New bun bun lots of questions

[Candylove]

We just adopted a new little bun bun on Sunday. Candy is a Holland Lop dwarf bunny and is the sweetest little baby. I’m confused about what I should be feeding her. I try to read up on info but the internet info is so conflicting! She’s eating adult pellets which is what they were feeding her (she’s 12 weeks) and Timothy hay. When and what kinds of fruits/veggies can I give her? How much Timothy hay should she be eating? I’m sorry for the long time members that prob have to answer these newby questions daily ? But I just want to give this sweet baby the best I can so I knew I needed to come to people with experience. This is my families first bunny and boy are we all so in love with her and her sweet demeaner. Thank you in advance ☺️

[Sirius&Luna]

Hello, and congrats on your new bunny!

Baby’s should eat baby pellets really, as they’re designed to give them the proper nutrients while they grow. I would buy her some baby pellets, and over a week or so mix them in with the one’s shes currently on, increasing the proportion before you make the permanent switch. It’s good to be cautious with bunny tummies.

Some people give baby buns unlimited pellets, but I personally don’t as I think it interrupts their hay eating and makes it harder to transition when they’re older. That’s a personal choice and you can decide what works for your bun. I gave my baby bun 1/4 cup twice a day.

Alfafa hay is also recommended for babies, but again it might make them picky when they need to transition off it, so you can mix it in with Timothy. As a rule bunnies should eat a pile of hay the size of themselves each day, but it’s good to top them up a few times as they are often more enthusiastic about fresh hay. 90% of a bunnies diet should be hay.

You should start moving her to an adult diet of just timothy/meadow hay and adult pellets at around 7 months.

At 12 weeks she’s probably ready to start eating veggies. Veg should be mostly leafy greens like romaine lettuce, any herbs, spring greens, kale. Introduce these in small quantities, one at a time for about a week each before introducing any new ones so you can make sure she’s dealing with it ok. Eg. first week give her small amounts of coriander every day, once that’s ok add a little romaine lettuce every day for another week and so on.

Eventually she should be eating a mix of 3 veg a day, and about a cup per 2 pounds of bunny (I think!)

This list covers bunny safe veg: https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/VeggieList/tabid/144/Default.aspx

Fruit and carrot should only be given in very small quantities as a treat. My bunnies get a strawberry or a grape a couple of times a week as a treat, but i’m strict!

One last thing! Do you give her water from a bottle or bowl? Bowls often encourage them to drink more than bottles, and are more natural, so they’re often better than a bottle, but you might like to keep a bottle too in case she knocks over her bowl.

[YBese]

Hey people, i am bum bum but as i see not so many question form newbie here! about me: i’m 35 yo. having some issues which is why i’m urrently sitting home running growth hormone. been a bunny lover for a long time. how about you?

[Candylove]

Thank you so much!!! That info was just what I needed ? I will definitely add a bowl of water bc while I see her use the bottle it doesn’t seem like she’s drinking that much ??‍♀️ Not sure if she just doesn’t need much bc she’s so young/small. Ok so I’ve definitely been under feeding her hay bc I thought pellets were more important. I don’t think she’s even close to eating 1/4 cup of pellets in one day there’s barely 2-3 tablespoons of pellets eaten since we got her Sunday. That first day she didn’t eat or drink but my husband and I heard her eating and drinking at night. I will for sure start mixing baby pellets with her adult ones to get her sweet little tummy used to it. Thanks again for the incredibly helpful info!

[jerseygirl]

Posted By YBese on 10/11/2017 7:01 AM

Hey people, i am bum bum but as i see not so many question form newbie here!

Hi YBese

Is there some questions you are wanting to ask?  If you click here and page should open for you to create a new topic for any questions you have.  Check out the BUNNY INFO part of the site too, as it has lots of useful tips for people that are new to rabbits. 

The House rabbit Society is also a great resource. http://www.rabbit.org 

Their “Rabbits 101” part is a good place to start. 

[Sirius&Luna]

No problem!

It sounds like she was just a bit stressed the first day you brought her home, but for future reference, if a bunny doesn’t eat, drink or poop for 12 hours, it’s an emergency and they need to see a vet. Bunnies can go into GI stasis if they stop eating for too long.

Does she eat the hay that you’ve been giving her?

[Candylove]

She began eating that evening so it was probably 8 hrs of no eating. She loves her hay and she’s eating and drinking throughout the day but seems to prefer eating the bulk of her food at night. I notice when I wake up her bowl of pellets and her hay has a nice dent in it lol how often should I be washing out the water bottle? Is it daily like the bowl or less often since it collects less bacteria ? Guys I’m so in love with this little ball of sweetness ❤️ I didn’t know bunnies could be so lucky/kissy like puppies lol she follows me around and anytime she’s in my lap she climbs to my neck and lays there licking me.

[Sirius&Luna]

Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, obviously she was totally fine that occasion, it’s just a good thing to be aware of in the future! Rabbits are delicate animals and its hard for new owners to know what’s serious.

It’s great that she’s loves her hay

I would reflll the water bottle every day, but I doubt it needs scrubbing out every day. To be honest I don’t use one, so I’mnot 100% sure.

She sounds like a lovely little bunny!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Congratulations on getting your new bun! (we want pics! ) Most people don’t expect that rabbits can be so affectionate and social, but that’s something you mostly see when you let them live indoors and interact with you and your family. They have so much character stuffed into such a small body, it’s hilarious. This is why we’re such fans of indoor rabbits: they’ll become a real part of your family. There’s so much fun you can have with rabbits: they’re surprisingly intelligent too! They can even be trained: our bun has learned to obey a voice command to go into his cage, and I reward him with a treat. When you build a good bond with your bun, she’ll likely notice your mood. Our bun can tell exactly when I’m having a bad day or when I’m in pain. When he senses that, he’s all over me to cheer me up with licks and cuddles. It’s a very good sign that she’s interacting so much with you already, and i hope you’ll have a wonderful bond together!

There’s one thing I wanted to mention about young rabbits: because your rabbit is so young you are also going to experience her puberty. Puberty can hit bunnies hard, and it can be a bit tough for a while. Their behaviour can change radically because their hormones are running wild. Sadly this is the time when most rabbits are dumped, because that cute little baby suddenly turns into a rebellious and possibly a bit agressive teenager. In this stage it’s very important that you consult with your vet about getting her neutered. Neutering will put a stop to hormonal behaviour problems within 6 weeks. Even if she’s not having problems it’s still important to have your bun neutered because intact female rabbits have a very high chance of developing cancer in their lady bits. It’s important to have a special rabbit vet, because many vets are inexperienced with rabbits. Here’s a list of knowledgeable rabbit vets: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/116849/afnp/276220/Default.aspx

There’s a lot of handy information on the general website, more than we could answer in this topic
https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/Default.aspx

If you want to learn more about rabbit behaviour and how to communicate with them, these are my favourite websites for that:

http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
http://myhouserabbit.com/rabbit-behavior/
https://bestfriends.org/resources/basic-house-rabbit-behavior-and-bunny-body-language

[Candylove]

Yea she will for sure be indoor and part of our family. She even loves the kids and gives them licks too. I do definitely plan on getting her spayed once she reaches 5-6 months. I want her to be healthy most importantly. I’ve already contacted For Paws out here so they can help me with the sex check and spaying/neutering. I was told she’s a girl but I also read that you can’t really be sure until they’re closer to maturity ??‍♀️ I tried to add an attachment (her pic) but I don’t think it’s uploading.

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