New to Bunnies...

[LadyOnslaught]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and just acquired my first bunny last night. It was a spur of the moment purchase which I know isn't a good idea but I'm a thorough researcher and animal lover. My husband and I have two dogs and two cats and will taking the precautions to introduce them slowly. As of yet my bunny is unnamed and is a boy so I'm open to suggestions as I don't have any idea what to name him .

I've been researching like crazy yesterday and this morning and I've been researching nutrition. Some say to feed pellets but it's more of aconvenience for the humans which holds true for cats as well. What I'm looking for are the top brands of rabbit food and hay. I believe in feeding my pets the best quality food they will eat and I know it's better for them as well. Right now he's just eating what he was eating and I have a supply of it so I have some time to look and then plenty of time to make the switch.

So far I'm in love with him. He's been sweet, although we haven't handled him much to let him settle in. He's been out eating and drinking plenty and outside of his little shoebox cave. We have his crate set up in a spot where he can rest too and it's not too noisy. My husband is up duringthe night a lot so he can interact with him so someone will be up when he's up to play with him and I'm up early in the mornings.

Just wanted to say hello to everyone and I'm very excited to start this journey .

 

[Leaf]

Welcome!



I'd name him Pringle - (rabbits are addictive, once you "pop"...)

What kind of rabbit is he? What does he look like?

As for nutrition a lot of it depends on his age.

You'll really enjoy the forum. We have a great bunch of people here!

 

[Jess_sully]

Hello, welcome to the forum! I'm glad you're doing your research Hopefully the little guy will settle in nicely with you. Do you have any idea how old he is? Since he's a buck (boy), he'll need to be neutered around 4-6 months old in order to improve his litterbox habits, stop his hormones (they'll lead him to eventually try to mate with anything... other animals, pillows, toys, people's feet, etc.) keep him from spraying, and to ensure a long, happy life.
I think most people on this board prefer Oxbow products... they have wonderful hay and pellets. For a young bunny, the 15/23 pellets are good, and then Oxbow Bunny Basics T is best for fully-grown adult rabbits. Timothy hay should be a staple in your bunny's diet, and I prefer Oxbow. Even better, if you can find a local farmer, it's cheaper to buy freshly cut hay from them, but that could be hard to do.
The cheapest place I've found to buy Oxbow (and many other bunny products!) online is: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/
You said you have a crate for him? I'm assuming a dog crate. That's my personal favorite method of housing, especially when combined with an exercise pen and/or plenty of free-running time. What size is it?
Congratulations on your new addition, and I hope you two begin to bond very soon
Pictures are loved here, too!:biggrin2:

 

[Flashy]

Hey,

Welcome to the forum!

It's good to know that your bun is in good hands with someone that is bright and caring enough to research his needs. It might help you, and us, if you could put your country in your profile, because the advice is different depending what country you are in.

The Bunny 101 forum and the helath forum will help you loads when it comes to looking after 'unnamed' and feel free to ask anything you want.

I hope you find the forum useful and I look forward to seeing you around.

Take care

Tracy

 

[LadyOnslaught]

Thanks everyone for the wonderful welcome! I'll try and answer everyone's questions .

I'll get some more pictures soon. I just took this one really quick last night and then was busy rearranging for him and setting everything up for him.

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Unfortunately I do not know anything about him as I purchased him from a pet store. I don't like doing that as I would rather rescue (all of our other animals are rescues) but in this area it would be very hard to find a rescue or breeder I think. And I really liked him lol. I thought he looked like a girl and was going to name him Penny but then the girl at the pet store said she thinks he's a boy.

The name Pringle is cute, I'll have to put that on my list of possibilities. I have an appointment with a vet next Saturday to get an exam on him and hopefully they can give me an idea of how old he is.

I just ordered some Oxbow for him, it's the Bunny Basics T since I wasn't sure how old he is. Last night I bought him L/M Animal Farms food and some alfalfa (why I bought him alfalfa I don't know. I have been around horses for 20 years so I know it's richer for them. I meant to grab the timothy but I bought him some of that this morning. I'll mix just a little alfalfa in for him).

I got the Wabbitat for him. I do wish it was a little bigger but I think it will be a good start. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=9&pCatId=7769

I had considered a dog crate but liked how you could lift him out up top and on the sides. Our apartment is small too but we're hoping to move I hope soon and then I can expand some for him.

Hope I got to everyone's questions. And I'm in the U.S. .

 

[kirst3buns]

:welcome1:helloSo glad you found us. There is so much good info here, I think you will love it. Oxbow stuff is great. Your new rabbit is such a cutie. I can't wait to hear more about him.

You may want to have your vet confirm his gender when you go. Not all pet stores have staff that know how to figure that out.

 

[LadyOnslaught]

kirst3buns wrote:

:welcome1:helloSo glad you found us. There is so much good info here, I think you will love it. Oxbow stuff is great. Your new rabbit is such a cutie. I can't wait to hear more about him.

You may want to have your vet confirm his gender when you go. Not all pet stores have staff that know how to figure that out.

Oh yes, I'll definitely have a vet confirm it. The girl was young (not that that matters but there were three young kids working although I'm 26 they were probably 20 -22 at the most).

 

[juliew19673]

Hi - From one newbie to another! I have my first bunny Baxter! He found me and I'm trying to get him a home; in the interim it has been fabulous to get to know these little creatures.. Your bunny is very cute and someone here will be able to answer your questions. Congrats and enjoy your bun. Best wishes from Julie and Baxter!

 

[LadyOnslaught]

juliew19673 wrote:

Hi - From one newbie to another! I have my first bunny Baxter! He found me and I'm trying to get him a home; in the interim it has been fabulous to get to know these little creatures.. Your bunny is very cute and someone here will be able to answer your questions. Congrats and enjoy your bun. Best wishes from Julie and Baxter!

Thanks Julie for the great welcome

 

[trailsend]

Hello & Welcome! your bunny is very cute - you've come to the right place to find lots of good information and help.

 

[Wabbitdad12]

Leaf wrote:

I'd name him Pringle - (rabbits are addictive, once you "pop"...)

Looks like a cute little dutch bunny!

So true! I couldn't/can't stopand now I have 15!

I always remember the Lays potato chip commercials that used to say "you just can't stop at one..."

I think you will like this forum, many helpful people here, best spot on the web!