New To the Bun World

[Angel]

Hi everyone

I’ve always been a bun lover but never a owner and today I just couldn’t resist anymore I saw a cute little bun in the feedstore and just had to have him.They said he is a dawf/american long earred? and is about 8 weeks old,he is so cuddley and friendly which kinda had me surprised  as he snuggled down and started falling asleep in my arms. He is now settled down and seems really relaxed I do have other animals such as dogs,cats,birds and chinchillas but no worries the bun has his own little room and space away from everyone  except us humans .

 

I was told no alfalfa or treats  so I was wondering at what age do they start getting some treats and alfalfa and is alfalfa a treat or just another hay needed?  I know they need unlimted timothy hay and I have plenty of that do to the chins. I would also like to start him on a high quilty pellet I know Oxbow is one brand but is there others? I was also wondering is oat hay okay for them ? or is that  considered a treat as well

 

Thanks For Reading

 

[Thumpers_Mom]

Welcome NJAngel, both to the board and to bunny world. This is a great place to get information and just talk about all your concerns as well as share your happy moments…and pictures!

I am new to bunny world myself, I got my Netherland Dwarf, Thumper almost 2 months ago. From what I recall, a bun that young needs to have alfafa hay and no treats. I am not sure what else is needed in the diet of such a young bun but I am sure that the more experienced people will come out soon to give you great advice.

When you have a moment, please post some pics of your new addition…we LOVE pics!

[MooBunnay]

Hello! Welcome to Binky Bunny AND the Bun World!

First, since your bunny is only 8 weeks old, he actually needs both alfalfa hay and alfalfa based pellets up until he is 6 months old. Oxbow is the best (or one of the best) for pellets – and they also have fantastic hay. If you go to a feed store that sells baled hay however, that is what I use for my bunnies, but try to get fresh and green hay. I’m sure that since you get it for your chins you have some good hay. I fed my bunnies oat hay for quite sometime, they just LOVE the oat groats. Oat groats are considered a treat, however, my bunnies did OK with the oat hay and were never overweight, so I think as groats in the hay they are OK (once your bun reaches 6 months).

Some very good background and basic information is available on this site if you browse around, and also http://www.rabbit.org. Let us know if you have some more questions!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Welcome! What a lucky bun your fella is! Have you picked out a name yet?  The others are right, at his age he needs alfalfa based pellets and alfalfa hay for the extra nutrients for a growing boy.  I use Oxbow but another good pellet is American Pet Diner. Most of the pellets you find in a feed store is alfalfa based and not usually the best as far as nutritional content goes. That is because rabbits are still placed with the stigmatism of being a "stock" animal rather than a companion. I would recommend reading up on the info available here for all your feeding questions:

https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=60

Binky Bunny put together some great information and also you might want to peruse the Binky Bunny Store too for some safe chew toys as your bun will inevitibly start chewing things and bunny proof your home as well. You see, bunnies chew to explore their environment.  Let us know how we can help!

 

[Gravehearted]

welcome NJAngel 🙂 i’m glad you’re taking the time to learn about how to care for your new bunny. boy he sounds cute, so i really hope you’ll post some photos.

you’ve gotten some great advice above on diet – i also too prefer oxbow since it’s a very healthy choice. if he’s currently on a different kind of pellets, you’ll want to transition the pellets slowly over several weeks from the old food to the new kind.

oat hay is fine – but for his age alfalfa is a good choice 🙂 once he is about 7 months, you can offer different grass hays like oat, timothy, bunny brome or orchard grass.

this is also a good time to start researching local vets, since your bunny will be hitting puberty soon and it can take some time to find a vet who knows about bunnies. bunnies live longer happier lives and you’re likely to notice a big personality change when he hits puberty in a month or two. do you live in New Jersey? we can likely help direct you with some places to start. 🙂

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