A couple questions from a first time rabbit owner

[therabbi]

Well, I went to the flea market today… And this fella was desperately trying to drink water and in an overcrowded cage with no food and obviously miserable and he was so friendly and was obviously asking for help. Sooo… I had to save him (or her). 

After I bought him I bought him a huge cage. He’s a big guy and I think he needs lots of space to roam. It’s three feet long and probably a foot and a half wide. I bought him a salt lick, a crunchy rabbit treat thing to hang in his cage, rabbit vitamins, oxbow rabbit food (best brand for my rats, I guessed it must be good for rabbits too), timothy hay, and a couple toys. He also has a hut in his cage. If there’s anything else he needs please let me know. 

I also do not know if he is a boy or girl, but will be taking him to get neutered/spayed this week. 

Here are my questions, which are all kind of clunky and hard to look up on the internet. I did find answers to many other questions I had already, so I’m not just throwing them all on you. Any advice is appreciated as well.

1. His cage came with a pen (Obxow Play Yard Small Pet Habitat). It is like 26 inches high or around there. Can he jump out? Am I supposed to leave his cage open with the pen out while I’m not home?

2. When I let him roam around my room A) Will he get into electrical sockets? B) Will he mess with the rat cage? It’s bars are much thinner than his cage but I don’t know if he will try to fight them through the bars or something?

3. He’s matted which to my understanding I should: cut the mats, and then comb him everyday with a wire slicker brush?

4. He is bald on the back of his neck. It is a long, thin patch. I have no idea why.

5. How much is neutering and spaying usually? At what price should I say “No” and look for a different vet? I am willing to spend however much I need to on him. 

6. Will he be able to jump on/off my bed? Is it dangerous to let him wander on the bed? 

7. This is probably a q for the vet, but he seems to be slipping all the time like he doesn’t know how to walk properly. Is this just because of the cage floor + wood floor? Or is this abnormal and something must be wrong with his paw?

8. Can I try using a leash and harness? I seen someone say it doesn’t work well with bunnies, but I would really like it if he could play outside. 

[Vienna Blue in France]

Well done for rescuing a bunny !! Lucky little guy/gal!

It sounds as if a trip to a vets for a check would be a good thing in this instance… to sex him/her, to get him checked re amtting and bald patches (stress related?)and also to see if legs are OK.
Sockets are generally OK (in my experience) but NO cables, electrical ties, or wood or plastic – as he WILL chew.
My bun has carpets and tiles to choose from, carpets are good as they can get traction and run and jump. Tiles are good as they are cool, but slippery floors are not good to run on for buns, it can damage their back.

Playing outside can be controlled with an outdoor x-pen. I would imagine a leash would only work on a VERY calm bun.

But I think a vets visit would be a good start. :o))

[tobyluv]

Rabbits don’t need salt licks, and they get all the vitamins that they need from their pellets and greens. Oxbow is a good brand of pellets. Since you don’t know if this rabbit has ever been fed greens or veggies, go very slow with that. Only offer one type of veggie to start with, such as romaine lettuce or kale or cilantro, then add a new green once a week. If this is a very young bunny, less than 12 weeks old, you should wait on the greens until he is older. You did not mention hay. That is the most important food for rabbits and they should have it available 24 hours a day. Young rabbits can have alfalfa hay, older rabbits should mainly have grass hay, such as timothy or orchard grass.

Most rabbits are big chewers, so you will have to bunny proof any area they are in and supervise them closely, especially at first. Don’t let him out loose while you aren’t home. A rabbit could jump over a play yard that is 26″ high, so keep him confined to his cage when you are gone. That can change later, but you don’t know his habits yet and he could get into trouble or injure himself if he is out when you are gone.

It would be a good idea to schedule a vet visit right now. His fur and skin needs to be looked at, and he needs a general checkup. Flea market rabbits may not have the best start to good health.

Click on the Bunny Info link at the top left of the page. There you will find all the basic care aspects covered.

[therabbi]

Thanks so much! I am so happy to have this bun.
Ohh sorry! Yes, he definitely does have plenty of hay. I’m not sure how old he is, but he’s pretty large. I can ask the vet when I see her, though.

[tobyluv]

It’s good that he has plenty of hay, hopefully he eats a lot of it. Regarding leashes or harnesses. They can be very dangerous if a rabbit gets spooked and pulls away. Rabbits can get spooked easily. There are a lot of dangers outside, from parasites to predators. It’s safer for the rabbit to remain inside.

Some rabbits love to jump and they can jump on your bed, chairs, sofa, etc. They usually get up and down with no problem.  Other rabbits prefer to stay on the ground. 

It may be that you can find a low cost spay/neuter program in your area, although they are pretty scarce  for rabbits.  I doubt that you could find a vet who would perform the surgery for less than $100.  In some areas, the spay/neuter surgeries are several  hundred dollars.  It will generally cost more for a spay than for a neuter, since that is a more complicated surgery.

Some rabbits do not like slippery floors, such as wood, vinyl or tile since they can’t get good traction on them.  Can your bunny hop normally if he is on a rug?  If not, that is definitely another reason to get him to the vet right away.  Many of us place rugs around if we have slippery floors.  

[skunklionshow]

How exciting…..it will be an awesome adventure.
Yes to the vet asap they can give you a lot of good info. No to the salt lick (as posted previously). I would not let him roam unsupervised until you learn his/her vices. I’ve had chewers and diggers and both can be very destructive to your home if unsupervised. Some rabbits will jump more than others. My latest female jumped over a 3 foot fence to get to her new bunny boyfriend, but now she won’t jump up to the second level of her Cottontail Cottage. Figure out his personality and start considering building an add on to your current cage–it sounds way to small for an adult rabbit. The bald patch could be stress, sexual aggression (onto the bunny), pregnancy preparation, or illness so you need to get that checked out. My current girl is bald on the back of her head. when her mate died she pulled out most of her hair. Then she got repaired with a humper so she just can’t win.

[Lili]

Sounds like you’re going to be a great bunny owner

I’ve seen that a couple of people on here (myself included) use sheets and pegs to cover the top of pens, seems to trick the buns into think the roof is too enclosed for them to get out of so they don’t jump out.

Having a bun wander around your bed shouldn’t be dangerous however if the bunny isn’t desexed or litter trained I’d put it off….. it could end in a mess.

Has he got a name yet?

[Author]

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