Hello! I also just got a rabbit a week ago. I had her litter trained in a couple of days really. There are random stray poops here and there but only around the litter box so she’s done really well and I’ve never had her pee outside of the litter box. I may have gotten lucky but I will tell you how I set up the litter box.

I have a puppy pad (optional – I just think it’s easier to clean up every day for me at least) at the bottom, folded in the corners so it fits nicely and she can’t chew on the edges. Then I have some paper based litter (do NOT use cat litter. This is harmful to their respiratory system), just a handful or two on one side to help soak up liquids. and on the other side I put a good amount of hay. They really like to go to the restroom wherever hay is. It’s a good natural instinct for them plus chewing on hay while they do their business helps their digestive system run smoothly.

If you find poop outside the litter box, put those poops into the litter box. Especially if she can see you do this. She will start to understand as the days go that THAT is where the poop goes. If she pees outside the litterbox, wipe it up with a paper towel then put that paper towel in the litter box so she associates that smell. Just be consistent. Put your bunny in the litterbox if you happen to catch her to start going potty somewhere on the floor.

Rabbits are surprisingly really intelligent and many people won’t learn this because they keep them cooped up in a cage all day every day with little or no interaction sometimes. So they could very well be treated like dogs or cats etc. As time goes, all the animals will get used to each other. She’s probably just wanting to be playful and is actually excited about the other pets in the home. I’m not sure about the walking thing haha but every bunny has their own personality and their own little things they do.

Bunnies can be picky. Just let them pick their favorites. Though it’s important they have unlimited hay every day so just make sure that is out for them (preferably in their litter box) I only keep the hay there so I know she won’t go potty anywhere else because she’s eating hay. But I always make sure to have a ton out at all times. Just keep it out constantly and she will start to eat it more and more.

Only drinking from a bowl is good. A bottle won’t supply enough water throughout the day anyway and they’re a lot harder to keep clean. I just use one of those refillable cat water bowls, it works great.

But overall she really does need hay. If she eats too many veggies and not enough hay she could get GI Statis and you’ll have to take her to the vet to get treated. Pellets are good but in small amounts.

Not sure about the breed thing

Hope this helps and wasn’t too confusing

Having a rabbit for the 1st time can be a steep learning curve! I really recommend bookmarking http://rabbit.org/ as there is a wealth of information on there. Also do check out the BUNNY INFO tab at the top of the page here, if you have not done so yet.

Do you have an idea how old she is? If quite young, I would keep her diet pretty basic for now (see bunny info). I also wouldn’t allow the store to tell you the sex. They notoriously get it wrong.

but the pet store attendants said that she does seem to “be pushing out a bit.” Whatever that means?

I suspect they mean when they put some pressure around the genitals to check them, they protrude a bit. But this happens for both male and female rabbits!!

It’s a good idea to keep her more contained when in a new home. This will help with litter training and allow her relationship with the cats develop slower and more positively. You dont want her learning to use aggression, especially since you have children. She is already defending herself when she percieves danger or a challenge from the cats.

She usually wLks around with her ears flat back

This could be fear or fear-based aggression. It’s to do with how she is feeling. This site is worth checking out: http://language.rabbitspeak.com 

Can you set up the unused closet as her domain? Make it so the cats cannot access it? 

Starting off, I knew that bunnies can be potty trained, so I made a litter box. She will not use it. She kind of does I guess, but only because she will poop and pee everywhere and anywhere. She doesn’t have a favorite spot, wherever she is when she needs to go, she goes. So that leads my first question, How do i change this behaviour?

It’s pretty typical for them to mark everywhere when coming into a new home. Also typical if she is young. By setting up a cage/pen or other area that is exclusively her territory may help. Provide a good size litter box and put some hay in it. They like to poop where they munch on hay.  Sweep up the stray poops and put them in the box. If you decide to use the closet, line it with something like a viynl offcutt. This will make your life much easier!

There are some colours and breeds of rabbits that have shaded “points” and the ruby eyes. Typically they’ll have shaded tail, feet, nose and ears. You may see she will develop some more grey points.
Are you able to upload a photo of her?

Hi Alyssa, congrats on getting a new bunny Some things that came to mind when I read through your post:

1) Do you know how old the bunny is? There are quite a number of pet stores that sell bunnies far too young. They should be at least 8 weeks old before they can be separated and weaned from their mothers – any younger than that can be detrimental to their overall health because their little bodies will not be properly developed. Several points in your post (e.g. walking rather than hopping, not eating hay, fur being see through) make it seem like the bunny is still very very young.

2) “We believe the bunny is a girl, but the pet store attendants said that she does seem to “be pushing out a bit.”
Bunnies can be very difficult to sex. Many people get it wrong and so it’s best to wait until the bunny is older to determine its sex. If it’s a male, testicles will descend in a few months’ time.

3) “Starting off, I knew that bunnies can be potty trained, so I made a litter box.”
Yes they can be trained. However when they become sexually mature and hormones start to kick in, they may lose their litter habits until they are neutered or spayed at the appropriate age. If it’s a female bun, spaying is important as females have a high chance of getting uterine cancer when they are older. If it’s a male, the bun may display behaviour such as excessive humping, spraying pee or being aggressive until they are neutered. As for how to litter train your bunny, Alisha has answered that so I won’t repeat it Be careful of the carrying part though, most buns don’t like to be carried so they may either kick and harm their fragile spines, or you may lose your grip and drop them. They are very fragile creatures.

4) Be very careful with the cats. All it takes is a split second for the bunny to be harmed.

5) “Third thing, I have tried to feed her every bunny safe veggie imaginable. All she will eat is carrot, broccoli, a little lettuce, a little bell pepper, and kale her absolute favorite. Other than than she eats very little of her pellet and very little to no hay.”
It really sounds like she is very young. If she is, veggies should not be in her diet for now. Even when she grows into an adult, certain veggies like carrots should also only be used as a treat as it is too high in sugar. She may not be eating hay because her teeth aren’t properly developed yet and she is unable to munch on hay or pellets. It’s absolutely crucial that you take her to a rabbit savvy vet and find out how old she is, so that you can provide her with the appropriate diet.

6) Can you try uploading a picture of her? It’s easier to try and see what breed she is if there are pictures.

Her feet and tummy being yellow is most probably due to being stained by pee. I’m not sure about your location, but pet shops in my area mostly throw some wood pellets in a glass aquarium-like “cage” for bunnies, so it’s highly likely that they will sit and lay around in their own poop and pee when the bedding doesn’t manage to absorb it properly.

Bunnies will chew and eat almost anything, including poisonous plants, wires, brooms, clothes, hair, rice…you name it. So it’s more of our jobs to make sure they don’t ingest things that they aren’t supposed to. You can check out the BUNNY INFO section on top to find out more about keeping your rabbit safe and healthy

I use MS Paint to resize pictures (not sure if you’re using Mac or Windows). Alternatively there should be some free online sites that allow you to resize photos and save them in your computer so you can upload them here. The pictures are best kept under 300kb and make sure they aren’t named weirdly. I normally just rename them to “1” or “2” etc before uploading.

Really?? The bottom of my rabbits feet are yellow too even though she’s white everywhere else. I was just assuming maybe that was part of her fur naturally. She was in a cage with a bunch of other rabbits before I got her. To ensure it isn’t stained, what should I do?

Both of my boys are white on their undersides, and their feet have been yellow since I’ve had them (almost a year). No amount of washing has ever gotten rid of it. My vet said it’s totally normal for light colored bunnies to get yellow feet and not to worry about it.

White rabbits just have slightly pee stained feet there’s nothing you can do it about it, other than ensure she has a clean environment, but even with the cleanest litter trays, it still happens.

Okay yeah, fair enough

Haha I guess I may have dramatised it a little – but the first thought that came to mind when OP said “stained dark yellow” was that it was indeed “stained” due to an improper housing environment.

Bunnies in general do have yellowish feet of varying degrees depending on fur colour, so as long as they are well taken care of, you’ll know if it’s indeed due to serious staining or just natural

Hi. As for cats, I cannot say as I only have my Bun, however, I have worked with cats and owned cats for most of my life and like others have said, just keep monitoring. Sharp claws are a big deal for fragile bunny skin. As for veggies, I agree, she sounds a bit too young to offer veg to for the moment. Next, the walking… I have read here on the forums in the past that the way she is walking is not that uncommon for baby bunnies… lastly, as for breed, I’ve got to admit, I’m a bit tickled pink with this one bcz it sounds like you’ve got yourself a broken albino ( a pink skin, pink eyes, colors on points (tail, nose, feet, ears and for females, dewlap) you could very likely have a Himalayan or a Californian. Californians are a cross breed from the Himalayan, New Zealand Whites, and Chinchilla…the end result became the breed Californian early to mid last century… if your bunny is a broken albino with color points, the colors will develop more as she matures. I got my BunBun when she was abt 10/11 months of age. Her ears, nose and tail colors were defined but her feet were much lighter than they are now (5 months later and cold winter) and here’s a fun fact about Californians colors, they are also thermal responsive! They will darken during cooler and cold months and lighten up a bit in the warm weather… my Bun is a Californian and she is a delight… and I hardly see anyone with this breed…

Oh, and luckily, as soon as I got Bun a litter box and off of the fore sake not wire bottom cage she was given to me with… I wiped the bottom of the old tray with a paper towel and stuck that paper towel into the new litter box and from that moment on she knew that that was where she was “SUPPOSED” to and preferably go… except for when she doesn’t occasionally… she is still not fixed and potty problems from time to time come with that territory. She doesn’t spray thankfully and she appears to only pee in certain other spots when she is new to them, marking her territory… but for the most part she returns back to her den ( dog crate with a hide house, water bowl, hay rack, a few toys and litter box) to do her pee. But she leaves random bunny berries all along her merry trail around the home. These are territorial poops! Again, staking her ownership!
I hope to soon get time to resize some photos and upload them as I tried many times and no luck.