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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A New bunny owner needing help

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    • Dave and Marty
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         Hello All,

         

        My Name is Dave, I acquired a 2 month old French Lop bunny named Marty from a breeder on Saturday and have some concerns.  I’ve read up as much as I can on how to bond with my rabbit buddy, but I don’t know if I’m doing things right.

        He’s only been home for 3 days, so I’m not expecting him to be my best friend yet or anything, but he won’t even let me touch him other than when he touches me with his nose.  I know this can take some time and can be tricky, so I want to make sure I’m doing things right.

        So far I’ve been trying to let him roam my room while I’m home and sit in the middle of the floor and have him come over when he wants to sniff me, etc…  I’ve been taking parsley and basil from my garden to feed him as a treat when he comes to me, I’ve tried petting him a few times, and at most have gotten a few pats on his back before he hops away.  He won’t let me touch his head at all either.

        Should I not be trying to touch him yet?  And if not when should I start trying?  I know bunnies are fickle creatures but I’m hoping that eventually he’ll at least let me pet him and be calm around me.  How long should it take to get him to be ok with me touching him if I try to play with him about 2-4 hours a day?  I know I’m not supposed to pick him up, and have only done so twice when I absolutely needed to.

        So yeah, when should I try to pet him?  How should I try to pet him?  How long should it take before he lets me pet him?  His nails are already really long and I need to trim them eventually, but obviously can’t until he’s ok with being on/around me.

        Tips?  Comments?  Concerns?


      • Sarita
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          It sounds like you have a very good understanding and are doing great.

          I imagine Marty is in sensory overload right now with all the new surroundings so that can probably be a bit of a distraction for him.

          Try to keep everything very routine so he knows what to expect – that will help him trust you.

          Just let him come to you – he will eventually. I know it’s tempting to want to pet him and touch him and I know you will be able to eventually. Just being around him so he can get used to him is the best thing to do.


        • hannaroo
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            Hi Dave! Welcome to BB!
            Congratulations on bringing Marty home!
            His behaviour is totally normal and as you probably know rabbits are a prey species and will be very nervous about any potential preditor including humans. At this point I would stop touching him and simply sit and read a book in his exercise area and allow him to get used to your presence. Ignore him even if he comes close to you until he’s pretty confident and then work on petting. You make yourself more interesting to Marty by putting pellets around you so he has an insentive to be close to you!
            Some bunnies never like to be petted. Suri has always been handled since she was a baby and although she is placid and very good during grooming time she would rather be doing rabbit things than sit and be petted! Instead I interact with her through training and games involving pellets!
            In time I’m sure he will warm to you!
            As he is only 2 months old I would stop feeding veggies until he is 12 weeks as his digestive system isn’t used to them unless he came from a breeder who was already supplying them with veg.

            Here are some links to our diet page:

            Diet: https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/2/PID/940/Default.aspx

            Edit: I misread your post thinking you had another rabbit but I have since edited out the bonding advice

            Hope this helps and good luck! Xxx


          • Dave and Marty
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               Thanks to both of you!  Regarding routine, are rabbits able to adapt to weird hours if my job is weird hours? (1pm – 10pm)  Also, is 2-3 hours of playtime enough for a rabbit per day?  

              Also, regarding your playful rabbit Hannaroo, can you still pet it ocassionally or does it run away every time you try?  I’m fine with my Marty being playful and running around, but I’m hoping I can at least pet him a couple of times without him running off eventually!

              Regarding vegetables, the breeder was feeding him and the rest of his litter dandelion greens and clover, but since I don’t have access to those in the city I’ve been using herbs from our small garden.  Do you think this is ok?

              Again, thanks for the responses, I’ve got tons of questions about my new friend and will most likely have to ask many more as time goes on!

              Oh, one more question, is it ok to have the rabbit in total darkness at night time or do they need some light?


            • Sarita
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                He will adapt to your hours.

                Well, a young rabbit may need more playtime but sometimes it’s not possible. How large is his enclosure?

                I would just start slowly with the herbs and veggies – that should be okay.

                I don’t have a special light for my rabbits but most likely if you live in the city/suburbs and he has a window in his area he will get plenty of light from streetlights and moonlight and such.

                As for petting – I have a Netherland who is probably about 4.5 years old now – I’ve had him for about 2 years and he is free roam in my home. Sometimes he runs and sometimes he lets me pet him. He has a habit now of coming downstairs and sitting on “his ottoman” to be petted. This did not happen overnight though but it’s part of his regular routine now.


              • hannaroo
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                  I agree with sarita.

                  As with my playful bunnies they didn’t until I got them fixed an started putting a lot of time into training. They hate being petted between 10am – 8pm but whenever they are most active they don’t mind. They can be affectionate if they think I have pellets though! Hehe!
                  Buttons in particular was hard to bond with until he was fixed and when his hormones died down he became much better but both rabbits although like a bit of fuss, mostly prefer to do their own thing!


                • hannaroo
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                    Don’t let that discourage you though! He may turn out to be very affectionate!
                    Time will only tell


                  • Dave and Marty
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                       His enclosure is 41″ x 21″.  I plan on letting him roam once he’s big enough and trained well enough.  I’m not opposed to the idea of getting him a bigger cage eventually, I might get a taller cube style cage once I can afford it.  (I spent $370 on him and his supplies :s)  My plan is just to let him roam around as much as possible.  I’ve notice so far that when I’m sitting on my chair and playing video games he likes to chew on my feet, so I let him out even when I’m not sitting on the ground with him.  

                      I read the dietary page that was linked to me, do rabbits really require 2 cups of greens every day?  I can definitely do that if need be, I’m just curious.

                      The one problem I’ve not encountered yet really is litter issues.  He’s only peed on my floor once, when I yelled at him (I know I’m not supposed to, it was out of reaction as he was chewing on an expensive cable I had forgot to cover up) but other than that he’s kept his peeing and most of his crapping to his cage, though he keeps moving the litter box out of the corner and lying in that corner instead :s

                       


                    • hannaroo
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                        It is recommended that a neutered adult gets a cup per 2 pounds of weight they weigh but you’ll need to introduce veggies a little at a time to begin with.

                        Although its a natural response for a human to yell please try not too as this will just scare your bunny and undo any progress with bonding to him.

                        He will need more space soon. Have you considered an xpen? They’re easy to clean, cheap and you can control where they go by moving them about when and where you need them


                      • Dave and Marty
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                           I wish I had bought an xpen now.  My cage is about 6 times bigger than the rabbit at the moment, but yeah, when he grows he’ll need a bigger space.  the last thing I want to do is restrict him too much.  I’m going to see if I can maybe just gate off my walk in closet (where the cage is at the moment) and put down some carpetting and make that into an xpen for him.  If I can do that I bet it’d be big enough (roughly 56′ x 40′).

                          Are plastic xpens ok for bunnies or do they need metal?  Also, would building one out of chicken wire work?


                        • Sarita
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                            My only concerns with closets is no windows and no air circulation (they don’t usually have the a/c heater vents. Rabbit usually love closets but in my opinion they really aren’t suitable for rabbits.

                            For x-pens I prefer the metals one – easier to handle and clean around. I am not a big fan of chicken wire either.

                            Many times you can find very good deals on x-pens on Amazon – they higher the better especially for large rabbits.


                          • hannaroo
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                              The space is fine for where he lives ATM I would defiantly invest in a bigger one later on if he spends lots of time there. a rabbit can never have too much space! I would choose metal as they’re harder to chew
                              When his litter habits improve and he can be free roam he’ll get all the exercise he needs


                            • Dave and Marty
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                                 The closet door stays open during the day, so the air flow is the same is it would be in the bigger room.  I leave the lights on in the room during the day too (though the corner of the cage with his hidey hut also has a towel over the cage for shade).

                                I appreciate all the advice and will probably invest in an xpen the next time I get paid


                              • Valkyrie
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                                  Lots of people build their own. Some people prefer x-pens because they are easy to reconfigure where as a wood and chicken wire one is not as flexible, but it depends on if you plan on moving it or not. You should try Googling different rabbit housing options to see what will suit you and your bun best. I have been in the planning stages of a new cage for the past few months and can say you will be amazed with what is out there! I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to all the examples I find lol. X-pens and C&C cages seem to be the most popular because they are customizable and don’t require carpentry skills.

                                  Personally I have chosen to build a wood and wire two level condo since I am lucky enough to have a carpenter in the family. My buns are just caged for part of the day so the 18 square foot hutch I’m planning will be enough. X-pens aren’t really an option for me because even though my cats, dog, and bunnies love each other, I still wouldn’t leave them alone together while I’m at work. My cats could easily get into an x-pen and my clumsy young dog might knock it over. If I owned my house though, I would have a dedicated bunny area like the one below except larger and with a wire roof.
                                   photo hh4.jpg


                                • hannaroo
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                                    Well it sounds like you going to take care of your bunny well! We will be more than happy to help you with any more questions you have and hope you enjoy being a part of BB
                                    To improve the closet maybe when you get the xpen you can leave the door open all the time and just close off the area with part of the pen when he’s in there


                                  • hannaroo
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                                      Valkyrie that’s a great set up! Looks so pretty and provides alot of space!


                                    • Valkyrie
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                                        Isn’t it?! I love the whimsical painted walls too. I wish I could find the original source of the image so I could tell them how great it is! I have just stumbled on that image on Pinterest and Google with broken original links a few times.


                                      • PimmsWarren
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                                          Hi Dave,
                                          My bunny Pimm really wanted nothing to do with me for about 4 months. I remember my mom coming over to the house and asking me ‘what the point of a bunny’ was! But one day when I was grooming her (against her will, but as gently as possible) she capitulated and has been my little shadow ever since! She follows me around like a dog and when I’m supine on the sofa, she has her big furry bottom on my neck demanding love and petting. And she’ll sit there and nap for HOURS if I don’t get up….
                                          Just give Marty time and he’ll adjust and his little personality will come out.
                                          Best of luck!!


                                        • Delilahbunny
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                                            When I first got my bun same thing happened but now you can lay with her touch her I make sure she is groomed weekly they get use to it. The only thing my bun does not like is being picked up which I think is a general bunny thing. Just keep handling as it will help. Even if its just a quick tiggle behind the ear


                                          • Dave and Marty
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                                              Thanks for the support Pimms and Delilah! I can feel Marty starting to adjust to things already. This morning before work he let me pet him for about 30 seconds before moving, but still didn’t run far away like he did before. The one thing he still seems to hate is when I touch his ears!

                                              I’m sure things will improve soon, and I’m constantly working to improve things for Marty. Last night I got rid of the 4 inches of bedding I had in his cage that smelled like $*&! on its own, before he even got into the cage, and replaced it with a soft and cozy bath mat I bought at SuperStore. He seems to like it just fine, however the dye seemed to leech off a bit when he peed on it and now his back feet are pink I also made him some toys – one is just a stuffed pug toy I had lying around which he likes to sniff and flip around and the other is just a couple of toilet paper rolls stuffed with timothy hay. I also replace his small hidey house with a bigger bankers box and put his old one on top. He can climb into both and seems to have fun doing it.

                                              My biggest issue I’ll need to solve is his litter box. It’s one of those triangular corner boxes and he seems a bit too big for it. He often poos and pees right beside it instead of in it (though he hasn’t peed or pood outside of his cage since Saturday!) He still loves hiding under my bed, but I’ve found that his weakness is Basil. If I take a bundle of Basil and coax him with it he comes right out and will follow it all the way into his cage if I try


                                            • Annabel93
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                                                I’m new to the whole bunny thing too but mine (all 3 of them) hated having their ears touched and didn’t particularly enjoy being petted when I first got them. A month and a half later, they run to greet me when I walk up the stairs or at the gate of their cage when they’re shut in and follow me around the house They all sit and nap next to me on my bed and seem to love being stroked, ears n’ all!

                                                Mine too have a weakness for Basil!

                                                It sounds like everything is right – just keep spending lots of time with him without forcing anything.


                                              • Treori
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                                                  Sounds like your getting on great with Marty

                                                  Frey was the same when I first got her, she was curious but timid, took her nearly two weeks to allow me to be near her without her ‘leaving the room’ XD I remember the first time she flopped on the ground beside my legs, I was beside myself with excitement, and had to really hold myself still in case I accidentally ‘disturbed’ her. The corner toilets are too small for larger bunny breeds. You would be better off looking for a cat litter tray, you can find high sided ones. (if it says kitten, its probably still too small though) I have had to buy some new trays because I have gotten a french lop too and what was a fine size for Freya is gonna be much too small for Zeus.

                                                  As for the weeing, if he pees, when you clean it up use tissue paper, or kitchen paper and chuck that into his trays, after a while (a couple of days normally) he will realise thats where he is supposed to go. It wont stop the little poos appearing everywhere though as rabbits are unable to hold them in like we can, luckily they are easy to sweep up and some people use them as manure or on compost heaps. (I just vacuum them up)

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                                              Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A New bunny owner needing help