New Here

[Shelagh]

Hi, I’m new to this forum and to rabbits in general.  I actually got my first rabbit yesterday and until then had very little knowledge of them.  Now before you judge me, I did not plan on getting this rabbit.  My friend got it for her kids and quickly found out she was seriously allergic.  She tried to make it work by having her in the garage, but when it got too cold she put it in the basement.  It was not getting the attention, exercise or diet it needed.  She lives in a rural location and I am more central, so I offered to take her and try to rehome her.  My friend said she would bring everything she needs, so I thought I was set.  

Before then, I had done a bit of reading and was aware that hay was the main staple, followed by fresh greens and some veggies and then pellets.  Well she brought me a Hagan mix that contains corn and dried fruit (like banana and maybe apricot?), anyway it said it was complete and my friend said to just give her that in her bowl every day topped up and a handful of hay.  She forgot to bring me hay though, so I was going to have to buy it.  She also brought me a cedar/pine woodchip mix (which I haven’t used and will return).

So, this was last night.  Today my first goal was to buy timothy hay.  At first I bought a 1.3kg $15 bag at the pet store but returned it and bought a huge 45lb bale at a local nursery/feed store for under $10.  I know that was overkill (I have a spacious garage though)  The bale is a “timothy mix” I was told is generally sold for horses but the guy ensured me that it was perfect for rabbits too.  So I guess that’s my first question, is it?  (Please say yes, I have a ton of this stuff! LOL)

When I got home I decided to research the food that she gave me.  I saw that “rabbit muesli” was bad, but didn’t realize that that was pretty close to what I had.  I decided to scrap it, and went out and bought a big 11kg bag of Martin timothy rabbit pellets because I read that they were a good pellet food.  So now comes second question, how to I transition?  I did give her a few and she liked them, but I don’t want to upset her tummy if I do a sudden switch.

Which leads to question #3.  I asked what kind of fresh veggies she was given and all she basically got was romaine lettuce, apples, carrots and celery (the latter of which apparently gave her the runs).  In my attempt to be the perfect new bunny mummy, I fed her way too many new foods today.  I hadn’t yet read to introduce slowly.  She got cilantro, a little swiss chard, outer leaves of brussels sprouts, and cauliflower leaves and a few florets.  Oh and a couple spinach leaves.  Is this going to hurt her tummy or give her bad gas?  

Originally I was planning to rehome this bunny, but I am a little enamoured…she is SO sweet.  I have a cat, which I was worried about, but I let them meet with supervision and they are curious of and gentle with one another so far.  I haven’t seen aggression on either part.

It looks like, at least for the time being, I’m going to keep her, but I have a lot to learn.  If I do rehome her I would like to get her on a stable healthy diet and have her well socialized first.

I got her on a scale tonight and she’s 2116g.  Is that heavy for a 9mo holland lop female?  She could be a mix, my friend described the place she got her from and it did not seem like a reputable breeder by any stretch.  She’s a beautiful blue girl, and loves to come out when I come near the cage to get pets, but isn’t so fond of being picked up (which I discovered when I weighed her, but she basically froze when I lifted her)

Anyway that was REALLY long for an intro…hi

 

[Ellekke]

Helloooooo! Welcome!

Is the timothy hay bale good? – I don’t know about that but I’m sure someone else will give you an answer. I buy my hay in my pet store in Belgium but seems like things are a bit different here. Timothy and Alfalfa are not known to me. 15 $ a bag? Yikes!! I pay 4 euro’s for a 2 kg bag.

Introducing new foods — It’s best to introduce one new type of food at a time. Start with small amounts and then increase them. That way you can easily track if their tummy gets upset or not and they get used to the new food. When your bunny is adjusted to the veggies, you can make them salads of about 3 different veggies a day. That’s what I do. I give mine a little bit of carrot every other day (not a lot because their is a lot of sugar in carrots), then they get two “flowerbuds” of brocolli and three leaves of chicory. I don’t give my bunnies fruits.

Switching to new pellets — Do it gradually. Day one: 90% of the usual pellets 10% of the new ones / Day two: 80% of the old pellets and 20% new / Day three: 70% versus 30% / etcetera. That’s how I switched my bunnies pellets because they were also on a mix first. They didn’t have any problems adjusting this way.

I think 2116 grams seems pretty normal, maybe a bit above average. I read that their usual weight is around 2 kg.

[MoxieMeadows]

Hi, and welcome!

Hay question- It should be good, I buy my hay from a store that buys hay from local farmers, sometimes there are dried leaves and other plants in it though. Moxie likes this hay the best though, I bought bagged timothy hay for rabbits, and it was all broken, and most was so broken it was dust. (I asked for hay people! Not dust!) she wouldn’t eat that. I bought a huge bale from another store(I have no idea where they bought there’s) There was also a lot of dust in that one too(Seriously? ) so finally, I bought it local, She loves it! (No broken hay/dust, YAY!)

Transition new food/fruits/veggies slowly.

Hope I helped

[Shelagh]

Thanks for the help. So far no noticeable adverse reactions to the multitude of new foods introduced yesterday. Poops are solid and dry, and she’s happy and active. Should she be fine, or am I not out of the woods yet?

Her new favourite pastime is eating hay LOL. the friend who gave her to me said to be careful not to overfeed because they will just keep eating, and I said that is understandable given their wild diet of grazing on grasses and plants, you really do have to spend all of your free time eating just to have enough energy (especially bunny energy! lol). I can’t overfeed hay though, can I? My friend said she only offered a handful a day, but I have been giving a bunch. I actually re purposed my under cabinet basket as a hay feeder (see pic below). I just put cardboard on the bottom so it wouldn’t spill out. This way she can eat hay inside or outside the cage, it doesn’t get peed on, and she has to (and does) reach up for choice pieces, giving her both some stretching exercise and stimulation. She has easily eaten her size (volume not weight) in hay today. I just had to refill my feeder.

I’m actually a little confused on how much fresh food to feed a day. I feel like I could go overboard with how much I have to offer her in a day. We eat a lot of fresh veggies so I have lots of off cuts and leaves (I know tomato is poison). She had had strawberries previously, so her breakfast today was strawberry tops, with only a little of the fruit from the top, but mostly I composted that and just gave her the leaves. Is that about right? Mostly green leaves followed by a little veggies and fruit is optional? How much is 2 cups? Like 2 cups of leaves is a lot less than 2 cups of chopped dense veggies. I’m probably over complicating it (I have a tendency to do so LOL). I just want to do it right Would 2 cups of leaves or leafy greens compacted be about right? Are their any veggies I should not exclude beyond leafy greens? I know to limit high oxalate veggies (I do so for myself too, to avoid kidney stones, since I really love spinach).

Ok, I’m not sure how to add pics, I’ll do so in a minute. BTW bunnies are HARD to photograph! LOL, and I thought kids were bad.

[Shelagh]

Thanks for the help. So far no noticeable adverse reactions to the multitude of new foods introduced yesterday. Poops are solid and dry, and she’s happy and active. Should she be fine, or am I not out of the woods yet?

Her new favourite pastime is eating hay LOL. the friend who gave her to me said to be careful not to overfeed because they will just keep eating, and I said that is understandable given their wild diet of grazing on grasses and plants, you really do have to spend all of your free time eating just to have enough energy (especially bunny energy! lol). I can’t overfeed hay though, can I? My friend said she only offered a handful a day, but I have been giving a bunch. I actually re purposed my under cabinet basket as a hay feeder (see pic below). I just put cardboard on the bottom so it wouldn’t spill out. This way she can eat hay inside or outside the cage, it doesn’t get peed on, and she has to (and does) reach up for choice pieces, giving her both some stretching exercise and stimulation. She has easily eaten her size (volume not weight) in hay today. I just had to refill my feeder.

I’m actually a little confused on how much fresh food to feed a day. I feel like I could go overboard with how much I have to offer her in a day. We eat a lot of fresh veggies so I have lots of off cuts and leaves (I know tomato is poison). She had had strawberries previously, so her breakfast today was strawberry tops, with only a little of the fruit from the top, but mostly I composted that and just gave her the leaves. Is that about right? Mostly green leaves followed by a little veggies and fruit is optional? How much is 2 cups? Like 2 cups of leaves is a lot less than 2 cups of chopped dense veggies. I’m probably over complicating it (I have a tendency to do so LOL). I just want to do it right Would 2 cups of leaves or leafy greens compacted be about right? Are their any veggies I should not exclude beyond leafy greens? I know to limit high oxalate veggies (I do so for myself too, to avoid kidney stones, since I really love spinach).

Ok, I’m not sure how to add pics, I’ll do so in a minute. BTW bunnies are HARD to photograph! LOL, and I thought kids were bad.

[Tessie]

Hey, and welcome to the forum!

It’s great that she eats lots of hay. Bunnies should have constant access to hay, it is 80-90% of their diet. Your friend was wrong to only give a handful, they should have it constantly.
It’s great that she likes it, it’s important for their teeth and digestion, and some bunnies need to be persuaded to eat their hay!

As for greens, I think you are overthinking it. haha! So she’s 4.5 pounds, so 2 cups of greens is great. The greens she should be having are mostly leafy ones anyway. Strawberry tops are good, but careful not to give too much fruit, it’s high in sugar.
I would also say, I don’t know what she was being fed before but you might want to go slowly on all the new veggies, because if she hasn’t had them before it can cause a tummy upset.

How old is she? (Sorry if you’ve already said and I’ve missed it!) And have you found a good exotics vet?
It sounds like you’re doing a wonderful job with her so far!

[MK]

I know to give them an amount of veggies the size of thier head a day…lets see, 4.5 lbs…2 cups seems a bit much, maybe more like 1-1.5 cups? Hope you have fun, rabbits are amazing pets Btw, I have heard that apple isn’t on the better side for bunnies…especially near the seeds.

[Shelagh]

I’m glad she can have unlimited hay because she seems to love it.

Something happened today which I’d like to try to correct if possible. She started trying to hump my legs and my arm. I didn’t know what she was doing at first (a ton of chin rubbing and like she was trying to climb onto my knee), then I realized she was humping me. She even nipped my arm a little. I kinda pushed her away and she stopped. The next time I went over she was even more persistent, and I had to keep pushing her off me. Then I decided to flip her over on my lap to see if maybe she is a he (I don’t see any testicles), but after that she stopped. Is she just having raging hormones or is she trying to dominate me? Did the flip help, or just snap her out of it? I know that the solution is to have her fixed. It’s really not a great time for that financially though. I know the uterine cancer statistic, and so if we do keep her I would like to have it done at some point.

[Shelagh]

I’d say her head is easily 2 cups if not more.  At least with all the fur on it, does that count?  Her head is about the size of a big grapefruit.

[Tessie]

The humping is just hormonal, like you said, it will stop when she’s spayed. The flipping her over stopped her because it scared her, haha!
You shouldn’t do that too often.

2 cups is fine, it’s hard to overfeed greens

[Shelagh]

Yeah I thought it might have scared her, she didn’t like it. It didn’t really work either, I wasn’t able to get a good look, but I felt in the area where the testicles should be and didn’t feel any.

She stopped the mounting thing for now but she runs right to me when I come into the room, and if I peak out from behind the corner of the counter she comes running over. I also saw her do one of those binky things. She is making a strange sound though, I can only really hear it when I get close. She’s kinda grunting very low, like if you hum low over and over in the back of your throat. What does that sound mean?

[Tessie]

I would say it sounds like a very content bunny purr!

[Shelagh]

I got some pics, she was super still for me. I hope this works *fingers crossed*



She was just chilling out on the kitchen floor. This is the first time I have seen her so relaxed outside of her cage

[Shelagh]

Ok, yay that worked once I edited, I had to do it in HTML though, I don’t know how to post pics otherwise.

[HECA]

Oh she’s beautiful!

People, I think, are just used to the “keep your bunny in a hutch” thing. Isn’t awesome to see them so relaxed or excited to be free indoors?

Rehoming her huh? Sounds to me like you’re a new bunny slave! Lol. Congrats on your new addition… I mean addiction.

[Shelagh]

Thank you I think she’s pretty cute too. For the last few months she wasn’t getting out of her cage much at all, so she’s really enjoying the freedom. I spend probably 90% of my time (that I’m at home) in the kitchen (cooking, cleaning, and my computer is in here ), so it’s the perfect place to give her free roaming. The only time I close the cage door is at night or if I leave the home. I’m a stay at home mom (with 3 girls), so I’m home all day most of the time. She has completely stopped pooping on the floor, which is awesome.. She doesn’t much enjoy being picked up (I know most bunnies aren’t crazy about it), but last night she hopped up into my lap for pets. I guess you can still have a lap bunny without having to pick it up Doing everything on her terms has been working so well – except the mounting and humping thing, but I just gently push her away when she’s doing that and that has been working.

[Tessie]

Awwwww, she’s lovely! She looks similar to my Luna!
I’m sorry if I missed it, what did you say her name was?

Have you been to the vet for a check up yet? (Check she’s a girl!)

Lovely photos

[Shelagh]

Thanks Her name is Floppy, and I promised the little boy I wouldn’t change it, so I guess we’re keeping the name. Not a name I would chose, but oh well. I haven’t taken her to the vet yet, it’s not a great month financially for it, with Easter and my daughter’s and husband’s birthdays both in April, things are a little tight. I would definitely bring any of my animals if I thought they needed medical attention, but a check-up can probably wait a month or so. Fortunately “Floppy” is gender neutral

She was born on July 1st btw, so she’s 10 months old tomorrow I guess.

[HECA]

Aww. She sounds like she’s right at home with you. Being that you’re home a lot, you two will be best buddies!

[Shelagh]

Another question for anyone who’s still following my thread:

My bun seems to LOVE apple tree twigs. My Mother in law lives minutes away on a big property with a bunch of apple trees. She doesn’t use anything on her lawn or trees at all, so they are definitely bunny safe. I picked some twigs and washed them well for her. She ignored them for a day or so, but once she discovered that she could eat them she went crazy. She seems to be entirely eating the smaller twigs and then just stripping the bark from the slightly thicker ones. Is it ok that she’s actually eating them? Would this help add to her indigestible fibre? Should I limit them? She loves them and I can get my hands on a lot.

[HECA]

It’s fine that she’s eating them. How much is too much… I couldn’t tell you.

[MK]

Are they dry? They need to be dry.

[Shelagh]

No, they aren’t dry, why do they need to be dry? I’ll take them away now. I had read online that the apple tree twigs were fine, I hadn’t seen anything about them having to be dry.

[LongEaredLions]

They don’t need to be dried. I would say 2-3 6 inch pieces per day would be the max. My bunnies love them too. There are some fruit woods that need to be dried, but Apple isn’t one of them.

[Author]

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