New owner of free-roam.

[New Moon Koala]

I thought to join this forum to learn more about rabbits. It will be my first time owning a bunny but I have owned a lot of different pets in my life.

 Any tips would be welcomed especially to a roam-free bunny or related to Jersey Wooly breeds.

 As I will be getting a Jersey Wooly bunny this Friday, would consider to add other bunny in a week or two to keep him company while I’m out for working or riding the bike. Forward to hear and meet new rabbit friends.

[Asriel and Bombur]

Congrats on the new bunny a little biased… but they’re the best

Tips for a free roamer who isn’t neutered/spayed yet: be prepared for the potential possibility of poops everywhere, especially as they adjust to their new home. Also I can’t tell you enough bunny proof things you never thought of. Basically everything. Keep cords out of the reach, cover up baseboards with an xpen, seal everything tight, hide anything they can chew.

Jersey woolys in particular: they are prone to wool block/ GI Stasis because of the length of their fur. Grooming every single day when they’re molting is an absolute must.

Bunnies in general: be patient with your new bun. It could take days, weeks, or months to get them comfortable with you. Don’t force anything, over handle, or pick them up unless necessary. The best thing you can do to help a bond between you two is to just sit on the floor with them, ignore them, you can offer a pet by extending your hand palm down and if they bow their head it safe to pet for a bit. Bunnies don’t typically enjoy being picked up/handled/cuddled, and it’s such a misconception they do because the few who do are plastered all over social media. They enjoy being grounded and are more subtle lovers. Some people are lucky and get a ham who loves it, but it’s best not to push the envelope early.

Food: hay and pellets only until 12 weeks, then you can begin slowly introducing greens. At 6 months you can introduce more sugary items like fruits and carrots. Obviously avoid fiesta type mixes with nuts and seeds.

A friend: I suggest holding off on a friend for your bun. Bunnies aren’t like dogs and cats that you can just put together and they’ll get along. They have a complex hierarchy and need to go through a formal bonding process once they have been spayed/neutered. Bunnies that are hormonal (which kicks in any time after 8-12 weeks) will only want to fight and mate. This can lead to severe injuries because they can and will fight to the death. So get your bunny fixed, then you can think about potentially bonding him/her. Either way they’d need to remain separate at all times except during bonding sessions when they are both fixed.

Girls and Spays: it’s almost essential to a female bunny’s health to be spayed. Females who are not spayed have high risks of reproductive cancers, which require emergency spays anyways. Bunnies are often misexed at a young age, so if you think you’re getting a boy you could actually have a girl in vice versa. You just don’t know until testicles emerge.

It’s a lot of info, but I promise you’ll need it.
Welcome

[New Moon Koala]

Thanks!

It’s never too much of information, I welcomed to learn as I may ask couple question from time to time after this weekend. All of your information are worthwhile and need to know. I’ve acknowledged most of what you have mentioned since I’ve done the research before getting rabbits.

Thank for the head up with the foods and a companion. I will hold up the fresh vegetables and fruits for other weeks/month. Which hay would you recommend? Alfalfa one? Which brand of pellets and hay is recommended?

Yeah, I do plan get them fixed since I do not want to breed them but being my house pet.

But to be clarification, when I’m going to work. The bunny(ies) will be caged, of course. I plan to put my first bunny in X-Large dog cage and doing “DIY” on cage for bunny to live in; making two levels. I’m big animal lover so therefore I am trying to provide them the comfort best I can. I’ve doing a lot of searching to buy a rabbit cage but I always felt they are undersized which I felt that X-Large dog cage is big enough and spacious during my working hours, but be free when I’m in home. I stay home most of time beside going out riding my bike.

I also plan to put litter box on every corners for several weeks to see which one is used the most and remove the rest of boxes except the ones in cage and a corner that is used the most.

[A Happy Herd of Hares]

I agree with all the info above except I personally don’t spay/neuter BUT I don’t disagree with it.
Also for what was said above on wool block, get some papaya bits and feed one piece a day, and groom of course. Katee sells the papaya, and it helps break the wool up, also give extra hay to help prevent!

[Taloan7]

Welcome! Another thought/bit of advice. A lot of bunnies like to go to the bathroom while eating their hay so I have my hay in the litter box. This really helped with litter training. My first bun was a very tidy eater and this was never an issue. My second bun is a huge slob and likes to throw food everywhere, stick his greens in his water bowl, tip over his pellets, etc. Because of him I have his litter box sitting inside a larger, shallow plastic tray to catch the mess. You might not have the same issue, but that is my two cents on free roam.

[Asriel and Bombur]

I wouldn’t suggest alfalfa. I know it’s technically for young bunnies, but if he gets alfalfa based pellets he won’t need the hay. When he turns 6 months you’d need to get him off the alfalfa anyways,so there’s really no point in being on it in the first place. Timothy and Orchard hays are great options. A lot of buns like the sweet taste of the orchard hay. A lot of people (myself included!) love Oxbow and Small Pets Select as they really do give you the best nutritional value. If you feed him different pellets than the breeder, make sure you gradually transition over the course of 1-2 weeks so his tummy isn’t upset by the change.

Great idea with the litter boxes! Especially because they do tend to pick one corner to do their business in. And I highly recommend Taloan’s advice about hay in the litter box. It helps the habit to stick more and because the hay is super accessible it makes them eat more.

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