Need advice on getting a house bunny

[Courtney]

Hi everyone! Yesterday my children and I were at the pet store buying some plants for our fish tank. While we were there, a lady came in asking them to take her bunny. The per store declined, and as I was walking to my car I heard her saying they were going to release him in a field. I asked her if I could have him, and needless to say, he’s here now. I have never had a rabbit before, and I spent hours last night reading through posts on this site. I’d just like to explain his set up and see if anyone has any advice. If I say I’m doing something that’s wrong, please let me know. It really isn’t a lack of care for the bunny, just simply ignorance on my part. I can’t get him in to the vet before Tuesday (Memorial Day weekend), so in not sure of his age or gender. I went with Timothy hay since only babies need alfalfa. I’ve rationed pellets to a spoonful a day. I wasn’t really clear on the veggie list. Right now we have clover, dandelion, (my own yard, never used any weed killer) romaine lettuce, and kale. Some lists say to limit the kale, spinach, and parsley. How much and how often should he get those? Also, I couldn’t find a pet store cage that had any room. My babies are all older now, but I took out a pack and play and lined the bottom with a mattress cover and a fitted sheet. He isn’t chewing on it. Is that a safe alternative to the soft bedding in pet store cages?? It seems easier to clean. So far he seems very social. Is there a reason why he shouldn’t be able to roam the house with me?? My house has been baby proofed for years, so it really didn’t take much to get a room bunny ready. I’ve let him stay out with us pretty much all day. He has a house to hide in, and food and water available at all times. He really seems to enjoying playing with my daughter and little jingle balls. (As a side note, she’s 10 and supervised with him.) My vet sees bunnies. She responded to my email and agreed to see him Tuesday to determine age and gender as well as give little one a check up. From there we can schedule a spay/neuter. What is the recovery from that surgery like? Thank you in advance for any advice or suggestions!

[Bam]

Thank you for saving this bunny!

Timothy hay is great, any grassy hay is fine – alfalfa is for babies, just as you are saying.
A normal daily serving of pellets is1/8 cup – but it of course depends on the size of the bun and whether hes’ chubby or skinny. Chubby buns need more hay and less pellets, skinny buns need more pellets to put on weight.

Dandelion, romaine and kale are fine, but go easy on the clover-. Clover is the same family as alfalfa and should only be given as a treat. Spinach and parsley are not suitable for feeding as only vegs on a daily basis. Since you don’t know what his tum is used to, start slow with greens and increase the amount gradually. Check his poop as you go along, if a veg doesn’t agree with him, you’ll see poop irregularities. Here’s a guide to bunny poop: http://imgur.com/a/5N4lD

The diasadvantage with a pack and play is that a bunny could chew through the sides and escape. They have sharp teeth! As for bedding, I prefer fleece blankies, fleece doesn’t have threads like woven fabric has, so if the bunny eats some of it, it’s less likely to cause a GI blockage.

The first two things you want to do before you let a bunny roam free in your house is litter-train him, and get cable-covers for all electrical cords he might get into contact with. IKEA has cable-covers called Rabalder, but there are many differents kind you can find in other stores or online. Bunnies love chewing at cables, so cable covers are really important!!!

He sounds like a charming bunny! Again, so glad you saved him!

As for a spay/neuter, the recovery is dependent on whether it’s a spay or a neuter. A neuter is a simple procedure and the bun recovers in 2-3 days or less. A spay is much more invasive and the bun needs 2 weeks to heal properly.

Good luck at the vet! Please keep us posted, and don’t hesitate to ask more questions as they pop up =)

[tobyluv]

Hello and welcome to Binky Bunny! It was so good of you to take t he rabbit, who surely would have come to a bad end if he had been released.

Have you looked at the BUNNY INFO link here (at the top of the page)? It has a lot of good info. Go easy on the veggies. It’s possible that he was never fed any, or not fed any of the ones that you have. Start with one, then slowly add others in the coming days. Kale used to be on the list of veggies to be fed sparingly, but that has changed, and if you look at the lists you will find in the BUNNY INFO link, it now states that. Kale, romaine and dandelions are low in oxalic acid, so they could be fed daily, but spinach and parsley should only be fed 2 or 3 times a week.

 Besides timothy hay, orchard grass is another good grass hay. Some rabbits prefer it since it is sweeter. A lot of people put out hay blends.

A medium size (5 – 7) pound rabbit can have 1/4 cup of pellets a day, plain, with no seeds or colored bits.

None of the cages in pet stores are large enough for rabbits. An x-pen or a pen you make with wire cube squares is a lot better. The BUNNY INFO page has all the diet info and housing info as well as bunny proofing and other care topics.

Since you just got the rabbit, he may not chew things yet, but most rabbits are pretty bad chewers, especially loving electric cords. It’s usually best to limit a rabbit’s space for the first few days, so they can establish a home base. When you are sure that they are litter box trained and after you have bunny proofed rooms, then you can start letting them visit other rooms in the house.

If the rabbit is a male and is at least 5 months old, you would probably be able to see testicles. It’s possible that the former owner had it spayed or neutered, but not likely since she was ready to throw it out. Neuter surgery is less invasive so the recovery time is shorter. They will need to be kept quiet for the first few days, the the females especially will need pain meds. If they don’t start eating well after surgery, you may have to feed them Critical Care in a syringe. By the time the rabbit has surgery, you will know its favorite veggies and fruits, so make sure to have those on hand after surgery to tempt him to eat, if he doesn’t start on his own. My bunnies have always done well with their surgeries and started eating right afterwards, but it’s not always the case.

Feel free to ask any other questions.

 

[LittlePuffyTail]

I don’t have anything to add to the great advice already given but thank you so much for saving this bunny. And you most likely saved his life. It’s estimated that most released bunnies don’t last 3 days.

I ditto that the Bunny Info here on BB is a great place to start.

Welcome to BinkyBunny and I hope you enjoy your bunny journey

[Azerane]

Kale should not be fed daily. I know that a lot of people feed it daily but I personally disagree. While it isn’t high in oxalic acid (which is the main reason for not feeding other greens daily) Kale is very high in calcium. Rabbits digest calcium different to us, they will absorb all the calcium available in food instead of their body only absorbing what it needs, which results in excess excreted in the urine. Because of this, diets high in calcium can potentially lead to bladder sludge, which is calcium deposits in the urine which is both painful and unhealthy for the bun. While diet alone will not always cause or prevent this (some rabbits are just predisposed and others with a high calcium diet will never get it) for me it is worth reducing the risk. For this reason, I had a rotation of leafy greens where each day I would feed 2-3 greens with low calcium and oxalic acid, in addition to one green that was either high in calcium, or high in oxalic acid. The next day, I’d feed 2-3 low level greens again in addition to a high level green that was opposite to what I fed the previous day. Eg. one day 1 green high in calcium, the next day, one green high in oxalic. See the Binky Bunny list of suitable greens etc, the high oxalic greens are mentioned and shouldn’t be fed daily, however no list that I’ve found tags the high calcium greens so you’ll have to filter those yourself. https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/VeggieList/tabid/144/Default.aspx

Sorry for that rant, it’s just something that gets to me Everything else you have mentioned seems pretty good though, the bunny proofing of wires etc is really the most important aspect. Free roaming a house or part of a house is very possible, however it’s still important to have an x-pen or cage home-base for your bunny for when you’re sleeping or not home to ensure that he/she is kept safe.

[Q8bunny]

Great advice from the usual awesomes, but I too want to say a big thank you for stepping in on an impulse and saving this small (and seemingly very sweet) soul.

[Bam]

Rotation of vegs is absolutely the best way to go, I agree. That way you ensure that the bunny gets a little bit if this nutrient and a little bit of that, and not too much of anything. In nature bunnies mostly eats grass though, so hay is really important for them, their GI tracts have evolved to fit a high-fiber, low-calory diet.

Rabbits do metabolize calcium in a different way from most other mammals: rabbits excrete the surplus via their kidney. That’s why you sometimes see a chalky residue in their pee or cloudy urine. It’s normal, but excess calcium should for this reason be avoided. How much kale you can feed a bun is debatable, I agree there too. So the best thing is rotation, but romaine lettuce is probably always safe – it doesn’t contain much of anything. As long as the bun gets a good quality pellet and good quality hay, it won’t miss out on any essential nutrient.

[Gina.Jenny]

Hi and a big thanks for rescuing this little bun, I have three rescued stray buns, and I’m so happy to see a bun saved from being set free.

With the veg, as others have said, introduce slowly, my rescues all love dandelions from the back garden. If you have any fresh grass growing, cutting some of that with a pair of scissors and offering that could go down well. Buns usually love fresh grass, its great for their teeth, and usually their tums too, though too much of any new green can cause tummy upsets. My buns all love the dandelion stalks as well as the leaves.

With any kind of bunny pen, remember bunnies love to jump, and size is not an indication of how high a bun can jump, my smallest bunny, Gina, who is 1.8 kg can easily clear a metre, and has to have a 4 foot boundary to keep her in!

Hope all goes well at the vets, and look forward to some pictures

[jerseygirl]

Welcome Courtney

This was one lucky rabbit.
It’s already evident that you are going to be a wonderful care-giver.

[Niamian]

Well yes nothing to add here. Those are some great advice from the guys. I just wanted to thank you for taking him in.
I actually came to one of my bunnies the same way and I just can’t imagine my life without her!
Thank you again!

[Author]

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