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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

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.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A New owner with lots of questions!

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    • Deleted User
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        Hello everyone,

        My name is Emily and I am a first time bunny owner. I joined the site yesterday and I have done so much reading and learned so much, but there’s so many posts and I still have questions to ask! So please bear with me, I’m sorry if you’ve read this all before..

        I got my two bunnies, Hermione (grey) and Matilda (white & tan), 2 weeks ago and was told they were roughly 8 weeks old. I bought them in a pet store (Pets at Home in the UK), which I really didn’t set out to do, but whilst doing some research my heart was stolen.. such is life when you love cuddly animals! Anywho, on to my many questions..

        1. I’ve read in many places that young bunnies should eat alfafa hay, but I was given timothy hay, and was told that was what they had in the store. Should I switch them to alfafa hay or keep them on timothy? And is timothy hay the best hay for them?

        2. I’m getting confused about what quantity of food they should be getting. I always keep their hay topped up and feed them curly kale twice a day, morning and evening, about a fistful each. I’ve since learned they should have a variation of veg, but how much should they have in a day? And how many different vegetables at once? I know I need to introduce new food slowly so I don’t want to overload their little systems. I also have pellets that I was given as part of a deal when I bought them but have read conflicting things about how much they should have – I’ve read that young bunnies should get as much as they want but I’ve also read that they should be restricted by the bunny’s weight, the measurement of which seems to change on every site I read..! I’m very worried I’m not feeding them enough!

        3. I got a large cage from the store which I’ve kept for when someone needs to take care of them if I’m away. They lived in it for a week until I got my ideal hutch. (http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches/indoor_rabbit_hutches/284438) They’re allowed out in the room when I’m able to supervise them due to their youth and untrained bums which is about an hour a day at the moment. I was provided with medium wood shavings (lavender scented) but it just gets EVERYWHERE and even with a handheld hoover I can’t clean all the damn stuff up. It also gets stuck in their fur as they have lovely long fur. What would a good alternative be? Do they even need shavings all over the hutch? I’m loathe to buy more, especially as I’ve read that wood shavings aren’t good for bunnies! (Even though this stuff was packaged specifically for bunnies..)

        4. What kind of bedding is safe for them? I don’t want them to tear up something that’s bad for them. I bought a fleecey pet blanket but it got covered in those wood shavings and I’ve never seen them use it. In fact I hardly ever see them in their bedroom area at all. The top of the hutch is wire so I covered the part above the bedroom with a blanket so it was dark and safe for them. Is it worth buying a petbed or something for comfort?

        5. I’ve read that they need to be 4-6 months old to be spayed, in the meantime, should I restrict their freedom out of the hutch incase of spraying? So far they’ve only weed outside of the hutch 3 times (pretty sure all 3 were Hermione) – once on a rug and twice on my bed (I was poorly and wanted some affection, a lesson learned the hard way)! I immediately put them back in the hutch each time, but does anyone have any preventative tips to aid with this and perhaps litter training?

        Thank you for reading this far, looking forward to some replies


      • Mocha
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          Hello and Welcome! First, how old are they?

          – If they are under 6 months, they should be eating alfalfa and alfalfa pellets. Over 6 months (or when they stop growing) you need to switch to a grass hay such as timothy, orchard grass, oat, meadow hay, etc.

          – If they are under 6 months, they should be eating UNLIMITED alfalfa hay and UNLIMITED alfalfa pellets. You can start introducing veggies at 4 months old slowly. If they are over 6 months, they should eat unlimited grass hay, 1/4 cup of pellets, and at least 3 cups of 3 different types of vegetables (romaine, parsley, cilantro, etc. Kale should be fed minimal as it contains a lot of calcium, which can cause urinary issues) Carrots and fresh fruit should only be treats.

          – Rabbit’s need AT LEAST 4 hours of floor time/free range time every day. For one rabbit, their habitat must allow the to hop at least 3 times across, stand on their feet without touching the top, and lie in any desired direction. Since you have two rabbits, this must be doubled. Is your hutch big enough? I like x-pens/doggie pens as they are very spacious.

          – Get them spayed/neutered when they are old enough. http://rabbit.org/faq-spaying-and-neutering/ (read this article)

          – DON’T use shavings! For bedding, I use bathroom mats, old comforters, sheets, fleeces, dogbeds, etc. my rabbits sometimes chew them but they stop if I give them more chew toys. If you want to go for something more natural, you can use straw (I think they sell it at pets at home)

          – It’s very difficult to littertrain a rabbit until it’s spayed or neutered, so I would just wait until then. Also, what gender are your rabbits? If they’re boy and girl you defiantly want to seperate them until they are fixed, if they are girl and girl, they might start fighting so seperate them (You can put them in pens next to each other)

          I hope I helped and please let me know if you have any other questions!


        • Deleted User
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            Hi Mocha, thank you!

            They are both unspayed girls and roughly 10 weeks old.

            They have been fed (from the pet store) on timothy hay, “nuggets” (Ingredients: Lucerne, wheat, oatfeed, wheat bran, soya bean hulls, molasses, soya oil, yeast, mint, monocalcium phosphat, short chain fructo-oligosaccharides, salt & minerals – sound very unlike what they should be eating   ) and veg once a day – the assistant mentioned kale which is why it is what I bought.

            Since I’ve had them I’ve given them veg twice a day, unlimited timothy hay and these nuggets once a day – thinking I need to switch their diet up in a major way! The guy in the pet store didn’t mention alfafa at all!  I’ll get them some new food today, should I just switch it straight over or mix it with the timothy hay and do it gradually?

            I think their hutch is big enough for now but I may need to change it. I have a very small living space (studio apartment) and am still figuring out bunny proofing, but once it’s sorted they’ll be roaming free on laminate flooring (easy to clean! )

            Thank God I don’t have to get more shavings – they’re the bane of my life haha! I will invest in some nice mats and maybe a little bed (and perhaps the rug Hermione has taken to weeing on, sigh.)

            They’re very friendly and loving with eachother right now, should I separate them preemptively or just if there’s a problem?

            Thank you 


          • Sarita
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              1. Timothy hay is good for them – you can supplement this with alfalfa – most likely their pellets are alfalfa anyway. It is just suggested that they get access to alfalfa. House Rabbit Society says unlimited hay which I take to mean grass hay. Up to 7 weeks they say access to alfalfa.

              2. Unlimited pellets. If you are already feeding greens and they do well with them, I don’t see a need to stop them if they enjoy them.


            • kirstyol
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                Please make sure they are both female, pets at home are terrible at getting this wrong. In their defence its difficult to tell with young bunnies. Bramble is a product of someone getting two males from pets at home, when he took them for their first vet check one was obviously female since she was pregnant!


              • Hazel
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                  Welcome!

                  Young bunnies benefit from Alfalfa, it’s richer than Timothy and helps them grow. One source of Alfalfa would be great, either pellets or hay, the other can be Timothy. They should have unlimited pellets while they’re growing, up until about 7 months. Then they should get 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup of pellets PER 6lbs of body weight, per day. My bun weighs 3lbs, he gets 1/8 cup a day. At this age they shouldn’t have any more Alfalfa, it’s too rich for adults and can upset their digestive tract as well as cause bladder sludge.

                  I second kirstyol on the gender thing, they will be hitting puberty before long and you don’t want any oops litters!


                • Deleted User
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                    Could any other UK bunny owners recommend a pellet brand? I’ve ordered some alfalfa hay.


                  • Bam
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                      The best pellet brand is Oxbow. They have various kinds of food depending on the age etc of the rabbit. It’s recommended by vets all over the world. You should taper out the nuggets by gradually adding a small amount of the good pellets, not switch right over. The bunnies may not like the new kind as much as the nuggets to start with since it doesn’t have molasses.

                      Edit: Sorry, I’m not a UK owner! Oxbow would still be available in the UK thouh. I use a brand called Cunicomplete by Versele-Laga since my dog eats the Oxbow (bunnies don’t finish them at once and they all live in the same space, dog steals their food). It’s European I think .It’s grain-free. I’m from Sweden. I order from Zooplus, I know you get Zooplus in the UK as well. 


                    • Mocha
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                        I also reccomend the Burgess Excel rabbit nuggets. My friend who lives in the UK has been feeding them to her 5 year old rabbit her entire life and she has a nice shiny coat and is very healthy.


                      • Beka27
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                          Welcome to BB! Congrats on your new babies! When you find the right ones for you, you don’t always get a lot of say in the matter!

                          Your questions seem to have been answered, but i really want to stress the importance of a preliminary vet exam, both to check for common baby ailments (mites/parasites) and to get sex verification. They are soooo often mis-sexed!

                          Do you have a rabbit vet in mind yet? Try to get that appointment set up within the next few weeks.


                        • Deleted User
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                            Thanks bam & Mocha, I used Zooplus to get my hutch and some toys so I’ve got lots of points to use to buy some pellets!

                            Thanks Beka27! When I bought them they were checked over and sexed by the assistant, and they came with a free vet health check, vaccinations and microchips so we went to the vet that day and she also said they were both girls. I was quite happy with the service, however a close friend of mine adopted a rabbit through Pets at Home and had loads of problems as he lacked health history and has an ongoing tooth problem which was misdiagnosed by that vets, so she’s recommending me a vet that has helped them through all that. Although I had good service I don’t want to risk my bunnies’ health, so as soon as I have the details they’re going to the vet!

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                        Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A New owner with lots of questions!