New Developement as per Nana’s Situation. Need NEW tips..

[Binkles]

I came home today to find that I had an message from Amber on my AIM..

@__@; One of her teachers had gotten her another baby bunny..

Now, we both knew that she wasn’t ready for one yet -her baby just died yesterday morning, God’s sake. And we’d talked lengthilly about the lack of facillitation on her parents’ part, comming to the conclusion that she wouldn’t get another one until she moved into her new apartment.

It’s also been really cold at night here lately, even in Florida. So we weren’t about to let that little baby -probably weened to early as most pet shop bunnies are- sit out there in the cold and freeze to death.

But I also wasn’t about to let him go to the humane society..

So long story short, I have a new guest in the house. I’m taking care of her new baby bunny until Amber can get over the death of Nana and Spring with temperate weather comes.

But now I need some new tips…xD

We’re fairly certain that he’s a Jersey Wooly aka Dwarf Angora. Which poses a new situation to both of us. I have NO idea how to take care of an Angora. Do they ALL grow into the big poof-balls that you see so often on the internet? Or do they just become the shaggy bunnies you see sometimes? Do they all need to be shorn? And once he/ she/ it becomes accustomed to being were it is, should I introduce him to my bunny Binkles, even though he/ she/ it will eventually go back to Amber? All so new..

Oh, but what a little sweetie he/ she/ it is. Grey/ white with a little black smudge over he/ she/ it’s nose. Looks like he/ she/ it got into the soot. Depending on gender he/ she/ it is, the name will be either Mitsu (Female, means "Three" since this is her third bunny) or Tetsu (Male, means "metallic" or "silver&quot.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

hmmm…
I have lionhead who is fairly wooly…I have found a cat ‘slicker’ works best. Brush gently as they have delicate sking. Brush every day, because if you don’t groom her/him they will groom themselves and then they are more prone to develop hair balls. Since he/she is wooly, I believe they require a higher calorie diet and definitley you want to check out pineapple/papaya (freash or in the capsules by oxbow) when you start introducing veggies, as this will help break down hair.

As for introducing her/him to your bunny…I don’t think I would recommend it, if they aren’t going to be together forever…Bunnies get sad when seperated from their bonded friend, so although its tempting, unless your keeping the baby, I wouldn’t allow them to bond. Also of course if you bunny isn’t fixed and they are opposite sex, well then you could have many bunnies So I know I would *want* to let them play together, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Also baby bunnies can have alfalfa hay and alfalfa based pellets, since they need higher calories-up to six months.

other then that, how are you enjoying your “guest”? She/he sounds very pretty!!

[Gravehearted]

wow – that’s pretty surpringly that a teacher would buy a student another rabbit. it doesn’t seem like a very appropriate kind of thing

Long haired bunnies are not recommended for outdoor living, due to the very attentive care they need with grooming, they don’t tolerate the heat well and can get very ill from poop or pee getting caught in their fur.

The new bunny is going to require regular grooming  – which may take some serious time commitment.  Mat raks are a good choice for grooming.  Since mats form in the undercoat and not in the top layer of fur, lift the fur and brush it layer by layer, starting at the deepest layer. This task is easiest if the layers are small. Hold the layer of fur at the base to prevent pulling on the fur too hard, which can cause discomfort or tears to the rabbit’s delicate skin. 

As Kokaneeandkahlua recommended – they do require a higher protein diet, since they are always growing their coat.

bunnies don’t really make casual friends, so I wouldn’t recommend introducing them unless the plan is to bond them and have them live together.

here’s a few articles on grooming long haired bunnies

http://www.mybunny.org/info/groom_long_haired.htm

or

http://www.mnhouserabbit.org/care/groomingFuzzies.html

[Binkles]

Ah, thank you both!

He’s doing well, but naturally he’s painfully shy. Poor thing. I think he’s beginning to realize that I’m his friend though.

I’m a bit worried. He drinks LOTS of water and hasn’t eaten any of his pellets. His sniffed them, so he knows they’re there -he just hasn’t been interested in them. :S Could it be that they’re too potent? It does have a smell. I bought it yesterday -I couldn’t believe PetSmart didn’t have baby bunny formula foods. But this one said it was ideal for Rabbits of all ages. It’s the same brand I give Binkles, but a different type -it had more stuff in it, so I figured it would be good for baby. Maybe not? It’s called Sunseed Sunaturals Natural Rabbit food. I’ll keep searching for nany bunny food just in case. He does eat his hay though. For the moment, I only have Timothy, but I’ll buy some Alfalfa today.

Though, he also hasn’t pooped, to my knowledge. So maybe he NEEDS all the water and hay he’s so fond of.

[JK]

Hopefully Angoragirl will see this!  She has Henri an Angora (I think). Check out her post on "Henri’s bathtime"!  My bun drinks tons and tons of water too.  We have had so many tests done to determine the cause and have no answers.  First thing you need to do is have a rabbit savvy vet check him over.  Good for you for taking the bun.  I hope to God your friend never keeps this bunny outside.  In fact, I would be real reluctant to hand him over to her if she can’t afford him after what she just went through. Good luck to you.

[charlie82]

Posted By Binkles on 01/15/2008 5:41 AM

Ah, thank you both!

He’s doing well, but naturally he’s painfully shy. Poor thing. I think he’s beginning to realize that I’m his friend though.

I’m a bit worried. He drinks LOTS of water and hasn’t eaten any of his pellets. His sniffed them, so he knows they’re there -he just hasn’t been interested in them. :S Could it be that they’re too potent? It does have a smell. I bought it yesterday -I couldn’t believe PetSmart didn’t have baby bunny formula foods. But this one said it was ideal for Rabbits of all ages. It’s the same brand I give Binkles, but a different type -it had more stuff in it, so I figured it would be good for baby. Maybe not? It’s called Sunseed Sunaturals Natural Rabbit food. I’ll keep searching for nany bunny food just in case. He does eat his hay though. For the moment, I only have Timothy, but I’ll buy some Alfalfa today.

Though, he also hasn’t pooped, to my knowledge. So maybe he NEEDS all the water and hay he’s so fond of.

 

Hi,

  Ideally he should be given the same food as he was given in the pet shop. Changing a rabbits diet suddenly is enough to cause G I problems, and this bunny has also had to change home a few times already so is likely to be very stressed. It’s good that he’s eating hay, but if he continues to not pass anything through then he needs to be checked out. Young rabbits can go quickly if they are stressed/ill because of digestive upsets!

[Sarita]

How old do you think this baby is? It wouldn’t hurt to have a vet see him.

He should be tested for coccidia which is easily done – many underage rabbits from petstores and shelters get this and it can be fatal if not treated.

I think it’s odd too that a teacher would purchase a pet for a student – I just don’t understand that one at all.

Maybe they didn’t give him pellets at the place he was purchased at – so hard to know what his diet was before. I say keep trying with some good quality pellets (doesn’t matter if they are timmy or alfafla) and keep on with they timmy hay and add the alfalfa hay.

[Beka27]

my goodness!  another reason why rabbits should not be given as gifts.  she is going to need to make an even higher time/money commitment to this breed of rabbit and it makes no sense to me either that a teacher would give this baby to her.  could she have refused the "gift"?

when you say that the pellets "had more stuff in it", what kind of stuff?  if it’s the little dried candy-like pieces, those are not good for rabbits.  it’s better to put the baby on a higher quality diet, esp. b/c of the breed and age, and some alfalfa hay. 

i second what knowltons4 says about being reluctant to hand baby over until she’s ready, esp. if you’re the one providing (paying for) vet care.  i’m guessing you may end up with a second bun sooner than you thought. 

regardless, she sounds like a beauty.  if you have a chance, i know i would love to see pics, and i’m sure others would as well!

[Binkles]

Hmm, I’ve hunted down and called the petstore from which he/ she was bought and found out they fed her Vita Plus Sunscription..

..which is an adult rabbit formula. -_-

No wonder the poor baby’s so thin. That’s what I feed MY baby. :s Well, I certainly don’t want to be feeding him/ her an adult rabbit food…should I continue to feed her what I’m feeding her or start giving her what they gave her at the shop despite the fact it’s an adult formula?

Should I slowly switch her over to something else? And if so, what?

The food I’m feeding her as of now is Sunseed Sunaturals Natural Rabbit food -which is supposed to be "for all stages". She’s slowly but steadilly eating the pellets part now. Maybe I should just take the extra stuff out? The pellets themselves seem to be filled with nutrients.

By ‘more stuff’ I meant dried carrots and nuts and such. Just generally…’more stuff.’ I understand that more stuff like this is bad for adult bunnies, but I think he/ she really needs to bulk up some. She’s really skinny and as I’ve mentioned before, I think she was probably weened to early like most petshop bunnies. I can’t imagine he/ she is any more than 6 weeks old. I’ll post a picture and size comparisson when I can.

I’ll definitely take him/ her over to the vet tomarrow to have her checked out for various things.

[Scarlet_Rose]

I think you are O.K. with the adult rabbit pellets.  It was Osprey or Sarita that brought up it is O.K. to feed a babe it as well. I would not give food that contains nuts or seeds, they are high in starches and can cause an imapction regardless of age.  If you are concerned about the weight, have a vet check that out first, then you can get some recommendations and one of them might be to feed them alfalfa hay .  Do the rabbits get unlimited hay or fresh veggies?  The dried carrots in the food are not the best for them either as they contain a lot of natural sugar (they are just like a candy bar to us humans) and it is even more concentrated when they are dried.  I would opt for just a plain jane pellet and here is more info on bunny diet: BUNNY INFO – DIET check it out and let us know if you have any more questions!

[Gravehearted]

oo glad you’re taking her into the vet. I’m with ScarletRose – take out the other junk in the pellets it’s not good for her.

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