newb(unny) here!!!

[timetowaste]

hi guys

i just got a bunny yesterday! his name is nemo (came with the name) and he is a black and white rabbit. i think his breed is a holland lop. he's absolutely adorable, i love him to pieces already. he doesn't have a cage...but he is semi litter box trained. also most of my house is tiled, so when i leave, i just shut the carpetted rooms off and let him run around the tile in case he does decide to use the floor as his toilet

he hates his rabbit food though but i gave him some papaya tonight and he basically loved it! i'm wondering, what type of hay is best to give him? also, is it bad that i don't have a cage for him? he is so good wandering around my house. and also, how can i finish off his litter box training?

thanks guys, this forum is great. special thanks to undergunfire for introducing me to this after i posted a question on craigslist!!!!!!!!

<3

tracy

 

[~BunBuns~]

Hi Tracy, congratz on getting a bunny!! You can feed your bunny timothy or alfala hay depending on the age. (im guessing he is young) he'll need pellets, hay, fresh water, veggies.

This will help you alot: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_forum.php?id=17
also this: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_forum.php?id=10

VERY helpful! Hope you enjoy the forum!!!:biggrin2:

 

[undergunfire]

Hey Tracey!

I am so glad that you joined :biggrin2:!



For a cage, I suggest going to Target to pick up a box of "Organize It" storage cubes for $12.99, I beleive they are on sale now. You can find them in the storage section. Just ask an employee if you can't find them yourself. If you pick up one box of 23 cubes, you can build a nice 2 panel by 3 panel cage that is 2 panels high. Be sure to pick up some zip-ties as well. My Target doesn't carry zip-ties, so you may want to ask the employees or run to Walmart for some .

NIC cages are way cheaper and way bigger than pet store cages. As a "base" for the cage, you can set the NIC cage on your tiled floor or use a tarp underneath if you want the cage in a carpeted room, to prevent your carpet from stains.

A cage is a great thing to have. It serves as a "home base" or a "den" for a bunny. You can keep a litter box in there, his food and water, hay, and some toys...oh..and a nice fleece blankie as a "bed", hehe.

You can view NIC cages here:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=15348&forum_id=21

If you need help with the building part, just ask !



As for his food: What type of food (brand name)is it? Was that the type of food he was eating at his former owners house or did you get a new bag of a different type of food for him? If you got a new type of food for him, you should call the former owner's and ask what brand of pellets he was on before and go out and by that kind. A drastic change in pellet can lead to G.I. stasis, when the bunny won't eat it does quite a bit of damage on his system.

You can read about G.I. stasis here:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11918&forum_id=10



As for hay, you can read about it here:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12059&forum_id=17



You may also want to take a look at common household hazards to you bunny, since he gets free run of the house right now:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=15238&forum_id=17



Litter box training:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12213&forum_id=17

Litter types and litter boxes:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12084&forum_id=17





Oh, heck.....check out the "Bunny 101" section of the forum :biggrin2::

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_forum.php?id=17







Don't forget to start threads and ask questions! Oh yeah....how about pictures of Nemo? You can also start a "Bunny Blog" about Nemo telling all about him, including adding pictures:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_forum.php?id=6

 

[Bunnicula]

Welcome Tracy! Congratulations on adding Nemo to your home.

I am so jealous of you - mostly tile on your floor!?!? :shock: That is my DREAM. We have 10 cats and 3 bunnies here...and tile flooring is one of our home improvement plans.

Anyway, about your questions:

What type of hay is best? Good, fresh timothy should be the major part of his diet. You can also get other hays or hay mixes. Other good hays include brome, oat hay, orchard grass, etc. (My bunnies love a mix by Peter's...I'll check on what it's called. Don't know if it's available to you locally.) If your bunny is a healthy adult you'll want to avoid alfalfa except maybe as a treat.

Is it bad not to have a cage for him? Absolutely not! But make certain that the places he can visit are bunny-proof...especially for the times he will be unsupervised. Bunnies LOVE to chew wires. And one of my lops has a penchant for wood furniture! You'll want to do some reading (there are great threads here) about bunny behavior and what to prepare for. My bunnies are caged (with free play time), so I can't give advice about free-range bunny life...but I'm sure someone will come along here who can help you with that.

If it's hard to bunny-proof your house, you may want to consider a large cage with a run/play pen. I just built a play pen addition to my buns cages last night. I used storage grids I bought at Target. There's an entire thread here called "NIC Cages Only" where you can check out the designs & ideas of other rabbit owners. Building your own cage can be way less expensive than purchasing something prefab. Then you can make it to fit your space and your bunny's needs! :brownbunny

How can I finish off his litterbox training? I'm going to leave answering that to someone who is much more experienced than I am. Two of our buns trained almost immediately. We have a female who still struggles with using the box all the time...but I think she is an exception to the rule. Perhaps confining Nemo to a smaller space for a bit to get him more familiar with the box will help. Or if he has accidents somewhere...that might be a better place for the box or where you should locate a second one. My "accident" bunny usually visits the same corner of the house to pee. So when she is out to play I simply put a bunny box there. It's really helped.

Again, welcome to RO. We're glad to have you with us. Please post some pics of Nemo if you can. (I've got a black & white Holland Lop...all 3 of ours are HLs...they are soooo cute and have awesome personalities.)

-Mary Ellen

 

[Bunnicula]

Here's a picture of the hay mix I was talking about. You can get it online through Amazon.com and I would guess through a retailer like Petsmart. I sometimes purchase this for variety from their daily timothy diet.

I purchase my timothy hay in bulk either through a local farmer or online through Oxbow. Buying in bulk from Oxbow, including shipping, works out to be more economical than buying these small bags over & over at the store. But with 1 bunny you may find smaller bags work best for you.

-Mary Ellen

 

[Kokkiniklosti]

Welcome Tracy! Congrats on your bun! I have not much more to say, just stick on this forum, and ask whatever you want! And an also very helpful house rabbit site is www.rabbit.org !

I wish you have fun!

 

[jcottonl02]

Hey Tracy- welcome to the forum!

 

[timetowaste]

thanks so much! i'm headed for timothy at petsmart now, but, i'm also wondering, is fruit okay to give him? i definitely need to step up the vegetables, but how funny, he adores papaya and peaches!

 

[Roxie]

Fruit is ok if limited. It is considered a treat because of the high sugar.
Here is the link for litter training: http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12213&forum_id=17

Veggies are a must as they are very nutritious. But dont forget the pellets. Pellets has essestial fiber rabbits cannot get from anything else. Hay also helps the digestive system.

 

[undergunfire]

yomo143 wrote:

Veggies are a must as they are very nutritious. But dont forget the pellets. Pellets has essestial fiber rabbits cannot get from anything else. Hay also helps the digestive system.

Actually, I barely ever feed veggies. Oxbow is considered a very high quality pellet, so I don't feel the need to even things out be feeding veggies to my bunnies.

They do occasionally get cilantro, parsley, or carrots though...as a treat whenever I buy it.

So, I feel that if you feed your bunny a high quality pellet, then veggies are not neccessarily needed.

Most breeders, on the other hand, don't feed veggies because it would be to costly to feed them to all their bunnies. Their rabbits do just fine as well.


Some rabbits, though, do enjoy a nice big salad daily .

 

[polly]

Hiya and welcome. You will get all the bunny help you need on here

 

[missyscove]

Welcome! I'd love to hear more about Nemo. I agree on the advice already given as well.

 

[TK Bunnies]

Welcome to RO!!! You will want to get a cage incase of an emergency and you need to get your bunny out of the house or something like that.

We litter trained our rabbits by putting boxes over the spots that he peed on the most. And picking up the poops and putting them in the litter box.

I thought since your new to rabbits I'll give you a list of treats a rabbit can have. Here they are....

I found this list on http://http://www.ontariorabbits.org/diet/dietinfo5.html]http://www.ontariorabbits.org/diet/dietinfo5.html]http://http://www.ontariorabbits.org/diet/dietinfo5.html[/url]

• apples (no seeds)
• bananas
• carrots and their greens
• papayas
• pears
• peaches
• pineapples
• raisins (Remember: Each raisin is the same as one grape, so don't
  feed too many!)
• strawberries
• cantaloupe

I added these...

• parsley
• cilantro
• radishes & their greens
• dandelions (all of it's eatable although I would feed it any of the roots)

Here's a great site for just about anything you want to know. http://http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/treat.html]http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/treat.html]http://http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/treat.html[/url]

This is another great sit http://http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/rabbit_horse_and_other_pet_care/how_to_care_for_rabbits.html]http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/rabbit_horse_and_other_pet_care/how_to_care_for_rabbits.html]http://http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/rabbit_horse_and_other_pet_care/how_to_care_for_rabbits.html[/url]


Hope I was some help,

-TK :bunnydance:

 

[Michaela]

Welcome to RO!

I hope you enjoy the site.

~~~~~~
~Michaela, Ebony, Pebble, Madison & Angel Bunny Berri~

 

[undergunfire]

I just saw an ad on Craigslist for Nemo needed to be rehomed :?.

 

[timetowaste]

not my nemo!!!!!!

 

[undergunfire]

timetowaste wrote:

not my nemo!!!!!!

I am sorry for pointing fingers. The add just seemed soooo identical with the litter box issues and stuff :foreheadsmack:!


http://phoenix.craigslist.org/pet/396335846.html




Doesn't it? lol....or am I just nuts ?

 

[timetowaste]

hmm i agree it is very similar! nemo still isn't litterbox trained. he is very stubborn. he eats the food in the litterbox and then steps out and poops all over the floor. :-/ but he now has a cage, so usually he is inside of the cage and pooping!!!

he is my little baby love

i also got him some timothy from a livestock store, and unfortunately it only comes in a giant BALE that is the size of my condo!! well, not even close. haha. i'm so overdramatic.

i don't live with my parents so that ad is most definitely not me

 

[lemonaxis]

Hi welcome to RO

I am newish here too, joined in July. My bunnies name is BK and I do have a sort of a blog for him under blogs but I need more pics. I joined RO when BK got attacked by a cat, he has mostly recovered now.
I have found RO to be a wonderful resource for my Bun and me and have learnt loads of new ways to entertain and care for him.:biggrin2:

Good to meet you...

 

[timetowaste]

hi! i am so glad BK is doing good again. bad kitty!!!! does BK stand for anything? i'm from brooklyn, NY originally so we call that the BK hahaha.

also, for you, and of course everyone else, here are some pictures of mr. nemo bunny himself! (also known as damien for trying to eat part of my wrist with his timothy last week, hehe)

he slipped upside down, hahaha. good timing nemo.

"wait...i hear people wanting something. ..... .... ... .. . . . . ME!!!!!"