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› FORUM › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › Help with new bunny, I’m lost
Hello everyone? I am so glad I’ve found you! My husband saw a tiny bunny in a pet shop and,fell in love and brought her home. Now we are proud bun parents!The problem is we are trying really hard to take good care of her but we need After reading your forum we found out that every single thing pet shop lady told us is dead wrong!After tossing the feed ( with nuts seeds and corn) I ordered oxbow pellets and timothy hay instead of unknown one she sold us. The problem is I don’t know her age nor breed so I don’t know how much to feed her. The woman only told us she is a dwarf and the vet said she is a girl and looks young, thats all we know. She is white and has red eyes with a hint of blue and weighs 677grams. I give her unlimited hay and handful of pellets for adults rabbits and started to give her some romane lettuce but I’m afraid to harm her so I give half a leaf a day.If anyone has any suggestions please help.
It sounds like she is too young to be spayed which means she should be on an alfalfa hay and pellet diet until she is about 6 months old. I know that doesn’t help too much. If you want to assume she is an adult then it would be 1/8 to 1/4 cup of the pellets a day and a leaf of romaine lettuce.
She sounds like a lovely girl! If she’s just 677 grams she’s most likely still growing, even a dwarf rabbit tends to weigh sth like 900 g – 1 kg when fully grown.
Unlimited hay is great and really the best thing for her. A handful of pellets is probably enough depending on the size of your hand
About 2 tablespoons/day is a recommended amount. Some young buns can be fed unlimited pellets and will regulate their intake themselves, but most buns eat more than is good for them if they get the chance. To make sure she’s getting enough food I recommend you weigh her once a week and keep a diary of her weight. I weigh my bun in a bowl on normal kitchen scales.
With greens it’s best to start with a little bit, just as you have done. Then you slowly increase the amount and/or add a new type of veg. Romaine is a good starter- and staple-veg. The House Rabbit Society is a trusted source and provides info and lists of suitable bunny veggies:
http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/
It sounds like you’re taking very good care of your little girl ![]()
Oh yay! Glad you found this forum! So many times people just come home with a pet shop bunny and don’t do enough research to realize that what they were told is likely very, very wrong!
She can have alfalfa pellets, but to be honest I never did feed my mini lop alfalfa pellets (I did give him alfalfa hay). It’s good for growing bunnies but it is far too rich for adults. Unlimited hay always is great. Usually, it’s recommended not to feed buns veggies until like 5-6 months, but I think I started giving Ophelia parsley and romaine at 4 months.. they key is just to always introduce slowly and don’t over feed veggies so much that they have no appetite for hay.
This is off topic, but I wondered what kind of cage she is living in? I don’t mean to be chastising at all, but pet stores sell these TINY cages that are nowhere near big enough for a rabbit. Even your tiny little dwarf needs enough room to run aound, hop, skip and jump! There aren’t many cages out there that are big enough without supplement from an attached exercise pen. You can zip tie the pen to the cage to create a kind of “front yard” where bun can come out and stretch and play. My bunny doesn’t even have a cage, she can go all over the apartment. I always joke that it’s her house- we just pay the rent! ![]()
Thank you so much for your answers! And you are totally right , pet shop wanted to sell us a tiny cage I really think it was to small for a hamster. We got her one that is 1 meter by 60 cm and 35 cm high. But she can run around the living room most of the day . She does get tired quiet fast though , because she either runs like crazy or sits in a corner she’ve choosen and eats her poops? She potty trained her self because she is awesome and I am trully amaized how clean bunnys are! I am still trying to find a toy she likes because she won’t play with anything! I am sorry for long posts but I am so exited to have her !
Most bunnies don’t like toys unless they’re edible to be honest!
Lots like to chew on willow or apple twigs, or willow balls or tubes.
They also like cardboard boxes to hide and jump on and run through. I normally cut two little doors in a cardboard box, and they absolutely love them.
You can also try stuffing pellets with some hay into a toilet roll tube, so they have to work to get the pellets out ![]()
Posted By BunNoob on 1/15/2018 3:38 PM
don’t over feed veggies so much that they have no appetite for hay.
Needed to see this!! Might be exactly what’s happening to my bun. He loves his veg but isn’t that interested in hay. He’s 3 months old as well ![]()
@Heaven Not saying this could be the case for you, but our little bun wasn’t interested in hay and it turns out he had some major teeth issues – so if you haven’t already, please just check them
Ohhhh yes, go check garfys post! I think it was in the behavior section and titled something like “clumps of fur in cage” … poor bun had some gnarly overgrown teeth!! It’s great that his mom was so attentive and caught on quickly and got him to a vet ![]()
Thank you @BunNoob ![]()
Thanks guys, I will keep an eye! Luckily he loves destroying his wicker basket
I also discovered something new today, I’ve started him on alfalfa since the girl I adopted him from was feeding random pet shop hay (and lining his cage with wood shavings, but let’s not go there). He’s been a bit unsure BUT since I started *hand feeding* him the alfalfa hay, he’s been investigating the feeder and nibbling more on his own. Maybe he just thought it was the same as his boring previous hay? Haha. Anyway I will continue hand feeding bits of it for a few days and hopefully it’ll encourage him to take more of an interest!
He could of done yeah, my bun is a little slow with things like that too haha.
Yes keep doing what you’re doing
has he been for a vet check yet?
@Garfy yes he went on Monday, all fine
I’m trying to incorporate teeth/eye/ear checks into his daily snuggle sessions, he’s much more willing to be prodded and poked when he’s relaxed <3
› FORUM › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › Help with new bunny, I’m lost
