New buns issue

FORUM

What are we about? Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules.

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

This topic has 18sd replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 11 months ago by jerseygirl.

Viewing 18 reply threads

Author

Messages
- 05/01/2011 at 5:43 PM
  mia
  Participant
  617 posts
  I just got my buns and after a 30mins or so, they stopped shaking so the adjustments are going great. However, when I unloaded them into the condo, I just placed the whole crate on the second floor. The problem is that they won’t leave the second floor. They are peeing on the second floor corner so it’s leaking/dripping down to the first floor and sides of the base. Since they peed in the corner and they like to sit/lie down in the corner, they are sitting in pee (soaked towels).How do I get them to go down? Should I move everything up to the second floor (food, water, hidey house, etc)?
  
  Also, I saw one eating poo (it’s dry and single so I’m pretty sure it’s not the other stuff). Should I be concerned? Don’t know if this is part of the adjustment type of behavior.
  
  Thanks.
- 05/01/2011 at 5:52 PM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  How long have you had them? It can take awhile to adjust.
- 05/01/2011 at 6:24 PM
  mia
  Participant
  617 posts
  Just got them today but concerned because the water, hay, litter, etc are all on the bottom floor.
- 05/01/2011 at 6:27 PM
  peppypoo
  Participant
  1945 posts
  Maybe you could make some stepping stone between the first and second floors – they might not know yet that it’s a distance they could jump, and an intermediate box would help them explore more and access the food/water/hay/litter. As for the poops, some bunnies tend to munch on normal poops every now and then…I don’t think there’s anything too unusual about it. Bunnies sure are strange little creatures sometimes .
- 05/01/2011 at 8:04 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  Could you contain them down the bottom and block off the upper floor for now? It might seem less overwhelming then.
- 05/01/2011 at 8:07 PM
  Sam and Lady's Human
  Participant
  2001 posts
  How old are they?
- 05/02/2011 at 3:11 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  Rabbit eyesight is not good for judging distance. I assume you already have, but if not, move them down to the first floor. They will need to learn to go UP before they will be confident in going DOWN. It’s also a good idea for an intermediate box or something they can hop on.
- 05/02/2011 at 9:25 AM
  mia
  Participant
  617 posts
  I’m not confident enough to pick up the girl . She’ll go higher (3rd floor) and come back down (2nd floor) but I’m not sure if she’s gone to the first floor.
  
  I picked up the other one (squirmy squirmy, almost dropped…) and put him on the 1st floor. He immediately went back up to the 2nd floor but I have seen him wander back down so I’m not as worried.
  
  Neither seem to be eating much. Don’t know how much they should be eating but they’ve barely touched anything (hay, pellets, broccolli), only a few nibbles here and there. Behavior wise they seem OK, snuggling, grooming, etc.
- 05/02/2011 at 9:58 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  How long have you had them? Sometimes it takes awhile for you to learn how much they eat and how active they are.
- 05/02/2011 at 10:26 AM
  mia
  Participant
  617 posts
  Yes, I understand I need to have them longer than a day to get to know them and their habits but I’m afraid they will starve at this rate. I was told to give 1/4 cup of pellets and plateful of veges (one in morn and one at night) but they are not eating anything close to that – roughly 10 pellets, 2 broccoli like the size in this pic and 2 long strands of hay each. I am not usually this worried about things but this seems like major undereating.
  
  Maybe they will eat when I’m not there (I live in a studio apt).
- 05/02/2011 at 10:28 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  How old are they?
- 05/02/2011 at 10:59 AM
  mia
  Participant
  617 posts
  Don’t know but >2yrs.
- 05/02/2011 at 11:08 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  Are those the buns in your photo – adorable! They may just not be big eaters. I would say as long as they are pooping and seem fine then they are most likely okay.
  
  I have some rabbits that eat just about everything in sight and others that eat very little. I would also try offering an assortment of greens – they may not like broccoli. It’s also possible that they have not been exposed to greens and vegetables in their prior home.
  
  They also look small as well so probably they aren’t going to eat a ton of food.
  
  Have you made an appointment yet for them to be seen by your vet?
- 05/02/2011 at 11:47 AM
  Tate
  Participant
  734 posts
  Your bunnies are so adorable! They are from Save A Bunny, right?
  You may need to vary the food already- I know, it’s generally suggested that you start with one type of veggie for a week and then slowly add in more and more, but since they are a bit older, they should be able to handle different foods.
  My bunnies LOVE red and orange peppers (higher in sugar that green ones though, so be aware of how much you give) and spinach. You could also try smaller bits of apple and banana to get their appetite going.
  What kind of pellets are you feeding and more importantly, are they the same ones from the shelter? They may just be getting used to this new food.
  Neither of my boys were big hay eaters until I started to vary the kinds of hay they get- right now, they are getting a mix of timothy, mature oat, and orchard grass. I just ordered a blue grass mix and young oat hay from the BinkyBunny store. Now I find that they are eating all of their hay, even the timothy witch they DESPISED before. I think bunnies are all about options, options, options!
  You could try to lure them both down to the first floor using a treat (bananas are the best! so sugary! but again, watch out for moderation). Let them sniff it and then guide your hand down to the first floor so they follow. Try to encourage them to go down there with treats or toys. You may need to rearrange their cage if you find they prefer to go potty on, say, the top floor rather than the bottom floor. But definitely let them know that there’s things to do on the first floor.
- 05/02/2011 at 12:20 PM
  mia
  Participant
  617 posts
  Yup, from saveabunny so I don’t plan on a vet visit till maybe a month down the road since they had care there. Also, it was 45min-1hr trip home so I don’t want to have them experience car rides soon unless I have to.
  Ok, I’ll get additional greens tonight and mix the hay up. I have some hay from the shelter as well as a couple different kinds I bought myself but I didn’t want to open “extras” till needed. I guess that kind of logic doesn’t work here. The pellets are (timothy hay) ones I bought myself so they may be different from ones they are used to.
  
  How did I find fur at my desk at work already?
- 05/02/2011 at 1:44 PM
  Tate
  Participant
  734 posts
  Luckily, hay will stay good for a while- none of it should go bad. I bought a big plastic bin with lid at Target and that’s where I keep all of my hay. I’ve also just done a big unscented garbage bag. That way, you won’t have 3 or 4 different hay bags lying around.
  It may take them a while to adjust to new pellets as well, but don’t get discouraged. Veggies and hay are most important in their diet.
- 05/03/2011 at 9:40 AM
  mia
  Participant
  617 posts
  They still won’t touch the hay much but getting additional greens helped. Although they didn’t munch through a “large” portion, they ate more than before =).
- 05/03/2011 at 9:52 AM
  Sam and Lady's Human
  Participant
  2001 posts
  Posted By miaeih on 05/03/2011 09:40 AM
  They still won’t touch the hay much but getting additional greens helped. Although they didn’t munch through a “large” portion, they ate more than before =).
  
  I use 2 kinds, orchard grass and Timothy, and occasionally I’ll go over and fluff and shake up the hay, it seems to make him interested again.
- 05/04/2011 at 12:16 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  How did I find fur at my desk at work already?
  
  Lol. Welcome to the world of bunnies!
  
  Can you contact SAB and ask when typical feeding time was? Rabbits really like routine so if you can initially stick to one similar it may help them settle in better. Then you can adjust it to suit your lifestyle afterwards. It could be the stress of the new environment has lowered their appetite a little.
Author

Messages