My new baby!

[Cookies&Glitter]

Hey all! New two bunnies and wanted to share my story/ask advice. I have had guinea pigs for 5 years now and love them! Up until last month I had 4, so last month one of my 5 yr old pigs had a stroke and passed 2 days later. Then the next week I took her much younger cage mate into the vet for a spay as she had ovarian cysts and a uterine tumor. She never made it home and died posy ip. So I have a huge two story c&c cage and the bottom was empty for 3 weeks. I have 50lb hay, a giant empty cage and a hole in my heart. I wanted to fill these but have had 5!pigs and have wanted a rabbit for 20 yrs so I finally took a leap of faith and got a mini lop.
She is 5 months old and brownish (idk color names). She is in a c&c cage in fleece that is 2’x6’. She has a kitchen end with paper bedding and pellets and a litter box to free feed hay in.
This bunny came from a rabbit lover who breeds and shows rabbits(pls don’t judge). She was not free fed hay so this is new for her and she loves her pellets too much. She refuses to eat fresh lettuce and most veggies it I will keep trying as my pigs get lots of fresh treats daily. Currently she wants to eat dried papaya treats and oxbow “cookies@ (cranberry or dill etc). She is not really litter box trained and I have had her 5 days and she has not yet come out of her cage but accepts some petting.
So wondering if many ppl use c&c cages and fleece? Also how long is litter box training expected to take (I’m sure it varies some) but months? What are some tips for general bunny care and bonding? Do ppl recommend spaying? This is sensitive for me as I just lost a pig and you don’t spay them unless medically necessary as mortality is so high with anesthesia, is it same for does?
Any advice is welcomed!
Could provide photos on request
Thanks in advance, I’m excited to do some reading in spare time on the forum of older posts.

[Bunny House]

Congrats and I’m sorry about your piggies. Surgery is actually very safe, less than 1% death rate I’ve read so you really need a exotic vet to do surgeries( this is when people go to non exotic vets and their exotic animals die under the knife because they aren’t trained on proper protocol, also many vets keep outdated anesthesia protocols with tbey don’t change and that increases all pets dying under the knife)

How old is the bun? She shouldn’t be fed any greens until 4-6 months of age as that is when their gi tract is fully developed. She should be on alfalfa hay until 6 month and young pellets or Timothy hay and alfalfa pellets( don’t want too much protein and calcium but you need some for babies, and must be rabbit ones, not pig one) she shouldn’t be eating any treats.

Buns really should be spayed as they can develope utterine cancer by age 5 at 80%, and they will also be less hormonal, better at using the litter box and overall calmer pets. Litter box training can take a month or so, but you need to properly litter train them. If she is not spayed, she may never use the box, some buns do but it’s way harder for them to always use it.

For the cage, that is an okay size. We usually prefer a dog pen or free roam buns. If they are in a cage, they need 4-6 hours of free time to play a day. Make sure you also take her to a vet for a checkup and of course you know with the teeth, molar spurs in lops are very likely. You can sit on the floor with her, don’t pick up. And let her come to you. Don’t force her, she should be left alone for a week or two to get acclimated to the new space.

You can read BUNNY INFO for more help on specific questions as there is a lot of info on stuff.

[Bunny House]

And we’d love to see her!

[Wick & Fable]

Welcome to BB forums. I’m sorry to hear about your recent losses, but it’s very endearing to hear the care and love you put into talking about them.

I have never had non-rabbits, and I know there is a good overlap between the two, but where they diverge, I’m unsure! Some things that come to mind for me, based on what you’ve provided:

Diet: Rabbits have very sensitive stomachs, so if you introduce non-hay items, like different vegetables and treats, always start with a very small quantity and observe for the day to see the reaction. It’s all about keeping the bacteria in the stomach healthy, and if there isn’t good gut flora in there to digest what has entered, your rabbit may become gassy, and this can vary from being a temporary state to one that prevents eating. Slow transitions are always recommended.

I think pigs eat a lot of hay as well? So the same is for rabbits. The large majority should be hay. Boost hay appetite and consumption by lessening access to non-hay items. Usually people do a 12-hr window deal. For example, 7AM is veggie plate, and 7PM is pellet dish. The rest of the time = only hay access.

Being 5 months old, she’s at a diet transition period. She can probably be on limited pellets, meaning usually 1/8c to 1/4c, depending on her weight. Things should be timothy-based as well, and not alfalfa-based.

Introduction of veggies should be done slow, so in a way it’s good she’s not gobbling things up crazily. Romaine/green/red lettuce are usually the baseline, first introduced veggies. I’d say the next nice step is mint, basil, and cilantro.

Litter Box training: I’m a bad person to comment on this because, is Wick litter-box trained? Yes. Is he adherent? No. For me, it’s a constant learning process, but he “got the concept” that I like him going in there after 2 months I’d say. Slow, resistant learner.

Spaying: It’s very natural, especially with your experience, to be hesitant about spays. If you have a rabbit-experienced vet who has a record of spaying, the risks are not very high, although spays are more invasive than neuters.

Anesthesia: Rabbits can have teeth issues when hay consumption is low, or if their bone structure is bad (poor breeding, genetics…). Wick has a tiny face and bad genetics, so he needs his teeth grinded very often. The procedure is under anesthesia (not long, 15 minutes, but still under). He’s had it done 13 times, so it is very possible to put rabbits under and they recover afterwards. The field has come a long way, and a big part of the success is finding a good vet. Ask questions about experience!

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Author]

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