Bringing Bunny Home — Q&A Sesh(:

[Deleted User]

Because I will be a first time bunny owner April 9th, I have heaps of questions for y’all. I just want to be absolutely sure that I’m doing everything right for my doll(:

[For reference:

Collier is a male Holland Lop, who will be 3 months old when I pick him up. He is broken orange-colored and was bred by a breeder in Florida.]

Okay, first off: How much space do bunnies typically need? Would it be acceptable to keep the cage in my room or is that a bad idea (due to bunny’s smells, sounds, etc.?)

 - Is neutering completely necessary? I do not intend to breed, but the cost of neutering seems like a hassle. Will my bunny be just as friendly without the neutering or will the behavior change as he reaches sexual maturity?

 - Cage vs. Pen? I know the bunny would be best in a wire-bottomed cage so the feces don’t muck up the area, but how do I protect the bunny’s little feet from the harsh metal? How big does the cage need to be? Would a pen be an acceptable variation?

 - Vet visits. In my family, we have a habit of not taking our pets to the vets because of the ridiculous bills. How would a bunny fare without it? If it is by far necessary then I have no problem coughing up the dough, but I just want to know how often would be necessary.

 - Household smells. Would the bunny be irritated by my perfume? Can bunny be around febreeze/scented candles/incense/other air fresheners?

 - Bonding. How much should I hold the bunny when I first get him? The breeders told us not to hold it very much initially but I just wanted to verify. When will I be able to introduce the bunny to family and friends? How often should I hold my bunny (daily?) to ensure he is totally tame?

 - Diet. Do young bunnies need extra special dietary schedules? How should I wean it off the breeder’s food (if i should at all) and what are the essentials/major bunny food groups?

 - Outside. Can I take my bunny outside? Will hawks swoop down and snatch him? Will my bunny be okay with the crabgrass all over the lawn?

 - I go to school from 7 to 3; will my bunny be okay alone within that time frame?

 

Well!–that’s all I can think of for now(: Any help at all would be super appreciated. And, keep in mind I’m a newbie, so I hope I didn’t post this in a completely innapropriate place and someone will have to move this. How embarrassing. That would suck.

 

 

Cheers! (:

[Monkeybun]

Bunnies need space. And they tend to be awake super early and awake super late, so a cage in the bedroom isn’t usually a good idea unless you like being woken up all the time.

Neutering is definitely a good thing to get done. Not just for behaviour, but for their well being. And it will lessen the likelihood of your bunny spraying to mark his territory. And your bun will be able to be himself, not a hormone driven mating machine.

Pen, definitely. Cages do not give them enough room. A bunny needs room to play and hop and be happy. Cages, especially wire bottomed ones, are not good for long periods of time. Wire bottoms are bad, not only for their feet, but they are harder to clean, and do not aid with litter training. You will want an exercise pen, and a litter box. Bunnies are usually very good with litter training, especially after being neutered. Little boy buns especially can be stinky if un-altered due to hormones.

Vet visits are VERY important. In some states it is a CRIME to not give your pet he vet care they need. Bunnies especially can be very fragile. If they do not eat or poop for 12-24 hours, it can be fatal, and you need to be willing and able to immediately seek vet care. Rabbits are prey animals, they hide illness very well. A wellness check every year is very good to do, to make sure nothing is happening long term. Other visits will also be required if your bunny is “off”. You often do not know something is wrong until it is almost too late.

Smells: Bunnies do not do well with chemicals. Perfumes, scented candles, air freshers, anything that can irritate a sensitive human WILL irritate your bunny. So it is best not to use them. Respiratory infections can occur with little warning.

Bonding with your bun will take time. You will want to try the floor ignore trick. You on floor, ignoring bunny. Let him come to you, not the other way around. He will need to learn that you are safe, not a predator. Rabbits typically do not like getting picked up. They aren’t cuddly like cats or dogs. They like humans on their own terms., DO not be surprised if your rabbit would prefer to be admired from a distance, some are just like that. They are often willing to be petted on the floor though

For diet, a baby bun will want alfalfa pellets free fed, with lots of timothy hay. Timothy hay is a very important part of their diet, they can’t go without hay. They need free access to hay ALL THEIR LIFE. If your bunny isn’t eating hay, you need to make them do so. Whether finding a different variety, or cutting out pellets and veggie to make him eat it. Without the fiber from hay, their digestion can stop, causing death. Once your bun gets to be about 12 weeks old, you can start introducing veggies, one at a time. Only introduce one thing a week, in small doses. Some bunnies an tolerate some veggies better than others. A list of bunny safe foods can be found under the Bunny Info link at the top of the page. At 6 months-ish, you can start changing his pellets to a high quality timothy pellet. NEVER feed pellets or treats that contain seeds or nuts. Treats like Yogurt drops are a big no-no. Dairy is NOT good for bunnies. A good pellet will be a plain timothy pellet, no added icky stuff. Oxbow Bunny Basics is a good one. A good treat would be a raisin or craisin, or a sliver of apple or banana. Do not over feed treats!

Outside time can be good, if he is supervised and not able to escape. Be wary of predators and insects and poisonous plants. Domestic buns don’t know what is bad for them, unlike wild rabbits.

Your bunny will likely sleep while you are at school. They are typically awake at dawn and dusk, so don’t be worried about him for those hours.

Hope I didn’t scare you out of a bunny They need care and attention, and you need to be responsible for his life. He depends on you for everything.

[LoveChaCha]

Hi there and welcome.

First off, neutering will help the unwanted spraying and humping and behaviors of a rabbit. Boys tend to recover faster than the girls.

A rabbit is considered an exotic and will HAVE to be seen by a vet. Rabbits tend to hide their illnesses and if left untreated, they could die very fast. The price for seeing a vet is higher from what I’ve noticed but I’m willing to pay for good care.

Lots of bunnies are in exercise pens or condos made of neat idea cubes condos are nice and spacious and cheap.

As for food, I would recommend getting some of the food your bunny is on and if you plan to switch to another forumla, to do it slowly by mixing in the new food. Since he’s 3 months, he’ll need unlimited alfalfa pellets and any type of hay.

Your rabbit will be fine alone. Bunnies tend to sleep during the day

[Deleted User]

Monkeybun: I cannot stress this enough– thank you SO MUCH!
You were extremely helpful and informative! Knowing what I do now, I will for sure be neutering and I will absolutely pay whatever for the vet. It was never my intention to sound ignorant, I just guess it didn’t stick that bunnies of course need medical care. Thank you(: I am completely willing to part with my Sugar Cookie Candle (ha ha), and what you said about pen vs. cage makes a lot of sense.

But one question, do I only feed the bunny alfalfa and timothy? Thanks heaps!

Hope I didn’t scare you out of a bunny

and no; you didn’t scare me away ha ha.

Thanks to you as well, LoveChaCha. You were also super helpful(: And thanks for the hot tip on excercise! I am ordering the MiniHaven so I hope that will get Collier going, ha.

Also, your bunny is adorb. I had to let you know(:

[Monkeybun]

Well, some bunnies won’t like the timothy hay, so there are alternatives like orchard grass, oat, etc. You can check out the BB store to see what is available, and what it looks like. You don’t have to buy from here of course.

Timothy pellets at age 6+ months, yes. Alfalfa pellets from now til 6months is good. No pellet mixes! Stay away from bags with seeds and other non-pellet material. It’s marketed more for people than bunnies, it looks good so people buy it, when it isn’t actually good for the bunnies. You will want to limit pellets after he is 6 months to a year old, no more free feeding. I feed my 4lb boy 1/8 cup nightly, thats it. He doesn’t need more than that

You can feed veggies as well after 12 weeks, too early and you can upset your buns tummy. My 3 get romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, cilantro, parsley, carrot greens, little pieces of carrot nightly. You would be amazed at the piles they get Just introduce the veggies slowly to see how your bun reacts. Bunnies get allergies too!

I definitely didn’t want to imply that you are ignorant, I go through the same stuff every month at rabbit adoption outreaches I do, and as a volunteer at the humane society. It’s kind of ingrained now

Enjoy your new baby!

[LoveChaCha]

Oh! don’t forget the litter box too.. a large cat sized box with no top on it. Paper pellets, wood stove pellets, carefresh are good litters. No cat litters because it is harmful to rabbit. It is hard to train a baby bunny and neutering will help that : )

[Monkeybun]

Oh yeah, litterboxes like that are awesome! All 3 of mine use the large cat boxes wiht carefresh. Picky things like the expensive stuff

[LizzyBunny]

Make sure you buy litter that is dust free! I’ve had my bunny for 10 months and I still feel like a newbie I thought I knew so much when I got her but after reading this forum from top to bottom, I realized I made a tonn of mistakes like putting wood shavings on the bottom of the cage and buying a WAY too small cage -.-
But now my bunbun princess has a humongous 4 floor condo and when she isn’t in it, she is free run in her own room and if not that, the whole upstairs to my house.

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