First Time Bunny Owner (Philippines)

[Oreoballs]

 Okay. So I am a first time bunny owner, and I think I already messed up because I got Oreo as a gift and was no way prepared of getting a rabbit as I am more of a dog lover. It was only when I got my bunny i started researching about basic do’s don’ts in bunny care and I made a list of things I wanted to know about.   

1. Did I choose the right vet? – I found a vet just behind our condo where I live in and its pretty near, but I am not sure if he is very much knowledgeable about rabbits or am i just being too judgmental. 

   thats the vet.. checking her stool and cutting her nails, look how scared she is.

2. Spaying? – me and my boyfriend have argued on spaying Oreo or not because I read the spaying can help in litter box training and it stops them from marking their territory with poop and urine all over the place. On the other hand, my boyfriend gives a good argument about rabbit rights (lol) he thinks Oreo is her own rabbit and she the right to keep her bunny parts where they are. but its a hassle for me because Oreo lives with me and give her free roam every time I can and she scattered poop around the house. its a dilemma.

3. Caging? – is an X – pen a good enough cage for my rabbit? it has her hay stack, and I took away all the sheets and pillow because she pees on it. She mastered the art of litter box though.

4. Cleaning her – Her feet are all matted, and I dont know how to clean her because she is too frisky about being handled.

5. Litter? – The littler on the litter box is compressed wood pellets. is this a good kind? I got wood shaving before but it wasnt good so i switched.

SO right now, those are my questions. Another thing, do they take debit cards on their store here? if so, I would love love lvoe to shop here religiously.  

thanks! would love to hear some tips and if there are other Filipinos here living in the metro, please add me up because I would love to hear from you about hay  

[LongEaredLions]

Welcome to the forums, and congrats on your new bunny!
1. I can’t tell just by the pictures. If you ask the vet some questions such as “what is the proper diet for a rabbit?” (Mostly hay, veggies and a tiny bit of pellets) to see if the vet gives good answers.
2. Definitely get her spayed. Besides the reasons you posited, the big one is that unfixed female rabbits have an 80% chance of developing uterine/ovarian cancer by age 2, and the risk gets higher the older they get.
3. Xpens are great for rabbits. You still do need to let her out for run time however.
4. You can “bunny burrito” her by wrapping her up in a towel and then just folding the towel up. Be gentle with her feet.
5. Compressed wood pellets are great! I use them too. You can buy them at hardware stores for cheap, they are sold as wood stove pellets. As long as they have nothing added they are fine!

I don’t know if debit cards are accepted on the BB store. I will see if I can find out.

[Oreoballs]

Thanks for that reply! But i asked my vet, and he says he doesnt spay pets. And he said i dont need spay her. Now im thinking of going to a different vet just to have a second opinion,

And another thing, i had a typo. Oreo has NOT mastered litter training, how do i actually train her? I just assumed she would get the whole litterbox idea. Im a college student and i come home late so i cant keep an eye on her training round the clock.

[LongEaredLions]

I would try another “exotics” vet too.
To litter train, you need to find the corner she tends to poo/pee in the most, and put the litter box there. Bunnies like to poop where they eat, so having the hay in the box is great. Be very diligent about cleaning up, put the poops in the box, and soak up any pee accidents with a paper towel, and place that in the box as well. Positive reinforcement is great, you may want to give her a treat if you see her go in the box.
She may not completely litter-train until she is spayed.

[Oreoballs]

So i guess its decided she’s gonna get spayed in a month or two. Thanks for the tip on everything! I hope i wont have littler problems after she gets spayed. ))

[Roberta]

I noticed in your pics that you had some lovely looking hay… Some other members in the Phillipines had some trouble getting nice hay… Did you buy it locally, I am sure if they come across this thread they would be interested to know..

[Oreoballs]

Exactly why I put in Philippines in the title! im live in Manila, you see. The capital of the Philippines, theres a place called Cartimar and it is a pet place, everything you need is there. And they sell both timothy and alfa alfa hay in packs. If you know any Filipinos here they can message me. Id love to help out

Another question, what do you do to clean matted feet? I noticed she has dirty and matted feet.

[mybunnymilo]

I’ve just managed to litter train my bunny whos 10 weeks old, I found the place he mostly likes to go and I put a litter tray there, then if he makes mistakes I clean it up straight away with 50/50 water and white vinegar and I just put his poop in his litter tray as soon as I spot them it can be tiring but It works, also you could try to brush her feet if she will let you to help her out a little because she should be cleaning her feet

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