New to house rabbits!

[lavendertealatte]

Hi there, my husband and I are thinking of getting a house rabbit. We've specifically got our eye on a Holland Lop boy who is about a year old, not neutered yet (but if we get him we'd like to neuter him eventually). I'm trying to find information online about rabbits since it's changed so much since I was a kid, but it's kind of overwhelming.

For example --
1) flooring for a DIY Nic enclosure.
I'm not super handy, and the rabbit we are adopting is supposedly litter trained, but let's say he forgets how to use his litter box when he moves, we need waterproof easy to clean flooring for the bottom of the enclosure to protect our carpet. (New house!)
The NIC house is 3' by 6' right now. I don't think I can saw plywood or anything like that. What's a good, easy, inexpensive solution for something that will be easy to clean pee off of and yet not too slick for a rabbit's feet?
I've looked at cloroplast, but I guess I would need to tape them together and add some stickers on top to make it grippy?
Linoleum/vinyl tiles seem to need to stick onto another surface, like wood...
I like those puzzle mats but it seems like rabbits will chew them.. or maybe a shower curtain.. but heard that could be too thin and bunch up leading to.. chewing..
Oh it seems rabbits will chew practically any flooring so people use wooden beams for the edges? Is this something Home Depot can cut for me?

2) what's the best way to contain hay so it doesn't go all over the place (like outside the enclosure)?

3)
What's the minimum size for a litterbox, or the best litterbox situation? Should I go for a covered one like the kind they use for cats like this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003RQVGKC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I also saw one on Etsy that someone built out of wood that had a hay carrier attached. It looked super cool.. not cheap.. and the size of the pan is 11 inches by 14 inches. Is this big enough?

4) Eventually I'd like rabbit to have access to the rest of the den, but need some sort of barrier to the rest of the house. Can I just put 4 NIC grates together to make a gate and stick it in front of the hallway? Or do I need something more secured like an actual baby gate? Most of the baby gates I see seem to have rather large holes or seem kind of short.


Thanks for reading!!!! :bed:

 

[Aki]

1) I'm not the best person to answer that as my rabbits are free-ranged in a room. Mine have done well on tiles, wooden floors and lino (with a blanket on one area). Most rabbits, especially desexed, will do 100% of the pee inside the litterbox with very little prompting (just putting the hay over the box to encourage him to hang out inside of it generally does the trick). He will probably leave some poops outside of the litterbox but that's easy to clean up. What I mean is that I would probably put something over the carpet, but normally rabbits are pretty clean.

2) You can't. There will be hay all over your house XD. Seriously. On your clothes too and you'll sometimes find some in your hair. The rabbit will need to forage in it and to be able to select the strands he wants to eat. Neatly containing it in something will prevent him from doing this, which is what rabbits occupy most of their time with.

3) The rabbit needs to be able to stand inside the litterbox and have some room to lie down if he wants too (some rabbits like to do that ^^'). Add a few centimeters to prevent the rabbit to stick to the edge of the box which would put half of the pee outside of it. There is no need to buy anything fancy, just a rectangular plastic tray works just fine (they cost nothing and if you clean them with vinegar, those things last forever). Something like that :
http://www.heartministryga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/cat-care_litter-box-problems_main-image1_0.jpg
Use wood pellets as your litter.

4) I've lived in a flat where I just used to keep the door of the rabbits' room closed when I wasn't there to watch them. Now I've got a big doggy so I put a baby gate in front of the room. I use a metal baby gate that's made for dogs and is around 1m7. Some rabbits easily jump around 1m, especially lops in my experience. That's the one I have, to give you an idea. I've been using it for over 3 years and it works great :
http://www.zooplus.fr/shop/chiens/portes_niches_chien/parc_barriere_chien/barriere/230358

You probably found it when you researched rabbits but the House rabbit society website is really great and covers most topics about rabbits. It's especially a great place to start to get the hang of the diet, which can seem really overwhelming at first (I remember having a minor panic attack when I began to go into the vegetables, what and how much to give, when I got my first rabbit as an adult ^^).

 

[lavendertealatte]

Real quick
Would something like this work hung on the Nic cube? For hay?

 

[Blue eyes]

I would not suggest that for hay. The thing with hay is it should be very easily accessible and no work at all for bunny to get to. We want bunny eating his body size in hay every day. It may be difficult to accept (it took me awhile) but putting loose hay directly in a large litter box is (imo) the easiest way to deal with hay. I'll attach a photo of the litter box I use -- a simple storage box from Wal-Mart. I would use this size for one bunny as well. The larger the box, the easier it is to maintain.

Lino does not need to be attached to wood. I used a piece of rolled lino for the bottom of my NIC cage when I had one. I'll attach a photo. If you look closely, you'll see that the lino is cut just to the size that the edges are outside the cage. This prevents bunny from accessing the edges and chewing them. Shower curtains are too thin and even bunny nails can poke through them. You are right that foam mats may be chewed. The lino set up I used never had an issue with chewing.

As for barricading a doorway, you'll need to experiment with what will work for your particular bunny. Some are much more persistent than others. I wouldn't go less than 30" for the height (smaller rabbits are more agile and can jump higher). If you use grids, you may need to attach them on a sort of hinge on one side and hooks on the other.

 

[lavendertealatte]

Oh dear I thought I heard that it’s good for the rabbit to work for the hay .. pull it out of holes and stuff... cause it’s entertaining for them. So what about those hay feeders that hang off the side?
I heard if you put it directly in the litter box a lot gets wasted and soiled.

I have some extra ribbed plastic kitchen cabinet liner I might try out for the floor and see how the rabbit does. . It’s thicker than a curtain.

 

[Blue eyes]

Oh dear I thought I heard that it’s good for the rabbit to work for the hay .. pull it out of holes and stuff... cause it’s entertaining for them. So what about those hay feeders that hang off the side?
I heard if you put it directly in the litter box a lot gets wasted and soiled.

I have some extra ribbed plastic kitchen cabinet liner I might try out for the floor and see how the rabbit does. . It’s thicker than a curtain.

Having hay very readily accessible is very important because we want them to eat lots and lots and lots of hay. They can have fun trying to get hay out of a tp tube or hay wheel, but that is in addition to readily available hay.

As for wasted hay, that is to be expected - regardless of how it is offered. They will pick through hay and find 'choice pieces' - whatever they deem those to be. Even with a rack, they will refuse to eat certain pieces of hay. If you use the litter box method (which I prefer), new hay is put in twice per day (some add it once per day). That way they always have fresh hay available. (Rabbits won't eat soiled hay.)

If you still prefer to use a rack, that is perfectly fine, just be sure it has big, large, wide openings. You can see examples of such racks (re-purposed) here.

You might want to consider buying hay by the bale. It is exponentially cheaper that way -- so much so that you won't give one hoot about wasted hay. A bale can last 2 rabbits about 8 + months but only costs about $14-$18. And that's using it very generously (the way I do, adding big bunches to the litter box 2-3 times per day).

I don't think shelf liner will work if it isn't as wide as your cage. If there are edges (if you have to lay strips of it to cover the bottom), they will find the edges and chew them. Did you see how I used a sheet of lino for the floor of my cage above? It isn't attached to wood. It only cost a few dollars. I just cut it to size with scissors and laid it on top of my carpet.

 

[lavendertealatte]

Hi there,

I see the picture with the flooring. I tried looking at Home Depot online but I can't figure out what's what. x_X

Is what you put something like this?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Traffic...dential-Vinyl-Sheet-C9490406K564G14/300866841

It seems it would cost 20 dollars to get the right amount.. how did you get something so cheaply?

 

[Blue eyes]

That's the right stuff. They have some at 53 cents per sq ft too:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Traffic...dential-Vinyl-Sheet-C1100405K509G14/300866856

But I would actually go to the store and look. They often have ones on clearance or end-of-roll discounts or discontinued sales. Those cheaper options aren't going to show online. Some of them are priced by the linear foot too. If the roll isn't too wide, sometimes that is a cheaper way to go.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

The flooring part is simple--my wife used to take a bunny to school daily and I had an 8X8' piece of carpet (indoor/outdoor or any that is handy) under the playpen with a plastic tarp under it to block out accidents. We use a hay rack from Fosters and Smith and hang it next to the litter pan so they can be in the pan and still reach the hay.

 

[lavendertealatte]

That's the right stuff. They have some at 53 cents per sq ft too:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Traffic...dential-Vinyl-Sheet-C1100405K509G14/300866856

But I would actually go to the store and look. They often have ones on clearance or end-of-roll discounts or discontinued sales. Those cheaper options aren't going to show online. Some of them are priced by the linear foot too. If the roll isn't too wide, sometimes that is a cheaper way to go.

ok thanks i'll look. how do i know if it's too slippery?

 

[Blue eyes]

ok thanks i'll look. how do i know if it's too slippery?

Many rabbits are ok as long as there is some texture to it. But it really depends on your individual rabbit. They don't actually run inside their cage, so they usually are fine hopping about on lino that is inside a cage. An entire room with lino flooring may make some rabbits hesitant to go on it because they don't want to feel too exposed and unable to get traction.

The lino on my cage floor was pretty standard, cheap stuff but worked for any rabbits I had at the time.

 

[lavendertealatte]

I don't think shelf liner will work if it isn't as wide as your cage. If there are edges (if you have to lay strips of it to cover the bottom), they will find the edges and chew them. Did you see how I used a sheet of lino for the floor of my cage above? It isn't attached to wood. It only cost a few dollars. I just cut it to size with scissors and laid it on top of my carpet.

It would be two strips in order to cover the bottom. What if I duct tape the two pieces together or something? Is it practically guaranteed that the rabbit will want to chew it?

Or I was thinking do the two strips and stick a blanket on top and hope for the best for the pee situation............. but he's not neutered, so I'm expecting some spraying..

I went to Home Depot today.. they didn't have any small sized leftover lino unfortunately. The leftovers were more expensive than the cheapest option which was $17.

 

[Blue eyes]

If you are thinking of putting a blanket on top anyway, you can just put a heavy duty tarp underneath. Then you wouldn't have to worry about edges or taping.

I would not suggest a thick blanket. Many rabbits like to pee on soft blankets. A piece of fleece might work better. Fleece doesn't have threads that can get tangled in the gut if ingested.

Whatever you use will need to be rabbit-tested with your individual rabbit. Some rabbits won't bother what others will ingest.

The lino (or anything solid floor that is not cloth or carpet) will make litter training easier. Rabbits like to pee on soft or padded areas which is why they like to hop in a litter box. But if there are multiple 'soft' areas, it can confuse some bunnies as to where to potty- at least during training.

Intact rabbits may also be more destructive in their chewing and what they choose to chew. So keep in mind that he may be less destructive with chewing various items several weeks after his neuter.

 

[lavendertealatte]

The current owner says he is litter box trained. He's got this small litter box with the grate that is sold for rabbits. Is it likely he'll lose some of his training when he moves to a new environment?

So right now I've got the shelf liner and then I put tiles on top to cover the edges. Temporary setup until it's sure he doesn't have any accidents I guess.

Wonder when would be the best time to neuter him?

 

[Blue eyes]

There is often an adjustment period when a bunny comes to a new home. Most common is stray poos scattered about to claim his new territory. Good idea to keep him confined in his cage for the first few days so that he can establish that cage as "his."

Tiles are fine to keep in the cage. They like the option of laying on a cool surface when the mood strikes.

Since he's used to a certain litter box, it would be a good idea to keep using it at least while he's getting settled in. You can always trade it out, if you choose, at a later date.

As for when to neuter, that's up to you. I would suggest doing it right away - maybe even the day you pick him up. Have him go straight to the vet and then he comes home to recup in his new home. My thought would be that that would be better than having him go thru the unavoidable stress of moving to a new home, and then, once he's settled, stressing him again by taking him for his neuter. That's my opinion, anyway.

 

[lavendertealatte]

:thanks:

I have a feeling previous owner was not accustomed to giving hay to the rabbit. I bought some orchard grass (cause I'm worried I would be allergic to timothy hay) from the local feed store (yay for living close to farms). I wonder if I need to transition him gradually (giving a little and then more) or not.

 

[JBun]

Usually you can just free feed grass hays right off the bat. Rarely will they ever cause a problem, as long as they aren't spoiled in any way or have noxious weeds. Some that might cause problems would be very rich early growth leafy grass hays and grain hays like oat, if they contain a lot of seed heads(excess carbs).

Feeding orchard grass, you should be able to just put a bunch in there without issue. Though usually I like to start off with small piles, so I can monitor how much a rabbit might be eating in a day, then just top up the pile as it gets low. Once I have a good idea how much they will consume each day, I give them enough to last til the next feeding(for me twice a day).

 

[Aki]

No transition. Rabbits are made to eat hay. He should be eating as much as possible as soon as possible. His teeth and guts really need it.

 

[lavendertealatte]

Turns out we didn’t take home any bunny today. The rabbit unknown to me ... has some eye problems ... I was caught by surprise. One of his eyes had turned white six months ago and appeared to be blind from what the owner said and both eyes were weepy and overall he just seemed very lethargic. We didn’t know what to do. So we told her we would think about it. But it’s really sad. There aren’t rabbit vets in that area so she hadn’t taken him. I wish I was more knowledgeable but there are too many unknowns for us.

 

[JBun]

That's too bad. It sounds like the rabbit may have had a corneal ulcer and the eye became infected(weepiness and cloudiness in the eye). If it had been treated with antibiotic eye drops back then, there's a good chance it would have healed. But now the infection has probably destroyed the eye and the eye itself may need to be removed at this point. The infection could even be spreading from the eye. There's a chance it could be a cataract, but infection seems more likely to me. Whatever the case, the rabbit really needs to be seen by a vet to get properly treated. At this point though and depending on how bad this has become, it might be too severe for the rabbit to come through if an infection has now started spreading.