House Rabbit Community and Store
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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.
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Hey everyone,
I’m a first time bunny owner and I love my bunny more than anything! I’ve done tons of research on how to best care for him but I’m still terrified I’m going to somehow mess up! I was wondering if everyone reading this could “fill in the blank” to the following categories so I can have some recommendations on the best of the best to give my bunny to prevent health issues and ensure his happiness. Thank you!
1. Pellet composition/ brand
2. Combination of leafy greens per meal
3. Bedding type/ brand
4. Treats, portions and frequency of treats
5. Litter type/ brand (for a litter box with a grate)
6. Frequency of Vet wellness checkups
7. Supplements/ vitamins?
8. Brand of hay
Hi! I would love to help 🙂
I hope this helped. Let me know if you have any more questions!
These are just my suggestions. Please seek an experienced veterinarian if you have medical needs / questions. Thank you!
Also, if you have access to clean, organic dandelions, those are good too!
For pellets, Oxbow garden select. Avoid foods with corn, wheat, soy, sugar ( molasses), fillers (if you don’t know what it is, your bunny doesn’t need it).
You can get a good variety of greens in the pre packaged salad section.
I found the crumbled paper works well, doesn’t track, kick out, or stick to the fur like typical paper litter and softer than pelleted paper. I also offer him a fleece blanket in his hide.
Treats can be other veggies, small amounts of fruit. As for store bought treats, use sparingly and avoid those with sugar. Loops are good.
For the litter box, pine pellets work awesome. Feline pine is good but pricey. If you have a farm supply store near, get the one marketed for horses. Doesn’t take a lot, so a bag will last awhile.
Probably only need yearly visits, unless an issue pops up.
Shouldn’t really need supplements, but there are some general ones by Oxbow that can be used as treats, my hamster loves them.
As for hay, most are fine, but Oxbow tends to have the best quality. Not sure if Standlee brand is available in your area, but if so, it has an exceptional Orchard grass hay that is the only stuff my G.Pigs eat.
Welcome to Binky Bunny 🙂
I also recommend checking out the “Rabbit Info” tab at the top of the page. There is lots of great info that has been vetted by the experts on this site that should help answer all of your questions.
More so than specific brands, there is some info there that will help you learn to read ingredient labels to know what to look for in good quality feed and supplies. There is also great info there on health checks, veggies to feed, etc.
For hay, I would look for a source that is fresh and that your bun loves. Any grass hay (timothy, orchard, rye, oat, bermuda, etc) will be good for your bunny, it’s just important that he eats lots of it. I buy hay by the bale from feed shops, because it is usually freshest, cheapest, and I have four bunnies, so we really go through it!
For litter, I use pine pellets. You can get them sold as horse stall pellets, wood stove pellets, or feline pine (but they mark up the price when sold this way). You should be able to find a 40lb bag for 8-10 dollars at feed shops.
I would get the largest litter box you can for the space you are providing your bunny. Basic large cat pans work great for a single bun.
. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
I’m not going to touch on everything because you’re already getting a lot of good advice.
On treats, you can give things like carrot and banana but only occasionally and in very small quantities. Any pet store should have prepackaged treats as well. Read the label and if the first or second ingredient is hay then personally I’m comfortable giving those treats more often. There are also really delicious treats that a human wouldn’t normally think of. One of my rabbits is absolutely bonkers for apple sticks. I would avoid the random ones on Amazon because they sound like they’re Chinese brands and I wouldn’t feel comfortable with the possible pesticide contamination. There are also some dried leafy/flowery treats that my rabbits really enjoy. The store here sells them but it looks like most are sold out right now. If you have room for a garden you can also grow mint, sage, rosemary, pansies and other rabbit safe flowers and herbs.
Oh,yes. Rosewoods Nature’s Salad is an awesome treat, dried flowers and herbs. Around here it is referred to as Pig crack, my girls do not accept other brands. Walter the bunny really likes it too.
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