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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HABITATS AND TOYS What am I missing?

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    • MidwestMama
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        2 of my sons are adopting rabbits.   We’ve been researching themivI’ve checked out library books etc… for them to read.  I’ve searched online for info.   Tonight we went to interview rabbits. One son had his heart set on a lionhead, but the lionhead options didn’t quite work.  We had agreed to adopt from a shelter, there was one bonded pair, but try as he might, they just didn’t like my boys. The girl kept thumping, and the boy bit.  There was a pair of bonded harlequin bunnies and they were so sweet.  They hopped on my kids, ate from their hands, etc…  The one grudgingly admitted these would be more fun for him.   I have to admit, a small part of me wanted to go buy a pair of lionhead siblings to make him happy, but I know this the right thing.   

        We didn’t bring them home yet as the cage isn’t ready and bunny proofing isn’t complete.   I ordered a 42″ exercise pen to make into their home.  It has 8 2′ panels.   I have a water bottle, food bowl, pellets, a few treats, some willow pretzel sticks (from pet store bunny section) and a few toys. The x pen hasn’t arrived yet.  I’m thinking of doing a linoleum floor, or Coroplast.  I know I need hay and a hay rack, litter (getting wsp) and a litter box.   What else do I need?   The bunnies are going to start in the cage but hopefully graduate with good behavior to free range in their room.  

        I don’t know who was more excited… The boys or me! 


      • Beka27
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          Sounds like you’ve got things pretty well covered!

          This is the great thing about rescues… You can see the buns’ personality and pick the best one(s) for you! I know it’s tough when you have an idea of what kind of bun you want, but you’re doing the right thing basing the decision on compatibility, not breed/looks.


        • Eucalyptus
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            So far, so good. My only comments would be – no matter how much you like a specific breed, it’s the inside that counts. I was set on finding a French-Lop, but our little Java stole our hearts immediately. Couldn’t have made a better choice!

            Another thing would be to have fresh veggies ready before you pick up the buns. Find out from the shelter or foster family (whichever is applicable) what their favorite veggie(s) is, so you can feed it to them once they’re in their new home. It’ll help them feel comfortable and realize that the changes are positive! Plus, you’ll want to be able to serve breakfast/dinner if they haven’t had it yet when you pick them up.

            Coroplast is easily destroyed, so it might not be the most ideal flooring. It’s better as a barrier for something because it’s safe and replaceable. Linoleum works, but you might want a blanket or some softer flooring to go over it. This is a great option because if there’s any messes or accidents, you can wash the blanket and the linoleum is easy to clean and protects whatever floor you have under it. Also, a blanket is easier on their sensitive hocks than a hard floor – but linoleum is by far better than wire bottoms!

            And one little tip: fruits are a really great treat. It’s a million times better than “treats” from a pet store because those are generally full of garbage and sugar to get your bunny excited. Fruit is natural and, in moderation, healthy. Plus, they’ll love it just as much as a store bought treat – and you can all share it!

            I think that’s all I have for now. Any and all questions are welcome here! But so far, sounds like you’ve got a pretty good idea on everything you need to know.


          • MidwestMama
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              I was concerned that the blanket or soft flooring could confuse their litter training. In their shelter they’ve been in a cage (too small in my opinion) with linoleum. They have been there the longest, which they just said was a LONG time. I was proud of that son for being flexible. He’s on the autism spectrum and it basically only affects his social skills and flexibility. I talked about how much I wanted a daughter. I have 4 boys. I said that what we are looking for isn’t always what we need.

              The shelter said I could only feed Timothy Hay. I was under the impression I could do a combo of this and orchard grass. I have found a local farmer to buy a mixed Timothy/orchard bale for $8. Beats the pet stores 40oz bag for $15!

              I’m trying to decide if I should add a second level to their cage. I assume I’d then also need a top to it. One jumped the 24 inch x pen we were playing in.


            • Beka27
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                A mixture of timothy and orchard is perfect. The shelter may have said only timothy because you really don’t want to feed alfalfa to adult rabbits. But both timothy and orchard are grass hays and both are great for buns.

                Adult, neutered rabbits might be okay with blankets, pet beds, carpet, etc. My buns are adults and have all three of the above in their pen and there are no potty issues. This you won’t know til you get them home and set up. Some buns mark in a new place. Some don’t.

                The bigger the cage, the better, especially with a pair. My pair are in a two xpen combo with a wood hidey house/shelf for height. The pens are combined so I am using 12 panels for a 4×8 foot total space.

                 photo 331.jpg

                This is their “Sideways E”.   It was built by my awesome husband!  It’s a three-in-one: enclosed hidey house with two doors, covered space where I put their pet bed for lounging, and shelf to jump onto.  I keep a blanket on top to provide another soft surface.  It fits snuggly in one end of the xpen.

                 photo 311.jpg


              • MidwestMama
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                   I hope the picture attaches correctly.   This is where we are now…  I have a couple issues that I see.   The water bottle isn’t attached yet, the upper level needs to be more stable and not wire grate.   My questions are… What do you think? Now, what am I missing?  I am concerned that litter box is too small.   Should I have a larger one, two next to each other, or what?   Should the pellets and water be by the litter box or does that matter? 

                  The dimensions  are 6×5 and the pen is 4′ tall.   

                  I’m hoping to go pick up the rabbits from the shelter tomorrow if I can finish this. They are a bonded pair of purebred harlequin bunnies.  I don’t care, but thought that may help on size. I don’t know their weight.  We picked those carpet squares on the floor because they’re the same color as the bunnies.     

                  My total spent in there so far is $65.  Much cheaper than the tiny ones at the pet store! 


                • Eucalyptus
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                    Where the pellets go doesn’t matter because you aren’t going to be free feeding them (if you are, reconsider please). Otherwise, make sure that the wire bottom on the upper level will be changed/covered before the buns arrive, because that’s a big no no.

                    I would recommend a bigger box. We have a standard sized one and Java misses occasionally, but only when he’s pulled tons of hay into it so he ends up taller in the box. Still, bigger is better than smaller.

                    Otherwise, looks good! I would recommend some sticks for chewing, though.


                  • MidwestMama
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                      Hmmmm, to tell you the truth, I hadn’t given free feeding vs not a thought. I will add figuring out how much to feed them to my list!

                      I just have the wire shelf there so I could visualize everything. I need to get something better, but wanted to see the set up.

                      I have sticks and some wooden cut outs for them, just didn’t put them in as I’m still arranging.


                    • Eucalyptus
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                        Most sites and vets are going to give you this idea about bunny diet:

                        – UNLIMITED hay, preferably Timothy. Orchard grass is a lower fiber grass, but has less allergens and is a viable substitute for those highly sensitive to Timothy. Alfalfa is for baby and young bunnies, but can be used as a treat.

                        – At least 2 cups of fresh vegetables per 6 lbs – most of this should consist of leafy greens, while a small portion can be non-leafy greens (this includes carrots, broccoli, parsnip, etc.) Minimum of 3-4 veggies, and rotated veggies is recommended. Our bunny gets about 18 vegetables and herbs at the moment, and his salads are still growing.

                        – 1/4 – 1/2 cup of pellets per 6 lbs. I won’t start a discussion or debate here, but I personally feed barely 10 pellets to my bunny, and am slowly weening him off them completely.

                        – Unlimited fresh water – of course!

                        – No more than 1-2 oz. of fruit per 6 lbs. Some good tips for measuring different veggies would be: Banana – no more than the size of your thumb, Apple – one slice, Grapes – 3-5 at most. This is what I tend to go by, but I honestly give a little extra because our bunny can handle the extra calories since he doesn’t get much pellets.

                        Remember to always introduce any new foods very slowly, or you could give your bunny’s a very upset tummy which could lead to poopy butt or even worse health problems.

                        You can read all about bunny diet on Binkybunny’s front page (under bunny info), as well as rabbit.org. Feel free to PM me if you’d like to know more, too. I’ve done tons of research and feel very satisfied with our bun’s diet. ^_^

                         

                        Everything is looking great! I just mentioned the sticks because a lot of bunnies – at leats ours – will try and find things to chew on if they don’t have something like sticks to play with.


                      • Beka27
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                          I only know of a couple people who actually free-feed their adult rabbits. This isn’t typically done simply because you want to encourage more hay consumption and, if given the choice, some buns will pick pellets over hay every time. If they’re adults when you get them, ask the shelter what quantity they’re getting and you can make adjustments from there.

                          A couple pen suggestions… I would either close up the pen in a full square, or use NIC grids to fill in the back empty space. The buns will chew those baseboards if they can get to them. Also, you’ll want to move the pen off the wall at least 2-3 inches so they can’t nibble the wood thru the bars.

                          You could make the pen a full 4×4 square and make a shelf the extends all the way across instead of just the little shelf.


                        • Eucalyptus
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                            Pellets are high in calories, plus they’re processed. And because they’re more much higher in calories than hay, a bunny that decides to eat them more often will result in being over weight. And most bunnies that are free fed do tend to be overweight (all of the bunnies that boyfriend had as a child were very fat, and they were all free fed – our current bunny gets almost none and the vet has deemed him the perfect weight everytime). This is just our experience, but I do like to share it.

                            It’s probably best to assume they will, but not all bunnies will chew things like walls and carpet if they’re provided with sticks and other things to chew on. Our bunny will chew everything he’s not supposed to if he runs out of sticks, but if he does chew on the bars of his enclosure – which is rare – we just hand him a stick and he’ll go for that instead. When he gets bored, he’ll go downstairs and have a fun time with his pile of sticks. We have to keep buying them or he does end up going for things he can’t chew on.


                          • MidwestMama
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                              I talked to the shelter. They give them 1/4 cup of pellets each day, the per bunny. I had some panels from our dog crates (to make the crates smaller) that I used to close off the side and I pulled it out a few inches from each wall.
                              I picked them up a few hours ago. They arrived at the shelter 9/28/12 from a different shelter that was going to put them down since they weren’t adopted. They get along well with one of my cats. I haven’t bothered with the other. She doesn’t like anything.

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                          Forum HABITATS AND TOYS What am I missing?