New Bunny!!

[brook]

Well after a month without Bomber, our mini lop who passed away after a sudden abscess (thank you all for your awesome posts during our grieving process, we cried everytime we saw a new post), we have decided to take on another bunny.  We debated and kept saying that we just could not do it and had decided not to, but yesterday we talked more about it and just happened to be at the store and see the cutest little guy, which I thought I would never be able to say another bunny is cute, but he just has such a personality and we fell in love.  I am going to try to add a picture to this post.  The only trouble we are having is with our cat Sophie.  She loved Bomber and they played all day long, but we had bomber before we got her as a kitten, but now that a  new bunny is stepping onto her territory she is not taking it well.  She goes to the cage and hisses, then runs.  She can not get to him inside the cage or through the cage so we are just letting her explore.  I think in time she will get over it, but we are not taking any chances and they are not allowed out together in the same room.  We feel bad because without her, the bunny would be out a lot more, and we feel bad because we dont want her to feel like her life has been changed, so we are catering to her in this process.  Any suggestions would be great, but I’m sure time will be the cure.  Anyway, the bunny’s name is “Sparty”!

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[brook]

Oh, one more thing. We are giving him hay and some pellets, he is 7 weeks old. I forget how soon to add veggies into his diet. And should he have timothy or alfalfa hay at this age, I read somewhere that alfalfa is good for now because of protein. Also, we obviously want to do everything to avoid the abscess problems with bomber, so what can I do to keep this from having or detect it early, I know to rub them all over and to notice any lumps or bumps, but any other info would be helpful. Bomber had been to the vet within 6 or 7 months and his teeth were fine… We now know how sensitive these little guys are and I’m sure I will be an obsessive mother more than usual!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Your right, you’ll want to feed alfalfa to a young bun! Cute bunny!! Welcome back!

[skunklionshow]

I am so happy for you and your family.  Smarty is adorable!  I’m sure that your kitty is going through her own greiving process over Bomber.  I think you’re right that she is seeing the new bun as competetion and encroachment on her space, after all, it sounds like she new Bomber for most of her kitty life.  She likely expects Smarty to be the same.  Cats are known to get tempermental towards their own littermates if they smell different, i.e. after a vet visit, or even after a traumatic event.  I’ve heard stories where kitties were startled and then had issues getting along w/ their kitty roommates.  Since time is on your agenda….I think you’re doing ok by Smarty.  Baby bunnies can be lil’ troublemakers when not watched like hawks, so its probably a good idea to limit Smarty for now.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Congrats on the new bunny! : ) Give it time with the bunny and cat though, it is an adjustment. Are you feeding him alfalfa or timothy-based pellets? If it’s alfalfa then timothy hay is what you will want to give the little doll. If you are feeding him timothy-based pellets then feed alfalfa hay, but do not feed both as it is too much. : ) At seven weeks you can try some of the easier veggies like parsely add one per week and check for any diarrhea and stop if it causes it.

[JK]

Oh Sparty is sooo adorable!!! Your cat probably feels a little threatened but give it time. It’s been 3 months since I’ve had Edson and just now the cat and the bun will touch noses. It’s very cute. I just hope they eventually hang out together but it takes time…

[MimzMum]

OMG!!! That is the CUTEST little thing! ^^ I can see how he was hard to resist! Oh I do hope things will go better for your kitty soon. Lots of love on your part will help, as long as kitty doesn’t think she is being replaced. *nods*

Oh lucky you! ^^ Bomber was so precious and now this little sweetie! I know you still miss your former bun, and probably so does your kitty, but time does heal all wounds. I will keep you all in my prayers for happier times and soon!

[babybunsmum]

congrats on your new arrival   sparty is verrry adoreable!  i’m sure sparty will be fine with limited ‘free’ time while your cat adjusts to the new addition, especially since this arrangement is ideal for litter training too.  good luck!

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

So cute!! I can almost mistake him as a stuffed animal!! I believe that when you are heart broken, the best medication you can get is LOVE.

[RabbitPam]

Sparty is adorable.

Speaking of stuffed animals, does the substitute with scent of the new animal on it work for kitties as well as rabbits?

Maybe you could give Sophie a new toy bunny with Sparty’s scent on it to get used to. At least if it backfires and she takes her anger out on it, Sparty won’t get hurt.

[KatnipCrzy]

What I would suggest for Sophie is using Feliway or Comfort Zone (same thing) diffuser.  It looks like a Glade Plug In- but it is a diffuser with cat calming phermones. 

I know it sounds crazy- a plug in that can help with cat stress.  But in a lot of cases it REALLY does help.  I work at a vet clinic- and it has been ised successfully with introducing new pets, litterbox issues, aggression issues, moving, etc.

I had an anxious cat that overgroomed his belly and peed on the floor- but the Comfort Zone helped.  I could tell when it was time to replace it at approx 4-5 weeks becuase he would pee on the floor again.  Place the diffuser where a cat spends alot of her time or in the stressful areas.

Julie

[brook]

Do you know where I can purchase this diffuser? Pet stores I’m assumming. Do you know how expensive they are?

[brook]

I’m just adding a quick reply to see if my avatar will show up since I just updated my profile!

[brook]

Ok, it didnt work with a quick reply so I clicked on add reply to see if it works.

[brook]

Ok, I dont see the avatar, does anyone else? I clicked edit profile and it is still shown as my avatar pic, but not showing up when I reply to this post…. any suggestions

[RabbitPam]

brookintoledo,
No visible avatar here either.

I googled the Comfort Zone suggestion, and it’s listed in several places. Petco lists it, but doesn’t say if they have it in their stores or just online. Might want to call them if they are near you.

Amazon listed it several ways, and basically was about $10 less than Petco. If you decide to order it online, you could start there.

[brook]

Well I kept downsizing it and this is where it let me add the avatar…. but it’s super tiny!!

[brook]

Well after posting that reply, now it resized itself!! ok, just leaving it like this!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Funny that, I was just in PetCo today and saw that very thing in the pet aisle. So, yes they do have them in-store and I saw a few others as well.

[bunny04]

Hi,

Congrads on your new bunny. Up until the age of 7 months alfalfa/timothy hay should be fed with a good plain quality pellet (make sure they are no seeds, corn, nuts etc in the pellets unhealthy and lead to many health problems). In terms of veggies you can slowly start to introduce them at 3 months of age.

Hay and pellets should be main source of diet, i would not give fruits, treats at such a young age. The concern that i have about your bunny is that it is waaaay to young to be sold at that age. If you got the bunny at 7 weeks that means it was probably taken from its mother around 5 or so weeks of age..thas not good.

Bunnies need mothers milk min of 8 weeks. Alot of pet stores will tell you 4 or 5 weeks but they lie and this is totally inncorrect. Alot of the staff are not knowledgable about bunnies and most pet stores dont really care only care about profit. They tend to sell young bunnies over older ones because most people find them cuter when their small and buy them compared to when their older and fully developed…this is sad..a bit harsh..but its the truth.

Bunnies that are taken from their mother too soon (do not get the milk they need for proper development) tend to have health problems because they do not recieve proper diet/nutrition they need, problems could start at an early age or develop later on. Im not saying that your bunny will get problems, just stating what i have read on numerous sites on the internet and what vets have told me.

If i go to a pet store and i see them selling bunnies too young i speak to the manager and inform them, so they know people are watching and are aware of their wrongdoings, someone has to say someting, bunnies cant speak for themself, we are their voice.

Taking babies from their mother too young is serious i once read somewhere cant remember where right now, but some States in the U.S actually fine/jail people if they find out they take them away too young..it fell under animal cruelty. I wish we have that here in Canada.

Im not sure where you got your bunny but i really hope they stop selling such young bunnies, for their best interest.

[MimzMum]

Thanks for the tip on the diffuser, KatnipCrazy! ^^ I don’t have jumpy cats around my bunny, but around each other? 0_o Yikes on toast!

[KatnipCrzy]

Sparty kinda reminds me of my bunny Cotton.  Irrestible!!

When I emailed pic of Cotton to all my friends and family-  I got  quite a few ” I did not know you were looking for a bunny” replies.  I wasn’t looking for a bunny- but I took one look at her- and it was meant to be.  Sometimes the bunnies just pick you. 

Julie

[brook]

Well when I bought him they said he had been there about a week, but the girl didnt know a lot about him, so she just said he was probably around 7 weeks then. But he could be older than that?? I dont know how to tell how old he is so hopefully he had his momma for as long as he needed!!

[Author]

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