New adopted bunny questions

[Kristen]

I adopted a rabbit from our local animal shelter last week. I think he’s a lop, but I’m not entirely sure. I feel like I’ve googled 800 questions since we rescued him, but I’m still not sure if he’s fat for if he’s supposed to look like he does. He gets a constant supply of hay, a handful of pellets a day and lots of leafy greens and herbs (picked fresh from the plants I bought for him). His only treats are fresh fruit (not everyday and not a lot). He’s still really skidding
Im not sure how old he is, or what he’s coming from. Last night and today he climbed in my lap for about 20 seconds and he nipped me twice last night (from what I read he was telling me to move out of his way). I keep trying to give him things to play with, but he’s not really playful. He mostly just wonders around and sniffs or just chills out when we let him out of his house (a few hours every day).

I’m going to be honest, I never knew there was so much to learn about rabbits! Please help me bond with him and make him happy and healthy ?

[Luna]

Hi! What’s his name? It can be hard to tell whether a bun is the proper weight without knowing breed or age, but a couple tricks are 1) if when he is laying down he looks pear-shaped from above he is a good weight, but if he looks round like a circle he’s probably overweight, and 2) if you notice his cecotropes getting stuck to his bum all the time then he is probably overweight because he might not be able to reach his bum to eat them.

Luna doesn’t really play with her toys either unless she’s in the mood – she’s more of a runner and cardboard box chewer. Buns are crepuscular (most active around dawn and dusk), so he might not be as playful during his sleepy hours. That’s a good sign that he is wanting to be near you and climbing in your lap. For additional bonding, just keep spending as much time as you can with him. It doesn’t have to be physical contact – merely sitting by his cage or talking to him will help .

[Kristen]

Here are some pictures of Pua

[Kristen]

His name is Pua (like the pig from Moana – my almost 3 year old named him). I tried to reply and post pictures of him, not sure if it will work. My guess is he’s probably a chubby little bunny. But I literally have no information on him other than the fact that he’s a rabbit and he’s a boy.

[ThorBunny]

I like Luna’s suggestions! Here’s a good guide to rabbit weight https://research.unc.edu/files/2012/11/Body-Condition-Scoring-Rabbit.pdf

It sounds like he is playing like a happy rabbit. Thor is the same way, it can help to move things around or give them new toys to discover to increase his interest.

How old is your bun? We’d love to see pictures!

Edit: you mentioned nipping. We went through a nipping phase as well when we first got our bun. What really helps is to yelp high pitched when they nip, it lets them know they are hurting you. Over time (and we had to be very patient..) nips will become softer and/or stop alltogether. 

[LBJ10]

I fixed your pictures. He looks pretty typical for a Holland. They tend to be more tubular looking.

[Luna]

Pua is stunning! His coloring is so unique looking.

[Author]

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