Our new baby Teddy will join us this weekend

[Lemonsoup]

Hi everyone,

My daughter Marley is counting the sleeps till her first pet this Saturday (it’s been four years of waiting). I don’t know who’s more excited, Marley or myself

His name is Teddy and he’s an 8 week old English Angora. We’ve been researching bunnies and breeds for nearly three months now and settled on the English Angora after meeting with various breeders and talking with other bunny owners. This site has been excellent for information and reading other postings in the forum.

His hutch was built yesterday, our yard was rabbit proofed (although he’ll only be allowed to roam when one or both of us are out there with him) and we also have an indoor room for him during the day (I work from home so he can certainly spend considerable amount of time with me whilst my daughter is at school). And I’m aware of ensuring he doesn’t overheat from having a winter coat outside and being brought inside during those cooler days.

One question I have is regarding his sleeping quarters in his hutch. We’ve got baby blankets for him (instead of straw to avoid matting of his coat) – but should I also put a little bowl of pellets up there as well? There is a hay and pellet feeder in the downstairs part of his hutch but I was wondering if he’d feel more comfortable with some food in his sleeping area upstairs too?

Oh, and one more question – the downstairs part of the hutch is all wire mesh (we’ve put fly screen around it all too) – but should I also put up some temporary MDF style board around 2-3 sides to ensure it’s not too breezy during winter. The upstairs section is fully closed in – but if he wants his water and hay, litter box, it’s all downstairs – so I’m guessing that having it more enclosed would be more comfortable for him??

Many thanks, Jennifer

[BanditCamp]

Wire bottoms are not good for rabbit hocks. Consider fleece or even a towel to cousin their paws. As for the wind as a military guy an insulated tarp would probably be better as wind/water protection just leave one side open like the front or at least insecure to natural air can flow through.

[Lemonsoup]

Hi BanditCamp,

Only the ‘walls’ have wire and fly mesh – the floor itself is a soft type of plastic style ‘netting’ that the breeder recommended that allows the grass to come through and doesn’t harm the feet. We also have a matt for him down there and his bedding section upstairs has a nice flat style ‘tray’ that has baby blankets in it (polar fleece) plus a soft toy for him to snuggle with.

The insulated tarp idea is great. I’ll definitely look into this. It’s not too cold yet here in Sydney – and we certainly don’t get the freezing weather of the UK/US in winter – but he’ll still need wind protection. Fortunately out backyard is pretty protected from the elements. But we have had crazy weather of late with the cyclone up north and heavy rain down here. The sun was finally out today thank goodness!

[Luna]

Hi! It’s great that you have been researching and making preparations for Teddy’s arrival . I wouldn’t put the second bowl of pellets by his sleeping quarters because buns eat and eliminate waste at the same time, so bedside pellets would likely prompt him to wee and poop all over the blankets. Just make sure he is comfortable downstairs where the main food area is so that you can be sure he is eating. Do you plan on putting the boards right up against the hutch? MDF would be fine if Teddy has no way of accessing the wood to chew on it – since chemicals are used to bond the wood fibers together in MDF boards, it is not good for buns to chew on. If Teddy will be able to chew on the boards, then I would look at getting any of the following untreated wood: poplar (cheapest option in U.S.), maple, aspen, or hardwood kiln-dried pine.

[Hazel]

Posted By Lemonsoup on 4/05/2017 3:14 AM

Hi BanditCamp,

Only the ‘walls’ have wire and fly mesh – the floor itself is a soft type of plastic style ‘netting’ that the breeder recommended that allows the grass to come through and doesn’t harm the feet.

So the mesh is down on the ground? I would be worried he might get his toe nails caught in between the mesh and the ground. And I agree with Luna, you don’t want to put food anyplace you don’t want him to pee/poo.

Or, you could just keep him indoors for good and not have to worry about temperature, weather, parasites, predators and so on. It would be much less work for you as well, since you would only have to keep up with one bunny setup, instead of two.

[Lemonsoup]

Thanks Luna. Great to know re the pellets and elimination. Due to the design of the hutch, anything we attach to the outside means it’s not in direct or biting contact with the bunny. But I’ll actually go for a wood that withstands the elements and that we can easily remove in the warmer months too. Will have to speak with my handyman about it. In the meantime, I’ll buy a tarpaulin of some type (weatherproof). Here in Sydney, the night time temps are getting down to around 10 degrees Celsius – and whilst I’ve got proper blankets for him and out hutch will be more insulated that what he’s in currently, I’m aware that he’s had his bunny family to snuggle with. I think I’m more stressed about the arrival of this little guy than I was about the arrival of my daughter all those years back My husband is convinced I’ll be buying a tent soon in order to sleep outside and keep and eye on him!

[Lemonsoup]

Hi Hazel,

The plastic flooring is what the breeder uses, so he’s been on it since birth. His nails will be trimmed tomorrow before he comes home, but it’s definitely something I’ll keep an eye on. But most of the base of the hutch is covered with a solid ‘mat’ to give him something else to walk on.

And yes, I’d love to keep him inside permanently – but my husband has a health condition and currently has no immune system – so he’s incredibly susceptible to catching things and is super worried about catching something from an animal (which is why his specialist said he’s not to be in contact with cats or dogs. And birds and reptiles (like turtles) are the worse. So following a lot of research – a bunny turns out to be the best option from a zoonotic disease and contagion perspective. If it was up to my hubby, the bunny wouldn’t be allowed in at all, but since I have an office in the home, my daughter and I can bring him into the office. I’m hoping that once hubby gets used to the bunny being around, he’ll be more open to it being inside more. During the summer months, it will have to be inside a lot of the time due to the high temps we get here. And by the time summer comes round, he’ll be neutered and hopefully completely litter trained by then too making inside living more of a possibility.

Is your bunny an angora? Gorgeous profile pic!

[Boston's Mama]

If the temps get low at nights you would need to bring him inside at nights
I would consider having an indoor setup for night use and on cold days – and just letting him use your outdoor hutch as a play area on warm days
It’s way better for him to be indoors than out – especially since you only have one bunny. They are social animals and really need the company which he won’t get being in an outdoor hutch

Your set up sounds great and like you have really done your research – but as a play area not a full time home because of the temp changes and the social side

[Hazel]

Thanks, he’s one of my bridge bunnies. I got him from a pet store, so I don’t know for sure what he was, but as far as I could tell he was a Jersey Wooly mix. Not quite as fluffy as an Angora.

I’m sorry to hear about your husband, I hope he will get better soon. I don’t think it will take your little bun very long to wrap him around his paw. You’re getting him tomorrow, so exciting! I can’t wait to see pictures!

[Limit]

If you could, instead of having netting down, you can dig about 2 feet beneath the ground and completely mesh it before putting the turf back on. This Way bunny can’t dig out and predators can’t dig in, he won’t be standing on netting then either

I would enclose the downstairs, this keeps the wind and rain out and offers privacy.

I hope you’re getting your bun a friend? As he’s outdoors he won’t be getting as much attention from you – I would not keep a rabbit outside on its own.

I also agree with you about bringing him indoors during summer months as it obviously gets too hot there! (Unlike here in the Uk, I think our summers are your winters).

[Lemonsoup]

Hi Hazel,

Teddy’s been such a joy since coming home. Both my daughter and I were well prepared for a very nervous bunny who may just want to hide in his hutch. And he certainly did shake a lot of the way home. But within two hours of being in his new hutch – he was stepping outside of it into his (supervised) enclosure, doing flops and binkys. We were stunned – he was so chilled. Eating and drinking and pooping just fine too.

We wrapped the bottom of his enclosure that night. I kept stressing that he didn’t seem to want to go upstairs into the warm section of his hutch as night (and the cold) descended. I checked on him constantly and just before I went to bed, we could hear him running up and down his ramp. Phew.

We spend a lot of time outside in his enclosure with him – he hops about, goes in and out of his tunnel, climbs on my daughter and adores being brushed.

Quite by accident I did manage to place the litter tray in the corner that he also decided was good for doing wees – however the cheeky little monkey has moved his litter box away from the corner and pee’d beside it 

We had a wild storm here last night – so we moved his hutch up onto the porch where it was more protected and put another layer over it. He was perfectly happy when we went out this morning – a nice warm little body under all that wool.

We’ve now set up an enclosure inside for his day time plays (our weather here in Sydney is Autumn – and it’s pretty much the same inside and out at present so there is no issue with temperature shock – but we will only keep him inside until early afternoon as the sun is still out then and take him outside for a play before hutch time again). We’ve had a successful litter box wee for the first time and continue to pick up his little poos and pop them into the tray.

He’s such a sweetheart. My daughter is currently sitting in his enclosure on her iPad (I’ve told her to give him quiet time and just let him do his own thing) but he’s busy trying to figure out what she’s doing and trying to get her attention by flopping over right in front of her. It’s so darn cute.

[jerseygirl]

Congrats on the new bunny!

Being an Angora, he’ll probably cope quite well with our Autumn/Winter temps. It’s the summer months that will be challenging. I would looking into a pet groomer that does rabbits so the wool can be shaved down, or looking into doing some courses (with the breeder??) so you can do it at home yourself. His coat will be a lot of work so keeping it clipped will also help with managing matting.

[Hazel]

Seems like feels right at home with you! I’m glad your daughter and him are getting along so nicely. Does your husband love him yet?

And pictures please!!!

[Lemonsoup]

Thanks Jersey Girl – I’ve been looking into pet groomers that work with angora’s but haven’t had any luck. The breeder could probably help out on this front, but I definitely want to learn for myself. Courses are a good idea – there is a rabbit specialist in Waterloo so I’ll check with them when I take him in for his vaccinations as to whether they have recommendations in this area. Otherwise it will be a case of watching Youtube videos on it and lots of reading. He loves being brushed at this stage. We have a really gentle brush for him (since he’s still got his ‘baby’ wool) and he virtually goes off to sleep having his coat brushed. When he flops and shows his belly, he’s also fine with having it brushed too. Such a sweetie.

[Lemonsoup]

Yes, even the hubby thinks he’s lovely. He hasn’t touched him at all, but has spent time watching him and even comes out with me late at night before bed to check him in his hutch. As for pictures – it’s just a case of me being dim when it comes to uploading them since I’ve tried it on two previous posts but it doesn’t appear to work for some weird reason. I’ll give it another go now on this post and see what happens. Fingers crossed!

[Lemonsoup]

Aha – it’s a two step process. Missed the last bit. Will upload a few more pics now that I know how to 

[jerseygirl]

Oh wow! No wonder you called him Teddy! He’s adorable!

[Lemonsoup]

It’s like having a new baby in the house – so much time wasted (in a good way) simply watching him. I love how he pops both front paws in the food bowl when he eats, yet doesn’t do this with his water bowl. The little flops are divine! I’m still unsure of how to rotate the images on here.

[Luna]

Squee! He’s adorable!

[Hazel]

That is literally one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen… How do you keep your hands off him??

[BunnyFriends]

Sorry but I’ve just spent ten minutes staring at pictures. Too cute <3

[Rachel]

Aww, how adorable!

[Lemonsoup]

He’s the funniest little thing. He does these flops against his inside pen and it makes so much noise that I thought it would scare him. But he’s pretty much oblivious to the noise now. He’s got a whole routine whereby he has water, then pellets, then hay, then grooms himself and the moment he starts with his little paws in front of his face, we know a flop is coming along. My daughter is forever sneaking cuddles with him – he’s very huggable!

[Lemonsoup]

It’s like having a new baby in the house. Wasting so much time staring at him and taking pictures. I’m one of those people now who pulls out my phone to show everyone the latest in what he’s doing. 

[BunnyFriends]

LOL,, welcome to my life. Except I can take a million and never get a good one.

[Tony's Mum]

He is unbearably cute!!!

[Author]

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