New Bunny Mommy with Questions....

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 16sd replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 1 month ago by LoveChaCha.

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- 01/27/2011 at 12:44 PM
  sealeylover
  Participant
  7 posts
  hello everyone…im brand new here and i also am a brand new bunny mommy! ) I got sealey (a male mini lop) about a week ago at a pet shop. He’s very small, tho i’m not sure exactly how old he is, he’s very young. Anyways, i had a few questions about his behavior and so on and see if anyone could help… Sealey likes to poop and go potty all over his cage! I’ve had bunnies in the past but i’ve never had a house bunny before, and all my previous bunnies did their buisness in one corner. Well, sealey goes everywhere and anywhere. this makes me wonder how in the world i’m going to litter box train him! any suggests or thoughts on this? o u think as he gets a little older he’ll start going in just one place? and how do i encourage this?
  
  Ok, secondly, Sealey gets really spooked at times. I let him out of his cage to hop around my room when im watching him, but anytime i get close he darts away and sometimes i really cannot catch him….he’s fine if im just sitting on the floor with him but whenever i make a move, he’s outa there. I’m afraid that im not going to be able to get to him if i need to… I’m hopping once we get more bonding time in he will be fine, but im just not sure.
  
  Thirdly, Sealey gets poop and whatnot matted into the fuzz around his back side…is this a problem? eventually he cleans it off but some of it get’s really hard and i have to pull it out….I’m just not sure if this is an issue or not…
  
  *sigh* i may just be being silly, but i need advice of other rabbit owner to make sure im doing this right… research can only get one so far. i would very much apprecaite your comments and tips…thank you!
- 01/27/2011 at 12:57 PM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  One thing I would recommend about the poop butt issue is to get him tested for coccidia. This is very common in baby rabbits particularly one as young as him.
  
  Getting spooked is typical for rabbits – he just needs time to trust you.
- 01/27/2011 at 1:35 PM
  sealeylover
  Participant
  7 posts
  thanks you…i will make an appointment with my local vet clinic. i figured he just needs time to trust me, i was just taken aback a bit because none of my other rabbits have ever acted like that.
- 01/27/2011 at 1:50 PM
  peppypoo
  Participant
  1945 posts
  Tammo and Peppy were as friendly and affectionate as they come…when we adopted Remi, I was kind of disappointed at first because of how skittish he was. Just like you described, he’d bolt whenever anybody tried to approach him. But in the only two months we’ve had him he’s become a lot more sociable, will tolerate (and enjoy, I hope!) pets, and occasionally gives kisses as well if he’s feeling generous . Some buns have a more nervous nature and will always be more skittish, and some buns just take some time!
- 01/27/2011 at 4:24 PM
  Monkeybun
  Participant
  10479 posts
  When he gets older, you can get him neutered, which will help with the litter training as well
- 01/27/2011 at 4:27 PM
  LizzieKnittyBun
  Participant
  2147 posts
  Good news…. this is absolutely typical baby bun behavior! Yay! Remy did just about everything you mentioned…. the skittishness, the rampant poopage, and even the poop stuck to his fur. He ended up having a couple of medical issues that he came home with, so it’s great you’re getting your new baby checked out ASAP.
  
  More Good news! The older your bun gets, the better he’ll be about his litterbox habits, his trust, and his affection. It amazes me how frightened Remy was when he first came home, and now he follows me around and chins me and begs for food all day long.
  
  I’m so happy for you! This is going to be a wonderful experience for you as you develop your lifelong relationship with your new bunbun.
  
  Also… every single one of the issues you mentioned is *dramatically* improved upon neutering. I hope you’ll neutered your new baby when he’s old enough so he can live a long, happy life with you.
  
  Cheers!
- 01/27/2011 at 5:12 PM
  RabbitPam
  Moderator
  11002 posts
  You can immediately soak up the pee and scoop up the loose poos and put the soaked tissue and poos into his litter pan. Then make sure he smells it in there. You can lure him into it at the same time with some hay in one end. Notice if he’s been peeing in the same spot in the cage or room over and over, and move his litter box to that location. He’s chosen it as his preferred spot, which means he feels safer there. It’s just noticing where it’s more frequent if it’s all over. Then clean the rest of the area with a light vinegar and water spray. That should repel him from other spots, and lure him to the litter pan. He’ll catch on soon. His butt may be poopy due to sitting in his mess (let’s hope). But you need to get him a baseline exam with your vet, so follow Sarita’s suggestion and check for everything.
  
  Congratulations on your new baby! You will have years of fun with him, and be a crazy bunny slave like the rest of us.
- 01/27/2011 at 8:09 PM
  sealeylover
  Participant
  7 posts
  aw thank you so much everyone! i’m relieved to hear that this is normal for a baby bun… Sealey is having a wonderful time running and binking around my room right now for play time I set up his litter box differently so he has some food and hay right there and he has already gone in it… we still have a ways to go with that but i’m more confident now…
  
  i do plan on getting him neutered when he gets old enough…which brings to me to question, how will i know when he’s old enough? ha
  
  im so excited to see him grow and become more bonded with my baby!
- 01/28/2011 at 10:02 AM
  LizzieKnittyBun
  Participant
  2147 posts
  aww yay! If he’s already doing binkies, then you are off to a fantastic start!!!
  
  Usually vets recommend at least four months, which was the age of both of our buns when they got fixed. Apparently it’s not a question of size so much as reproductive development. Just ask the vet when you see him and get his recommendation as to when would it would be safe.
  
  Hooray!
- 01/28/2011 at 5:34 PM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  A soon as his little boy bits are visible, he can be neutered. If they don’t show up by 4-5 months, chances are your boy may be a girl…
- 01/28/2011 at 8:55 PM
  cactuspancake
  Participant
  536 posts
  That’s how my baby bunny was when I got him as well Took him two weeks to warm up, and he’s about four months old now and just got neutered a week ago. He was skittish at first but now he sleeps in my lap for hours XD
- 01/28/2011 at 9:53 PM
  sealeylover
  Participant
  7 posts
  soooo… sealey has decided that he wants to sleep in his litter box… even when i move it over to the areas he’s pooping in… btw he’s skiddishnes is gettingf a little better already
- 01/29/2011 at 7:10 AM
  MissPinUp
  Participant
  151 posts
  When I litter trained Lucy, I got her an xpen and put a little box in every corner. It’s a common method, I removed one box every 2-3 weeks. Within the first month she began favoring one box, so I figured that one would be a winner, and it was!
  
  It’s hysterical now because she moves everything, loooves moving her stuff around. Husband put her litter box in the “wrong” corner once and she had moved it halfway across the pen by the time I had come home. Silly bun, silly husband.
- 01/29/2011 at 12:33 PM
  cactuspancake
  Participant
  536 posts
  Franz slept in his too. Fixed it with more litterboxes!! He still sleeps in that one but I leave it for him and it’s always clean lol
- 02/06/2011 at 8:57 PM
  sealeylover
  Participant
  7 posts
  SO sealey…idk he seems to be getting fat… i do not over feed him…i let him out to exercise regularly…but he seems to be gaining weight rapidly…is this normal?
- 02/06/2011 at 9:07 PM
  Monkeybun
  Participant
  10479 posts
  baby bunnies do seem to expand quickly, he’s likely just growing fast, if he was still a baby when you got him.
- 02/07/2011 at 12:49 PM
  LoveChaCha
  Participant
  6634 posts
  Very normal
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