Newbie questions.

[SxAint]

I've been lurking this forum for about a week now, but decided to go ahead and join since I have some questions that Google isn't answering. I'm about to get my second rabbit ever in a month (A wee Holland Lop baby), haven't had one since I was a kid. I want to know the appropriate ways to care for a rabbit since the research I have done has shown me that I was wrong the first time. I want to have everything right this time.
1) What type of bedding should I use until litter box trained? I've read that cedar and pine is a general no go and aspen is acceptable. Someone mentioned the Carefresh type fluffy bedding but I've heard nasty things about ingestion and swelling in the tummy in other small animals.
2) What's the best thing to use in the litter box?
3) Best feed? The breeder currently has them on a Tractor Supply brand but I wanted to double check.
4) I know that Timothy hay should be available to rabbits, but is there any other types of hay like orchard grass? Any fresh veggies I should also give?
5) Any recommendations on where to find some good, rabbit safe toys?
I know these questions have probably been asked and answered a billion times, but I'm not quite used to the forum yet and still trying to get the hang of searching. If anyone wants to link me to a thread that answers the questions, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

 

[lovelops]

Hi there and welcome.

I have a Holland Lop also... So I can try to answer the best I can. I am not a vet or anything by a long shot but I have 4 bunnies... so here it goes:

1) What type of bedding should I use until litter box trained?
That depends. Will your bunnie be free range or in a cage most of the time? In a cage most of the time I have two bunnies that stay in their cage after running around 4-8 hours a day and I use cage liners for them and doggies pee pads. It's more cushion for their feet. I also have a corner litter box that you can also use in the corner of their cages to get them used to the idea of a litter box in the future and put some of their pooh in their along with some strips of the pee pads with their pee on it so they will associate it with that and start using it. One brand is the Hartz Absorbent Cage Liners for Birds and Small Animals. NOW you can also get a small litter box and put it in a corner of the cage with hay and get your baby used to it. There are small litter boxes you can get that will kit into the small to medium sized Kaytee rabbit cages. My Lop had one in her cage before I got her. If I can find a picture I will send it to you.

2) What's the best thing to use in the litter box? I've used sand and am using hay now. You can use either. Use don't use kitty litter or clay most of that stuff is bad for the bunnies.

3) Best feed? Ok my guys don't eat just dry food and I don't use the same dry food time after time.I used Kaytee dry food, Hertz adult rabbit, etc.. I have them on craisons for treats, dry food mixed with millet, fresh veggies like kale, cilantro, parsley, alfalfa, timothy hay when I can get them to eat it. Don't just keep them on dry pellets.
For health reasons they need to have a good mix of foods. Treats you can give them bananas but not tons and a few slices a few days a week, or I give mine sweet potato sticks. etc... I also have my Agouti's which love lettuce, kale, red lettuce, arugula, baby kale mix, apples, pears, celery. etc.. Experiment and see what your bun likes. All 4 of mine DO NOT like the same food which makes it hard as heck to go food shopping.

5) Toys, go to the dollar store or Petco and start off with stuffed small toys to see if they will play with them. Buy some cheap cat toys and see what your baby will respond to. My larger bunny that is 10 pounds loves playing with baby rattles that have handles on it. She will pick them up with her mouth and fling them all over the place. You need to remember anything that can be picked up by a rabbit is considered fair game for playing with. Get some soft stuffed toy balls also. One of mine loves to kick and move stuffed soft balls. Go to Mc Donalds and get like 3 of those drink trays you put 4 drinks in at one time. Mine LOVE chewing on those and they are safe. I bought some KayTee chew toys for my girls and one of the trays they were in were made from the same exact material. The packaging said it was safe for the buns to chew on and eat.. so there you go.

I hope this gets you started!

Have fun with your lop!

Vanessa

 

[lovelops]

Here are some pictures of litter boxes and some litter you can use that is safe for rabbits..


Vanessa

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

1. I use fleece in the cage. My rabbits are litter trained, so it is more for some traction and comfort. I do wash it weekly though, just so they have something clean. Even when you are litter training, it does help them learn to not go in the whole cage. You may need to wash it more often if they don't take to the litter box right away.
2. In the litter box, I use wood pellets. They are cheap (about $5 for 40 pounds), absorbent, and safe (as long as nothing is added to them).
3. I feed Oxbow and have good results with it. What to feed really depends on what is available to you, why you have a rabbit, and the living conditions. A neutered pet that lives indoors has different nutritional needs than a breeding rabbit or one that lives outside.
4. Timothy hay is good, but any grass hay is suitable as well. Orchard Grass, Meadow hay, oat hay, bermuda grass and many others are all good. Alfalfa should be avoided expect for babies and rabbits and rabbits that may need a bit of a boost (pregnant, nursing, thin). There are many lists of safe veggies to feed. Start slowly and only do one at a time. You may want to wait until your baby is around 4 months before you start to give them as babies tend to be quite sensitive to new foods.
5. Hard plastic cat or bird toys are good for rabbits. Grass or hay mats and balls are also good.

 

[Tauntz]

Hi & :welcome1
Glad you decided to come out of lurkdom & join us!
To answer your questions:
1. I will leave to others as my bunny girls have always slept in their cardboard boxes without any bedding material.
2. Litter: Plain paper cat litter is best from the pet store. I use Yesterday's News or Petsmart's Esquisicat paper cat litter with no scents or other additives. Others use wood pellets from places like Tractor Supply but I've never used them. So can't provide more information. Personally I would stick with the plain paper cat litter since you only have one baby bunny.
3. Food:
a) Pellets: For your first couple of weeks I would continue to feed the pellets that the breeder fed them. I would purchase extra (a month's worth at least) if I thought I might be changing to another pellet. Oxbow makes a good pellet but there are other good pellets out there.
b) Hay: Hay is the most important part of a rabbit's diet! Once again I would get hay from the breeder. I'm sure they would sell you some to start you baby off. Young bunnies can benefit from the higher calorie & nutrients of alfalfa hay but it isn't recommended for adult rabbits. It can cause health problems for adults. Timothy & Orchard grass are two of the most common hays fed to rabbits. Both are excellent hays & I feed both to my adult bunny girls. Bermuda hay is another hay found in the south.
c) Veggies: Should not be fed to baby rabbits. Their digestive system is too sensitive to handle veggies &/or fruits. When he/she is old enough to add veggies, choose one for your bunny to try at a time & only give a tiny bit to begin with. Gradually add just a little more each day for a week. Be sure to monitor him/her for tummy trouble. Herbs make an excellent first non-hay food! There is a list of herbs & vegetables in the Rabbits 101 section here.
d) Fruits: Should only be given in very small amounts. I use fruit as treats. Once again not for young bunnies.
4. Answered in the above.
5. I use a cat treat ball for my bunnies' pellets. I fill it & toss it in their xpen for them to enjoy playing/chasing their breakfast pellets! Cardboard boxes are great for playing in as well as napping. Also, great chewing fun too! Hard plastic bird toy balls are a favorite with my girls along with willow balls. Plain paper bags with hay & other bunny safe treats such as dried fruit (papaya, apple, banana) or other fun food or toy. There are lots of inexpensive homemade & store bought toys available.

Hopefully I've helped to answer some of your questions & I'm sure others will be along soon to give their advice. Don't be afraid to ask any question you may have. We are here to help you & your new baby Holland lop to have a long, happy & healthy life together!

 

[SxAint]

Thank you for all of the informative and helpful replies!
I was wanting to do a fleece liner originally but someone told me I may want to litter train first. Good thing I found this place, lol. My girl will be strictly indoors, since someone asked. She will also be strictly pet, no breeding. I just wanted to get a little gal to spoil the heck out of. She will also be free range for about 8-12 hours a day since I'm self employed and work from home.
I had no clue rabbits could play with so many different types of toys! I thought anything plastic, I wouldn't be able to use. That's great to know, I can't wait to start stocking up.
One quick question - If I used wood pellets, what type of hay is should I use on top, or is it just regular timothy?

 

[Bville]

One quick question - If I used wood pellets, what type of hay is should I use on top, or is it just regular timothy?

Yes, the regular hay that they will be eating is what you put in the litter box. I hang mine in a rack above the litter box, but you can do it either way. It can be Timothy or any other grass hay like orchard, Bermuda, meadow, or oat. Mine seem to like the Timothy best.

I think wood pellets are a very good, cheap litter, but I couldn't stand the pine smell and use CareFresh. One of my rabbits eats it when I first change his litter box, but I haven't had any of the problems you mentioned with them eating too much and getting a swollen stomach. I think it's a nice litter, but it definitely costs more than wood pellets. I liked the paper pellets too, but they stained the litter box with the ink left over on the paper, which bugged me!

The toys my rabbits have are jingle balls for cats, pine cones, apple sticks, cardboard boxes, and a cardboard tube. The tube I have is a concrete form you can get at Home Depot, but the ones in pet stores are probably good too. In the wild, bunnies dig tunnels so they feel at home in them. My Pepper likes to sleep in it. I have given them willow baskets and balls in the past and they do love them, but make quick work of destroying them so they are kind of short-term fun. Also, they like grass mats to chew up and lie on and willow branches right off the tree to chew up.

It sounds like your rabbit is a baby so wait until it is three or four months old to feed veggies and fruits. Start slowly with small amounts of one thing at a time and watch for signs of digestive upset.

I looked at the Tractor Supply rabbit food, but wasn't happy with the ingredients so I use Sweet Meadow Farm pellets that I order online. I think Oxbow and Kaytee make some good pellets too and you can get those in pet stores or online. With a baby bunny, look for one that is formulated for young rabbits and has some alfalfa in it as well as Timothy. I feel better giving my rabbits a pellet that has Timothy as the first ingredient.

Best wishes for a happy homecoming for your new bunny! :goodluck

 

[PaGal]

There are so many options when it comes to a litter box. You can use cat litter boxes, plastic storage boxes or even metal baking dishes. My male has cat litter boxes while my two girls have a large plastic storage box that I cut part of one side lower for ease of access because they dig in their litter and would make a mess with a shorter box.

You want something large enough for the bun to fit in completely. Place hay for it to eat in the corner of the litter box or hang a hay rack where the bun can munch and be completely in the litter box at the same time. Buns tend to potty while eating and doing this helps to make the training easier.

If you choice to use anything that the bun could chew and cause issues with it's health such as puppy pads then you should pay very close attention since you do not know the personality of the bun yet. Some like to chew everything and others do not chew much at all.

I use a thin layer of horse stall pellets that I buy for $5 for a 40 pound bag from Tractor supply. I then place on top of this for padding a thin layer of kiln dried pine shavings. It is also inexpensive. Never use cedar but pine is ok if it is kiln dried.

You should wait until your bun is about three months old to introduce it to any veggies or fruit. Any time you introduce a new food feed only a tiny amount at first and watch closely for any change in it's poo or habits. Some buns don't do well with veggies or fruit and others seem to be able to eat anything with no issues.

Also if you want to feed a different pellet than what the breeder feeds then you would want to slowly switch the bun over to the new pellet by adding just a small amount of the new to the old and over time add a little more of the new and a little less of the old until it is eating only the new pellets.

Buns tend to drink more water from a bowl than a bottle. Buns do tend to spill with a bowl though so you would want either a bowl such as a ceramic one too heavy for it to move around or tip or one that attaches to the cage. Usually it's easier to find these sold as dog bowls.

My buns have cardboard, cardboard boxes, empty paper towel rolls, toilet paper tubes stuffed with hay, whiffle balls, cat balls, dried pinecones, telephone books with covers removed and different pieces of wood to play, dig or chew on.

If you used wood pellets you could use any type of hay a bun can eat on the pellets including timothy. The bun will eat at least some of it. They are very adept at picking out just one piece of hay they want from a pile.

Buns tend to like peeing on soft items such as couches and beds and may pee on fleece if provided with it especially if it is not litter trained first. I tried giving my male a towel to lay on in his cage and he would not lay on it. He is kept in an extra large dog cage when not out playing and he prefers the plastic floor.

 

[BlueMoods]

Well, mine are in open mesh cages in the rabbit barn when they are not supervised, so no litter pan needed there. My DH does nto allow full time house rabbits, if I am not home to supervise them, they are in the rabbit barn.

In the house I have litter boxes with recycled paper small animal bedding or pine shavings since that's all I can get here that isn't hazardous to rabbits. I Use velux blankets as cage flooring on the rare time one gets sore hocks, until it's healed and the fur is back.

I feed 16% Nutreena pellets and whatever I have growing for the rabbit here. Winter that's basil and mint, summer there are also dandelions, clover, carrots, spinach, grape leaves, blackberries, and leaf lettuce. They always have free choice hay or alfalfa and oat cubes (usually cubes since mold free hay is hard to find here.)

 

[Blue eyes]

I thought a visual might be helpful with the litter box. Here is what I do...