lots of ansers needed

[RICOH]

 

ok here goes for post  2 (soory if its in worng place)

question 1. what sort of breed of rabbit do I own??

2. how big will he grow.

3. He’s booked in to the vets to remove his manhood is this fair and how traumatic for him is it?

(he has the mixxy injections last week and sulked for a good 24hours after so im a bit worried taking him for more than a jab)

other than dried pellets fresh veg(mainly leaves from cabbage etc carrots and the normal veg in the chiller) and the hay for his toilet tray and hay jar,what else should he be eating(did i mention the odd chocolate that he takes from kids)

4. after spending the night asleep in the toilet tray he gets up in a mess should i bath him or leave him to clean himself?

thats it for now and hopefully i may get a better shot of the camera shy bunny added very soon

[flippersmom]

Hi ricoh and welcome!!! I know others will chime in and help her too, but I’ll try to get things started!!!!!
1. From your avitar, I can say that your bun is a lop of some sort, other than that it’s hard to say with a a little picture!!
2. Depends on #1 – and even then, it’s only a guestimation!!!!
3. Like people, each bun reacts differently to “traumatic” situations. Neutering for a male is less invasive than that for a female (as in humans), but that doesn’t translate to less traumatic!!!!!!!!
3 1/2. If you look at the bunny info section above in the very top green bar, you will find some very good diet info. Traditionally, buns should have unlimited timothy hay, amply assorted, fresh, dark leafy greens, controlled amounts of pellets, and the occasional treat. I would highly recommend trying to avoid chocolate altogether as it can be toxic!!!!!!!!!
4. Generally buns will clean themselves, but I can see the problem with sleeping for long periods of time in the litterbox!!! I will have to leave that to someone who has encountered a similar issue.

Ok, hope that holds you over until someone else jumps in!!!!!!

[KatnipCrzy]

  I can not tell from the pic what type of bunny you have- it is obviously a lop rabbit and quite a large one from the weight you mentioned in your other post (3.5kg is 7.7lbs and at 4 months old that is larger than a typical Holland Lop or Mini Lop).  It is very possible your bunny is a mix- but those are just as awesome as a purebred.  Some lops can have teeth issues from having such a short nose- and from what I am guessing in the picture your bunny has a bit of a longer nose than the flat faced Lops.  If you are in another country than the US- there could be different types of rabbits there that are more common than what I am used to seeing here in the US.  I have never seen a French Lop in person- and I think they are bigger lops.  And English Lops have ultra long ears.

  About the litterbox napping and clean up- I would let the bunny clean himself unless he has something that he just can not clean up on his own.  He is pretty new to your house (2 weeks?) and it takes a bit to get used to a new home and being a house bunny with freedom and a litterbox.  You could try offering a cardboard box lined with something soft like a piece of fleece to see if he will sleep in that instead.  (Though be warned he might use it as a litterbox).   Some bunnies can view “every box” as a litterbox- but others will consider that their place to sleep and not potty in it.

  About the neutering- you are making a great choice- neutered bunnies typically make better housepets.  The hormones are not encouraging them to spray, hump, etc.  I think spayed and neutered bunnies can be happier mentally as they are not frustrated and thinking about mating or territory.  The surgery itself less invasive on a boy bunny than a girl and the boys usually bounce back very quickly from neutering. 

[BinkyBunny]

In regards to neutering, like others have said, it is less invasive than spaying, but it is important that you find a rabbit-savvy vet.  It’s not the same as neutering a cat or dog because of how rabbits react to certain meds.  So as long as you trust your vet knows what s/he is doing then that’s good.  Note – Rabbits should never be fasted prior to surgery.   If you are not sure about your vet then here are some resources to help you.

I’m not sure where you are located but here is a list of vets from the House Rabbit Society http://rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

Within that link, there is also a resource about how you find a rabbt-savvy vet on your own – screening questions etc.

As far as his diet – please check out  https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/Die…fault.aspx, and in there you will also see a link to recommended veggies.  Dark leafy greens are best – you will see a large variety to choose in the veggie list.

 Keep us updated!’

[RICOH]

thank you all for help so far… im pleased to say i think im doing things correctly so far, buts its always nice for it to be confirmed.
the vet we use is very very good with rabbits and has told us corectly about things we,ve asked(hense checking stuff out)
as for pics im now going to get snapping and add some to my photo album (if he lets me as he hides the min i get the camera out)
choco he’s been eating was from a pet shop and has a pic of a bunny on front(aswell as guinnea pigs hamsters etc) but he only gets 1-2 chooc chips for a special treat when he lets us brush him.
updates will certainly follow
thanks again Lisa and jay (RICOH’s mum and dad)

 

 

 

[RabbitPam]

Welcome, Ricoh.

He’s a very handsome guy!

[Barbie]

Posted By RICOH on 08/22/2009 03:36 AM

choco he’s been eating was from a pet shop and has a pic of a bunny on front(aswell as guinnea pigs hamsters etc) but he only gets 1-2 chooc chips for a special treat when he lets us brush him.
 

 

I’d still be careful with that.  Pet stores don’t always have the animal’s best interests in mind.  They also sell yogurt drops for rabbits and other small animals, but rabbits should NEVER get dairy or anything with dairy in it (chocoloate is made w milk…).  Also there’s some chemical in it that makes chocolate dangerous to rabbits, dogs and the like.  As a treat, you can try a baby carrot, a raisin or a crasin (Craisins are a brand of dried cranberry).  Dried fruits are high in sugar – higher in sugar even than regular fruit, so they should only be given as treats, one small piece (so don’t give a whole one of those the large dried apricots or prunes… actually, i dont even know if they’re on the “safe foods” list, you should check.  When i think large dried fruits those two came to mind) once or twice a week.

PS He’s a beautiful bun!

[RICOH]

thanks will bear that in mind and send out for more supplies today.
yesterday Ricoh spent more time in a smaller area and only came out 2-3 times for walking and so we can clean him out.
he still using his house as a toilet but thankfuly weeing in his toilet so thats better than poo’ing everywhere (mind you he licks it everywhere)
sleep still takes place in his tiolet but if he likes that then so be it.
canceled the appointment at vets as i want to make sure the local vet is best choice for him and will look in to this from tomorrow(sometimes as you say the nearest vet isnt always the best vet, where we live theres plenty to choose from we just chose this one as its 2 min drive away, and have out of hours vets on duty along with 2 or 3 other’s in he same chain, however they do seem very good and informative, but i’ll check first
)thanks again

[Beka27]

It’s also a great idea to interview several different vets and compile a list of the best: include the phone number, and the days and hours of operation. Vets may not be open every day, or your personal vet may on vacation when an emergency arises, so it’s good to know there are a few you can choose from if a situation presents itself.

He is an adorable bunny. I can’t quite put my finger on what breed he might be. His face seems more elongated like an English Lop… but he doesn’t have the super long ears that go along with it. I wonder if he might be a French Lop or some mixture? Where did you get him, did they tell you anything about him or his breed, or what size he’ll reach?

[RabbitPam]

Sometimes you can’t figure out the breed until about a year or more has gone by, so they are finished growing. Sammy is no longer a “part dwarf” as was suspected at first, since she’s about 2 lbs. bigger than the largest dwarf possible. I am still waiting for her to finish growing to compare her to the couple of breeds she seems to be.

[jerseygirl]

He does have that noble head of the English Lop – I agree Beka. Maybe some dutch in him too…

[RICOH]

Where did you get him, did they tell you anything about him or his breed, or what size he’ll reach?
ok I brought him from a local pets at home store located next to the RICOH ARENA( actually went to by a new house for rabbit that lives outside with guinea pig) the wife saw him and said im having him.. we asked lots and lots of questions and each one was anserd profesionally.
he was advertized as a large house rabiit and came from an unexpected litter from an adopted rabbit they had in store (both parents looked the same but were no longer there as they had been rehoused)
we asked what his eventual size would be and was told possibly 2 or 3 times of the size he is now but each rabbit can differ and they wouldnt know excatly until he was around 1 year old.
they may have mentioned the breed but after trying to take so much info in I may have forgoton this.
we were also advised on his diet his excersise and his veternary needs.
we were also told about his usual dailey activity’s within store everything sounded just right so we took the plunge and walked away with a very light wallet.and as we left I noticed a little tear in the managers eye as she was his main carer.
house training is now back on target and his toilet habbits always takes place in his cage (even if he does end up kicking most if it out).
(i guess we done the wrong thing by givving him the run of all of the downstairs area as soon as he was let out.
his growling/grunting hasnt stopped but seems more of a come play with me grunt and has become a little less bosy.
he gets atleast a 10 min wander around the garden then atleast hour to play and much grass on the lawn in the rabbit run aswell as a bit of sunbathing.
we went into this sort of blind (other than the experiance I had as a kid when we had over 50 rabbits that pretty much became wild but freindly and playful garden rabbits)
thankfully we’ve quickly (with the help and comments of this site) learned what we was doing wrong and made the adjustments.
the only things that have changed at home are doors have to remain closed including the washing machine door as this is his favourite hiding place.

[Barbie]

Posted By RICOH on 08/24/2009 06:13 AM
actually went to by a new house for rabbit that lives outside with guinea pig

Yay new bunnies!!! I’m glad you’re leaning about how to properly care for him!  That’s what we’re here for!   I”‘m so glad I found this site.  I’m not “new” to bunnies, but it’s been awhile since I had one, and even though I thought long and hard before getting Leroy (I was seriously looking for a bun for literally 5 months), and even though I did my research,  I find I still have questions!

Now, if I understood your comment (quoted above) correctly, you have another rabbit that lives outside with a guinea pig?  I’d strongly suggest bringing them both inside inside.  Domesticated rabbits do much better in a house where they’re away from the heat/cold, safe from predators like cats, possums, raccoons, and hawks, and protected from flies, fleas and other nasty creepy crawlies that can cause big problems for a a bun (I’m sure all of the above applies to a guinea pig as well).  This site advocates house buns, although some people on here do successfully keep rabbits outside for housing/family reasons.  Keep in mind that the two rabbits you have shouldn’t be put together until they are properly bonded (see the bonding section of this forum for tips).  They should be neutered/spayed before you try to bond them, since de-sexing cuts down on a lot of territorial behaviors and makes the bonding process somewhat easier.  And if it’s a boy and a girl you DEFINITELY don’t want babies!

Also, rabbits shouldn’t be housed with guinea pigs.  Even though they make a cute pair and seem to get along well (different species so less dominance issues), a kick, even accidental, from a rabbit’s powerful hind legs can break a piggy’s small bones.  Yes, pet stores do it, but that’s only becasue the rabbits-and-guinea-pigs-as-friends idea pulls in buyers for the cute factor; again, pet stores don’t always have the animals’s best interests in mind.  Even though rabbits and piggies have most of the same dietary needs (hay, water, fresh veggies, limited amount of pellets for adults), guinea pigs need vitamin C supplements in addition to their food, rabbits do not.  I’ve never had a guinea pig, so I don’t know if there are also other differences, that’s just the big one that I know of.

Oh and while we’re on the topic of food… have you seen this site? http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

And if I completely mis-interpreted your comment, please disregard all that!

[RICOH]

No the rabbit we have outside has lived outside for all of its life (we took it from neighbours as they couldnt take with them when the moved)
he’s in a strong cage out of wind yet still has a large lawn area to graze on. unfortunatly (although he’s getting better) he doesnt like people hence the reason for being outdoors, as for the guinea pig mate theyve always lived together (both around 3 years old) and yes lots of suggestion that dietry needs are diff but as long as guinea pig gets his added vitamin c input(as they dont create there own) with plenty of room That they have theres never been any real issue. however just living in a hutch with no excersixe area i would have to think again.
as for predators the only real problems we get are foxes and touch wood in the last yr we,ve had no problems. I also kept a large avairy and again never had any predator problems same goes for large koi pond i have.
I must try and get some pics of their set up

p.s thanks for the link

[RICOH]

Ricoh has gone for the chop! after studding local vets we decided to stick with the vet we first chose. 1 because there very close and we can if needed walk to them2 they have 2 other local surguries that operate between them out of hours emergancy care.3. the vet seemed very very clued up about his care and even admited to owning a very simular rabbit and gave us some great tips,
hopefully his operation is a great sucsess and he will be back home in no time, more pics of the big fella to follow as he’s certainly piling the pounds on..

[Barbie]

Sounds like you found a good vet! Good luck with the operation! Make sure you follow any post-op instructions the vet gives you. Neuters are typically less invasive than spays, but you should keep an eye on the stitches to make sure he doesn’t pull them out.

[BinkyBunny]

So good you found a vet you can trust! Quick healing recovery vibes for Richoh! Keep us updated with how things are going.

[QueSará]

From your mention of him having a myxi vaccine, can I safely assume you’re from the UK?  (Other than Europe, I know Australia has myxi, but they do not allow rabbits to be vaccinated for it.)  Has your bun also been vaccinated for VHD?

Also, if you are from outside the US, the breed of the rabbit could be very different!  (In the UK, for example, holland lops are known as mini lops!)  From the huge ears, I might guess french or german lop, but it’s just a guess!

And definitely no chocolate for the little bun!  Rabbits have super sensitive tummys, and this is just asking for trouble.  Stick with 90% hay, and 10% pellets and safe veggies.

[Author]

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