A few questions about bunnies…

[bear_the_bunny]

  Hi everyone!  I’m new to bunny ownership and to this website so sorry if I make a few mistakes.  I am getting a bunny very soon.  I had a few questions that I felt were important so here goes:

1. What is the best cage?  My mom seems to think a small guinea pig-like cage would be fine because the rabbit I’m getting is a dwarf breed, but I disagree.  What do you guys think?

2. What should I do about transporting it?  The bunny is about four hours away, and I don’t want him to be uncomfortable.

3. How do I make sure my bunny is happy and comfortable around me when I do get it?

4. Anything I should be prepared for/what should I expect?

I just want my bunny to be happy and will take any other advice you guys have.  

[GlennTheLionhead]

Hi!

There’s loads of great detailed info if you check out the bunny info section from the drop down menu.

But to quickly answer your questions…

Unfortunately a Guinea pig cage alone really will not be big enough in any circumstances but this is easily rectifable by getting a pen in addition to a cage that your bunny can roam in at all times, rabbits by nature need a lot of excercise and in the wild spend their days hoping and running around fields. Although they are small animals. If you do not have an area it can use for permenant free roaming I would recommend investing in a two tier cage and a pen as a minium and allow it excercise outside of this for a few hours a day if you can. (I know, they take up much more space than we anticipate lol)

A cat carrier with access to hay and water should be fine for journeys lasting an hour or so in my opinion.

Rabbits can take quite a long time to trust you unlike a cat or a dog, avoid picking it up as this often just scares them and prevents them bonding with you. After it settles in a bit spend time just sitting in it’s pen where it can get used to you and know your not a threat, try let it come to you and calm it with soothing voices and gentle strokes, treats are also great for bonding (again check out the info section for appropriate treats and quantities).

Be aware of dietary needs they are very specific. And be aware of what to expect when your bunny hits puberty and how to deal with this.

Again this is covered in more detail in the info section, I recommend reading through all of it when you get the chance.

Good luck with you new bunny at this exciting time! Hope it all goes well for you

[Harley&Thumper]

1. At the bare minimum get a cage that is at least 10 sq. ft. to serve a home base. Your bunny will still need at least 4 hours a day outside of the cage.

2.I would drive two hours on the way back and then take at least a half hour break so your bunny can calm down a bit and eat some food and drink some water. They tend to not eat when hurtling down the road at speeds nature did not prepare them for.

3. For the first week or so, try to pretend the bunny doesn’t exist. Don’t interact with it beyond providing food, hay, and water. After a week has gone bye you can start to bond but always remember that bunnies don’t like to be picked up.

4. Start saving up for the neuter / spay now. Bunny vet bills can get very expensive, very fast.

[bear_the_bunny]

Thank you both so much! I will definitely keep all of this in mind.

[Wick & Fable]

Welcome to BB! I’m sure lots of members will offer great information, so I’ll address something slightly off-topic, but I think it’s extremely important.

You mention that your mom thinks the guinea pig cage is the best. As stated, it’s extremely inappropriate, as a rabbit needs a central space that they can be in for peace and quiet, and separately a space to “free roam”. Rabbits are small, but they need a lot of space to run. They are programed for running and exploring. Consider that a pet dog could technically live in a doggy pen all the time, but we know that’s too small for them to be in it at all. That’s the same with a rabbit in a cage.

From this piece of information you’ve provided, it sounds like your mom is not too familiar with rabbit care. On our forums, we have a lot of younger people posting their difficulties getting their guardian(s) to provide support (financial, physical, mental) for the pet rabbit, because the guardian(s) decided to get the child a rabbit under the understanding that it’s an “in cage” pet that just needs to be kept in there and fed, but by going on BB forums, the child realizes that’s definitely not the case. Some guardian(s) will learn with the child and rabbit proof the house and begin taking on the care responsibilities; however, some are not as understanding and it leads to rehoming the rabbit.

Out of concern for you and your future pet rabbit, I suggest speaking to your mother about what you have and are learning so she knows what to expect. Here are a few points:

1) Rabbits need to go to EXOTIC vets, not a regular dog and cat vet. Exotic vets are typically more expensive. Work with your mom to find one you’re willing to go to.

2) Generally, rabbits should be spayed/neutered. If you get a young rabbit who is not, he/she may display destructive behaviors due to hormones. These will lessen through a spay/neuter, but these operations can be expensive. A spay is essential for a female rabbit, as they have an 80% chance of getting cancer without being spayed. Both males and females may excessively dig, be defensive, spray pee, and/or hump when left intact (no spay/neuter). Not all do, but many will.

3) You will need to buy hay. A lot. And you need to pay attention about what is fed. A lot of things advertised for rabbits aren’t actually that good, such as “fiesta” mix pellet food. Hay should make up 75%+ of a grown rabbit’s diet — not carrots and random veggies. There are specific rabbit safe veggies, and they should be introduced slowly.

4) Rabbit ownership usually means rearranging the house or at the minimum, needing to rabbit-proof (cover cords for example). A rabbit cannot stay in a cage. They need to be out and about as much as possible. A good alternative is buying a large x-pen which you can use to extend a large cage’s surrounding area, and this can give your rabbit much more room.

5) Every rabbit has different chewing tendencies, but majority will chew things. Be understanding, forgiving, and ready to adapt for potential furniture destruction, replacement, rearrangement, and again rabbit-proofing.

6) Rabbits are prey animals. This is really important. They hide their illnesses and are not comfortable with being picked up. A rabbit who “is acting weird” could be having gas pains, tooth pain, frustration from shedding… All parties need to know what’s “weird” behavior for the rabbit (“He usually is active at this time of day, but today he’s staying in his hidey house.”) and be ok with going to a vet to have things checked. Rabbits will try and act fine when they are not, so combine that with how fragile they are, this means willingness to go to a vet within 48hours (time, travel, finances) is possible.

7) I think all rabbit owners would agree that a rabbit is more work than a dog or cat. If a rabbit is seen as an “easy pet”, that’s a huge misunderstanding that needs to be discussed.

Rabbit pet ownership has come a long way from decades ago. It could be your mom has experience with rabbits a long time ago, or remembers experiences in the past of what she’s heard and learned; however a lot of what people thought were “good enough” or “healthy” for rabbits was very wrong. That includes thinking they belong in a cage and that they only eat carrots.

A pet rabbit is not one person’s pet, bit the entire household’s pet. I do not want to scare you, but these items above are important to discuss because not only would a rabbit suffer in a situation where a guardian is unwilling to do something, but you as someone looking out for the rabbit will be stressed as well. To give context:

My Wick’s breakdown:

1) He’s a Netherland Dwarf (smallest rabbit breed). I tried to just keep him in a cage at night (large cage; not a guinea pig one), but he was very upset, pulling at the bars, making a lot of noise and clearly unhappy. It’s also bad for rabbits to chew and pull on bars, because it can interfere with teeth growth. Wick couldn’t stand it for 6 hours. Now, he lives just like a dog, where he has no cage and roams freely in my home. He’s much happier and that’s the ideal situation for a rabbit (rabbit-proofing in mind).

2) His neuter was $268. A general check up at his vet is $60, at the minimum.

I am happy to hear you’re excited and asking questions. I hope a rabbit will be a welcome addition to your home! It’s a constant learning process, so ask as many questions as you can and as often as you’d like!

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.

[kurottabun]

Basically echoing what Wick said

Are you keeping your bunny indoors or outdoors? Most, if not all members will recommend keeping it indoors if possible due to various reasons which I won’t expound on (just in case you’re already planning to keep it indoors).

I have a Netherland Dwarf too, and although they are the smallest breed (smaller than a dwarf lop), bear in mind that the smaller the breed is, the more active they tend to be, which means the more space they need. Of course this can be considered a generalisation since every bunny has their own personality, but quite a lot of members with big breed buns do find them to be more laid back.

One of the easiest ways to know how to rear a pet rabbit is think of how they are like in the wild, then try to reenact that environment for them. A few points about wild rabbits:

1) They live in vast grasslands that provide them with plenty of space to run around. This is why they shouldn’t be in a small cage 24/7.

2) They dig burrows to rest and hide from predators. This is why a lot of pet bunnies dig on carpet or other things – the instinct is still there. Some people provide safe digging boxes while others just put down a bunched up piece of cloth in a corner. For a hidey place, put cardboard boxes or tunnels down so the bunny has somewhere to hide when they are scared. Make sure you don’t bother them while they’re in there especially when you’ve just had them for a bit.

3) They are prey animals often hunted by foxes, predator birds and many others. This makes rabbits jumpy animals that get spooked easily. This is why members advise against picking them up – the only time rabbits are “picked up” in the wild is when a predator sweeps them off the ground and eats them. They have a blind spot right in front of their face, so try not to approach them from there and approach from the side instead. Constantly scaring them will result in distrust.

4) They hide their illnesses because showing weakness in the wild means being the first victim of a lurking hungry predator. So you need to spend a significant amount of time paying attention to even the slightest changes in the rabbit’s behaviour (and poop).

5) No human food like cereals, chips etc should be given (some people actually do this) because wild buns don’t have access to those stuff and neither should house bunnies.

Most importantly as Wick mentioned, do make sure that your mom is on the same page with you on this to prevent difficulties in the future. Finances and time commitment are two things to take note of – I’ve easily spent more than a thousand bucks since getting my bunny back in March (food/litter + cage/pen + vet bills + other misc stuff) – that’s barely four months in.

[bear_the_bunny]

Thank you everyone for your great advice!  I will definitely be keeping all of this in mind.  To answer your question kurottabun, he will be kept indoors.  I know my mom respects that I have done way more research than her (I’ve been researching bunnies practically nonstop since the middle of April), I just worry that she won’t understand because a few websites said the smaller cage was fine.  For some of Wick’s info here is what I have: (tell me if any of this isn’t good for bunnies)

 – I found a veterinary hospital that also specializes in exotic care.

 – My mom says that she knows that spaying and neutering is important so I don’t believe that will be an issue. 

 – Is oxbow okay for hay and pellets?  I found alfalfa hay and pellets for him since he is a young rabbit.

 – My goal is for him to free roam my room (If it helps for size I can do a cartwheel without hurting myself in the open space )

 – I hope for him is to one day be able to free roam more than just my room, but we do have a cat, and I don’t want him to be scared.

 – I will be as patient as possible, so better a bunny and ruined furniture than no bunny and nice furniture.

 – I know that I have to watch for even the slightest change in behavior, because that can mean a sick bunny.

Wick is absolutely adorable and I hope my bunny will be able to be as happy as he is! (Kurotta is too!)

I personally want to create my own cage made of NIC grids with multiple levels, different floor materials, very large, and I would be able to add on if needed.  He would then be able to free roam my bunny proofed room (cage would be in my room).  I hope my mom is okay with this… I’ll let you guys know!

[kurottabun]

That’s great to know

One of the most reliable websites is the House Rabbit Society’s (https://rabbit.org/). With the internet comes a whole lot of info that can be quite confusing, so if there absolutely needs to be one website that you should go to or trust, I think it should be this.

Oxbow is a great brand for hay and pellets. A lot of members (including myself) use Oxbow. It’s also one of the best brands for treats and other stuff (like hay tunnels etc). They put a lot of research into coming up with products that are rabbit-safe, so it’s very trustworthy.

How old is the bunny? Bunnies should typically be weaned at 8 weeks old (2 months) – any younger than that and the bunny’s immune system may be compromised. Do make sure that you ask about the age before you get it. As for the alfalfa diet, a lot of people actually give baby bunnies timothy hay with alfalfa pellets. Bunnies should eventually transition to a full timothy hay + pellet diet, but many of them become choosy and refuse to eat timothy after they’re grown (because alfalfa is tastier). By giving timothy hay with alfalfa pellets, baby bunnies will be able to get enough nutrients from the pellets for good growth and at the same time get used to timothy hay from a young age.

[bear_the_bunny]

I just was wondering if the timothy meadow or the western timothy hay was better.

[Wick & Fable]

– I found a veterinary hospital that also specializes in exotic care.
Wick: That’s a great start! I would check out their website or give them a call to double-check there is a very rabbit-experienced vet there. Exotic vets see pretty much any non-poisonous dog or cat animal. Wick’s vet sees chickens, snakes, ferrets, guinea pigs, lizards… So see what their familiarity is with rabbits. This will be important down the line because you only want an experienced vet to perform the spay/neuter.

– My mom says that she knows that spaying and neutering is important so I don’t believe that will be an issue.
Wick: Glad to know! When hormones hit, some not-fun behaviors may come up, so try and remember it’s probably hormone driven and it will lessen with the operation. (But always consider poor health for destructive behaviors too. Rabbits can get both destructive or inactive when feeling ill.)

– Is oxbow okay for hay and pellets? I found alfalfa hay and pellets for him since he is a young rabbit.
Wick: Yes, Oxbow is a great brand. Wick is exclusively Oxbow actually. Your rabbit won’t be on alfafa hay and pellets forever (at the longest, your rabbit will switch to Timothy pellets and a non-alfalfa hay at six months old. Some switch much earlier though), so don’t purchase in huge bulk. Once you’ve transitioned to the adult diet, then it’s easier to buy in bulk sometimes.

– My goal is for him to free roam my room (If it helps for size I can do a cartwheel without hurting myself in the open space )
Wick: That’s good! I recommend getting down on a rabbit’s level and see what sort of crevices, cords, holes, etc. may need to be blocked off, covered, or protected.

– I hope for him is to one day be able to free roam more than just my room, but we do have a cat, and I don’t want him to be scared.
Wick: Under strict supervision, with immediate access to intervene, it may be worth while to see how your cat reacts to the rabbit. This can help determine if they definitely need to stay separated (if your cat immediately gets aggressive) or if they could potentially get used to each other. But one step at a time – the rabbit should bond with you first.

– I will be as patient as possible, so better a bunny and ruined furniture than no bunny and nice furniture.
Wick: That’s a perfect mindset to have. Let your mom know about this, haha.

– I know that I have to watch for even the slightest change in behavior, because that can mean a sick bunny.
Wick: Indeed, so definitely be observant and ask questions!

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.

[Wick & Fable]

To my knowledge, Timothy meadow and Western Timothy are pretty similar nutrition wise (same, high fiber content, which is what you want in a rabbit’s hay diet). They have different textures and probably taste somewhat different, so it could just be your rabbit’s preference that determines it.

Oxbow does recommend doing a variety (mixing) if you can. It helps emulate a rabbit in the wild, where they forage hundreds of different types of plants to eat. It also is less boring for them.

My Wick gets only Western Timothy hay, but I’ll mix in a bag of orchard hay occasionally to spice things up.

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.

[bear_the_bunny]

Thanks Wick!  I will probably see what he likes, and if he likes both, I’ll mix them.

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