New bunny parent

[CookieLopBaby]

Hey yall!  First of all just wanted to say that I’ve found this site to be very helpful so far…

I just adopted a Holland Lop about 2-3 wks ago.  This is my first bunny.  (well I had one once when I was 4) but anyway, Cookie is a house bunny.  I was curious as to when I should have her Spayed?  She’s about 10-11 wks now.  Also what kind of behaviors,etc should I expect immediately after surgery?  Also if any of yall can give me any pointers as a new bunny parent I would greatly appreciate it!  I’m like a sponge, just trying to soak up all the info that I can, so that I can make sure Cookie stays healthy and Happy!  I’ve raised squirrels, deer, etc, but Bunnies are a completely new thing for me…

[kimberleyanddarren]

The age for a spay will really be up to your vet, usually its about 4 months however its best to find youself a rabbit savvy vet in your area and ask them when is the best time.
I havent had my bun neutered yet so i will leave others to answer on the behaviour however the advice i would give you is keep trying! As alot of other members know i am having a huge trouble litter training my bun (some get it straight away others may take weeks months to learn) and i think the most important thing is patience!

[JK]

Welcome! Definitely take the time to read all the information under Bunny Info above. Pretty much everything you want to know is there. Good luck.

[Beka27]

there is much to learn about house rabbits.  you have definitely come to the right place.  i’d start out by just reading some of the current threads over and checking the bunny info section at the top. 

another must-read site is the House Rabbit Society.  this one should go in your bookmarks.  http://www.rabbit.org/

i would start off by finding a vet in your area and set -up a check-up exam for the next couple of weeks.  that will catch if there is anything wrong right now.  baby rabbits can sometimes have little things that they pick up that are easily fixed with medication.  it’s much better to catch it as soon as possible.  also, if an emergency arises, you are already established with a vet.  the vet will then give you her recommendation as to when the surgery should take place.  normally that is between 5-7 months for girls as it’s more invasive.

http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html   here is the vet list recommended by HRS.  click on your location.  it may be necessary to drive a bit further for a good vet, but it is worth it.  you want to make sure the vet you pick is “rabbit savvy”.  they must be specially trained to treat rabbits.  a regular cat and dog vet is not going to be much help to you.

any other questions, please ask.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Welcome to binkybunny!!

You have gotten some great advice so far! That’s wonderful your doing your research! Do you have pics of cookie you want to share?

[kimberleyanddarren]

i had one person on yahoo answers ask me if i ran BB because at the end of my posts im always like.. oh if u have anymore Q’s theres this site https://www.binkybunny.com and its fantastic! it has everything you could ever want to know! and this one person was like so u run that site? i said no i dont they said well why do u mention it all the while? and i just said because it is amazing simple as lol

[kralspace]

I know! I watch Craigslist and mention it and rabbit.org whenever I see a bunny comment (that’s how I found about about this wonderful site!)

Cheers to BinkyBunny!

Kathy

[kimberleyanddarren]

yes rabbit.org has some good information but i dont like it as much as BB because the layout is confusing and it has the air of a website from the 90s as aposed to a modern up to date site like bb

[CookieLopBaby]

Wow thank yall for all the info! Such quick replies! I will have pics soon but my camera is on the fritz… Ugh. I have been to rabbit.org but I have to agree with kimberlyanddarren. Thank you all soooooo much! Cookie thanks u too!

[BinkyBunny]

Thanks for all o the wonderful comments!!!

RondaGene –

Regarding Spay/Neuter:  One of the best things you can do is find a rabbit savvy vet.  Very important that they know what they are doing since rabbits don’t respond the same as cats and dogs do to surgery, medicines, anesesia.   For example, cats and dogs may be fasted prior to surgery, rabbits should never be fasted.   Some meds that are safe for cats and dogs are deadly to rabbits, so it’s important to find the right vet.   Beka gave you a list of vets, and if you don’t find one in your area, or even if you do, you should screen them to make sure they know what they are doing. Here is a link the HRS’s screening questions (with the answers the vet SHOULD have when you call) http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html#questions

As far as stuff to know for a new owner – I think one of the biggest things is diet.    It’s really easy for new bunny owners to overdo it with treats as they try to bond with their new cute companion.  And make sure your bunny has a high fiber diet (stay away from feed that has seeds, dried fruit and cereal type stufff) Stick with straight Alfalfa pellets while they are young and wean off to Timothy pellets as they grow.  Here are some specific guidelines created by HRS http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#babies

Next – is making sure you have your home bunny proofed so your new bunny isn’t chewing on cords,  Then once you have your home bunny proofed, allow limited freedom so your bunny, even when not spayed, will understand what is “her” area, and what is “everyone’s” area.    Too much freedom too fast can lead to marking everywhere in the house instead of just in her area.

But also note that when I say don’t give too much freedom, I don’t mean don’t let her have exercise as she still needs to get out and play and run, but you may have to use an xpen to allow limited freedom.

So those are just some off the top of my head tips.  There are tons more, but at least so far, this and the other posts will get you started.  

Do you have any specific diet or behavior challenges right now?

 

[CookieLopBaby]

Hey. Ummm, Luckily I researched the types of foods to feed Cookie before I actually adopted her. So I’m not giving her the seedy, cereal like stuff. and Timothy hay. Because I read too much alfalfa could be bad for bunnies. Is that true?
The only problems that I’m having with cookie if u wanna call it that, is that she’s not consistent with the litter box. But last night I added an extra and soaked up some pee with a paper towel and threw them in her boxes. (please tell me paper towels won’t hurt her) But “today” she seems to be consistent with peeing in the box that I used pine Pellets in. The other box has “colorfresh bedding” Made out of paper. Do u think she could like the pine pellets better? (I do. They don’t seem to scatter everywhere)
She is good about sitting in my lap and letting me pet her or sticking her head out of her cage to let me pet her but once she gets out all I can get is a quick lil rub out of her! Do u think she’s scared or is this just normal behavior? Do u think if I let her out of her Home for longer periods she would be more apt to wanna let me pet her instead of scampering around?
Wow I had more ?’s than I thought! THank u so much for your kindness and help…

[CookieLopBaby]

oops, I meant I’m giving her Timothy Hay… Not alfalfa…

[BinkyBunny]

DIET/HAY – That’s great that you are feeding her feed that doesn’t have the seeds, fruit and cereal. And regarding alfalfa – Alfalfa is not bad. It is just higher in calories and fat and so adult bunnies can get their system overloaded with it.   But young bunnies (under 7 months usually have alfalfa in their diet) So unless she’s overweight, having poopy messy butt or has white urine sludge, then alfalfa is okay for her age. Check out the link I gave you regarding diet – that will help explain when to wean her off alfalfa. However, if you haven’t fed her alfalfa, then I wouldn’t recommend just throwing it back into her diet as a drastic switch could cause digestive upsets.

Regarding LITTERBOX HABITS: She probably won’t become consistent until about a month after she’s spayed. She may even get worse as she reaches 3 – 4 months because she will be reaching sexual maturity. But even now, establishing habits that she can fall into after her spay is important to get her to understand that she has her territory which is different than the general territory is important.

Regarding PAPER TOWEL:  It won’t hurt her as long as she isn’t consuming a large amount. If she ends up eating paper towel, then just put in a tiny bit next time. A bunny’s nose is powerful and so you don’t need much of a urine soaked paper towel for them to get it.

Regarding the TYPE OF LITTER:  Is the colorfresh litter soft? If so, she might choose that as her bed/resting area and so she may not pee as much in there. She may mark it, but she may use the other litter box then to do her normal poo business. Do you ever see her hanging out in the colorfresh litter?

Regarding BONDING WITH HER: it is normal for her to want to run and play first. She is young so she also has lots of energy. So what I would do if I were you would be sit on the floor near her and let her run and play. Maybe make some cardboard play boxes for her and  make an obstacle course of tunnels and little hideouts. Let her scamper around for awhile, and then let her come to you, she’ll learn to trust that you will just hang out with her without taking away her freedom. (If she only knows you from picking her up and putting her back in her cage, she will be more likely to want to run away.) So grab some pillow, get a book or magazine, get some healthy treats, and just wait for her to approach, then give her a treat. Pretty soon she’ll be hopping all over you, and once she tires out, you most likely be able to spend time petting her. Do this for a week or so and see what happens.

OH, I forgot to say…WELCOME TO BINKYBUNNY!

EDITED:  I forgot to answer one of your original questions.  What to expect after spay surgery – Spaying is a much more instrusive surgey than neutering, so females, usually are hiding off in a corner, very sleeply and not so energenic, not usually interested in eating at all..  Some vets prescribe post pain meds which really can make a difference! It’s important to get a bunny eating the by the next morning after surgery – nibbling on anything and drinking.  If a bunny refuses to eat anything by the next day after surgery, then you would need to call the vet.  But really, don’t let that worry you, those are just things you need to be aware of.  This is another great article by HRS regarding pre and post surgery expectations: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/spay-neuter.html#pre-post-care

[CookieLopBaby]

Thanks for the tips about the hay. I will be sure to pick her some up. As for the paper towel, I only tore off 1/4 of it and stuffed it in there. she kind of chews the clean edges but I haven’t noticed her eating any “so far”. Hmmmm, yes the color fresh litter is kinda soft. So should I just leave that box in her cage to let her sleep in? Or should I just change litter to the pellets and give her a towel or something to sleep on? I will definately take your advice on the bonding and I have thank God found a vet. He has done a lot of work for our family in the past and has worked on deer, squirrels,etc. He seems to know his stuff.
Oh 1 more ?. My kids sometimes get a lil loud and spook her but never hurt her… Will she get used to this, or could it make her wild? I mean sometimes she will run from them others she’ll just stare them down like they’re crazy or something. What is ur take on this?

[BinkyBunny]

I hope you could read what I wrote. I’ve have been playing catch-up and I was typing so fast, making major mistakes as I went along. I’ve been going back over it clearing things up, but from your response you seemed to understand so that’s good.

I think your idea of just changing the litter to pellets and having something soft for her to sleep on is perfect.

Regarding kid noise and bunnies: I know some bunnies that become rather easy going and don’t let much get to them. Like Bailey and Rucy no longer fret the vacuum, however, you do have to be a bit careful with kids. Sometimes fear can turn into aggression, so as long as your bunny has a quiet place to escape or a place away from the kids, then that may be helpful. You also may need to comfort her. It’s all still very new for her.  Also, if she can experience your children’s quiet and gentle times as the majority of her interaction with them, she will learn to trust even if she gets spooked once in awhile. Here is a great HRS article regarding child bunny interaction – http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/children.html#rabbit-people

[CookieLopBaby]

That was a great article. I will teach my children some of those techniques right away. (morning) I will start moving the cage now and again also. For some reason I just thought that it wouldn’t be a good idea to move the cage. Think I’m gonna tell my 4 yr old. “cookie likes to be read to”, and let her sit with a pillow beside the cage. Cookie has however developed a liking to the grooming brush… She just goes in a trance and rolls over on her back. And my daughter is VERY gentle with that, seeing as she hates it when I brush her hair too hard. So I’ll give her more opportunities for brushing Cookie.
My 18 mt old son however has very little interest in Cookie…He’s only interested in real cookies! LOL! So maybe I’ll put Cookie in my room when he’s toddling around and whining.
Thanks again… You guys are so friendly,and helpful!

[BinkyBunny]

You’re welcome! Great idea regarding the brush, and I really like the idea of letting them know that rabbits like to be read to. My five year old nephew is very gentle and very quiet when he comes near the bunnies, but he isn’t sure what to do when my big white bunny Jack comes close. He’s just so big and bulky, his size alone sort of intimidates my nephew. (he’s not THAT big, but to a five year old, he’s big) Anyway, jack is also a bit timid so with them both looking at each other and approaching each other so cautiously, they never actually meet. I bet the whole reading bit would calm both of them down. I’m going to try it.

Keep us updated.

[Beka27]

i’d suggest that you supervise the children around the bunny.  my rabbit has taken to lunging at my 4 yo boy and she even bit him.  this is all about 5 months after her spay.  Meadow is extremely bonded to me tho and i think she perceives Michael as a threat to that.  i’m just warning you that not all rabbits like small children.  my son has never hurt her in anyway, they just do not get along.

[Scarlet_Rose]

I just wanted to hop in and say welcome to Binky Bunny Ronda Gene!!!

[Author]

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