English Giant Rabbit – introduction to other pets

[ben and nicky]

Hi everyone,

First  of all I will give you the story so far. We purchased a giant rabbit from a well known pet shop on friday afternoon. On the way home my wife noticed he was sneezing which carried on when he was in his enclosure. We took him to the vet on Saturday morning and he is now being treated for the snuffles! Not a good start but we have already fallen in love with him so there is no way he is going back to the shop. The good news is they are paying the vet bill. He had an anti inflamatory injection and anti biotic and he is having oral anti biotics twice daily and vitamin powder in his water. Although he is obviously ill he is eating well, very active and suprisingly affectionate already even though he has only been home a couple of days and is 4 months old. He has a room to himself when we are not there and so far has been let into the hallway, stairs and landing for about 5-6 hours a day and is very comfortable with his new surroundings. We just hope he recovers from the illness .

Now onto my question. We have two cats, one siamese girl and one Bengal boy (2 and 3 years old). We let the cats into his room today while he was in his secure run. The rabbit wasn’t bothered at all and didn’t even take any notice. The cats on the other hand are scared to death of him. The siamese came into the room and sat next to me and sniffed around a bit but was very wary. The bengal had a quick look in the door and ran off back to another room. Has anyone had to do cat/rabbit introductions and how did your animals react in comparison. What is the best way to do this? We know it will take patience. When we brought the siamese home it took three weeks for the bengal to accept her but with her he was more aggresive not frightened so this is a little different. Thanks in advance,

Ben

[kimberleyanddarren]

i havent actually introduced a rabbit to cat, but i have done it with dogs, and all i can say is it takes alot of time and patients, you need to teach the cats that being in the room and being calm is good for them ie. they are going to get yummy treats if they behave, you are just going to have to sit in the room with the cats and the rabbit and give treats and head pats and put lots and lots of time in,
i would LOVE to see some pictures of your bun so please upload some!!! welcome and keep us posted

[ben and nicky]

Ok, I’ll give the pics ago let me know if you can’t see them. I think the prob is the bunny is bigger than the cats where as normally he would be prey… tough one. Here goes:

 

 

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[BunMumTiff]

OH MY he is just the cutest thng ever.

[Kaitlyn*[ily]*]

He is so cute! I dont know what to tell you on the cat/bunny bonding thing, but I hope it works out!

[Beka27]

what a awesome bunny! how big do they get, he looks HUGE! sorry about the snuffly problem, but that’s really not uncommon with petstore bunnies. at least they’re footing the bill. as far as teh cats, i would let him settle in first, get better, get used to you guys more. take your time doing it. maybe try introducing one cat at a time, and supervise closely. cats can scratch of course, but bunnies (esp. big guys!) can really do some damage by kicking with their back feet.

[TARM]

OMG I want a bunny like that!!! He’s gorgeous!

What kind of cage is that? Can you post a picture of your set up?

[ben and nicky]

He is about 4kg at the mo and will double that over the next four months. He isn’t neutered yet as he is no fully developed in the private department. Here is a pic of his set up where he lives while we aren’t around. It is a puppy pen bought for £150.00 with vinyl as the flooring:

 

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[TARM]

I really like that puppy pen. I’ve never seen one like that.

[Balefulregards]

Hi Ben –

I have been introducing La Chatte ( yep, her actual name) to Coco for a couple of months now.

At first La Chatte was horrified. What was this thing in her midst? Why was it getting attention. And For the love of all that is holy WHY did it hop TOWARDS her?

Over the last month ( after Coco’s spay) – I have seen them start to “tolerate” each other. It started with sniffing. La Chatte would sniff the bunny cage – the bunny would sniff where the cat had been sleeping on the bed.

Then the bunny got too “personal” in the sniffing and La Chatte took off for a while.

I bought a grass basket for the rabbit – which La Chatte has claimed as her sleeping spot. So now the cat sleeps off to the side of the rabbit.

Within the past three days, they almost look like they are playing – but again, I am not wholly sure of La Chattes intentions, so I don’t leave them unsupervised.

They stare at each other alot, and are currently both in their spots conked out.

So yes – Time, Supervision and Patience.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Wow he’s beautiful and that is a GREAT setup you have!! Lucky bun!!

As for cats and rabbits, that’s typical I believe -rabbits usually aren’t afraid of pets but pets are afraid of them LOL

I’d keep introducing, without pushing anything, and always there to supervise them. Once the cats become less scared, watch them for stalking/predator behavior. If they are curious but no in a ‘wow that looks like good food’ way you can start more introductions. Just insure your always present, the cat can’t get to the rabbit when you aren’t there, and you don’t force anything… Many members have cats/dogs and rabbits peacefull coexisiting. Scooter and Annette have six rabbits and their cats actually play with them!!

[ben and nicky]

Thanks for all your replies guys. One other thing we have noticed is when you let him out or he approaches you or you give him a favourite treat he grunts softly sometimes. I have read this is a sign of aggresion but I have to say with Barry it seems more a demand for attention or excitement. He also nudges a lot when he comes up to see you until you pet him. What are your thoughts?

Ben

[kimberleyanddarren]

wow he is so gorgeous, i cant wait to see pictures of him as he grows, i have always been so fond of giant rabbits they just amaze me! i hope you will hang around and get to become part of our ‘clang’ so we can all help you out as u become a fully fledged bunny slave hehe
the nudging is normal its just a kinda ‘pet me NOW’ kinda thing, and usuallly grunting is a sign of fear or anger however it could be teeth grinding maybe? this is a sign of pleasure, also if he is showing no other signs of being affraid or anything other than grunting then i would imagine its just a happy sign for him, every bunny is different. It sure doesnt sound like he is scared or angry. Keep us posted and if you have any more Q’s please feel free to post them (we are all BB slaves so there is usually at least one of us on all the time hehe)

[Kaitlyn*[ily]*]

Wow, i really like his pen, how much did that cost you?

[osprey]

Is your bun neutered (desexed)? If not, intact bunnies have a vocalization called a “honk” or an “oink” that indicates wanting to mate. This is not a sign of aggression, it is one of affection. Is his body language tense when he makes this sound (ears held back, head jutting forward) or does he seem relaxed. Has he ever bumped you with his head or paws?

[Beka27]

my lop is a bumper and grunter. the grunts are not always a bad thing. some are just more vocal. if it is hormonally-charged, it may decrease after he’s neutered, but my guy has been neutered for a long time and he still makes noise.

edited to add:  oh, and i love the puppy pen!!!  i have two xpens joined together in a large 4×8 foot rectangle, they look very similar to what you have.  that’s great since he’s gonna be such a big guy.

[LittlePuffyTail]

What an awesome bunny! I wanna big bunny too!

Great cage too!

[ben and nicky]

I am sure we will have plenty more questions! He went back to the vet today for a follow up and he his snuffles have improved a bit which is good. When he grunts he seems relaxed and is often just bobbing around. He does bump a lot until you start stroking him then he will just lie down with legs hanging out the back next to me and his eyes closed. He seems like he’s enjoying it and is very confident already although I may be miss reading his body language! Not keen on being picked up yet but still early days. Thanks again evryone,

 Ben

[Beka27]

laying down with eyes closed while being pet is an awesome sign! most buns don’t like to be picked up or carried, but the fact that he likes attention is great!

[jerseygirl]

Welcome!
Oh Yeah! The bump is definately a request for attention! Big Barry sounds like he’s cruise-y! What a fella! Here a site that may help you understand the body language better: http://language.rabbitspeak.com/rabbittalk.html

The first time I heard “oinking” I thought my rabbit had creaky bones! They usually make that sound while running about. I was concerned until I learned it was a noise they make when content.

[JK]

Wow he is some hunk of a rabbit!  I have a cat too.  My cat is very skeptical of Edson.  Edson adores the cat and would love to be buddies but she will have none of it.  The cat wonders in his room and every once in awhile will nudge him. Then she leaves. Edson races over to greet her all the time and the cat will stick around for a few seconds and then either leave or jump up onto something to get away from the rabbit. It’ so sad actually because they could be awesome buddies. I never worried about the initial introduction because Edson is so friendly and the cat was skittish around him. I have had Edson since last November and there has been no change.

[MarkBun]

Some buns are also just more vocal than others. My girlfriends last rabbit would grunt at and about everything – even when she was happy and content. I wouldn’t worry about it.

[kimberleyanddarren]

how is your bun doing now? would love to see more pics a few weeks on

[ben and nicky]

His nose and front paws are drying out which is good. i will try to get more pics on here soon. He seems to get puffed out very quickly and after a feww minutes of bobbing around lies down breathing quickly. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Its not hot here at the moment in fact quite the opposite. It might be normal but first Bunny for me

[HippityHopMom]

My thought is he prob. is getting tired quickly since he was at a pet shop and most likely  he did not have much room to run around and exercise.
And the fact he has been ill.      I would think after  his health is better and he has more time in his new space …. along with more exercise, he will soon run around longer before resting.   

I obtained my house bun ( Bonnie Lee) in early spring  ( a small Holland Lop) and her previous owner did not have time to spend with her, nor let her run around and exercise much …. so my bun did the same when I obtained her.   She would bobble along and then stop and lay down to rest often.

After Bonnie Lee was at my home for a few days and had lots of space to run and exercise, she became more active.   It may take your bun longer since he has been ill.   

A few weeks ago, my bun began to lie around more and was not running and playing.   I first thought the heat …. even though our home is air conditioned,…. but, my husband and I too felt tired with the heat, so I thought she was feeling it too.    But,  I have learned her diet  makes a
big difference too!     Now that I have her diet right, she is running around and playing and doing so much better.  I learned how to feed her properly by reading and reading lots of posts on this site under the “Diet and Care” section here in this forum and going to the links they suggest to read. 

For example, my bun was lieing around often and would sometimes have soft stools sticking to her fur.   I was feeding her plenty of hay, plus pellets, plus greens …. and a small amount of carrot every few days.   I was also giving her about a 1/4 cup of oatmeal each day.   She loved the Oatmeal so much.   I thought I was feeding her correctly …. but the soft stools and her sitting behind the couch almost all day told me something was wrong.   I began reading more .   I learned the oatmeal, along with small slices of occassional carrot and apple …. along with the pellets was too much starch.     I cut down the oatmeal to just an ocassional treat once in a while.   I cut down on the pellets to 1/4 cup per day.    Fixing her diet  has  made a  HUGE difference …. she is feeling so much better and not sitting behind the couch.  She is running, jumping and playing again.   Also, no more mushy poops.  

I also bought her a new and better pellet last week …. I am still mixing the new pellets  with her old pellets so we make the change gradual.  My husband and I have both noted she seems to be even more active now since she is on the better pellets.

 

[KatnipCrzy]

benandnicky-

What country do you live in?  That is a great set up that you have for you bunny.  Did the pet store recommend it or was it your idea?  Just curious as pet stores often recommend inadequate caging as that is all they really sell.

I love the puppy cage and he is such a big handsome bunny.  Congrats on your first bunny- but be warned they can be addictive and dangerous to the pocketbook.  When my bunny snuggles and gives kisses I jokingly say there is nothing I would not buy for her if she wanted it.  And he looks to be a charmer even before he snuggles!

Julie

[Beka27]

HippityHopMom! i’m glad your bunny is better, it is true that diet makes a HUGE difference in the overall health and well-being of the bunny. it’s not a small matter that can be pushed aside. great job!

[ben and nicky]

Hi Guys

 

here’s an update for you, for those that have asked we are from England. The petshop didn’t recommend the enclosure it was just the cheapest and best accommodation we could find while we were doing our own research on the bunny’s needs.

The snuffles sadly are still there but much less sneezing and discharge so hoping things will continue to improve. The Rabbit has been in the garden this weekend with the cats too! Both cats don’t mind the rear end but run once the head comes to sniff but really pleased overall!  Here’s some pics:

 

 

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[bunnytowne]

My what big ears he has.  The better to hear with.  Really he is cute with those big ears. Thats nice he has a garden to play in

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

He’s so adorable!! Your cat is cute too!!

[Author]

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