New Bunny Mommy

[kimberleyanddarren]

Hi i got my new rabbit on saturday and i think we are making good progress but i have a couple questions i was hoping u guys could help me out with…

Firstly are rocket leaves ok for a rabbit to eat and also cucumber?

Secondly what is the basis of a diet for a 10week old bunny? (i have seen the adult guidelines but should it be that just slightly less) and also how do i know if he is 10weeks because i think he is older than that as he is quite large if he is only 10weeks i would say he is at least 16 weeks old.

He is a boy rabbit and i want to get him done as soon as possible so whats the earliest i can have this done and although it varys from place to place i was wondering what the average cost of this is as i want to start putting some money aside so i can make sure he gets the best care possible!

(so many questions im so sorry guys!)He keeps lying down on his front with head to the floor and ears flattened behind his head just randomly.. even if no-one is around and there is no noise he just lies down that way is there any reason for this because it keeps scaring me as im like omg whats wrong with him! its really scary seeing him sitting like that

And finally… as he is settling in well i was hoping to move him onto litter box training asap but i cannot find where he is going to the toilet.. when he is in his hutch he has been in every corner so i dont know where to put the litterbox and out of the hutch he has been in about 5 different places? i have moved his box into one corner and put the straw into there but he has been in there once and the rest in all the other corners? i cant put 4 different litter boxes in because he would have not much room left then so any ideas?

PIC AT BOTTOM OF PAGE

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Congrats on your new addition!!

I’ve no idea what rocket leaves are? lol…Cucumber is OK as far as I’ve read. There is a list of recommnded veggies here;
http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html

I think for boys, four to five months old is the earliest…You’ll have to wait until his testicles descend from what I’ve read.

I’m not entirely sure what your describing, about him lying…Is it possible for you to snap a picture of him laying down…I think you may be describing a ‘flop’ where the rabbit just suddenly flops on his side, totally relaxed and almost looks dead. It’s common rabbit behavior but scares all us first time owners!!

I’m not the best at litter training advice, so i’ll leave that for other people to help you with! Have you put his poos and maybe some papertowel that is peed on in there? That helps too!

[osprey]

I think rocket is “arugula” on this side of the pond.  It should be OK for bunnies.  Mine disapprove of it, which is a shame, because it is very easy to grow.

[JK]

Ok I think Edson sleeps the same way.  When he is in his deepest sleep his nose hits the floor and his ears go way back. Kinda like a meatloaf.  He never flops (darn it) or stretches out.  I think some rabbits just sleep that way – nothing wrong.

[bunny04]

Hi, Congrads on the bunny!

For a bunny under 7 months, which is in your case.. alfalfa pellets and a combination of timothy/alfalfa or any other grass hay like oat, brome, orchard hay is the diet recommended for younger rabbits. The following is a breakdown of pellets by weight

1/8 cup for 2-4 lbs body weight per day
1/4 cup for 5-7 lbs body weight per day
1/2 cup for 8-10 lbs body weight per day
3/4 cup for 11-15 lbs body weight per day

When giving pellets make sure they are plain, meaning they do not contain nuts, seeds, corn etc. These are very unhealthy and can lead to many serious health problems like obesity, GI Stasis, diarrhea. Pet stores sell a lot of “junk” food which is not healthy, but its up to us to make the right decision for our pets. When choosing a pellet make sure its high in fiber (a minimum 18%), low in protein (maximum content of 14% – 15%) and low in calcium (maximum 1%).

Cucumber is okay to give once in a while but not as a main veggie source it does not contain much nutrition, does not benefit them all that much. Some other veggies that you can try are cilantro, basil, mint, romaine lettuce, red/green leaf lettuce, red/green swiss chard, radish leaves, parsley.

In terms of getting him neutered i would wait till he is about 6 to 7 months old from a rabbit savvy vet. I once read somewhere that someone got their bunny neutered too early and it died. Not sure how many months it was but just thought i share the story with you.

To help your bunny choose one stop to potty train, add some hay on top of the straw in a corner with some dried herbs or fresh ones to encourage him to go inside that same spot.

Check out this website it contains a lot of useful info, breaks it down for new bunny parents! http://www.hrschicago.org/dietcarefr.html

Hope that helps

[ScooterandAnnette]

A male bunny can be neutered as soon as the testicles drop, which usually happens by 14 weeks. Your vet can give you a better idea, but if you think he’s at 10 weeks, waiting another 4 could be fine. You definitely want to do it before he hits puberty around 6 months age as the hormones will kick in, he’ll start spraying, and otherwise be a real pain.

[Beka27]

yeah, scooterandannette is right… testicles drop at about 3 and a half months and that’s when they can be neutered.  girls they usually wait later till about 5-7 months… boys can be done pretty soon b/c it’s much less invasive.  i’d set up an initial check-up with a vet very soon, get him looked at and make sure everything is okay and the vet will tell you when he wants to do the surgery.  that way you can set it up and get it done without waiting months and months. 

[kimberleyanddarren]

i will post pictures of the pose asap

[kimberleyanddarren]

oh and just incase anyone reads this i did try and give my bunnies rocket (arugula) leaves and it gave him poopy butt so even if it is safe becareful with it!

[kimberleyanddarren]

ok here is a pic of how he sits sometimes it is just like this and sometimes he has his legs out to the side he just kinda flopps down and it gives me a heartattack every time! is he just relaxing or is he scared or what? thanks guys!

 

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[JK]

That’s exactly how Edson sleeps! Like a little meatloaf. Very normal! Legs out to the side? Just another comfortable position for him. Most bunnies have their legs out to the side. Relax he’s fine!

[ScooterandAnnette]

The “I’m dead” side flop is a sign of a very happy and relaxed bunny. Which takes a lot of getting used to, as you note, because it really looks like the bunny had keeled over! If you call out to the bunny he will often straighten up a bit, but will also look at you with a “why’d you disturb me” glance.

[kimberleyanddarren]

aww im so glad it is normal! this is my first bunny and i am so worried for him like all the time! this morning he hoped off the sofa and straight into one of these ‘flops’ and i swear to god i nearly had a panic attack i was like OMG HE HAS BROKEN SOMETHING! but as always i was over reacting and he was fine giving me the evil eye for pissing him off lol

[charlie82]

Hi Kimberley…

Just some litter training tips….
i read that you have your rabbit in a hutch…indoors or out??
It usually works for me if I replace the bedding in the hutch with towels or a fleece blanket. Put a litter tray in one corner full of hay and more than likley your bunny will use that as his toilet. It may take a few days but it’s always worked for me! he may still poo in his cage but should do all of his wee’s in there. They don’t like a dirty cage so once they realise that toileting on a blanket is not pleasant they tend to use the tray. I have a 13ish week old lionhead who was not very good at litter training when I first got her and used straw in her cage. Replaced that with a blanket and within a couple of days she was using her tray…and still is 🙂 It’s how I trained my others too. I don’t mind the stray poops because it’s generally difficult to train them 100%.

[kimberleyanddarren]

its a hutch yes just your bog standard one but it is defo indoors!! thanks for yout ip charlie82 i will give that a try! i have bought a new littertray which is the whole width of the cage so that its big enough for them to lie down and mess about in much easier than the old litter box i had. this one is actually a baking dish thing but it fits much better so fingers crossed it will work better for him! thanks for your help!

[Gravehearted]

how’s he doing? I hope he’s settling in well

[ConnBunnies]

Ijust had to reply because my daughter’s first bunny’s name is Hopscotch too! He is about 8 months old now and was a special gift from Santa this past winter. For Valentine’s Day Hopscotch met his girlfriend – Mango. We are now a two bunny family. I had much success using towels in the bottom of the old cage (we used the cage for a day and then decided to give Hopscotch free range in the house. We got rid of the barred sides.) We then use an 18 quart dish pan as a litterbox layered with newsprint and filled with hay. We also placed a small bowl of pelets in the litterbox to encourage its useage. Good Luck with the litter box. Hopscotch uses it 100% of the time. Mango is at 90% but still leaves a few pellets in the outer tray. This method has really helped with cleanup and keeping the living area fresher.

[Gravehearted]

hi ConnBunnies! Welcome to binky bunny
It sounds like you found a good litterboxing routine, that’s great

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Welcome Connbunnies!!

[kimberleyanddarren]

aww hopscotch is a great name i think, i was trying to find a name which wasnt very silly but was kinda cute and i wanted it to be like ‘ah good name!’ so hopscotch it was!

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