New member :)

[vaderslave]

Hello, my name is Amelia. As of Thursday, I am the new proud owner of a black netherland dwarf. His name is Vader lol my boyfriend is kind of a  nerd and thought the name was fitting because he is jet black and he is full of attitude lol. So Vader he is. He is about 4.5 months old, his birthday is August 12. I plan on getting him neutered (calling the vet tomorrow actually to set up an appointment to get him checked out). I got him from a local breeder that I found online actually, it was a nice coincidence that she happened to have Vader for sale at the same time I decided to get serious about getting a bunny What a fun way to start off the new year.

I do have a few questions though, the lady I got him from said he was fed 1/3 cup timothy based pellets per day plus unlimited hay. And I think that’s all she fed. Since I’ve been reading though, I found that he probably shouldn’t be on timothy pellets yet and he should have unlimited pellets plus unlimited hay til 7 months plus introducing some veggies? Should I put him on alfalfa pellets or keep him on what he’s been fed?

He’s fiesty, but chill at the same time if that makes sense lol. I have a large closet/small room that we chill in.. .tonight he even “binky’d”! He also snores and loves the back of the couch, although he tends to relax too much and and lay with his feet off the the side fall off lol. He also is a big time licker, although we have to watch out cause sometimes he still has poop in his mouth cause he’ll sit on the couch and eat his poop and then try to lick you.. and poop falls out lol

Sorry I wrote so much! It’s exciting Here he is:

 

Chillin in the homestead

His favorite spot on the back of the couch, its harder to fall off when you’re cozied up in the corner lol

[Monkeybun]

Oh my, he’s a boy version of my Monkey She’s a black nethie too

Welcome to the forums!

At hsi age, he should have been fed unlimited alfalfa pellets, and unlimited hay. At 6 months-ish is when he should be transitioned to the timmy pellets. Monkey hated her alfalfa and never ate it, so she’s been on timmy pellets since she was very young, she’s maybe not quite as big as she could be due to it, but well.. if she refused to eat it, what could I do? lol

He’s lookign good, and quite comfy on the couch! hehe

[vaderslave]

So, should I just feed him unlimited timothy pellets or switch over to alfalfa? Oh and he eats orchard grass instead of timothy hay because that’s what the lady gave them so I just kept it the same.

[Monkeybun]

if he’s been on the timmy pellets for a long time now, theres really no sense in changing as you’ll have to change again soon.. just make sure he has lots Orchard grass is fine, my buns love it

[bunnyluvr]

Just wanted to say that your bunny looks just like my sweet Bunny-boo. Now there are two bunnies on this site that look like my precious boy (who has crossed the bridge). Yours and Monkeybun’s! It’s nice to see pics of them, it helps me remember Bunny and his bunnitude – he sure was something!

[Lintini]

Welcome! He’s so cute! Yay another dwarf owner!! I love his name, I’m a star wars fan also! Very fitting!

[Elrohwen]

Awww, he’s so cute! Definitely a bunny-twin for Monkey.

I would put him on unlimited timmy pellets for a few more months. He’s already eating them, so there’s really no reason to transition to alfalfa and then right back to timmy in another couple of months. You can be some alfalfa hay though if you’d like – that will give him some extra calories. You can give him that straight up, or blend it in with whatever hay he’s getting now. Timmy hay and orchard hay are both considered “grass hays” (alfalfa is a legume) so they’re basically the same nutritionally – you can feed him either in addition to the alfalfa.

You can also probably start introducing veggies slowly now. Some people recommend waiting until 6 months, but others will introduce at 3 or 4 (I introduced at 4 months with no issues). Just make sure to do it one veg at a time and small amounts, so if his system doesn’t react well you can stop feeding veggies for a while.

Also, I noticed that his cage has bedding over the whole floor. I’m not sure how his litter training is going, but you’ll have more luck if you remove bedding from the cage and just put it in the litter box. You can give him some fleece or a small cat bed for something fluffy for him to sleep on, but the bedding you’re using now can confuse him about where he’s supposed to be going to the bathroom. Just a tip!

[vaderslave]

Ah okay. I’ll just keep him on timmy pellets then and I’ll throw in some alfalfa hay. I’ve been giving him some veggies. He looooves carrots. I tried giving him a green bean the other day but he wouldn’t touch it, and he’s not fond of broccoli either lol. But carrots he eats like they are treats lol.

And wow, yeah, good idea with the bedding. Probably something I should have thought of lol. He’s doing very well with it though when he’s on the floor, although he sometimes poops outside of the potty area.

AND we have an appointment for Friday for his pre-neuter checkup I’m tryin to get the big stuff done before winter break is over I’m 20 and in college and working 2 jobs so time gets a little tight during the day for appointments.

[Elrohwen]

Well, carrots are treats, actually. Haha. Probably why likes them so much! Carrots are very high in sugar, so should really be fed in small amounts as a treat. Also, green beans are not good for buns, as most beans are not – buns can’t digest them. Broccoli can be ok, though some people report problems with gas, so if he does try it, just keep an eye on him. There’s a link to the safe veggie list on BB:
https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=144

Some good veggies to start with would be lettuce like romaine or green leaf (no iceberg!) or herbs like parsley, basil, cilantro, etc. These are all very healthy for buns.

Good for you for getting him neutered! I’m sure that’ll help his potty habits a lot. And putting litter just in his litter box will help him get the idea too.

[Monkeybun]

Little note: my 2 love the green leafy tops of carrots. Monkey eats them like candy lol. Moose seems to enjoy them too

[vaderslave]

oo sounds like i have to go grocery shopping How do I get him to not poop outside the litter box? It’s especially bad when he’s outside the cage.. he pees in the litter box very well, and I can always tell when he pees because it stinks for a little while so I give him treats and tell him how good he is, but he just poops freely and has a giant poop explosion every now and then.

[Elrohwen]

Well, neutering will definitely help. Unneutered buns will often mark their territory, which is what he might be doing.

For now, just pick up all the poos and put them back in the litter box (even ones that are in his cage but don’t quite make it into the litter box). Eventually he should get the idea that they belong there and not outside of his cage.

Make sure you put hay in the litter box. Buns love to eat and poo, and putting hay in the box has been the breakthrough for some people to get their bun using the box.

You can also try adding another litter box outside of his cage. Maybe if it’s very quick and easy to get back to he’ll be more inclined to use it. As he gets better, you may be able to take one of them away and just keep the one in the cage.

[LittlePuffyTail]

A little late…but Welcome to BinkyBunny!!!

Vader is adorable. My boyfriend is also a Wars Nerd

[Author]

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