New To Bunnies - Lots of questions

[JesinFL]

So... I just took over for caring for a Dwarf Hotot (I think). I didn't get a lot of information from the previous owner. She was young and did not have the bunny for long.

The bunny came to me with a cage, timothy hay, and pine bedding, lots of it (I have know been educated that you shouldn't put them in pine). I bought her the best food from the store I went to. It has pellets as well as seeds and beans.

I tried to give her a carrot the other day and she wasn't interested, but I gave her a slice of apple yesterday and she enjoy it.

I want to give her a small litter box to keep from having to change all of her bedding on a daily basis. In trying to choose a type of litter, I've seen a lot of conflicting information. I read that clay was okay, then that it wasn't. I also saw Yesterday's News at the store. I would like some advice on which is better/safer.

I haven't taken her outside of my house, because there is a local hawk that I fear would cause a big problem.

I don't think she's ever been on tile floors, because she slips and slides, even when she's sitting, in my house.

I haven't experienced her thumbing at all, but she has licked my hand (frequently) and grunted.

I take her out every day and hang out with her in a hallway where she can hop around without hiding somewhere we can't reach her. When I was in there yesterday, I sat near the end and she would wander around and if she heard a noise, she would come back and squeeze in next to me or behind me. She hopped and climbed over my body during that free time.

As of today, we've had her for six days. I'm hoping to understand what to look for in if she's happy. And what to expect in the future. Will she, one day, be very comfortable and be glad to see us and stuff?

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

Sounds like your off to a good start.
Give carrots in limited quanities 'cause they can contain sugar.
For bedding, YN is good. If you can find wood pellets there even better.
If she gave you licks thats AWESOME, she loves you already.
Just keep doing what your doing.

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

Oh I forgot any food with seeds and color bits in a no no for rabbits. There pellets should be just pellets.

 

[JesinFL]

What about the litter thing? Can I use clay or does it need to be something else?

 

[MikeScone]

JesinFL wrote:

What about the litter thing? Can I use clay or does it need to be something else?

I would avoid clay. If the bun eats it, clay can set up solid, which is not a Good Thing.

Personally, I use aspen chips over newspaper for litter. The aspen chips allow urine to pass through and stop odor and are comfortable for Scone, and the newspaper absorbs all of the urine. Seems to work just fine.

(I mean, Scone MacBunny uses the aspen chips, I just provide them for him)

 

[JesinFL]

I just was trying to get litter so that she would learn to go in a certain section of her cage.

I'm thinking that I could leave a tray in one corner of her cage and move her droppings to that spot every time she goes for a while. Once she gets the hang of it, clean that spot every day and the whole cage weekly. Does this sound feasible?

I'm really concerned with her being happy. She is caged and is inside the house. Having her as a house bunny isn't an option right now. Would we be better off getting her a cage outside that is large and bringing her in to visit?

I plan on bunny-proofing my two son's room and letting her roam in there for some hours each day. All I have to do is block off one area, because I don't want her to get in there and not come out.

I just have no bunny experience and I don't want to do the wrong thing.

 

[slavetoabunny]

Here is a link to an excellent guide to rabbit care:

http://www.columbusrabbit.org/chrsbooklet.pdf

I'm just up the road from you in the Daytona area. One of our volunteers lives in Cocoa. I know she would be happy to meet with you and give you a hand. PM me if you would like her contact info.

 

[elrohwen]

I'll try to answer some of your questions. I definitely think you should read the library on this site - lots of great information!

Litter Training:
1. No clay. The best litters are Yesterday's News (it's paper based) or wood stove pellets (they can be pine based, but it's not a problem like it is for shavings). Wood stove pellets are extremely cheap and absorbant.
2. Remove all bedding from the rest of the cage and put it only in the litter box. Also put hay in the litter box and she should get the idea. And bigger litterboxes are better - you're much better off getting a cat box rather than those little corner boxes.

Feeding:
1. She should be getting unlimited hay. If she's under a year old alfalfa is ok, but over a year old she should be eating timothy. Timothy is ok for young buns as well - the alfalfa just has more calories and calcium for growing buns, so you might want to buy a little and mix it in if she is young.
2. Her food should be all pellets - the seeds and things in pellet mixes can be very harmful. The library will give you more information on what to look for, but you basically want to get the pellets with the highest fiber content. Switch over to new foods slowly over the course of a few weeks - don't change it all at once.
3. For a young bun you can give unlimted pellets. For a bun over 8 months or so you should limit pellets to about 1/4cup per 5lbs body weight.
4. Are you feeding veggies? I think veggies are important for a balanced diet. There's a list of good veggies in the library, but the basic info is to introduce it slowly and give about 2cups per 5lbs body weight per day.
5. Good treats are fruits and carrots. Just make sure to only give a small amount (about the size of your thumb) per day or less. Too much sugar is hard on a bunny's digestive system.

Housing:
1. How big is her cage? 4'x2' should be ok for most small sized bunnies as long as she's getting exercise time.
2. I think indoor is absolutely better. Even if she has to stay in her cage most of the day she'll be far happier there than outside.
3. Setting up a safe room for her to play in would be great! Not everybody has free roaming buns - it's fine to bring her out for a few hours a day. And as you learn to trust her more, you might be able to leave her out for longer periods of time without supervision.

Finally, have you considered getting her spayed? Spaying can extend a female bun's life by 7-10 years by eliminating the risk of uterine cancer. I would highly recommend it for a happier, healthier pet.

The best way to know if a bunny is happy is to watch body language. A happy bun will stretch out and look relaxed. Or, a happy bunny might run around quickly in circles or jump up in the air in a "binky". The fact that she's not afraid to come up to you and sit by you is a great sign! Will she let you pet her? Most buns love to be petted on the head, but it can take them a long time to learn to like it. I would try petting her and see what she thinks of it. She might not love it right away, but she'll learn to trust you with time. The licking is also a great sign! When she grunts does it sound angry? Or like a low honking? Honking is often a mating sound and means so loooves you (and probably needs to be fixed ) Bunnies can also grunt in an angry way to tell you to go away. It's pretty clear by context which one she means ;-)

Good luck with your new bunny! rabbit.org is also a wonderful reference.

 

[JesinFL]

Thank you for that extensive bit of information!


I noticed a bunch of errors in my first post, but I couldn't fix them. I'm a nerd. So...*now, *enjoyed, *thumping - Ah, I feel better.

 

[elrohwen]

You're welcome! I was trying to be specific because I know how hard it is to be a new bun owner and feel overwhelmed :-D

 

[mistyjr]

Hello & Welcome to Ro!!

Pictures would be great! We all love pictures

 

[JesinFL]

Yes, that's exactly what I feel like. It's like every time I buy something, its the wrong thing.

Bunny

I couldn't get the pictures to show up directly.

Also, does anyone know a trick to get rid of dried on pee. (A lovely accent to my pictures...yuck).

 

[MikeScone]

JesinFL wrote:

Also, does anyone know a trick to get rid of dried on pee.

White vinegar, mixed with elbow grease.

 

[jam224]

I'll add a couple of websites that might be helpful:
The Language of Lagomorphs
Setting Up Your Bunny's Litterbox (with pics)

Getting the bunny spayed should also make litterbox training more successful. Congrats on your new addition!

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

JesinFL wrote:

Bunny

I couldn't get the pictures to show up directly.

Pictures of Bunny

 

[JesinFL]

There she is! Thanks!

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

JesinFL wrote:

There she is! Thanks!

no problem