Paw Talk - Pet Forums banner
2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  kathydip 
#1 ·
I feel it imperative that I educate myself on the living things in my home, so I am going to ask some questions.
1. What pellet food is good? which is bad?
2. I am currently feeding a pellet food in addition to Timothy hay, romaine, spinach, kale and also giving them a carrot and some apple.
They have wood (from the pet store) and their mineral lick.
Is there something else they need in their diet to be healthier?
3. They are fully litter trained and stay in their cage during the day,
Currently we have the bottom of their cage lined with regular newspaper (which they have fun playing with) and they have yesterdays news in their litter pan.... is this ok or is there something better I should be using/doing?
4. One of my dogs is wanting to make friend with them (he cries at the side of their cage wanting to interact with them) .... how do you recommend introducing rabbits to dogs?
5. How interactive are rabbits? will they eventually recognize us and get excited to see us? Can you teach rabbits tricks?
6. What kind of toys do you recommend and do rabbits play with toys like dogs do?
7. How often should they go to the vet? They saw the vet last month.
8. Any other information/tips would also be helpful.

Now some information on them:
They are a Neutered/Spayed bonded pair ... they are both 2.5 one is a Dutch and the other is a Dwarf ... they are friendly, but are not yet running up to us to be petted (they don't run away from us though). We adopted them through our local humane society this weekend (fully litter trained).

They belong to my husband and my kids (who are responsible for their care). I am a dog person, but could perhaps become a rabbit person... I am impressed that they are litter trained.

I will try to get some pics of them when they have their playtime out of the cage later today.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Congrats on the new bunnies :) That's awesome that you adopted them, as well!

I'll try to answer your questions the best I can...

1. I feed my rabbits Oxbow Timathy pellets. What you should look for in a pellet is one that has high in fiber, and I always look for brands that are made with timathy hay because alfalfa hay can be fattening. Don't feed pellets that contain things like seeds, dried fruits, and nuts, because the rabbits will usually pick out the good parts and not eat the actual pellets. Just plain pellets only is what's best.

2. Your diet sounds good, rabbits should get unlimited hay, small amounts of pellets, and fresh foods (mostly green, leafy foods such has kale, collard greens, dandelion greens, ect...with veggies and small amounts of fruits can be given as treats)

3. Your setup with the newspaper and yesterdays news sounds great, I use to have the same setup for my bunnies but found that I didn't really need the newspaper to line the cage because all they did was rip it up. As long as they have a place in the cage to be where they don't have to stand on wire, then it's fine to not line the cage with anything, or you can give them old towels or blankets. But it's up to you, nothing is wrong with the setup you have now.

4. How big is your dog and how calm? If he is really hyper and a lot bigger then the rabbits, I don't know if I would introduce them at all because he could hurt them on accident. If he's calm, you could try to introduce them but I don't know if I would let them play, depending on how rough your dog is. My rabbits have been introduced to my parents dog but she is very calm and doesn't try to play with them.

5. Rabbits can be very interactive. Some can learn tricks, they're pretty smart when they want to be ;). They can also recognize diffrent people and once they get use to you, depending on their personalities, they will probably seek out your attention. My rabbits run to the cage door to greet me everytime I come near and also follow me around the room, and hop up on my lap when they're playing outside of their cage.

6. Some rabbits like toys, some don't. Out of my two rabbits, one looooves playing with toys and my other has no interest in them at all. You can try all diffrent types of toys to see what they like best. My bunny likes things that he can pick up and throw around, stuffed animals, balls, things like that. I got some toys they make for birds with ropes and such and tied it to the top of their cage and he likes playing with that. Also, usually even bunnies who don't like playing with other toys enjoy things like pinecones, or wood blocks to chew on and play with. You can also make toys out of treats by hiding food inside paper towel rolls and keeping them in with hay. Some bunnies like to climb, they make these kewl little houses out of cardboard that a lot of bunnies like to play on. I even just give my guys balls of paper sometimes, they love to throw it around and rip it up. Anyways, yeah, there are a lot of diffrent things rabbits like to play with and the trick is finding out what your rabbits like most.

7. Some ppl take their rabbits into the vet once a year for checkups, some only when they have problems. Rabbits don't need to go in for shots once a year like other animals do, but a check up wouldn't hurt them.

8. I would recommend getting them some kind of a bed, my rabbits have a dog bed in their cage and they love that thing! Other then that I would say that with rabbits, it can take them some time to get use to you. But once they get use to you, and you earn their trust, it is so worth it!

Good luck with them! We'd love to see pictures when you can. And if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask :)
 
#3 ·
Thank you Michelle..... your bunnies are so cute... what kind is Barnaby? He is the cutest little rabbit I have ever seen.

Another question...
How often do you change your litter box/clean your cage?
 
#4 ·
Congratulations on the new buns! You will grow to love them as much as the dogs. Bunnies have a way of stealing your heart before you even know it.

Usually, I clean the litter boxes every day. Now that I am trying to bond I clean them every other day. And switch them between the bunner rooms on the day they are not cleaned. I do add a bit more litter and more hay. I add hay to the boxes in the morning and at night.

House Rabbit Society has a wonderful site to check out. I think it's rabbit.org?
 
#5 ·
Congrats on your new babies,and yes straight up pellets is the way to go w/ hay that way your more in control of fats and ect., I make most of the toys for my babies,some never seem to notice others love it. You'll find yourself never throwing paper towel rolls/toilet paper rolls away! Alot of my bunnies love to dig, just shredd some papers up put in box also old maganizines(they love to rip into pieces). Also they love to eat herbs,mint is a particulair favorite here! Bunnies can be very interactive, most of mine come when called,some act like cats and rub all over me if i'm not giving them 100 percent attention, it maight take them a little time but it will happen........once again congrats on your babies and thats awesome that you adopted!!!!!!
 
#6 ·
Oh and phone books are good toys too. Some buns like to shred them. Oliver and Ophelia like theirs. Teddy prefers the magazines that I had stacked in his room over the phone book I gave him. I guess I don't really need the recipes in that Womans Day magazine.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top