New Bunny Owner

[Thumper's Mom]

Hi all! So I’m a new bunny owner. I’ve had Thumper, a 10 week old Holland lop, for about a week now and like most new pet parents I have a million questions and would completely appreciate the advise of those with more experience than I. So here it goes…

Bonding- Thumper does seem to care about me. Like at all. He is far more interested in my 2 cats (I have to admit I am totally jealous of them now). I lay quietly in his “bunny room” (with no cats as a distraction) for hours, but he pretty much ignores me. I get the occasional sniff from him, but that’s it. If I try to pet him he takes off. I know treats (ie fresh fruits and veggies) would help, but from what I’ve read he’s just too young. Is there anything safe I can give a 2 month old to help convince him I’m a friend?

Teeth- I have supplied Thumper with several wood objects to chew on (a twig ball, wood blocks, hanging parrot toy) but he just isn’t interested. He will occasionally chew on a cardboard box, but I’m worried about his teeth getting too long. Any ideas?

Nails- So I know I need to trim his nails eventually. I’m trying to bond and establish trust and I’m afraid I will undo any good I’ve done if I try holding him to trim his nails. Do I need to do this soon? How can I make it as untraumatic as possible for him? 

Thanks for any advice you can give me. I want my bun to be as happy and healthy as possible. Also if you have any bits of random bunny advise for a first time owner, even if it’s off topic, I’d love to hear.

[LBJ10]

First of all, it has only been a week. I would give him time. Those other furry creatures are probably more familiar/comforting to him. So just keep doing what you’re doing. You can try to entice him with pellets, but don’t force him. Don’t force petting either.

The best thing for his teeth is hay, not chew toys. Rabbits are not rodents, so they don’t sit there an gnaw away at things all the time. Yes, they do like to chew on things like wood here and there. Try giving him something stationary, rather than something that will roll away. If you want him to play, I find that mine would prefer to have you helping them rather than playing with something on their own. Leopold has this tossing thing he likes to do with his baby keys. I hand them to him and then he tosses them. I hand them to him again and he tosses them again. Etc etc.

At this point, his nails probably aren’t essential. You will have to trim them eventually though. If they get too long, you run the risk of him tearing on off on accident. If he is scared, then try placing him on a foreign surface (table, counter) and then pulling one foot out at a time to cut.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Welcome and congrats on your new addition

Hay is the most important for teeth, wood is great to provide but it’s more important to always have hay. I wouldn’t worry about dental issues until they are much older You can give fruit and vegetables now, he isn’t too young. Very small amounts though, like less than a teaspoon of fruit.
Give him time to bond with you, make sure you are the one doing feeding and he’ll come along
Have his nails trimmed at the vet for his first time, they are professionals and can show you some tips in person

[RabbitPam]

I just want to urge you to head for the top of this page and check out the Bunny Info. drop down menu on the green banner. It will help very much to read up on all the different sections of info. explaining bunny behavior, what to expect, and how to interact with your new bunny. They are really unique, and very different from cats and dogs, so there’s a lot to learn. The Home page, too, has some good sections with information.

That said, it’s all very, very new to a young bunny and a week is no time at all. Before you worry about grooming, have a basic visit to the vet to establish his health, get a relationship started, have his nails and teeth looked at, and generally be informed about his health. You also want to be sure to have alone time without the cats around at all. He may seem to prefer them, but he may also be just alert and wary of them, as they are not natural friends. Remember it takes quite a long time to establish a bond, but bunnies live over a decade, so you have plenty of time to get to know each other. You, the cats, the whole house it strange to him. He’ll be ruling you all within a month, I predict.

[Thumper's Mom]

Thanks for the advice all. I actually had a break through with Thumper today. He is now letting me pet him and he spent a ton of time hopping and playing around me tonight. I think he actually missed me today. Normally I spend a few hours in the AM and a few hours in the PM with him, but today I had to skip our AM session and tonight he was way more interested in me than he ever has been before and I think he actually liked me petting him.

[Thumper's Mom]

Thanks for the response. I was really disappointed today. I tried to pick up a set of baby keys for him at Walmart, but all they had were the gel filled kind for teething, not the old fashioned hard plastic kind. I did clean up my house keys and let him play with those though. He tried throwing them a few times, but I think maybe he’s just too little, he couldn’t get them off the ground and lost interest pretty quickly. So I took off all but 2 little keys thinking if they key ring was lighter he might like it better, but I think he was disappointed they didn’t jingle anymore and he refused to play with them. I’ll definitely keep looking for a set of the plastic kind for him.

[Roberta]

They also like the plastic stacking cups for babies… Mine love them and have a great time with them tossing them about and hammering things with them.

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