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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 HOUSE RABBIT Q & A A few general questions

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    • samcake
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        I have just a few questions, & need some advice from fellow bun lovers.


        A little background on Miss Pancake: my boyfriends & I were in NM this summer for work when he brought her home as a surprise! I have always loved buns, just never had the time to put into one. She was so little we could hold her in our cupped hands…squeee! While we were in NM, she stayed in the bathroom while we were at work. There was enough room for her to be comfortable. I started out using puppy pee pads for her to potty on, and then I started using a litter box, then switched back to the pads. I didn’t like the litter box because I couldn’t find the right bun litter to soak up her mess. I would have to change it several times a day. (Or is that normal for buns?)


        We traveled a long 14+ hours home. Pancake did great at her first road trip! She slept most of the way, and munched on hay. We had a little vacation time, and I went home to visit my parents. I couldn’t keep her in our bathroom there because my mom has 2 lovely cats! We didn’t want bun bun to run out and get attacked by the cats (or visa vera.) So we got her a large dog cage with enough room (obviously WAY less room than her usual bathroom home. But big enough.) I keep pee pads in there, and change them out multiple times a day. She has unlimited food & water, as well. I cover up her cage when its bedtime, and she usually wakes me up at the crack of dawn – literally – gnawing on her cage. 


        Back into my apartment, the cage is her place to stay, but I don’t love it. When I’m at home, I’m either working for my etsy shop, or working on school work. I can’t pay attention to her when I’m working at home. I know she needs time to stretch her lil bun legs, and run around, but when I let her out of the cage, she usually ends up into some sort of trouble. She’s been LOVING pulling up the carpet and eating it  oh, and peeing on my bed is another one of her hobbies.

        Another quick thing – I mentioned this in a previous forum. She does not chew on anything, except for what she isn’t supposed to. I have literally tried everything under the sun for buns to chew… she takes it from my hand, and tosses it to the side (rude!) I’ve tried apple sticks, wood chews, hanging them in her cage (ones with pinecones, loofa, wicker ball, etc.), even a little hay mat with cute little wooden heart chews on there….I’ve tried every approach too. The toys just sit in her cage, or out in the living room/bedroom, wishing to be chewed. Sigh…..


        1. What do you guys have for your indoor buns as a “home base” or sleeping areas? 
        2. What do you use for your bun to potty in/on?
        3. What do your picky buns chew on?
        4. Should I get her fixed? Would this change her behavior? I’m not sure how old she is. If I had to guess I’d say 5-7 months.
        5. Should I get her a bun friend? Boy/girl? 

        Have a lovely weekend everyone! Thank you! 



      • JackRabbit
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          Lets see ….
          1. Home base. Right now my single bun has a huge NIC condo and my bonded pair have dog crates surrounded by 3 xpens attached together (if we can get all three bonded they will all live in the bunny room). Xpen attached to bun’s cage is a good way to give bunny more space when unsupervised.
          2. Litterboxes with Carefresh natural litter. I only use puppy pee pads in the carrier on vet trips because mine would, at some point, decide to shred and nibble on them.
          3. Anything willow! Willow chew sticks, balls, baskets, tunnels (all available on the BB store). I have bought applewood chew sticks but they aren’t crazy about those. Mine also chew on wood chew toys but not like they do their willow stuff.
          4. Absolutely! If she’s 5 to 7 months old, she’s old enough. Have a rabbit savvy vet (ideally an exotics vet) give her a checkup and have it done. Female buns have an 80% chance of getting uterine cancer. It will also help with litterbox training.
          5. Bun friends are great and there’s nothing like the love of a bonded buddy, but it isn’t necessary unless you want another bunny. Best to let her pick her own buddy if possible though. If you do get her a friend, both should be fixed before bonding. Aside from making babies if buddies are different sexes, unfixed bunnies can be more territorial, etc. and “teenage” hormones make bunnies a little crazy. I’ve heard boy/girl bonds are the easiest but it really depends on the personalities of the two bunnies, hence going to a shelter or rescue for a little bunny dating so bunny can pick her own friend. My bonded pair are boy/girl but they were born within days of each other and are half-siblings. My two girl buns do not like each other, both are little divas, so bonding attempts have been rough with them.

          Last of all, welcome to BB!


        • jerseygirl
          Moderator
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            At her age, you are probably going to have to restrict her space for a little while. When their hormones come in, they’ll start marking territory and litter habits can worsen. The dog crate sounds like a good base for her. They do like somewhere secluded to go.
            I recommend you get an x pen and set that up around the crate so she can come out into that instead of the entire room.

            With chew toys, try fixing them down low in her crate instead of hanging up. Zip ties come in handy for this sort of thing.
            I zip tied a grass mat to pen wall recently and my lop spend a lot of time chewing away at it. When I let them lay loose around in their area, they’re less interested.

            For my litterboxes, I use large tubs. I lay a whole newpaper down and pile hay on top.
            Some popular litters are paper litters (like Yesterdays News -cat & rabbit version the same thing) or wood stove pellets. If you can’t find those, look for pelleted horse stall “bedding” which is basically the same. It’s economical, absorbant and great with odour.


          • litheandgraphic
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              Welcome to the forums! Now as for your questions…

              1. Theodore has his own 16 sq. ft. exercise pen, with 42″ high sides. Inside of this, I have a variety of flooring, starting with a base of laminate hardwood tiles, then a layer of cotton towels. He has a cardboard hidey house which he often sleeps in, and he also has a little cooling station beside this where I keep a frozen waterbottle wrapped in a towel beside a small exposed section of the laminate. This keeps him nice and cool when he lays here.

              2. Theodore has a litterbox. It’s odd that you found you needed to change your bun’s litterbox several times a day – that’s usually not the case! I use CareFresh Ultra and CareFresh Complete and find them to be wonderful, paper-based litters that do a great job of absorbing liquids and odors, and are safe if ingested.

              3. I concur with JackRabbit! Willow makes a great chewing option. Also, don’t get discouraged if your bun doesn’t immediately begin to gnaw on them. It make take her some time to figure out that, hey, she can chew on these things and enjoy doing so! You may also want to try some cardboard based things, even just a random piece of cardboard. These aren’t as effective for the teeth as wooden chew toys are, but they are helpful! As jerseygirl suggested, try laying the toys around on the floor. This is a more natural approach for the bunny.

              4. As JackRabbit said, you should absolutely get her spayed as soon as she is of age. To be sure about her age, take her to your nearest rabbit-savvy vet (you can find listings for these at http://www.rabbit.org or here under the Q&A section) and get the vet’s opinion on her age. She should be spayed as soon as she’s about 5-6 months old. Spaying greatly reduces the chance of her developing reproductive cancers, and will likely do wonders for her behavior and attitude towards you, or prevent any issues from developing.

              5. I sort of think this depends on the bunny’s personality, or it depends on if you want another rabbit! Most rabbits absolutely love the company of another rabbit, and are much happier with a bonded mate. There are a few rabbits who much prefer the company of other rabbits over people. These rabbits will show very little interest in you. Others are interested in bunny and human alike, the more the merrier! And then there is the occasional rabbit like Theodore, who HATES THE GUTS OF EVERY OTHER RABBIT but loves being with people. Let her personality develop, and if you decide to bring in another bunny, let it be a neutered male or spayed female. Neutered males tend to make the easiest, best mates for spayed females, but that is a generalization. But if you decide not to get another rabbit and she seems happy in your company, then don’t worry. Many buns are happy being spoiled singletons!

              Welcome again!


            • litheandgraphic
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                {Sorry, double post!}


              • JackRabbit
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                  FLR – I’m.convinced the ones that seem to hate other rabbits are the ones that don’t realize they ARE rabbits! Kieko is one of those. Maybe Theodore doesn’t think you’re a funny looking rabbit … . maybe he thinks he is a small furry human!


                • litheandgraphic
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                    Oh my gosh, JackRabbit. This had never occurred to me, but it all makes sense now… this explains why I caught him in a dressing robe smoking a pipe the other day!!
                    No, but really, it’s probably true.


                  • JackRabbit
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                  Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A A few general questions