New to Rabbits and Feeling Overwhelmed!

[folsomcyn]

Hello, I am so glad I found this forum tonight... My children and I adopted two rabbits yesterday, and although, I thought I was prepared, I am feeling very overwhelmed by the whole thing!

We adopted two English Spots that are both about a year old, one boy, so far his name is Reggie, but we are still thinking about that, and one girl, Willow.

I am having trouble understanding them. They seem like they are going to bond well, they began grooming each other and they are in the open space in the family room together without issue. I put them into the pen this afternoon together after rotating them both in it over the past day to make sure the scent of both was in the pen and all seemed fine... I went out for about 15 minutes and came back to check on them and they clearly had a disagreement, tuffs of fur in the pen and one has a small wound on his neck. I have them sleeping apart again tonight, but am worried about the small bite wound as well as not sure when and if I should try putting them together again.

Also, they are much more messy then I thought, so any tips on that would be helpful.. my biggest problem seems to be that they jump in and out of the litter box often and kick litter and pellets everywhere. Is there a way to keep it from flying out?

I have had many, many animals before, but rabbits are new to me and I am finding it harder then I thought to understand their little personalities... tips on a great "Rabbits for Dummies" type book would be great.

Thank you all....

 

[ZRabbits]

First off, are your bunnies neutered/spayed? This could be a problem with aggression and pregnancy. A doe will fight a buck if she's not in the mood.

Regarding messy, bunnies are. No way to avoid it. Maybe someone else has some good suggestions, but I only can say, I do alot of housekeeping in my bunnies' crates. It's also good for socializing with them. That's important.

Bunny book, Rabbits for Dummies is a good base start.

Wishing you all the luck with your two. Would love to see pics. English Spots are gorgeous big rabbits.

K

 

[Bonnie Lee]

I found getting a litter that has higher walls helps from
everything being mucked about. Also I've seen cat litters
that have this barrier attachment thing on them that makes
it a bit higher and have a curve so stuff doesn't flick out.

Also I've seen somebody on this site show pictures of this
kind of plastic netting stuff forgot what its called
and they put that on the top of the litter so the stuff gets
absorbed into the litter but the netting keeps the bunnies
feet from catching onto things or getting wet...

Keep an eye on the wound just incase it gets infected depending
how deep it is...

Once you have everything settled you'll find it a lot easier
and less stressful

 

[BertNErnie]

Hi there and welcome to the forum!
First of all a bunny litter box with high walls would be a great idea but you will still see some litter in places as it's just something that happens, Are your bunnies spayed/neutered? if not keep them separate otherwise you will have bunnies babies in a short while, if they are neutered/spayed, to bond well they need to have small supervised 'visits' with eachother in a neutral place, if they start fighting remove them from eachother.
Are you good with knowing what bunnies can eat etc? as theres alot of things that people dont know are not allowed for bunnies!

Also bunnies absolutely love wires to chew through so I would get started on bunnyproofing!

I'm sure you will find plenty of info in the library section!

 

[eclairemom]

You are in the right place there is so much good information here.

 

[folsomcyn]

Thank you for the ideas... Yes, they are spayed and neutered. We have been doing short and long visits with them together in the family room and have switched the sleeping accomodations so to make sure the ultimately shared pen has the scent of both. They get along wonderfully when in the family room and were fine when I put them together in the shared pen... I thought they were good to leave together but when I left for a short while they got into that fight. Now I'm not sure if I should try it again, how do you know when it's ok to put them together? They were grooming each other and seemed to be getting along.

I think I will get that book... I am usually very animal savvy, but feel out of my comfort zone here.

We do have a list of foods and have decided to re-configure the area I have them in to help with the litter situation. I would like them to have more freedom to wonder about the house, but I guess that takes time. I only have one room left to bunny-proof...

 

[Nancy McClelland]

As to the litter box, we put the ones on the floor in a cardboard box and cut an entrance in it. This keep it all contained and they love to chew the cardboard. Everything else is time and patience and owning a large shop-vac helps too.

 

[BertNErnie]

Oh yeah it only takes a few seconds to start fighting and it can get pretty lethal.
Definately try it again just make sure there not left alone and be patient it can take months for them to bond and work out a 'leader' amongst themselves, however you will be rewarded with the time you spend with them as binkies and nose bonks are very special!

 

[LakeCondo]

Welcome to the forum. Yes, things can be overwhelming when they're new. Think back to how it was when you brought home your first child.

Please be patient with the bonding. They need time to settle into a new situation. You probably should put them in adjoining areas with a baby gate or some such between them when you can't supervise them.

I've gotten about 8 rabbit books & would recommend Rabbits for Dummies as the most complete, but other books have other strengths.

 

[audrinasmommy88]

Welcome to the forum! im sorry you are feeling overwhelmed, but you are definitely in the right place to get some good advice. Im sorry I cant be of any help, im new to rabbits also. I also only have one rabbit so I dont know anything about bonding. But, I just wanted to welcome you!

 

[Wabbitdad12]

I would like to welcome you to Rabbits Online, my name is Dave and I am a moderator on the forum. So if I can be of any help please let me know. This is a terrific website for rabbits and their slaves, not only is it very active but also friendly. I am so glad you’re here and I know you will enjoy it.

Welcome to the world of being a bunny slave. The litter mess is hard to avoid, to help with bonding try introducing them in a bath tub or put them in the same pet carrier and go for a drive. It will take a little time to get to know each of their personalites. Once you have that it will help you bond with them and for them to bond to each other. Good luck!

Many bunnies’ recommend their slaves to this site so we may learn of others methods to keeping our furry masters happy.

If you everhave a sick bunny, please post in The Infirmary and include your rabbit's age, breed and health history as well diet and output details leading up to the problem.

Here are somelinks I thought you might find interesting:

*For reference the Library section

*To brag or tell everyone about the antics of your bunny or just to talk about your day here is where to start a Bunny Blog, you can also look back at it later and remember when you had a life before your bunny.

*Now all the bunny’s like talk to each other when we mere slaves aren’t around in the Bunny Chat is the spot to be.

*The House Rabbit Society has a lot of good information on what veggies are safe for bunny’s, etc.

*Here is a link to learn what your furry master is trying to say to you How to Understand Your Bunny's Language

*Rabbits Online also has regional forums , this a good way to find a vet in your area that has experience with rabbits and to find out from other nearby of good sources of rabbit supplies.

The Let Your Hare Down section is for anything non-bunny related.

Here is a link tothat will help you and your bunny to connect, How to Bond with Your Bunny.

Now every forum has rules and ours can be found with this link Rabbits Online Forum Rules. This gives guidelines on what is acceptable, what is not and how we hope everyone will treat each other.

Everyone on this forum loves to see pictures of each other’s bunnies. So if you would like to post a picture this link will help you do that, Upload Photo's to Photo Gallery. Then in the post, you click on the "G" in the tool bar to insert your photo. Many people also use Photobucket. You just copy the img file and paste it into the post.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions and I am glad you have joined rabbits online; I look forward to seeing you around.

 

[TonyTina]

Rabbits sure are different, but I love 'em!

My favourite bunny proofing tip is to wrap wires that you just can't get out of reach in tinfoil. I used to have everything in plastic tubes that you can get from hardware or automotive stores, but tinfoil is cheap and easy.

Using pressed paper pellets (one brand is Yesterday's News) works for me. My rabbits like it, and when they have a really absorbent litter, they are less likely to make a mess. Forget to clean it one day though, and they'll make a mess. They can't abide by a dirty litter box!

They do scatter a few poops - it is a sort of territorial, ha ha I own this place gesture. However, they are otherwise really clean animals. (Except if they are sick... if they are ever wet or smelly, it means there is something wrong).

Sitting on the floor with them and rubbing their foreheads is a great way to bond (might take awhile to build up comfort though). They will sort of purr if you get your stroke just right!

 

[Wabbitdad12]

TonyTina wrote:

Sitting on the floor with them and rubbing their foreheads is a great way to bond (might take awhile to build up comfort though). They will sort of purr if you get your stroke just right!

If they don't come up to get pets, just ignore them, bunny's hate to be ignored and they will come over to see what is more important then them.