New rabbit owner :)

[Isadore]

Hello everyone I just recently, and unexpectedly acquired this new little ball of cuteness:

her name is piper, she's a baby (i'm not sure what breed she is) and was given to me by my nephew, who wasn't old enough for the responsibility yet luckily i saved her from being given to my sister's friend, who was going to try to breed her and had no experience breeding rabbits. my nephew didn't take very good care of cleaning her cage, which is why her little paws are stained. (any tips on how to fix that???) anyway, she is happy and healthy with me now, she is currently being litter box trained, and gets along fabulously with my cat, Sativa:

with careful supervision of course Sativa still doesn't quite understand that you don't play with bunnies the way you play with other cats, lol, but either way, piper doesn't seem to mind if Sativa hugs her close and licks her ears ^.^ haha!

anyway, i'm not new to owning small animals (i've owned lizards, snakes, frogs, hamsters, guinea pigs, birds) but never a bunny. the internet (along with my natural nurturing instinct, and previous experience with small furry animals) has helped me a lot, but i'm mostly concerned about the brands of things i buy for her. i know that pet stores don't always carry what's best for your animals, so coming to a community of bunny owners seemed to be my best option!

as far as chewing goes, what types of things should i have for her to chew on? what's the best way to litter train, and what kind of litter is best to use? when should i begin weaning her off of pellets? (i believe she is less than 3 months old.) also, there is an abundance of fresh mint that grows in my yard, i heard that mint is a good treat for bunnies, is this true? and what kind of toys do rabbits enjoy? can i get her an exercise wheel like hamsters and mice? so many questions... sorry! i just want to make sure piper is well taken care of and the happiest bunny she can be sorry for such a long post... hope to hear some good replies!

 

[SOOOSKA]

Hi welcome to RO. Your Piper is very cute. Great that you took her in.

Lots of good questions:

as far as chewing goes, what types of things should i have for her to chew on? I give mine wooden toys, willow toys, toilet paper rolls filled with hay, .... apple stick are a favorite of mine too

when should i begin weaning her off of pellets? because she is so young she she be on Alfapha pellets till about 6 months then gradually changed to Timothy pellets, alfaph hay now changed to timothy around the same time as the pellets. I use Oxbow pellets.

No to the exercise wheel not safe for them.

Susan

ps

more pictures please

 

[Isadore]

thanks for the advice! do you have any clues as to what breed she may be? the local amish here breed all different kinds... and that's where she came from. i saw a few pictures in the "bonding with your rabbit" article, and one of the bunnies looked EXACTLY like her! almost same markings and all... so i'm curious and yes, plenty more pictures to come, as soon as she starts feeling social again... i just rearranged her living space quite drastically so she's a little upset with me right now haha.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

She looks a little like our Checkered Giant. She was 6 pounds when we acquired her and now is 18 pounds. Very cute. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Isadore]

thanks! i don't think she's a giant, she was the smallest in the litter.... i think she may be a rex or mini rex

 

[Tessa]

Hello to RO

My bunnies Love the cardboard tubes from paper towel rolls, Sea grass balls we found at Pet smart. I also found some untreated sea grass mats at Pier1 that they just love!

As for mint, I hear it's good for digestion but I think it might depend on the bunnies taste buds. Vito does flips for Mint while Lola prefers Basil leaves

 

[SOOOSKA]

Definetly not a Rex, she doesn't have the velvet type fur or the curly whiskers.

She's definetly a real cutie.:big kiss::inlove::heartbeat:

Susan

 

[Isadore]

ahhh, well i'm thinking she is probably a mixed breed then! i looked at pictures of rexes and the majority of the pics they had the EXACT same markings as her. perhaps she is part rex! or just some random combination either way, it doesn't matter, i love her all the same ^.^

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Sooooo cute! She looks like a little Gus! :bunnyheart

Lots of rabbit breedshave thebroken spotted pattern. She looks to have standard fur and body type so she could really be anything.

We figure Gus is a New Zealand/Rex cross. Probably way off on that, but he's in the rightweight range andbody type for both those breeds, plus he's got standard fur, but sometimes gets weird kinky whiskers (like Rexes get), so that's what we're going with.

To answer your questions:

Hay is the best thing for her to chew on, but willow, seagrass, wicker, fruit twigs, etc. are also good chew things. Cardboard and paper can be as well, so long as they're printed with soy based inks.

To litter train, take note of which corner she potties in in her cage, clean that spot out and put a large litter box there with some hay. Put the dirty litter (with her pee and poop in it) into the litter box. She should get the idea.

She'll need to switch from alfalfa pellets to timothy pellets by about six months. Switch her slowly over several weeks so she doesn't get GI upset. Also so she gets used to the timothy pellets. Many bunnies prefer the alfalfa pellets, but they're too fattening for them. Also, you'll want to restrict the amount she gets from free fed to by her weight. I think the rule of thumb is 1/8 C per 5 lbs of rabbit?

Fresh mint is a great treat for rabbits. Gus loves mint. Bunnies smell so good after eating mint. Just be sure to introduce it to her slowly. Mint generally doesn't cause a negative reaction (like some of the gassy veggies), but still it's good to be cautious with a bunny's delicate digestive system.

For exercise, just let her out and about for as much time as you can every day. Having shelves and boxes for her to jump up onto (whether in her cage or out of it) are also good exercise.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[DharmaBuns]

Welcome! Wow, she is adorable. It's great that you were able to take her in. To me, personally, she looks like a Checkered Giant, but I'm assuming she's mixed with a few others things.