Newbie Question:

[peapoo_bunny]

Just Jack wrote:

This is the cage I bought for them and it has a removeable liner which is where the store employees were telling me I should put the bedding.

Also what kind of bowls do people use for such small breeds of rabbits like lionheads? The ones I've seen that attach to the cage seem like they would be too tall for the little guys to get their heads in.

thats one of the cages i have for peapoo...i really like it and its easy to change...also the bottom is easier on her feet because the holes arent to big. i dont put bedding in the cage for peapoo...instead i usually just give her a shoebox filled with hay or something like that...its not as messy with her

is this the kindthat your talking about? i use this bowl that hooks to the side of the cage and its the perfect size for peapoo..shes small, only 3lbs i think

 

[peapoo_bunny]

i also use this bowl because the other one takes too long to unscrew if i need to move her bowl around... got both of them at petsmart

peapoo has a rollin the hay, you can barely see it behind her in this picture....she loves it! it hangs on the side of the cage while shes in her cage, but she really likes rolling it around in her room when shes out...and its not as messy as her old hay feeder

a 16oz water bottle sounds fine.. i originally got a 16 oz water bottle, but i ended up getting a bigger size because the water wasnt coming out good enough on the 16oz.

i give peapoo carrots, banana, and sometimes a tiny bit of grape, but she's almost 6months old...ive read heard that you arent supposed to give them vegetables until theyre 5 or 6 months old, but im not sure if ithats true or not...peapoo has eaten them since she was 3 months old

 

[naturestee]

This is a really good link for basic diet info, with links to veggie and fruit lists:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

You're getting babies, right? Growing rabbits need more protein, calcium, and calories than adults. That means they'll need alfalfa pellets, not timothy pellets. I don't like Petsmart's choices for alfalfa pellets, but if you have a feed store you can go to you'll probably find something better (and often cheaper) there. Look for 15-16% protein and at least 18% fiber. Since lionheads are a small breed that matures young, you can probably switch them to timothy pellets when they're about 6 months old.

Make sure the breeder is giving you some of their pellets. Mix the old pellets with the new and gradually switch the buns over. Baby rabbits have sensitive stomachs.

Speaking of sensitive stomachs, many people don't give veggies until the rabbit is 6 months old. I started feeding veggies when Mocha was 8 weeks. Ask the breeder what she was doing. Either way, start off with tiny amounts of one thing to make sure it doesn't upset their stomachs.

It is best that they get fresh water every day. It'll taste the best that way, and encourage them to drink more. I don't know what size you'll need because I use bowls for water.

What about a litter box? It's best to start littertraining right away.

When are the furry bundles due to arrive?

 

[Spring]

I wasn't sure if It's very accurate to try to train babies to use the litter box. I don't think they're old enough to be aware of going to the bathroom just in one spot?

 

[naturestee]

Spring wrote:

I wasn't sure if It's very accurate to try to train babies to use the litter box. I don't think they're old enough to be aware of going to the bathroom just in one spot?

I've heard that some are, although they might loose it when they hit puberty. If it's there from the start, they'll get more used to it and it won't be that wierd new non-toy thing when you put it in later. And they'll know what it's for.

 

[Spring]

Oooh ok that makes sense. I mgiht look into getting a litter box then and see

 

[Just Jack]

peapoo_bunny wrote:

Just Jack wrote:

This is the cage I bought for them and it has a removeable liner which is where the store employees were telling me I should put the bedding.

Also what kind of bowls do people use for such small breeds of rabbits like lionheads? The ones I've seen that attach to the cage seem like they would be too tall for the little guys to get their heads in.

thats one of the cages i have for peapoo...i really like it and its easy to change...also the bottom is easier on her feet because the holes arent to big. i dont put bedding in the cage for peapoo...instead i usually just give her a shoebox filled with hay or something like that...its not as messy with her

is this the kindthat your talking about? i use this bowl that hooks to the side of the cage and its the perfect size for peapoo..shes small, only 3lbs i think

that's how big a 3lb holland lop is?:shock: peapoo makes that cage look so small which concerns me now cause of everything I put in there. now I'm wondering if there is going to be enough room for my bunnies! I hope they aren't suppose to be that big as centrapets.com classes lionheads as "Much Smaller than Average" while holland lops are "Smaller than Average." But still hollands are suppose to be about 3-4lbs while lionheads are 3.5 lbs... Do they just weigh the same and have a good difference in body mass?

 

[Spring]

Hollands are around four pounds, not sure how much lionheads weigh, but I washolding the mom of my baby and she was probably around four pounds. How big is the cage again? Out of those, is it the larger one?

 

[TinysMom]

Your rabbits are going to be SOOOO spoiled. Two things I'm going to point out....

a. What size is the cage? I think the rabbits are going to LOVE all of the stuff you have and I can tell you that my little ones love to get on top of stuff - so your rabbits will probably love to get on top of the house thingy you bought.

b. Make sure to change the water daily. The water bottle is a great size - but your rabbits will really appreciate FRESH water every day. Think about how you'd feel at drinking stale water.....

Now - are both rabbits going to be sharing the cage? In that case - you might need to get two females because a male and female will mate in lionheads at very young ages...



Peg


P.S. Sorry- DUH - I just saw the link to the cage and read the size of it. I would think that they would probably be ok in that....and I like to put a tile or two down in mine so they have a place to sleep on which isn't on the wire. Some like the tile - some don't...

 

[Spring]

This is the cage I got for my baby lionhead jsut a tad bit bigger and I could easily fit her mom and the other lionheadin there my little girl, her cardbaord box and a few food and water bowls!

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441808080&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026391&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023695&bmUID=1141263206615&itemNo=16&Nao=12&In=Small+Pet&N=2026391&Ne=2

It should be alright!

 

[peapoo_bunny]

Just Jack wrote:

peapoo_bunny wrote:

Just Jack wrote:

This is the cage I bought for them and it has a removeable liner which is where the store employees were telling me I should put the bedding.

Also what kind of bowls do people use for such small breeds of rabbits like lionheads? The ones I've seen that attach to the cage seem like they would be too tall for the little guys to get their heads in.

thats one of the cages i have for peapoo...i really like it and its easy to change...also the bottom is easier on her feet because the holes arent to big. i dont put bedding in the cage for peapoo...instead i usually just give her a shoebox filled with hay or something like that...its not as messy with her

is this the kindthat your talking about? i use this bowl that hooks to the side of the cage and its the perfect size for peapoo..shes small, only 3lbs i think

that's how big a 3lb holland lop is?:shock: peapoo makes that cage look so small which concerns me now cause of everything I put in there. now I'm wondering if there is going to be enough room for my bunnies! I hope they aren't suppose to be that big as centrapets.com classes lionheads as "Much Smaller than Average" while holland lops are "Smaller than Average." But still hollands are suppose to be about 3-4lbs while lionheads are 3.5 lbs... Do they just weigh the same and have a good difference in body mass?

yeah shes 3 lbs, i weighed her yesterday...i like that cage but it is kind of small...it was fine for her when she was little, but now its smaller than i would like it to be...im going to have to get a bigger one ... but for now, i just did this...

 

[Just Jack]

naturestee wrote:

This is a really good link for basic diet info, with links to veggie and fruit lists:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

You're getting babies, right? Growing rabbits need more protein, calcium, and calories than adults. That means they'll need alfalfa pellets, not timothy pellets. I don't like Petsmart's choices for alfalfa pellets, but if you have a feed store you can go to you'll probably find something better (and often cheaper) there. Look for 15-16% protein and at least 18% fiber. Since lionheads are a small breed that matures young, you can probably switch them to timothy pellets when they're about 6 months old.

Make sure the breeder is giving you some of their pellets. Mix the old pellets with the new and gradually switch the buns over. Baby rabbits have sensitive stomachs.

Speaking of sensitive stomachs, many people don't give veggies until the rabbit is 6 months old. I started feeding veggies when Mocha was 8 weeks. Ask the breeder what she was doing. Either way, start off with tiny amounts of one thing to make sure it doesn't upset their stomachs.

It is best that they get fresh water every day. It'll taste the best that way, and encourage them to drink more. I don't know what size you'll need because I use bowls for water.

What about a litter box? It's best to start littertraining right away.

When are the furry bundles due to arrive?

Ok I'll see about returning the pellets in exchange for alfalfa ones. I was planning on asking them what they were feeding them that cause I was wanting to make the transition as easy as possible. If I could I would just continue to feed them whatever they normally get anyways.

I was under the same assumption about waiting till a particular age to litter train but what you said makes a lot of sense. I'll see about getting a litter box too.

We're suppose to meet the breeders March 12th, just a 11 days away!

 

[peapoo_bunny]

another picture of the cage

if 2 rabbits would be in the cage i would definately get a bigger one

 

[TinysMom]

Just Jack wrote:

We're suppose to meet the breeders March 12th, just a 11 days away!

(ALL PHOTOS ARE CLICKABLE FOR CLOSER LOOK)


I'm going to speak up here even though I wasn't going to originally share....

I am the breeder - and after talking to Just Jack - Art & I decided that we wanted to "gift" him with two lionheads for this. It was such an awesome idea to get a gift like this for his girlfriend....and he had done his own research and thought about it. One of the reasons for our rabbitry was to make lionheads "affordable" to the general public because so often they go for high prices that folks can't afford them. But I refuse to make money off this forum - hence we offered them a gift.

It also helps that our kids go to college halfway between here and El Paso. So we can meet there on the 12th when the kids go back to school after spring break.

There - with that said - here are some females for y'all to look at and think about. I will give some more photos later - most likely tomorrow and not tonight. However, these were the ones that were the easiest to catch and willing to have their photo taken! Since you are going to have one cage for them - I would suggest two does and these little ones all pretty much get along and have grown up together...


Sable point doe - she tends to be very shy.





Harlequin doe - sorry but the lighter colored ones are already spoken for and going to California ...but here is a darker one..





Black doe - stupid idea to take her photo against brown...sorry about that..





Orange doe - notice the ear - from a littermate....








Another black doe





Another orange doe








Blue doe - one of my favorites! Sort of shy - but very used to humans...





Well - this will at least start you dreaming - I'll take more photos later and post them here for you...if you see any that stand out - start making a list. As I said, I'll bring a bunch of them for y'all to interact with...I hope you don't mind me posting the photos here - but I thought the forum members might enjoy looking at the choices too!

Peg

 

[naturestee]

Yay! I wondered if it was you, Peg! I figured either you or you hooked him up with someone you know. I'm jealous of you, Jack. She's got some beauties, and they're indoor rabbits so you know they're used to people.

 

[TinysMom]

Just Jack wrote:

Ok I'll see about returning the pellets in exchange for alfalfa ones. I was planning on asking them what they were feeding them that cause I was wanting to make the transition as easy as possible. If I could I would just continue to feed them whatever they normally get anyways.

I'm going to be bringing a 10 pound bag of their food plus a ziplock baggy (big one) filled with the supplements I use (oatmeal, calf mana, black sunflower seeds, etc).

I have corner litterboxes in some cages as they take up less room - I found mine on Ebay....

Peg

 

[Just Jack]

TinysMom wrote:

Your rabbits are going to be SOOOO spoiled. Two things I'm going to point out....

a. What size is the cage? I think the rabbits are going to LOVE all of the stuff you have and I can tell you that my little ones love to get on top of stuff - so your rabbits will probably love to get on top of the house thingy you bought.

b. Make sure to change the water daily. The water bottle is a great size - but your rabbits will really appreciate FRESH water every day. Think about how you'd feel at drinking stale water.....

Now - are both rabbits going to be sharing the cage? In that case - you might need to get two females because a male and female will mate in lionheads at very young ages...



Peg


P.S. Sorry- DUH - I just saw the link to the cage and read the size of it. I would think that they would probably be ok in that....and I like to put a tile or two down in mine so they have a place to sleep on which isn't on the wire. Some like the tile - some don't...

I'm still concerned about the size of the cage considering all these things that I've put in there. Mainly the play house which takes up a considerable amount of space (14" x 9" x 9") in the cage. How big in size do they get (L x W)? They always look so very small in the pictures but now I wonder.

I'll be sure to change the water daily. Though personally I'll have a bottle of water and not finish it for several days


And yes I was planning for the rabbits to share the cage. How old are those bunnies that you posted?


And since the bunny is out of the bag now I can't tell everyone how bewildered and excited I was over Peg's incredibly generous offer. Everyday me and my girlfriend are getting more and more excited about this because we've been dreaming about it for so long. Now it's finally going to happen.:bunnydance:

 

[Spring]

Oh wow! Peg, you are one of the few good breeders I've read about so far . Pebbles looks like the little black one, just a tad bit lighter because the litter was black and grey, and she was more of the lighter grey kind . It's so exciting getting ready for a new rabbit Hope the days seems to pass by quick!

 

[Just Jack]

TinysMom wrote:

There - with that said - here are some females for y'all to look at and think about. I will give some more photos later - most likely tomorrow and not tonight. However, these were the ones that were the easiest to catch and willing to have their photo taken! Since you are going to have one cage for them - I would suggest two does and these little ones all pretty much get along and have grown up together...


Orange doe - notice the ear - from a littermate....





Another orange doe




Blue doe - one of my favorites! Sort of shy - but very used to humans...



Well - this will at least start you dreaming - I'll take more photos later and post them here for you...if you see any that stand out - start making a list. As I said, I'll bring a bunch of them for y'all to interact with...I hope you don't mind me posting the photos here - but I thought the forum members might enjoy looking at the choices too!

Peg

the lighter colored harlequins that you spoke of which are spoken for, are they from the kit you first e-mailed me? I too was more attracted to the lighter ones so I'm not suprise they got snagged up quickly

The ones that I kept in the quote here are our favorite ones from this set. I didn't think I was partial to blue haired rabbits but you made me a believer! I'm also fond of the black ones though my gf doesn't like them as much.

I'm in the process of e-mailing you about some of the others you've shown me and that are on your website.

It is going to be a tremndously slow process narrowing them down, I just know it!

 

[Spring]

I've asked before, but how do you post pictures? I have a kodak easy share digital camera and the kodak easy share program, I'm jsut not sure how to! I took some adorable pictures of her with this pink doll bow on. It looks adorable with her dark coloured fur .