New Rabbit owner, looking for help!

[teaparty]

Hi ! My name is Joe, I’m a student and my flatmates, bought me a rabbit today for my birthday (without warning, quite scary). The thing is, I have very little experience with rabbits, and above all I want her to have a great happy long life, lacking in boredom and such.. So I’ve spent the last 2 hours googling like crazy to try and find out how to take care of a rabbit, and I think I’ve got it, but I’ve got a few questions

I’m a heavy smoker, is that not good, or can I just crack a window

I live in a city (Marseille), can I feed her dandylions and grass and $*&! from the park, or is there too much pollution

Walking rabbits on a lead, it looks like tremendous fun (and a total chick magnet ) Do they all enjoy it, or does it depend on personality? 

can anyone tell me her breed if i attach a pic?

Thanks very very much for any help, her name is Virginia by the way 

[Sarita]

Bonjour! Well smoking is probably not good for him/her but you sound like you are concerned so I would definitely crack a window – not sure what the weather is like in Marseille but rabbits cannot tolerate too much heat.

I definitely do not recommend a lead for a rabbit as they can easily break their back – they are very delicate – sorry, because it probably is a chick magnet.

If you attach a photo we may be able to help with breed…usually they are a mix, but we do love photos.

I would highly recommend this website for you to read:

http://rabbit.org/

[teaparty]

thanks for the help, I kind of assumed smoking would be bad, seeing as it’s bad for humans too. I forgot to attach a pic, here goes I’ll try again

[teaparty]

wow that site is quite thorough! Marseille is really rather hot, too much for me anyway, at the moment it’s like 35-C, if I give my rabbit ice cubes or something will it help?

[Sarita]

That could help – here is a link as well with some cooling ideas:

https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/23/PID/940/Default.aspx

The photo did not show up….if you go to reply there is a place on the bottom to attach photos.

[Sarita]

Sorry I guess it did attach :~) What a gorgeous rabbit – I would say she/he is a Fuzzy Lop.

[teaparty]

yeah she’s really sweet, a bit jitty but she’s getting ballsier by the minute i’m sure she’ll come around

[Sarita]

Love your avatar – is it St. Francis????

[JackRabbit]

With rabbits noses being so sensitive and easily irritated, is there any way you could smoke outside? Believe it or not, smoking inside our house was banned years ago *by the smokers*!

[teaparty]

yes my avatar is st francis! and in my house, smoking is mandatory! i can’t really smoke outside because i live in a flat and going outside every five seconds would be a major pain in the arse, i’ll just try and keep it in the non rabbit rooms

[Sarita]

LOL – it’s not ideal (the smoking) but I think your rabbit will be spoiled rotten :~) Sounds like you have it under control.

[Stickerbunny]

My suggestion if you smoke inside would be to buy an air purifier for the rabbits room, where she will be the most. When I lived in an apartment and our downstairs neighbor smoked, it would invade our apartment through the floor and the air purifier helped a ton (I find it very hard to breathe when around smoke). Without it, our apartment smelled like an ash tray, with it, I could notice it some but not too badly. You can get a small 1-2 room one for about $30-$40. And try to crack a window and blow the smoke out the window as much as you can. Also, do a routine scrub down of the stuff the rabbit will be able to put her teeth on, as the tar/nicotine coat things (last time I moved into a smokers apartment, the white window blinds had turned yellow because they didn’t clean them and the residue was all over them, was a pain to clean it off) and you really don’t want her ingesting too much of that.

For the lead, as Sarita said, it’s dangerous for them as they can easily break their spine. Also, as we all know, dogs will see rabbits as prey. Some people have had dogs come up and grab their rabbit when they took them outside. It’s just safer to not do it. You could always get a pet stroller, if you want to take her outside, that would be a chick magnet and as long as you secure it (something safer than just the thin mesh ones) it’s a lot safer. Though, many rabbits find going outside stressful, so she might not even like going for walks and probably would simply find it scary. It’s better to keep them in, unless you can make a secure run outside (complete with top).

As for grass etc from the park – I wouldn’t just because 1) If it’s a public park, people with dogs etc probably let them poop/pee on the grass. That risks parasites more so than clean grass. 2) You never know if they use chemicals to fertilize and of course pesticides, both which could be toxic to the bun. If you have a friend with a yard, go for it because fresh grass and dandelions are great for them. Just as long as it’s clean and pesticide/fertilizer free.

[teaparty]

the purifier is a good idea, i’ll try and put some money aside for it, as for the dandylions and stuff, I think I’ll get a window box or something to grow my leafy greens for her, seeing as buying fresh lettuce every day is going to really stretch my budget I am going to need to find a solution

[MK]

Welcome to the forum I love the St. Francis in your avatar Virginia is gorgeous. I would definitely try the window box for her greens, I know how expensive they can get.

[Deleted User]

I have a smoker in my household too, but I am BIG on opening windows regardless of this as I’m a fan of fresh air. It’s Winter/Autumn here at the moment and freeze my butt off cause I insist on having a window or 2 open.
During summer I never close the windows – I’m surprised if your hitting 35 degrees that your considering ‘opening’ a window? Is it because your running A/C? As soon as it hits 30 degrees here my A/C gets switched on for my bunny and dog’s (oh, and I don’t mind it either – he he he!) but I still leave a couple of windows open a bit as advised/suggested to help the air to circulate and let some stale air out.
I am a great believer that everyone is entitled to do as they please BUT it shouldn’t impact on others that don’t choose to do so – so yes, keep your windows open for your bunnies health. And like I said, no way am I going crook at you – I have a smoker in my house too.
If your not running the A/C – please take care with your bunny getting hot. As mentioned above, as soon as it hits 30 degrees here, I put the A/C on. I don’t even need to check the temperature gage – the bunny and dog’s are lifeless and pant if they have the energy.
Take care and keep ‘cool’! Cheers.

[litheandgraphic]

Welcome!

Virginia is a great name and a great-looking bunny! My guess depending on her size and fur type would be either a Mini Lion Lop (here’s another example that looks similar to Virginia) or, as Sarita suggested, a Fuzzy Lop for her breed. The Mini Lions are a little sleeker and the Fuzzy Lops have fur more like wool. Of course, she is also likely a mix between one of those breeds and something else. C:

I second what everyone else has already said, especially about the smoking, grass, and lead. Rabbits’ lungs and noses are very sensitive, so if you keep the smoking in another room with a window wide open and purchase an air purifier for the room the rabbit lives in, you should be okay. 

As for the lead, it’s true that some rabbits are okay with being walked on a lead, but it’s always, no matter what, an extraordinary risk; I would say, too much of a risk. If something startles your bunny — and it can be something you didn’t even see or weren’t expecting — they can bolt, and if they’re attached to a lead they can easily snap their spines (it’s for this reason that it is also very important to learn how to properly pick up a rabbit. What you should do is take lots of cute pictures of your bunny and show them around. I’m sure that will get the attention of a few ladies, haha.

Once again, I second the notion that you probably shouldn’t feed her grass and things from the park, simply because of the high likelihood of dangerous pesticides, parasites, and other factors. It would be much safer to simply buy store-bought Timothy hay (or alfalfa hay, if she’s under 7 months old), and feed her the lettuce — check this list for good greens to feed her, the most popular are red and green leaf lettuce, romaine, butter lettuce, cilantro, parsley… just remember NO iceberg lettuce! — you plan on growing, or from the store before you start to do that. 

Also, do you know if she’s spayed? Or, have you considered it? Although it can be pricey, it will ensure she has a long and happy life by greatly reducing the risk of cancer, and it will make her much more mellow and less aggressive if that ever becomes a problem. Also also, have you considered getting her injections for myxomatosis? If you’re in France, there’s a risk of her contracting that — and believe me, it’s the last thing you want to happen. Either way, you’ll definitely want to find un vétérinaire qui sait beaucoup sur les lapins. 

Growing your own greens in a window box is an excellent idea!!! It will save you lots of time and money. I say go for it! 

Welcome again to the forum!

[Author]

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