New Bunny

[Bridget Crawshaw]

Hi all,

Our story so far, Last Wed after coming home from shopping I found a cute Lop Eared Bunny on the drive, being unprepared I gathered boxes, carrots and hay from neighbours and reported the find to the RSPCA, Police etc. by the weekend nobody had made a claim so after talking to the other half who works away we decided to keep him as a house rabbit (i’m not keen on them being outside) and boy was I unprepared to the change to my life – I have managed one cooked meal for myself since he moved in and have been late to work everyday!

I must admit I had a day where I thought it wasnt going to work (he made a meal of a trainer and drowned one of my favorite shoes in his water bowl), but after talking to people at work they advised me that I had given him too much freedom too soon, so we have now installed a huge cage in the kitchen which he has been in at night and when I’m at work – this was accepted only after I put straw in the bottom as he turned his nose up at wood shavings.

He was drinking water from a bowl (again due to me being unprepared) it became obvious this was no good on Friday after he filled it with straw and was dying of thirst when I got home so this weekend we are trying bottles (2 for good measure) he does’nt seem keen, but he has no choice!

We went to see a Vet who thinks he is about a year old and possibly neutured, he does all his wee’s in his loo in the cage and his the majority of his poops in there also but every so often he will add the odd one here and there around the house but on the whole things seem to be improving.

He has lots of toys now (toilet roll insides are the favorite) and wood chews etc.

He met the other half (Chris/Daddy) Friday and has bonded well so we are a happy ish family,  If anybody has any advice/tips etc for us new bunny parents please reply 

(We put him outside in a run today for an hour or so but this didn’t go down well – does anybody else let their bunny’s have a run outside- use leads etc?)

 

 

[Deleted User]

Awww!  How sweet are you!!   I know it is a lot of work.  I wasn’t fully prepared either!  Boy, and people think that rabbits are easy!   Well, I know I did before I researched, and they just look so cute, what work could they be right?  GEEESH!  But after you get into a routine, and they are litter trained, it makes a big difference.    We have bought cord covers, after having our phone and cable disconnected from our chew monster.  

But then, all the trouble they cause, they bring in such joy.  I hope you don’t give up and come to that place where it’ll be okay.

The whole water bowl thing didn’t work for us either,  It was always getting turned over, and getting gunk in it.   I was afraid my bunny would die of thirst.  But they figure it out.  I also rubbed a little banana on that little ball area where they drink!   Well, that got it moving!

I haven’t put mine on a lead yet, Interesting.  I have seen those harness things.  I’d like to know if that really works. 

Well, from one exhausted bunny mom to another.  It does get better once you find you find your way!   Take it easy!

Snooks Mom.  

 

[Gravehearted]

Happy new bunny! So glad you decided to welcome him into your home!  bunnies make wonderful family members.

There’s lots of information in the section on this site that can tell you about what he should be eating . It sounds like he is doing better now that you limited his roaming space.

I personally don’t let my rabbits outside to play.  I worry too much about predators and issues with getting fleas or a disease that can carried in fleas and mosquitoes called myxomytosis. There are plenty of people who do give bunnies supervised outside time in x-pens, but it just doesn’t seem worth the risks to me.

It’s actually  a good thing you switched from wood shavings, since most of them (with the exception of aspen) aren’t good for bunnies.  With the straw, just ensure to change it every few days to prevent mold developing. One of the frustrating things is that most items (such as pine shavings) they sell in pet stores are not actually good for bunnies! Most commercial treats are loaded with sugar, which can cause a lot of gi problems for rabbits.  The pellets they push are most often alfalfa based, which packs weight onto adult bunnies. So it really is important to take the time to read through the bunny care basics to learn about what will keep your bunny healthy and happy.

[BinkyBunny]

Welcome! I’m so glad you decided to post here.    And now you’re entered into the drawing twice!  

I’m so glad you’d rather keep your bunny a “house rabbit” too.   They really can bring so much joy to our lives as well as they crave companionship and really need us.   And since bunnies are great at keeping illness hidden, it’s when we live with them in our homes, that helps us see those subtle changes that let us know something is wrong. 

It’s also great that your other half came home to a new pet and was happy!   Whew!

Your bunny may continue to mark here and there until he is satisfied that he’s got his point across that this is home.   But you still want encourage good habits and if he gets out of hand marking you’ll need to watch carefully, and scoot him back to the litterbox the moment you catch him in the act.

Regarding outside: Like gravehearted said, there are risks with being outside, (eg. wild animals can pass on diseases through urine etc that your bunny can then come in contact with in the grass) 

But once you’ve weighed that and still want to have your bunny go outside, then just be sure  it’s pesticide free and stay clear of toxic plants. Here’s a list of known ones by the HRS (I don’t know if the list is U.S based)   http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/health/poisonous.html  Domestic bunnies really are different than their wild cousins when it comes to this, and they can’t tell the difference when it comes to what’s good or bad. 

Since I am never sure what plant is what, I just prevent my bunny from chewing on any plant, unless I know for a fact it is on the “okay to eat” list – like mint.    In our back little area, we plant a little bunny garden with greens that that I know are good for them.

I don’t use a lead.  Our outside area is pretty secluded and secure, and it’s not very big.   You do have to be careful with any lead, even the harness type, because if your bunny is exploring and something scares him, he may run, pull on the leash, then feel like he’s been caught and begin to panic and flip around. Which could lead to shock and/or injury.   And you definitely don’t want to use a  neck leash.

With that warning said though, I do know someone who uses a full body harness type of lead(she also has a very mellow bunny)   But she said she started by first putting just the harness on and letting him run around the house with it on.  She’d feed him treats to get him to forget about it.    She would put it on him everyday for about an hour until it just became no big deal.  Then she put the leash part on, and helped him get as used to that as well.  Bunnies will never be like dogs.   They will go where they want to go, and she just uses the leash to make sure he doesn’t get too far and or get  into trouble.  

She also only uses it in areas that she knows are safe.  No other dog walkers, no cars, no sidewalk type walking. 

Great questions by the way, and keep asking.  That’s what we’re here for!.  Soon it’ll all be old hat, and you’ll be able to help someone else out!

So great to have you here!  Have a great weekend!

 

 

[BinkyBunny]

How are things going?  Is he still with you?

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