First time Rabbit owner.

[SassyGirl]

So today I become a proud owner of a rabbit with withought planing to. Please let me explain before you freak out.  I was at a flea market with some friends just goofing around when I saw a sign that said “Free Rabbit will abandon If nobody takes”. I went over to ask about it, & it turns out that the lady giving it away was moving & couldn’t take the bunny with her. She said if nobody would take it that she would just set it free in the wild.

 Well since I can’t stand to see any animal harmed I called my mom ( I’m only 16 so I had to ask) & she said it was okay. So now I’m the proud owner of a rabbit, even though I’ve never had one before. So I have some quesions ( btw the bunny is 4 months old & he is a guy, his brown with the cuttest little brownish/ pink nose his name is Floppy, he has the sweetest personalty & he loves to give kisses )

1. What all do I need for the cage ( he came with a cage, & food). Right now I have a litter box &food/water bowl. I’m going to petco tomorrow to get everything else he needs.

2. What kind of diet does he need? I know hay & food pallets but how much? Can he eat lettuce & carrots at this age? Do they have rabbit vitamins?

 He has a vet appointment on Monday but it would be great if somebody could answer this questions & just tell me about rabbits. Thank you

[Beka27]

welcome here!  i actually just posted this in another thread but it applies here as well.  here’s some info to get you started!

BinkyBunny has “Bunny Info” at the top of the page in the dark green bar, or thru this link directly…  https://www.binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/Default.aspx

some topics that are covered there are: Diet, Bunny-Proofing, Litterbox Training, Monthly Maintenance.  There is also a photo gallery of some of our “Cool Habitats”… our cages, pens, condos.

much of the info on this site, and what many of the members here follow, are the guidelines set forth by the House Rabbit Society.  they have many articles covering almost every topic… http://www.rabbit.org/

[SassyGirl]

Thanks that helped out a lot. I just have one more question. Around his eyeballs he has a little bit of sleepies. How do I clean those off of him? Using my finger dosn’t work. Can I use a wet paper towel? Thanks again

[RabbitPam]

You might try something a bit softer, like a slightly damp tissue. Once you get these sleepies off, you can clean it off with your finger once a day from each eye. Bunnies love when you do this for them, and hold quite still.

Congrats on your new bunny! that’s very odd that a woman would have a 4 month old, then be moving and dropping it at a flea market. Where was its mother? Had she just bought it? She didn’t ask for $ at all? Did you have to buy the cage and food from her? (If yes, then she might be back at the flea market in a week with the same story.) I hope not. No matter what, you have rescued a sweet little guy from a crummy situation. Kudos to your mother too.

[bunnytowne]

Hi welcome.   I am sure you will be very entertained and enjoy your new bunny.  There is lots of info here and on houserabbitsociety.org as well

A neuter is a good idea.  Glad to know you found us. OH some pics too.  We love pics of buns.

[SassyGirl]

Yeap the cage & food came with him. I’m not sure if the lady was telling the truth, but I couldn’t stand the thought of him being set free in the wild. I didn’t even ask about the mother (  I know I should have). He was very well taken care of though, & you could tell his been around people since his birth. He  is VERY spunky & he loves people.

 I went to the pet store  today & got everything else he needed, he has a vet appointment for 2morrow.  I do have another question ( lol I know so many), where is the best place to buy hay & the food pellets in bulk? The the pet store I went to is REALLY expensive & I couldn’t afford to buy that much & I didn’t want to ask my mom for money ( she’s paying for the pet visit tommorow) I do have a job but I only work 3 days a week ( I’m in theater & I have to stay after school a lot for practices), I need to set up a budget but I don’t know where to start.

[SassyGirl]

Yeah I’m going to post some pics tommorow, my older bro has my camrea right now.

[Lightchick]

Hi, SassyGirl! Welcome to you and your new bun!

I actually work in the theatre! Yay to you! (And I understand the budget-concerns…)

Look for a feed-store for hay. All of my buns are adults, so I don’t really know whetner your baby should be getting alfalfa or some other type (look at the info section of this website), but call your local feedstores, and they will be SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than a petstore. Just look through your hay as you dole it out and make sure it is of good quality. If you see any mold, go to a different store.

I git litter (wood-stove pellets) for $6/ 40 lb from an OSH hardware store. Much cheaper than actual “rabbit litter.”

I don’t have a cheap solution to pellets. A lot of people on this forum use Oxbow. Mine are Kaytee–Timothy-based. The only place I’ve seen either is the petstore. But, as always, if you buy the bigger quantities, the price per pound, of course, is cheaper…

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Welcome!!I think your doing a great job you have a vet appointment already -sounds like your doing great! The bun sounds reallly cute I’d love to see pictures when you have time

I use ‘wood stove pelles’ and they are super cheap. As LC posted, about six bucks for a huge bag.

Also I buy pretty much everything in bulk, from a farm supply type store-I get 55lbs of pellets for about 16$, that lasts three months for three rabbits so it’s a very good deal

You could also check some free online posts to see if you can buy hay from a farmer. I know hay is more expensive in the US right now, but we pay about 3$ for a bale (Which would last months and months with several rabbits) and I think the going rate in the US is about 8$ so it’s still a big saving

[SassyGirl]

Thanks for the help . There’s a farm suply store about 30 mins away so tomorrow I’ll drive over there after school & check it out.

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