to access it in any meaningful quantity. You have hay in the litter box and that is most important. Plus you have the extra hay rack on the left side. So the pale blue one isn't needed.

Be careful of electrical cords. I can't tell in the photo if she would be able to access the cords if she hops out. Cords are often a favorite chewing toy for rabbits -- they can get electrocuted!

One other suggestion since the bottom of the cage is plastic (slippery). A seagrass or edible mat could be put down so she doesn't splay her legs. It will give her better grip. She probably can't hop out of the cage since the floor is so slick. She can't get grip since rabbits have only fur (not pads like cats) on their paws. Here's an example of such a mat:
https://store.binkybunny.com/double-weave-sea-grass-mat-bbkp-1-p124.aspx

Today would be the end of her second day! And yes I have been noticing her different signs to tell me when she's alert, stressed, happy, or worried so I'm always making sure I'm not stressing her out too much in the beginning.

Today I was able to clean out her cage a little, I was putting my hand in her cage so I could clean out where she didn't go in her litter box and she was completely fine with it. She actually came up to my hand and was sniffing out what I was doing haha. Thankfully I haven't seen her become aggressive towards me or make any of the noises they make when they're scared or angry, except her burrowing but I've read that's just a natural thing they do when they transition into something new.

Yes I completely agree with how many dishes I had in her cage, after the first day I watched her to see what she was using and what she wasn't using and so far she has been using the light grey hay basket on the left side in the image but not the light blue one on the right side of the image so I took the blue one out.

I actually have 3 grass mats that I bought and I have one in her cage currently it just wasn't in the picture, plus I bought a large hay hutch that she can go into and curl into a ball and she absolutely loves it! I noticed she likes to hide sometimes when some noises (or myself) freak her out so I thought the hutch would be a good idea and it's something she can chew on as well.

Also the cables you see in the picture are in a place she can't get to, I have made sure she can't reach them through her cage either. All my other cords throughout my room all have flex tubing on them so if she tries to chew it won't go straight through to the cable first (hopefully ) . The other thing that was concerning me though was that she seems more interested in her pellets rather than the alfalfa hay I have out as well, in her litter box she'll eat some hay but she mainly likes to dig around until she finds her pellets.

Is this normal for young rabbits to be so dependent on pellets in the beginning? As in she'll transition into hay as well later on?

 

[JBun]

Do you know if she was fed hay in her previous home, and are you only feeding alfalfa hay or are you also feeding a grass hay like timothy? With her pellets, are you limiting the amount(if so how much each day) or are you free feeding them? Did the people you got her from give you pellets so you can slowly transition her to the ones you have(unless you are planning to feed the same brand and type as her previous home)?

 

[cjc1301]

Do you know if she was fed hay in her previous home, and are you only feeding alfalfa hay or are you also feeding a grass hay like timothy? With her pellets, are you limiting the amount(if so how much each day) or are you free feeding them? Did the people you got her from give you pellets so you can slowly transition her to the ones you have(unless you are planning to feed the same brand and type as her previous home)?

I do not know if she was fed hay, but I am assuming that she wasn't because I had asked what food she was eating before picking her up and the breeder only sent me a picture of the pellets she was eating.

Currently I am only feeding her alfalfa hay and pellets, but I will be introducing timothy hay as well soon but as a mixture with the alfalfa hay. I plan to limit her amount of pellets (like half a cup or less) I am feeding her so she can get used to the hay more. I have bought the same brand that the breeder has been feeding her because I thought it would be easier for her transition, I didn't see the need to feed her a different brand.

 

[Blue eyes]

What brand/type of pellet food?

 

[Crystl.marshl]

To get her to come close to you, you can use some herbs such as basal or green such as spinach to see if she will take it from your hand. That way she will see that she comes close to you get gets something yummy. As she gets more comfortable with you she will allow you to rub her.

 

[cjc1301]

To get her to come close to you, you can use some herbs such as basal or green such as spinach to see if she will take it from your hand. That way she will see that she comes close to you get gets something yummy. As she gets more comfortable with you she will allow you to rub her.

Okay yeah that sounds like a good idea, I bought other treats as well but she didn't seem interested in them so I'll try the spinach instead, thank you!

 

[cjc1301]

What brand/type of pellet food?

This is the brand she grew up with and the one I have been sticking with:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/blue-seal-show-hutch-deluxe-feed-50-lb-
There's supposed to be a thunder storm tonight near me, is there something I should do for her before I go to bed, as in something I can put in her cage or a way to make her feel less stressed during it? Because I believe the storm may start after I fall asleep and normally I sleep right through them haha, she already has a stuffed animal and a couple toys plus the hay grass mat and hutch.

 

[AVIE]

I put on nice easy listening classical to a low but effective level. It helps mask individual sounds and gives that white noise effect.

 

[cjc1301]

I put on nice easy listening classical to a low but effective level. It helps mask individual sounds and gives that white noise effect.

Okay I'll try that thank you!

 

[Blue eyes]

This is the brand she grew up with and the one I have been sticking with:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/blue-seal-show-hutch-deluxe-feed-50-lb-

It's actually a good idea to stick with the same food for a couple weeks as she adjusts to her new home. Once she's settled, you can transition to a healthier food. The one she's on is more for rabbits that are going to be bred so the protein amount is very high (20%). Young rabbits should have around 16%, and fixed rabbits over 6 months should have just 12-14% protein. Those pellets are also alfalfa-based which, if fed to young rabbits, means they don't need alfalfa hay also. A grass hay would be more suitable since the alfalfa pellets are so very rich.

 

[cjc1301]

It's actually a good idea to stick with the same food for a couple weeks as she adjusts to her new home. Once she's settled, you can transition to a healthier food. The one she's on is more for rabbits that are going to be bred so the protein amount is very high (20%). Young rabbits should have around 16%, and fixed rabbits over 6 months should have just 12-14% protein. Those pellets are also alfalfa-based which, if fed to young rabbits, means they don't need alfalfa hay also. A grass hay would be more suitable since the alfalfa pellets are so very rich.

Okay yeah that makes sense, I was a bit confused on what I should be feeding her because I kept coming up with different results. Thank you I will be definitely transitioning her into different hay soon and then different pellets later!

 

[Crystl.marshl]

Okay yeah that sounds like a good idea, I bought other treats as well but she didn't seem interested in them so I'll try the spinach instead, thank you!

Treats are ok but it is best to make their treats like natural things. Such as greens, oats a little bit of fruit, my bunnies like love pieces of bananas dried or fresh or cran raisins. Those are the only fruits that my rabbits like. However they do also like the miniature tomatoes you just have to make sure the green stuff if off of them.

 

[JBun]

I would suggest not starting any veggies/greens or other new foods(besides hay) right now, especially treats that are high in sugars/carbs, as it's generally not a good idea to change a new rabbits diet in the first couple weeks with you unless absolutely necessary, as the stress of a new home can affect their digestive tract, and food changes can alter their gut microflora at this time when their digestive tract is more sensitive. Plus your bun is young and recently weaned, which makes them very susceptible to digestive illness developing, and new foods altering their digestive flora can contribute to this occurring. Like Blue eyes said, best to stick with the food she is used to. The exception for sudden introduction into the diet is grass hays. Those usually don't cause any issues but actually help correct digestive issues. So those can usually be fed right away.

If she wasn't fed hay in her previous home, that can explain her reluctance to eat hay now. If she has been filling up on pellets, that can also cause a bun to not be interested in hay. What I did with my baby rabbits was feed enough pellets to last 9 hours, then have a pile of hay(enough to last til the next feeding) for them to eat until the next feeding time. I fed every 12 hours. This provided the pellets that a baby bun needs for growth, but then the small break from pellets made it so they didn't just fill up on pellets but had to eat the hay that provided the extra fiber that they need. Have the hay there and when your bun runs out of pellets, see if she starts eating her hay during that 3 hour period.

Another suggestion, if you are feeding an alfalfa based pellet, there is really no need to feed alfalfa hay as well, as mentioned. And in fact I would discourage it. Alfalfa hay is a rich hay and when you combine it with alfalfa pellets, it's usually too rich of a diet for baby rabbits. It can lead to excess cecals being left uneaten, higher ammonia smell to the urine, and can also make it difficult to switch to a grass hay when the rabbit becomes an adult and no longer should have alfalfa,, because alfalfa is like a treat hay to them. I prefer sticking with grass hays like timothy, orchard, etc, for baby rabbits, so they don't grow up picky and they get the fiber that they need for good digestive health.

 

[cjc1301]

I would suggest not starting any veggies/greens or other new foods(besides hay) right now, especially treats that are high in sugars/carbs, as it's generally not a good idea to change a new rabbits diet in the first couple weeks with you unless absolutely necessary, as the stress of a new home can affect their digestive tract, and food changes can alter their gut microflora at this time when their digestive tract is more sensitive. Plus your bun is young and recently weaned, which makes them very susceptible to digestive illness developing, and new foods altering their digestive flora can contribute to this occurring. Like Blue eyes said, best to stick with the food she is used to. The exception for sudden introduction into the diet is grass hays. Those usually don't cause any issues but actually help correct digestive issues. So those can usually be fed right away.

If she wasn't fed hay in her previous home, that can explain her reluctance to eat hay now. If she has been filling up on pellets, that can also cause a bun to not be interested in hay. What I did with my baby rabbits was feed enough pellets to last 9 hours, then have a pile of hay(enough to last til the next feeding) for them to eat until the next feeding time. I fed every 12 hours. This provided the pellets that a baby bun needs for growth, but then the small break from pellets made it so they didn't just fill up on pellets but had to eat the hay that provided the extra fiber that they need. Have the hay there and when your bun runs out of pellets, see if she starts eating her hay during that 3 hour period.

Another suggestion, if you are feeding an alfalfa based pellet, there is really no need to feed alfalfa hay as well, as mentioned. And in fact I would discourage it. Alfalfa hay is a rich hay and when you combine it with alfalfa pellets, it's usually too rich of a diet for baby rabbits. It can lead to excess cecals being left uneaten, higher ammonia smell to the urine, and can also make it difficult to switch to a grass hay when the rabbit becomes an adult and no longer should have alfalfa,, because alfalfa is like a treat hay to them. I prefer sticking with grass hays like timothy, orchard, etc, for baby rabbits, so they don't grow up picky and they get the fiber that they need for good digestive health.

Alright that sounds like something I should start doing, every now and then I'll see her eating hay but it's not constant like I think it should be. I'll buy the other type of hay today and try the method you suggested with a limited amount of pellets, now when I feed the new hay, should mix it with the old hay so that its not a straight forward transition? Because I was thinking of mixing the two together but have the new hay be the larger amount than the old hay.

 

[Crystl.marshl]

I do not know if she was fed hay, but I am assuming that she wasn't because I had asked what food she was eating before picking her up and the breeder only sent me a picture of the pellets she was eating.

Currently I am only feeding her alfalfa hay and pellets, but I will be introducing timothy hay as well soon but as a mixture with the alfalfa hay. I plan to limit her amount of pellets (like half a cup or less) I am feeding her so she can get used to the hay more. I have bought the same brand that the breeder has been feeding her because I thought it would be easier for her transition, I didn't see the need to feed her a different brand.

If she is a year old or older it would be best to switch totally to timothy. Rabbits are able to transition to hay much easier than pellets. So you do not have to mix. Make sure the pellets do not have any fillers like nuts, or little treats in the pellet mix. I usually give my rabbits 1/4th cup of pellets and a few oats.