New to this and wanting to verify some info!

[KiwiKi]

I have fallen in love with a 10 monthenglish lop for adoption in my area. She is up foradoption because the previous family could not keep the dog fromchasing her!

This is through the seattle Humane society, so she has hadvet check ups, and is altered. Her living area was wellmaintained.

She has a food dish of alfalfa pellets, and a good deal of hay available. ...and is perfectly litter box trained.

I have been doing some research and have a few questions.

1) if alfalfa and hay is hte main staple where are the nutrientsfrom? I do know to feed some veggies and fruitsalso. Ratio's of alfalfa to hay? I know this isdebatable. She drinks out of a water bottle right now, but Iwould rather her drink out of a water dish. Do you think shewould readily make the change, or should I provide a waterbottle toaccomodate habit? I have heard the water bottles can harborbacteria.it is much easier to cleandishes. Seems like it would be easier to drink out of too.

2) Housing...I would like her to be a free-roaming rabbit. My idea isto start her off in the bathroom with a bed and toys andlitterbox, and make sure the litter training isstill intact with the enviornment change, and then allow her into thebunny proofed rooms. Is this acceptable?If not needed, I don't want to buy a cage because of space issues for abulky thing. I COULD do it if I had to...but I would rathersettle for a play pen kind of deal if I need something.

3) Trimming teeth???? I know they continually grow, but ifthey are allowed to chew enough does it promote even ware? Iread to check the teeth every 2-4 weeks for possibly needing cutting.Is this right??

4) Hairballs/medicine...I read that it is good to give them hairballmeds 1x a week regularly and daily when shedding. Is thisaccurate? It seems like if they are brushed enough itwouldn't be as bad.

5) Suggestion for litter? looks like they are just usingnewsprint with some hay on top right now. I dont get thenewspaper though! So I need litter. Ive heard you shouldn'tuse clumping litter, cedar, or pine. maybe pinewasokay. lol I dont remember! They say for thebirds to not use corn cob because of it actually being a good breedingground for bacteria. I would assume this is true with rabbitsas well...

6) salt lick????

Anything else I should know before adopting?

Sorry so long, and THANKS!

 

[dajeti2]

Hello and Welcome.

At only 10 months she is stil a baby. She needs unlimitedpellets and hay. Once she's full grown she will need to be switched totimoty pellets as the alfalfa is too rich for an adult.

Water bowls are fine but can also cause problems. My guy lovedto play in his and get water everywhere. He was also getting his chinand throat wet so I was constantly running around having to wipe him.Keeping their skin and fur wet can harbor bacteria and cause all kindsof problems. There is alsothe problem of them stepping in thebowl or actualy going potty in it.

Water bottles can harbor bacteria if not washed properly orenough. You can even wash it in a weak solution of bleach and waterjust rinse well.

I would be nervous about leaving her in the bathroom. There isthe chance she could be stepped on. She could be hit with the door asit's opened. If she started chewing on something she shouldn't or toget into something it may be awhile before it was discovered.

LitterI would go with Woody Pet, Yesterdays News or Carefresh.

Here is a post that contains toys and chew toys.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=407&forum_id=1&jump_to=88170#p88170

At the top of hte board you'll see a topic calledRabbitcarecheat sheet. In it you will find 2 links to the treatment andprevention of fur block. Very awesome advice.

Hope this helps. I'm sure others will add more.

Tina

 

[bluebird]

An english lop should not be given a bowl ofwater.the ears may get wet .Bowls are too easily contaminated.Rabbitsgiven a proper diet do not need their teeth cut unless they havemalocclusion.Its a very good idea to check their teeth every so oftento be sure they havent broken any teeth.bluebird

 

[cirrustwi]

I really don't have much to add...except thatmost rabbits should be put on timothy pellets and/or hay around 6mon...I believe. This is when most rabbits are full grown, though I'msure the larger breeds grow longer, I believe Pam posted that it is 8mon in most larger breeds. Don't quote me on that one though...I knowwith my mini lop, holland lop and mini rex, I changed to all timothyhay and a timothy hay pellet/alfalfa pellet mix at 6 mon.

Jen

 

[dajeti2]

If I'm not mistaken English lops are likeFlemish not considered full grown until 18 months old. From 8 monthstil he was 18 months he averaged about a pound a month of weightgain.

Tina

 

[EEEM]

I think some kind of containment when you're notable to watch her would be a good idea. I thought I wouldn't need acage either, but rabbits can find something to destroy in any"bunnyproof" room. Unless you have a room with no wood anywhere, nocarpet anywhere, no cords within about 3 feet of the floor, no plasticin reach, no wood molding, nothing you would mind getting peed on orchewed on... You get the picture. I'm sure some rabbits are able tocontain themselves with the chewing deal, but my Judy is NOT. She's outmost of the day, but when no one is home she's put in a cage (a largeone). Harold, on the other hand, rarely chews anything. So who knows.They're also well litter box trained, but accidents do happen. Judygets a little territorial at times, even though she is spayed.

So in short, unless you have no furniture and can dedicate a roomentirely to bunny destruction, you probably want an area where you cancontain her with no risk of destruction.

 

[JimD]

Greetings and welcome to the forum KiwiKi!!

1) The pellets should have the necessary nutrients that a bunnie needs.Some owners have been known to give only pellets to their buns.

My buns get unlimited timothy hay & water, limitedalfalfa-based pellets according to their weight (1-2 oz. / lb.), approx1 cup of greens daily, and a daily treat (a small slice of bananaor 1 tsp oats or 2-4 raisins/craisins). The idea is tofeed them healthy in the amounts that meet your bunnie'sneeds. You'll get all kinds of different input on this subject.

I use water bottles for all of our buns. I rinse them when refillingand then once a week I use a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegarto disinfect the bottles. Vinegar also helps remove any mineraldeposits that collect inside and outside of the tube and font (thelittle bally thingy)

2) I have 7 inside buns that all live in cages and get individualsupervised runtime.

3) Timothy hay has natural enzymes in it that help control tooth growthas well as promotingthe actual action of chewing to help wearthe teeth. Suitable chew toys can also be provided for the bun.

4) I have never used a hairball remedy on a regular basis. During heavymolt I have given fresh pineapple and extra grooming. If your bun hasthe proper diet they will also tend to shed less on a regular basis.

5) IMO....WOODY PET is the binkies. Kiln-dried Aspen shavingsare ok. I'm in agreement with the corn cob/ bacteria statement. NOCEDAR AT ALL!!! NO CLAY KITTY LITTER!!!

6) Salt lick are not an essential for bunnie. However I do have one bunnie that has always had one and likes it.

And there's tons more stuff that you'll learn. Check out the "CheatSheet" at the top of the topic on this forum to find lots of good info.

:~) Jim

 

[AnnaS]

JimD wrote:

Greetings and welcome to the forum KiwiKi!!

1) The pellets should have the necessary nutrients that a bunnie needs.Some owners have been known to give only pellets to their buns. I usewater bottles for all of our buns. I rinse them when refilling and thenonce a week I use a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar todisinfect the bottles.


:~) Jim

After you disinfect the bottles,can the bunny smellthe vinegar and stop drinking orwill it beok withit?

 

[JimD]

AnnaS wrote:

JimD wrote:

Greetings andwelcome to the forum KiwiKi!!

1) The pellets should have the necessary nutrients that a bunnie needs.Some owners have been known to give only pellets to their buns. I usewater bottles for all of our buns. I rinse them when refilling and thenonce a week I use a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar todisinfect the bottles.


:~) Jim

After you disinfect the bottles,can the bunny smellthe vinegar and stop drinking orwill it beok withit?

Hi Anna!

Good point!!

As we all know we can use vinegar to deter buns from certain things like peeing on the carpetand chewing.

I always wash & rinse the bottlesreal good after using the vinegar.

I do this with the litter pans , too. I certainly don't want them to stop using their litter pans.

I use a little Dawn anti-bacterial dish soap and warm water to do the final cleanup for water bottles and pans.

:~) Jim

 

[KiwiKi]

Thank you for the awesome welcome and replies!

I made a bigoops.LOL. She is a HOLLAND Lop Mix. NotEnglish. Those ears aren't THAT long. haha It waslate when I wrote that last night and I'm not sure where I got thatfrom!

http://www.petfinder.org/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=4107509&adTarget=468petsgeneral&SessionID=424c3fa630df0808-app5&display=&preview=1&row=0&tmpl=&stat=

(Pic of her on this page)

She is 5lb 10oz, and I was told she isfull grown. This seems big for this breed from what I wasreading...says normal is 4lbs, oh but the fact she's a 'mix' of whoknows what else probably has to do with that. So should I gether on timothy now?

Looks like I'll be getting a cage.LOL. The bathroom is nearly indestructable but nearly is thekeyword...

Thanks for all your replies once again!

 

[mambo101]

You can also build a nice indoor cage cheaplyusing Neat Idea Cubes and coroplast. It comes out to be much cheaperthan a pet store cage. I built one for my guinea pigs using thismethod. Here's a web site that explains it all.

http://www.cavycages.com

 

[KiwiKi]

that is so cool!I'm gonna have to look into that! I have some of those cubes alreadylol

 

[KiwiKi]

how many grids is your cage?did you build it tall or put a top on it? Oh looks like youdidn't do it for buns, I misread.

 

[JimD]

KiwiKi wrote:

She is 5lb 10oz, and I was told she isfull grown. This seems big for this breed from what I wasreading...says normal is 4lbs, oh but the fact she's a 'mix' of whoknows what else probably has to do with that. So should I gether on timothy now?

CUTE BUNNY !!!

I would go ahead and may the transition to timothy. Both timothy hay and timothy-based pellets.

She looks a little "chubbie" in the picture ( i love chubbie bunnies,but it's not healthy for them ). Consuming alfalfa will tend to addweight on to a mature bunnie.

:~) Jim

 

[EEEM]

Kiwi,

I have a cage built if NIC and it's great! I've found that building thesides 2 squares high is high enough where you don't need to put a topon it. It's very easy to reach down to pick up your bun or clean thecage out when there isn't a top. The great thing about the cubes is youcan form them into any shape you want! Our cage is L-shaped because wehad a little nook that fit it perfectly. Many people put multiplelevels in their cages as well. Harld and Judy have a 2-story cage andcan easily hop from one level to the other, no ladder needed. I've usedNIC for ferret cages too. They're so great.

Here are a couple of pics of our current set up, just for ideas. I'llalso bump a cages thread where you can see many cage types and homemadecages. Building a NIC cage is fun! and you can change it up on occasionif necessary. It's super easy. Just remember to reinforce with cableties...

 

[KiwiKi]

That's really neat! I took the neat idea cube's suggestion~ thanks so much