Brand new bunny owner!

[Alina]

 Hi! My name is Alina and in two or three weeks I’ll have an adorable sable point Lionhead doe! Her name is Poppy and she’s a cuddley cutie.
I’ve always had birds or dogs before, so I wanted to join a site with knowledgeable people who could help me to be the best bunny mama I can be!

I built her a NIC cage, but with mesh over the holes until she gets bigger, so she doesn’t get her head stuck. 
I’ve gotten nearly all my supplies but I’ve stalled on litter, pellets, and hay until I could get recommendations from you all. I want to get the best hay, pellets, and litter possible. So let me know!

 

 

I’m excited to be part of this site! 

[Monkeybun]

Welcome to BB! We will, of course, require plenty of pics of your cutie when you bring her home. We live on bunny pics here.

I’ll just tell you what my nethie girl had when I brought her home.

First.. she has carefresh litter. She’s a picky girl, and likes softness on her tushie. Alot of people here use either woodstove pellets, or yesterdays news for litter. Woodstove pellets are a much cheaper option, if your bunny approves of course.

For hay, a nice timothy grass hay is recommended for adults, but babies like it too. If yours gets timothy hay, a bit of alfalfa mixed in will get her the extra nutrients she needs to grow up to be a beautiful lady. My girl Monkey HATED alfafa, so she just got timothy hay, until i started getting a mix that is done here locally that has oat and rye and orchard grass mixed in as well.

Pellets, alfalfa based Oxbox pellets are good for babies. the timothy ones are good as well, if you provide alfalfa hay. Bunny Basics T are the timothy ones, I forget offhand what the alfalfa ones are called as I never had to buy them But Oxbow is a really good brand to go for.

If you can’t get a fresh grass hay locally, from farmers or feed stores etc, Oxbow is a good brand of hay to buy. It’s generally cheaper if you do NOT buy in a pet store. Pet store prices are rather ridiculous. BB sells some awfully nice hay too

..that is all I can think of for the moment… OH. One more thing. Don’t bother with those tiny little corner triangular litter boxes made for bunnies. They suck. Get a regular sized cat litter box instead. Mine love them, and there’s no messes over the front edge

[Alina]

Oh good, whenever I looked online I always found the Oxbow brand and I wanted to be positive before I bought it.
I got her a cat sized litter box, and I made her this cool little compartment to keep hay in the front of the litter box, but she can’t poop in it.

I’m pretty comfortable with everything but I am PETRIFIED of clipping her nails. I wish I could find someone who could show me how to do it

[mocha200]

I use wood stove pellets. my rabbits don’t seem to mind they aren’t soft.

I get timothy hay mixed with a little bit of alfalfa from a farm.

I have alfalfa pellets right now but i am going to be switching to basic T soon.

i was going to say the same thing, those triangular litter boxes are a joke! i don’t know why they sell them. i use a cat box that has a snap on rim. (i got it a wallmart)

[Monkeybun]

When I first got my bunnies, I took them to my vet for trims. Now the bunny rescue group I belong to does them at the monthly grooming outreaches we do. …I have yet to actually clip them myself, and I’ve had Monkey for more than a year now. I’m such a big baby about it lol.

[mocha200]

I just got done clipping my buns nails like a half an hour ago. i have my dad helped me. he clips the nails why i hold them.

[Monkeybun]

I suspect i’ll start clipping Smudge’s nails myself, as she trances easily. Monkey is far too wiggly at home. And besides.. I don’t mind making the donation to the RA group every month. It goes to a good cause

[Alina]

Maybe I can find a place that will help me clip nails too. I’ve been putting off clipping my birds nails too lol.

I’m trying to find a place in Colorado where I can get hay. I’d rather do that than go to a pet store. I’m trying to find a family owned business nearby, some place that sells supplies that isn’t a franchise.

[Monkeybun]

Theres a few members here from Colorado. They may have some ideas

[Alina]

I’m so thrilled to meet you all, I think my boyfriend is getting seriously sick of me going on and on about the bunny (and it’s not even home yet!)
It will be nice to have people to gush about bunnies with

[MirBear]

ANOTHER SABLE POINT LIONHEAD!!! YAY!!! !!
my babies are both siamese sables
one is a lionhead (she doesn’t have a mane though)
ok, lets see about these questions..
i buy pellets and hay from my local TSC store ( its like a farming store) and though thr prices are still high they are cheaper than the pet store. my bunnies wont eat pet store pellets ( no idea why) so i have to buy farm rabbit pellets (extreamly cheap $10 for a 25kg bag )
Dont use pine or cedar bedding. aspen is the safest for them.

i find the smaller the bunny the easier it is to trim the nails. my lionhead, hershey, who is about 3.4 lbs is really really easy to clip , she wont pull away from me but ive been trimming her nails since she was 2 months old.
my flemmy X Rex who’s about 8lbs ive only had since christmas and she’s almost 2 years old, i have to trance her (flip them on their back and they go still) but other wise its pretty easy.
i would recomend going to the vets and having a check up for her when you get her (easier and less pricey to find things earlier on istead of 4 months later wondering why your bunny is sick) and while your there ask your vet to show you how to trim her nails.. i find it strengthens the bond between me and my rabbits when i groom them, trim their nails, feed them, and such. the more i look after them the stronger bond we have.. mind you some peoples bunnies *COUGH*MONKEYBUN*COUGH* plot their slaves doom when they try and clip their nails.

[Beka27]

Welcome! It’s fantastic to meet someone who is prepared!

[Alina]

That is a good idea, I found a vet who knows bunnies, so he can show me to clip nails.
I finished the rabbit condo today, it’s so cool. 3 stories with a bed on both of the top levels. Lots of toys, a nice roomy litter box. Plus I’ve made the jellyfish toy and a boredom buster box. I just moved so I have an abundance of cardboard boxes to make into fun things to play with. Plus I just got my phone book delivered so she can shred that.

So when the bunny gets home she’ll be 6 weeks ago. Is that too early to start trying out greens like dandelion greens and parsely? I waited too long with my bird and now he’s picky and won’t eat fruits and veggies unless they’re warm

[jerseygirl]

Greens should be introduced slowly and more around 12 weeks of age. You can talk to the people you are getting her to see if they’re already eating some greens. It might be ok to continue a small amount of what they’ve already had.   It’s important also to mimc the pellet/hay diet they are on initially and then slowly transfer them onto the diet you prefer. They have delicate digestive systems. So take some of the feed they are currently on.   Ideally they stay with the mother until 8 weeks to build their immune system and good gut flora. Would they hold your rabbit for you for an extra week at least?

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