New Here, Hello!

[HarrietTheHare]

Hi! My name is Berkley, I am brand new to the rabbit world. About 3 weeks ago I was driving home from work, it was dark but I saw the most beautiful rabbit on the side of the road. Afraid it was going to get run over I pulled my car over. Much to my surprise the little thing let me pick up and put her in my car. We put “Found Rabbit” signs out, called all the exotic vets in our area, animal control… everything and no one has claimed her. I am thinking someone just couldn’t keep her any more and just let her out as there is no way she traveled far and would have survived long as tame as she is. The good news is, me and my family have fallen in love with her! I have been reading everything I can, learning as much as I can to give her the best home we can. I live in a small house and with 2 kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats, a fish take… there just isnt room for a large cage in the house. So we got her a really nice 4 level hutch that is on our deck. She gets time in the morning and in the evenings in the house. My husband is going to build her her own little garden so she will have a safe outside run. If you are still reading…. ha! Any tips you can give me that I might not know? I am not even 100% on what kind of rabbit she is? Maybe Lionhead… Any help here? I have been brushing her everyday, her coat is really improving and called the vet today to she when I can get her looked at and see how old she might be. I did youtube on how to find out she is a girl Any guidance is so appreciated! There is so much conflicting information on the internet. Hi all and meet Harriet the Hare. We are torn between Harriet and Gertrude (Gertie)

[Wick & Fable]

Hi Berkley! A few things came to mind while I was reading your post:

• My two-cents for name goes with Gertie, because it’s short and has a strong, distinct sound. This will help if you want your rabbit to eventually respond to it’s name.
• Depending on the age of your kids and size of your rabbit, you may want to be careful if you let your new family member roam in your house. Rabbits move very fast and react to things we may not even think of, so darting or having your rabbit unexpectedly by your feet is very common. When you’re letting your rabbit run around, make sure everyone knows because stepping or accidentally kicking a rabbit is common.
• You want to be careful with having your rabbit outside, especially if you live by large trees. Birds have amazing eye sight, and especially with the fur on this lionhead, it’s an easy to spot target. Having coverage on the garden would be good.
• Litter will catch on your rabbit’s fur pretty easily, so for litter box options, I suggest putting a screen on top of small-piece litters. This will prevent your rabbit tracking litter from her coat to places in the house (or hutch).
• If your dogs are barkers, assess whether this jolts your rabbit. You may need to condition her to feel secure and okay when a dog barks, so if she does seemed spooked, make sure to pet her immediately afterwards to reinforce your house and presence signifies security.
• Depending on age, spayed v. not, your rabbit may poop/pee a lot around any new environment. This is completely natural, and rabbits can be litter-box trained as long as you’re persistent. They are marking territory.
• Rubbing a towel on your rabbit (getting it’s scent) and placing it in a new environment (i.e. a pet carrier, hutch, etc) could make her feel more comfortable. I did this for Wick and his pet carrier, and now his carrier just sits open in the living room and he rests in there some times.
• Dilution of vinegar and water is a safe cleaning agent.
• Depending on your quantity of towels and your family’s system of pet cleaning, it’s nice to assign a bunch of towels as your rabbit’s pee/mess towels. Otherwise, you may go through a large quantity of paper towels when cleaning the hutch.

I hope this helps!

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Luna]

Hi! It makes me so mad that someone could ditch ANY animal on the side of the road like that. Thank goodness you found her and gave her a nice home.
Some basics:
– main diet should consist of hay (timothy, orchard, or meadow hay…or alfalfa but only if she is less than 6 months old)
– depending on her age (which your vet can assist with) she should get unlimited pellets everyday if she is a juvenile, or 1/4 cup or less a day if she is an adult
– if she is at least 6 months old she can eat approved veggies which should be introduced slowly at first
(list availabe at http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/)
– put both a water bottle and a water bowl in her hutch
– if she is going to be living outside part of the time, look into information on overheating and fly strike

[tobyluv]

Hello and welcome to Binky Bunny! It’s so good that you rescued the bunny, who surely wouldn’t have survived much longer out on her own. It’s lucky that she was an easy rescue. Most aren’t that easy.

If you plan to have her outside in some garden area, it needs to be totally predator proof and escape proof. That means caging on all sides, including top and bottom. Rabbits can easily dig out of enclosures and predators can dig in, climb in, swoop in, etc. Rabbits can also injure themselves if frightened by a predator. You will also have to be aware of fleas, ticks, fly strike or other insects such as fire ants if they are in your area.

If you click on the BUNNY INFO link at the top of the page, you will find a lot of great information on all aspects of rabbit care.

[Author]

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