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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A New Bunny Owner — Is the seller right?

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    • Antar The Bunny
      Participant
      12 posts Send Private Message

        Hello everyone! It’s my first time posting here so apologies in advance if this is the incorrect spot. 

        I’m picking up my first bunny on Saturday — a Broken Blue Holland Lop who will be a little over 8 weeks old when I bring him home. I am getting him from a breeder at a ranch here in the Bay Area that was recommended by a friend (she’s a bunny owner). In advance of bringing him home, I’ve been doing a lot of research (I came across an amazing Google Doc on this forum) and while I’m nervous I also feel very prepared. The one thing that has thrown me off is the breeder’s recommended diet. My bun will be 8 weeks on Dec 13th, and he’s currently on a diet of Timothy Hay, alfalfa based pellets (Manna Pro Feed For Rabbits), and one piece of dried papaya per day.

        I’m thrown off by the alfalfa pellets and dried papaya — as these aren’t food suggestions I’ve been previously for bunnies. Any idea of when I should get him off alfalfa pellets and onto adult pellets? Luckily there’s a rabbit savvy vet locally and I’ve already called them about bringing him in for his first check-up.

        Non-diet related, I noticed the bottom of his feet look a bit stained (see pics attached), from my Google searching it doesn’t appear to be anything of concern but please correct me if I’m wrong. 

        This is my very first pet so I guess I’m being the anxious precautious first-time mom?


      • jerseygirl
        Moderator
        22338 posts Send Private Message

          Goodness! Heartbreaker!!
          How exciting.

          The timothy hay/alfalfa pellet combination is fine. Growing rabbits need the higher protein that alfalfa pellets offer. Some will have rabbits on both alfalfa hay & pellets but it can be too rich for some rabbits and lead to messy poop. If a rabbit needed put on weight, you could add in alfalfa hay.

          You could probably cut out the papaya. It might only be a very small amount that the breeder gives.

          Check out the diet recommendations here: https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/2/PID/940/Default.aspx

          ETA: the yellow feet might be a bit of urine staining. Not unusally if he’s been in with all his litter mates plus his Mum.  It should fade out in time. You can pretty much set them up to use a litter box right away. 


        • Taloan7
          Participant
          138 posts Send Private Message

            I have nothing to contribute except “What a cutie!”. Holland lops are my favourite.


          • Ellie from The Netherlands
            Participant
            2512 posts Send Private Message

              Welcome to the forum, and keep those photos coming! He’s just too cute ^_^

              Sadly I can’t help you with the diet question as I don’t have experience with food for young buns.
              What I can help you with is a little warning for the dreaded bunny puberty. It can arrive very quickly for small breeds, as soon as 12 weeks for some buns.

              Many first-time owners are unpleasantly surprised by the sudden change from cute baby to a rebellious little monster. Males may start to hump objects/people, and spray urine to mark their territory. Like our Netherland Dwarf they can become frustrated, all these raging hormones drive them crazy as well. Females can become very territorial and display nesting behaviour. For both sexes you can expect a lapse in litter box habits. Both sexes will need to be fixed to prevent behaviour issues. (For females spaying also prevents uterine cancer.) Within 6 weeks after the surgery the hormones and frustrations are out of their system. They’ll still be active and energetic because they’re young, but the extreme behaviours will stop soon after the surgery. Once they are fixed you can also start a bonding process with another fixed rabbit.

              I’d recommend finding a rabbit savvy vet before you take him home, see “Vet Resources” on this forum. This way you won’t have to search for one while dealing with a hormonal bun at home. Rabbits are considered exotic pets, so you’ll need a specialised vet who frequently performs surgeries on rabbits.


            • Bladesmith
              Participant
              849 posts Send Private Message

                As far as the Papaya treat goes, Papaya enzymes are supposed to help rabbits break down and pass the fur that accumulates in their gut from grooming. We give our dwarf Dawn Papaya and pineapple as treats, but they’ve also helped with her Cecal Dysbiosis. Keeping a good gut biome is essential for healthy bun buns.

                As long as it’s not an excessive amount it should be fine. And your bun is such a cutie!


              • Antar The Bunny
                Participant
                12 posts Send Private Message

                  Wow, thank you all for such the warm welcome! And of course thanks for showing my little bun Antar so much love. I really can’t wait to bring him home on Saturday.

                  Ellie — I definitely plan on getting him neutered as soon as I can. If I’m being honest, the crazy hormone stage is probably what I’m most nervous about haha. 

                  I started my little guy an Instagram account so I don’t annoy my friends with all the pics of him, it’s instagram.com/antarthebunny. Do any of you have Instagram accounts for your buns? I’m sure it’ll be helpful for me to learn from more experience bunny parents. 


                • Asriel and Bombur
                  Participant
                  1104 posts Send Private Message

                    Already excitedly following, because there’s never enough bunny photos in a day

                    Don’t be scared of the puberty stage! My boys never really experienced much of that part except marking everywhere.


                  • Luckysmomma
                    Participant
                    8 posts Send Private Message

                      Hi! He is adorable! Might be kind of a weird question, but is he from LOL (lots of lops) rabbitry? She’s a friend of mine, and the background he’s on looks similar to the one she uses.

                      Best of luck with your new baby!


                    • LittlePuffyTail
                      Moderator
                      18092 posts Send Private Message

                        You’ve got some great advice already. I’m just chiming in to say “Welcome to BB to you and your adorable bun!”

                        I added you on insta. Mine is theembroiderybunny

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                    Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A New Bunny Owner — Is the seller right?