New Owner please advise

[sally]

Hi All,

My name is Sally, and i have just been given a 5mth old rabbit, I dont even know much about her, she is an indoor rabbit. So far ive had to buy a new phone,she chewed the wire! What im wanting to know is, I have a toddler, and he drops food and things on the floor , I allow the rabbit to roam around as she pleases for most of the day, and she acts like a hoover! Is this bad for her?

 

Also I have a cat she is about 2yrs old, I havent let them both be out in the same room, ive shown the cat the rabbit when she is in her cage as i think slow introduction is the best idea??

 

I would just like some general help on how to care for my new rabbit, I dont even know her breed but i was told she cost £80, so does this mean anything to anyone!?

 

I dont like to pick her up, obviously it frightens her but luckily for me she can jump in and out of her cage thingy as she pleases, also she has nipped my son a few times and me, but that was on the first day or so, now she seems more relaxed, but did nip some friends i had round the other day, is that just becasue she doesnt know them possibly??

 

 

ANyway any advice will be gratefully recived, oh and i live in a flat so i cant put her outside, but as far as i know she has been a house rabbit from birth.

 

Many thanks!

[sally]

Anybody????

[Carrot Lane Bunny]

I don’t have much advise but some of the experts will reply soon.What kind of stuff is bunny picking up.

[Sarita]

Welcome Sally!

Well, it does depend on what the toddler is dropping on the floor – I wouldn’t want this to upset your bunnies free roam freedom though.

As for the cat – yes, slow introduction is best – cat bites and scratches can be bad for rabbits – rabbits can be prone to abscesses from cat scratches and bites. And cats and rabbits usually have different ideas about play.

[Sarita]

http://www.rabbit.org/

Above is a link to the House Rabbit Society and it is a great link to roam around (care, behavior, health) to learn about rabbits.

 

[sally]

Well he”l drop his crisps or crumbs off toast, if he doesnt finish his toast he’s a little pain and drops the remainder on the floor, so she having that , she took a pizza crust off my partners finished dinner plate last night, you cant get it off her tho she is too fast.

[Sarita]

LOL :~) Well generally that is not the kind of stuff that you want to feed rabbits so you do want to try to be diligent to make sure bunny doesn’t snatch those type of things and eat them if you can get to them before her of course.

[sally]

Thanks ive had a good look on that site before, only i dont know her breed so its hard , i cant upload a photo to my replies but i did put some on my profile i think thats where anyway lol so if anyone has a clue i would be grateful!

[Sarita]

Well her breed won’t matter as far as the care goes so don’t worry about that unless she has long hair for grooming and some diet things but overall all rabbits are going to be the same as far as care, diet and usually behavior. We would love to see a photo of her though.

[sally]

Yeah i figured bread and things cant be good for her, she’s like a whippet tho haha only had her since monday she was given to my friend, but she didnt want an indoor rabbit, and thought she would be smaller than she is, so i offered to take her and i love her, she seems more settled and sits next to me on the chair more, she seems to have found her favourite spots to sit, and she is kept in our spare room which is more than safe for her to just roam around in if i go out, because i think the hutch type thing they gave me is too small for her so until i can afford a bigger one she has a whole room to play in, and when im home she has the whole flat to run around in, and she does ! She does big jumps in the air!

[Sarita]

She sounds like a great rabbit – I’m so happy you took her and that you are enjoying her. She seems extremely social too since she is sitting next to you on your chair.

It sounds like the big jumps in the air are “binkies” – that’s what happy rabbits do.

[sally]

Oh good that makes me feel better, i didnt know if she was supposed to do that !!! I cant seem to get photo up they too big , we have only given her a carrot once and my little boy gave it her and she loved it, so have got a lovely picture but i dont know how to re-size!?

[Sarita]

I’m not good with the computer stuff either – hopefully you or someone else on the forum can figure it out so you can post the photo.

[kralspace]

Hi Sally

I think everyone’s off to lunch right now   😉 but it always picks up in the afternoon.

Congrats on your bunny, she’s beautiful. My first, Pringles is a black/spot with lop ears. She was “supposed” to be a tiny dwarf of some kind too. She’s not as large as  Flemish by any means, but she’s grown to be an armful when you pick her up.

I know what you mean about the bunny hoover. My son likes to sleep on the couch sometimes and I thought one of mine was really bonded to him. Whenever she was out, she was right with him and I’d find her on top of him while he was asleep if he forgot to shut her back in.  Her “love” turned out to be the crumbs he was dropping, she’d even root through the covers and cushions to find them. She never found anything big so we were lucky she never got sick, but since she’s a big rex girl, she’s always on a diet and her vaccumming certainly wasn’t helping.

We’re more careful now, too, but she’s very quick to grab a bite and tear back to the condo. Once she grabbed the entire bag of chips and took off, luckily dumping all of them out before she reached her house.

Welcome!

Kathy

ps, if you want to email me a photo or 2 I’ll be glad to resize them for you

 

[Sarita]

Oh, I see you posted her photo – she’s lovely! Your son is a cutie too.

[sally]

thankyou he’s 3 nxt month!  she was in her indoor hutch thing today and she was bashing her back legs really hard on the bottom of it, does this mean she was just annoyed to be back in her hutch with door shut?

[Sarita]

Probably – she sounds feisty to me. It is good to put her in the hutch if you are leaving the house or she cannot be supervised just to be safe for her and for your home.

Also a routine might help as well – rabbits really feel more secure with a routine – same time for bed, same time for feeding, same time for playtime, etc…kind of like children, they feel more secure with a routine.

[sally]

Hmm yeh routine worked wonders for my son!

Do you think it would be an issue not introducing a routine just yet, because im going away from 4th June until 13th june and as much as i love my partner he is a bit daft and wouldnt stick to it!!!!

[sally]

 

Think ive figured how to do the photo! We will see lol

[BunnyLiz]

Aww your son and rabbit are both adorable! They look cute together lol. The only thing I have to add is about the nipping. Is she spayed? Spaying her if she isnt already might really help with that. She is young so her hormones are crazy, spaying will help to control that. It will prevent health issues and tons of behavioral stuff too.
And Welcome!!

[Sarita]

Yeah, don’t worry about changing anything until you get back :~)

And do consider spaying as well if she is not spayed as BunnyLiz suggested.

[Adalaide]

Freya nipped for the first time last night. I was sitting on the couch enjoying a donut and as usualy, Freya joined me on the couch. I was paying more attention to the tv than anything else and got distracted by her nibbling noises. She was nibbling my donut! I wasn’t paying attention again after I finished it and she nipped me licking my thumb. I suppose I’ll always be careful to have clean hands around her, because if I taste good it’s kinda my fault. I’d say maybe watch for that just in case it’s contributing lol.

[KatnipCrzy]

The bashing her hind feet into the hutch floor sounds like “thumping” and it is a sound that rabbits will often do when they are annoyed, upset/disturbed about something. 

My bunny Schroeder will thump after I trim his nails and let him go- he thumps to let me know he did not appreciate that at all.  He will also thump when it is time to round him up at night.  Oddly enough, my other bunny Cotton never thumps.

[sally]

Ill have to find out about the spaying thing coz im not sure, luckily for us in the uk they have good veternary care for people who dont have a lot, like i got our cat spayed for £5 which is really cheap ! So ill have to make an appointment and get a carry case to have her checked over, I was thinkin that anyway because i was told so little about her.

Oh and thanks for comments about my Son and rabbit! She has no name yet, my son wants to call her mouse but im not sure haha!

[jerseygirl]

Welcome Sally – “Mouse”.…..that’s super cute, as is your boy and bunny! 

I’m glad you’ve kept her indoors.  There so many risks to them being housed outdoors and you miss out on seeing their personality.  Rabbits are really social and get better interaction with the family when indoors.  You just have to do some work bunny proofing and rectifying some habits she may have.  I’m sure you’re experienced with safe proofing the home with a near 3 yr old!

“Mouse” is very pretty little rabbit!  I think she may have some English Spot breed in her judging from her body shape. Many are a mix of breeds which I think she likely is.

It’ll take some time to learn her likes/dislikes and get the routine right.  Here’s a link to rabbits and cats living together – hope that helps some.

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/2-11/cats-and-rabbits.html

 

[sally]

Yeah Mouse, we wanted to let him name her as his birthday is coming up she is like a gift for for him and he loves her, but when you ask whats the rabbit called he comes out with mouse!!!

 

Ive looked at that bit of info on cats & Rabbits before which is why ive kept them far apart at the moment and only showed Sasha the rabbit while she is safe in her hutch, ill have to take a photo of the hutch/cage thing they gave me, its way to small for her already and I feel so cruel shutting the lid when she is in it, she obviously doesnt appreciate it either. I have visitors arriving sunday and as ” mouse” is in the spare room she will have to be shut in it at night I feel awful about it ! been thinking of ways i can put her elsewhere where she can still be out but the cat cant get to her! Big task with a 3yr old who will open all doors!!

 

SO as soon as money permits or my imagination kicks in ill make her a nice home !!

 

Thanks for all your help , im loving this forum very helpful, Im gonna try and see if i can find out some more about her, like if she has been spayed etc but i think the info is limited that was given to my friend.

[BinkyBunny]

Welcome! I wanted to address the nipping thing – is she still doing that?  Since she is 5 months old, she is reaching the peak of her sexual maturity, so she may be getting a bit bossy and territorial at times as her hormones are in overdrive. So that may explain her nippy behavior too.

If you do decide to get your bunny spayed here is a link to some UK vet references.  There aren’t a whole lot listed here, but hopefully one or so will be close http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/Vet_EU-UK.html

Unaltered females do have a high risk of getting cancer of their reproductive organs so it’s just something else to keep in mind as you weigh your decision

[sally]

She seems to just nip strangers coming into the flat might just be a territorial thing, but as soon as i get homefrom my holiday ill get everything sorted, ive made her a house out of my sons old travel cot at the minute lol ill put a pic up soon : )

[sally]

This is my sons old travel cot that im going to use until I can afford a proper set up for her, what do you guys think? She can get in and out if i just pull it away from the unit a bit, she was climbing out and under it, but ive blocked that off now so she cant get in bed with my friends when they arrive tomorrow lol

[Adalaide]

I’d have only one concern with that setup. I have no doubt that Freya would get on top of that little tunnel and jump right out. Maybe your guests will end up with bed buddies after all!

[MooBunnay]

 Hi Sally, it seems like you have a really sweet bunny I’m glad to hear she has only chewed a phone cord! Bunnies are naturally big chewers. How big is your bunny pen? I think it would be a good idea to find her a larger exercise pen that you could put her in when your son is eating so that she isn’t running around hoovering all his food. You can find some good pictures of pens here.

How is her diet?  It is important that bunnies get lots of timothy hay throughout the day, and it is probably even more important for her to get a good amount of hay considering all of the food she has been scavenging

[sally]

Yeah I had thought of that but throughout today ive left her “bedroom” door open and she has been permitted to wander as she please’s and she has just been in the “pen” all day long!! She’s finally out now and having a wander but she seems to appreciate the space she has now, im limited for cash so not a lot else i can do until things pick up, i sat and watched her for an hour to see if she would figure out that she could jump on the tunnel, but because its on the wall side she didnt attempt to jump out she had a look but no jump ! If she does get out 2moro night ill have to just bunny proof my room and put her in there while my friends are here. At least i dont feel like im putting her in a “jail” anymore lol  

 

P.S when i told my friend her and her boyfriend would have a guest she was excited she is like a mrs dolittle bit like myself ! She even said she would have the rabbit in bed with her if she had her way !! Well she may get her way, dont know if her boyfriend will appreciate it though!!

[sally]

HI, She has been having pellets that i was given with her, they had some bunny treats also but i havent given her much, she does have hay and she has had one carrott since being with me. I will be sorting out a proper situation for her as soon as I return from a holiday as if i set her a routine now my bf would have trouble sticking with it aswell as looking after our son while im away!!

i have been keeping a very close eye on her when she is wandering around now , especially when my little boy is wandering with his crisps, she still sticks to him like glue but he is being more carefull and my son tends to run off, it turns into chase game lol

[Sage Cat]

Okay, I admit it – my bunnies get about one crisp a week. They go crazy for them. I can see why Mouse is following your son around.

As for food – most of us give bunnies a measured amount of pellets once a day – my 2 share 1/2 cup in the morning – and a measured amount of “salad” once a day – in the evening they share 2 cups of greens and vegetables.
Check out the Bunny info part of this site for all kinds of great “pens” and diet info.

Chase is always a good game – even for bunnies.
Your in for all sorts of learning about Mouse!!!!

[skunklionshow]

I too was thinking English Spotted.  She looks kind of big, which would also be English Spotted.

I have 3 rabbits and 4 cats.  The rabbits & cats have been alright together.  The biggest issue has been the newbie bun humping the cats, which inturn REALLY upsets them and fighting tends to ensue.  Well more swatting or nibbling than fighting, but still not good.  My other rabbits don’t interact w/ the cats that much.  B/f they got fixed they had a tendancy to wee on the cat beds or blankets.  The cats didn’t like that either.  At this point they seem alright w/ each other.  After nearly 2 yrs w/ the cats & rabbits, I now leave the rabbit condo door open all the time.  I find the rabbits like to come out occassionally, but tend to spend most of their time in their condo.  This new bunny is going to put an end to that.

I think some monitored visits, after they have gotten used to each other’s scent is alright.  Definately get her spayed…I wouldn’t want her to hurt that lil’ red headed cutie pie.

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