Starting off Right

[Hosenbunny]

So, I joined BinkyBunny.com awhile back to figure out why my dwarf rabbit Hasenpfeffer was having some stomach issues, from which he sadly later passed away from.

I just yesterday acquired Rinoa Colorgaurd (female dwarf rabbit; about 2 1/2 months old) and she’s inherited much of Hasenpfeffer’s old things (like cage, food bowl, ball, and some unopened toys we had previously purchased for him. I’m making sure to buy me a bag of Critical Care to have on hand, as I do believe we could have helped Hasenpfeffer a lot more if we had had that beforehand.

But I’ll just describe her set up so y’all feel free to give me some pointers, tips, and things that may help me and her along.

• She has a good sized cage (like twice the size of normal bunny cages you’d see at the pet store)
• timothy hay tunnel that she seems to really enjoy
• a hay feeder that is easy for her to pull the hay from to eat ; filled with timothy hay
• a food bowl that I fill with fresh greens and 1/4 cup of pellets daily
• a hanging water bottle (though I’m on the look at the possibility of switching her to bowl on a friends recommendation)
• timothy hay cubes she likes to chew on
• wood chip bedding (that was cheap at the time but I’m free to switch it at any time)

Rinoa is very inquisitive and enjoys looking around and roaming my room (I’ve been letting her out of the cage to roam while I play with and keep an eye on her) so I purchased a harness for her, but I’m not sure how to get her to enjoy it or use it correctly on her.

Any tips or tricks to keep Rinoa healthy and happy would be wonderful! 

[kurottabun]

Sorry to hear about Hasenpfeffer. Rabbits are so fragile and they can go downhill so fast.

For the set up:
– Do you know what are the exact dimensions of the cage?

– If you’re putting the hay in a hay feeder, make sure she’s eating enough hay everyday as it’s super important for their gut to move. I used to put Kurotta’s hay in a feeder that he could easily pull from, but he wasn’t eating much at all. I later found out that he prefers eating it from ground level, so I removed the hay rack, put the hay on his (grated) litter box and it was much better.

– At 2 months old a rabbit’s gut flora may not have developed enough to properly digest fresh greens. Unless she’s already used to getting greens before you got her, start introducing these when she’s about 3-4 months old to avoid upsetting her gut flora. Some bunnies are more sensitive to certain types of vegetables, so it’s better to introduce one type of vegetable at a time, in small portions.

– A bottle is alright but a bowl is better

– Are you having the bedding all over the cage or just in the litter box? It’s better to have it just in the litter box for ease of litter training as she may get confused on where to toilet if the bedding is everywhere. I highly recommend getting wood pellets instead of chips or shavings – it’s better for the bunny’s respiratory system and work better at pee/odour absorption.

– It’s not recommended to use a harness or leash for a bunny, especially for a small dwarf breed. Some people do use them if they want to walk their buns in a park or such, but personally I don’t buy that. Many buns don’t like to be constricted as it would make them feel like they are being caught by a predator. They are prey animals and get spooked very easily, so a sudden kick or dash could break their fragile backs. If she’s just going to roam your room, bunny proofing your room would be a better option

Edit: I just saw your profile and it says that the bunny’s birth date is May 22, 2018. That would mean she’s just 6 weeks old and not 2+ months? Bunnies are supposed to be weaned at 8 weeks (2 months) and reputable breeders would usually only let them go at 8 weeks. This makes a huge difference in terms of bunny care. Also, it’s pretty much impossible to sex a bunny at 6 weeks so she may actually be a he…

[Hosenbunny]

I don’t know the exact dimensions, I believe somewhere near 10~11ft long ~6ft wide; she’ll be upgraded happily as she grows (I don’t want her to feel cooped up). I’ve also been letting her out in my room (without the harness) so she has time and space to run around and explore (while I keep an eye on her for her safety ofc)

I may try that as well to see where she likes her hay better, she’s been eating it from the feeder like a champ though, but I still would like to try and see what she’d like best.

I gave her some greens (mixed with pellets) yesterday and kept close eye on her today. Her droppings seem normal and she seems to have perked up even more, and even got so excited and did a small binky when I brought her the same bowl of food this morning. I do 3-4 leaves of fresh organic lettuce torn up and 1/4 cup of rabbit pellets I buy at our local tractor store, the pellets have a ton of fiber so that may help also and it was what the breeder had been previously feeding her as well.

Great! I’ll look into purchasing her a water bowl. Is there any recommendations on the kind/size of the bowl?

Her bedding is currently all over the cage (as the pet store I work at doesn’t have the right bunny-sized litter box and I was gonna do some more research into size-wise to make it more comfortable for her to use and easier to learn. Where would be a good place to purchase wood pellets/ what’s a good brand?

I’ve purchased the harness in hopes of allowing her to view our yard/outdoors safely. We have a really lush, green yard so my hope is when she gets a bit bigger to be able to take her out in it. I’d do a play-cage and just put it out there, but the ground is so uneven she’d easily be able to get out.

– She was weaned by May 22, I don’t know her actual birthdate, as I forgot to ask, but that’s just when she became available. The breeder we have holds onto them a bit after they’re weaned and handles them so when we get them they’re super friendly!

[kurottabun]

Ah okay. Have you taken her to the vet before?

Do you mind sharing what brand the pellets are or their nutritional values/ingredients?

I think the stores sell water bowls in standard sizes. As long as it’s not as big as a dog’s dish (the bunny could very well just jump in and soak her whole body in it) or too small that you have to keep refilling it every hour, then it’s probably fine. I recommend getting a ceramic one so if your bunny turns out to be a flipper/thrower, she can’t flip it over or throw it everywhere.

For litter boxes you could just get the cat ones. It doesn’t matter if the box is too big for the bunny, but it matters if it’s too small. Make sure the bunny can hop in and out of it comfortably though. I’m not from the US so I’m not sure about wood pellet brands and such, but I’m sure somebody else will be able to help on that

Personally I feel that a rabbit can only truly “enjoy” an area if it has full run of it without being constricted in any way. I’ve also read horror stories about people bringing their bunnies into the yard and out of nowhere a hawk swoops down, taking the bunny with it. We don’t really have birds of prey or foxes where I am, and stray dogs can’t get in as there are fences around, but there are stray cats that can easily jump over the fences and potentially harm a bunny. So mine is kept indoors 24/7. That’s just my opinion though There are some people who let their bunnies run in the yard happily and didn’t encounter any issues, so it’s really your call.

[Bam]

Congratulations on your new bun! Kurotta has given you great advice. So I don’t have much to add, really. Wood stove pellets are fine as long as they don’t have any accelerants added. There are also horse stable pellets. It is best to have litter only in the litterbox, for easier training. You can use a fleece blanket or pieces of fleece to line the cage bottom.

Get a somewhat heavy water bowl, as Kurotta already mentioned many buns like to throw bowls around, and that of course creates a mess. You can give her things she can throw like baby keys or stacking cups etc. It’s a form of play that seems pointless to humans, but hey, what do hoomins know?! ?

As for the harness, I share Kurottas view on them, but if you are going to use it, introduce it slowly. It’s much like when you introduce a brindle to a foal. Do it slowly, let her first get acquainted with the harness just touching her, don’t put it on proper until she doesn’t react when you “drape” it over her back. This can take a week, but it greatly reduces the risk of her freaking out and hurting herself when she gets the harness on.

We’ll be looking forward to hearing more about Rinoa Colorguard!

[Bladesmith]

Yessss…..welcome to being a bunny slave……

[Author]

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