My Bunny is here!!

[Chinchilla_Girl]

Well, I got the bunny today...OMG! It's so cute! Here is what little I found out.
The owner's 14 year old daughter wanted a rabbit so they got her one...They have no idea if it's male or female and they only had it for a few months before the girl tired of it and put the cage in a room by itself on the third floor of their house! The water bottle was dirty, the food bowl had very little food and consisted of Hartz brand rabbit food with a whole lot of corn and pumpkin seeds and stuff in it, but very little pellets. The hay they were feeding was alfalfa hay...There was a plastic igloo and one corner of a cardboard box in the corner of the cage and some shavings...that's it! It's a decent sized cage I guess...a SuperPets Rabbit Home I believe, but so boring! The poor bunny is scared out of it's mind and the only way I could get pics was to take the igloo out. I cleaned the whole cage and scrubbed out the water bottle and gave it fresh filtered water, dumped the food bowl and washed that out and refreshed it with more food and added a huge handful of Timothy hay. I also added some new chew blocks in case it felt like doing some chewing. I still don't know the age, breed, or sex and they never even named the bunny! (oh and Paula must have been thinking of someone else's rabbit because it is definetly NOT white...unless it's dirty or something! ) Oh and they were using the carboard box as a litter pan and put kitty litter in it...I got rid of the kitty litter (I read somewhere that it's bad for bunnies) and just put shavings in it...the whole cage is lined with shavings. So, any ideas about what breed this is or possibly it's age? Also, how can I tell what the sex is? I'm going tomorrow to get some good rabbit pellets and slowly switch it over and get some fresh veggies and start it on those slowly of course...any good ideas for rabbit toys? It's cage looks so BORING! Also, I have an extra shelf from one of my Superpet Cages that the chins have and it will indeed fit easily into the rabbit cage...would the bunny like a second level? Thanks for listening to me ramble I just love this little one already! Here "it" is!

[Pure14K]

I have no idea about rabbits, but I did want to say that it's an adorable rabbit

[TheChinChilton]

Very cute!!!

[kittygurl823]

Awwwwwww! Mandie, oh wow he is SOOO cute! I was expecting a brown bunny? LOL!

Hmmm for toys I don't know! My bunny never played with any of the toys I got her! She likes the chew blocks and Oh! You know what they like, paper towel/toliet paper rolls! They love to flip them around and chew on them!

Hmmm for the age and breed, I don't know.. He still looks small to me though! He looks like a young bunny!

He is just so cute, Mandie! I bet you are excited!!!!! I can't wait to see more pics when you are able to get some!

[Mallory]

Mandie! The bunny is very cute! I'm with Nicole when I say I don't know about bunnies, and the only time we ever had some was when I was really little...

Best of luck! She/He is VERY adorable!

[veggiegirl]

Congratulations! What a cutie. Sounds like he or she is now a lucky rabbit. Looks like a dwarf or dwarf mix to me. They like toys that they can pick up and throw around, and things that jingle or make noise. Balls and cat toys are usually good. There are also toys just for rabbits.

You should eventually take he/she to a rabbit vet to be spayed/neutered. They are much calmer and happier that way. The House Rabbit Society's site has a lot of good info too if you want to learn more about bunnies. Also, shavings aren't always a good choice for bedding for rabbits. I use Carefresh bedding in their litter box (its gray and I think its made from paper or wood pulp or something). Its more expensive but its a lot safer. Good luck with your bunny!

[Chinchilla_Girl]

Quote: Originally Posted by veggiegirl Congratulations! What a cutie. Sounds like he or she is now a lucky rabbit. Looks like a dwarf or dwarf mix to me. They like toys that they can pick up and throw around, and things that jingle or make noise. Balls and cat toys are usually good. There are also toys just for rabbits. You should eventually take he/she to a rabbit vet to be spayed/neutered. They are much calmer and happier that way. The House Rabbit Society's site has a lot of good info too if you want to learn more about bunnies. Also, shavings aren't always a good choice for bedding for rabbits. I use Carefresh bedding in their litter box (its gray and I think its made from paper or wood pulp or something). Its more expensive but its a lot safer. Good luck with your bunny!

Thanks...what is wrong with the wood shavings? I'll be more than happy to get some Carefresh in the morning but just out of curiosity...also, what pellet food do you recommend if any? We have a health check vet appointment Monday morning, so I think we will set up the spay or neuter then (hopefully I'll find out if it's a he or she!)

[kittygurl823]

Mandie - I have heard awesome things about Oxbow! We took BunBun to the vet last week and that is what she recommends, and we found somewhere in Orlando to get it. Their tummys are very sensitive, so it takes a few weeks to change over foods. Bun bun is trying to pick out the "junk food"

[veggiegirl]

Here's what the HRS says about wood shavings:

"House Rabbit Society recommends organic litters, made from alfalfa, oat, citrus or paper. (Some brands to look for: Care Fresh, Cat Country, Critter Country) For a complete listing of litter types, see the litter boxes and liver disease article.
Stay away from litters made from softwoods, like pine or cedar shavings or chips, as these products are thought to cause liver damage in rabbits who use them."

Check out their site at www.rabbit.org They have tons of great info. Thats great that you are taking the bunny to the vet for a health check. Not all vets can spay/neuter rabbits, but if yours doesn't they can probably refer you to someone who can. Sounds like you are going to be a great rabbit mom. Let me know if you need more info. I love talking about bunnies!

Steph

P.S. A good choice of pellets is Kaytee Forti-Diet. Another good hay to try is a 3-way mixture of Oat, Wheat and Barley hay. You can find it at Petsmart. Their diet should mostly be hay and veggies with a small amount of pellets (depending on the size of the bunny).

[Chrisanne]

what an adorable bunny Mandie. Congrats

[Chinchilla_Girl]

Thanks for the info Steph...I have aspen in there right now since that is what I use for the chinnies, but will go get the Carefresh today along with a decent litter pan (that cardboard box is ugly ) and some new toys. He/She is doing really well today! Hasn't been hiding in the igloo at all, LOVES to be petted by myself and the kids, and is eating and drinking really well He/She even licked my son Brandon and gave him a kiss Right now the bun is in the living room and the dogs have totally left him alone! Kali goes and looks at him now and again and he doesn't seem to mind...even comes up to the cage bars to check her out as well! If it turns out to be a boy, Zachary wants to call him Lucky Jack (last night he wanted to call him Master Jack ) But if it's a girl, Brandon wants to call it Foofoo. (Little bunny Foofoo hopping through the forest...) Personally, I kinda hope it turns out to be a boy He just doesn't look like a Foofoo to me! I had a few people say he looked to be a Blue Netherland Dwarf...what do you all think? Shane had a huge Holland Lop as a kid that lived outside. His grandpa build a big 6 foot by 4 foot pen that was elevated to get it off the ground for him! Now he's thinking that once the chinnie cages are built, we should either give the bun Mercedes old cage or build the bun a new cage (to decoratively match the chinnie cages in the chin room since once we have a clean bill of health and he's out of quarentine, he'll be caged in the chin room ) Buy the point of this post is to let you know that he/she is doing well and seems very friendly and happier to be around people rather than alone. I haven't tried to pick him up yet (they said he scratches) but am going to give him some time to settle in first Anyone have pics of their bunny hutches or cages to give me an idea of what he/she might like to have for fun stuff (until he/she is settled enough to have outside playtime too)?

[Chinchilla_Girl]

Oh and my vet is a small animal and exotics vet who also takes care of my chinchillas as well as the dogs. When I called to make the appointment they said they see a lot of rabbits and do the spays/neuters there all the time. They also are an avian vet as well, so they are fairly well rounded in the pet department (not that I have birds...but you never know what all I'll end up with! )

[veggiegirl]

Mandie,

I'm glad that you and your kids are enjoying your new family member. It sounds like he/she has a great personality, especially considering what he/she has been through. I'm not very experienced with rabbit breeds but it does look like a dwarf to me because of the face and small ears, but its hard to tell from a pic. I have one medium sized bunny (about 5 1/2 lbs) and one medium/small bunny (about 3lbs) and I keep them in an exercise pen made for small animals. I actually put two of these pens together to make it larger. I use a piece of linoleum for the floor. Recently I attached the pen to a large crate (made for dogs) because it makes cleaning a lot easier if I keep the food and litter in the crate. If I had one bunny, especially a small one like yours, I would probably choose a different set up. But since my two are very demanding and need to have a lot of space, I could never keep them in a cage. There are probably other members on here who have better cage ideas. Once your bunny gets settled in and is litter box trained, you can start letting him/her out. They LOVE running around and its so hilarious to watch them do jumps and leaps of joy. They also shake and do these funny little spasms. Its so cute!

Steph

P.S. Most bunnies don't like to be picked up. Some tolerate it, but they don't really like it. I can hold my smaller bun, Sonora, for about 30 seconds before she starts kicking. Mo won't even let me lift him off the ground.

[Jade]

Mandie, you may want to avoid the linoleum as a cage bottom. My vet warned me against using it due to lead content if they chew on it.
Here are some links with more info:
http://www.theaviary.com/s1295-65.shtml
http://www.darlenearden.com/articleunleaded.htm
http://www.lead.org.au/lanv4n4/lanv4n4-21.html
http://www.birdieboutique.com/leadpoisoning.html

[Chinchilla_Girl]

I was thinking of getting one or two of the critter play pens to put together for playtime for him or just letting him run the chin room when the chins aren't running it (after quarentine is over anyway) Maybe once I get all my new chin cages built and stacked and I have more room in the chin room, a critter playpen or two put together would be a good idea for him? I'm kinda bouncing ideas around here...it'll be a month before he can move into the chin room, but what about settin up a play pen in the front yard on cooler day (It's been 90 here lately) and letting him have supervised outside playtime too? We don't treat the lawn at all, so we are constantly mowing down the dandilions I just want him to have the best life after such a neglectful begining...Pics of your set up would be welcome! :hint, hint: