NEWS FLASH! Prince's cage was just moved inside! He'll be in it only when I'm not home so he's in air-conditioner now! 
New Rabbit! What to do!?
Okay so recently the teacher of the school began giving away all the rabbits! He was going to give my favorite rabbit away to a completely dumb and horrible owner so I offered to take him instead. So I brought him home.
So yes, it may have been a bad decision due to the fact that it was all upon impulse; but I doubt this rabbit is receiving worse care than he was at our school.
So I honestly have no idea what to do for rabbits! I have tried checking online for information but all of my sites say something different and I don't know which one to follow! I just want advice from a fellow bunny owner!
Let me give you the starter home of this rabbit. I have decided to call him Prince because I am planning on turning his life around and giving him the best home ever! He is about 8years old and that school has had him around 6years. He is a non-neutered Male Lionhead rabbit.
He has constant discharge from eyes and nose. He always itches his ears and one is always down at an angle so I wonder if he had mites? One of his back legs is severely broken and he has funny looking testicles along with one small top tooth. He also has really bad dandruff or something.
So yes, I understand that he needs to see a vet; I'm hoping to get him in next month after I get enough money; I'm saving up and getting donations. How much do you guys think it would cost to get all of that done? I think he will need a dental, amputation, ear mite treatment, skin check, eye check, nasal congestion check, and I will be neutering him. How much do you think that will cost? Please give me an estimate or like.... "I think it won't be any more than $300 or something like that!
So in his original home at the school he lived in an all-wire pen with a litter-pan underneath. He got an all bland diet of 16% rabbit pellets (the cheapest brand). He never got any vegetables, fruits, salt, or anything else; just pellets and water.
He was never brushed or bathed either.
According to our scale, he is 4.4pounds, but I believe it is a bit off so I'm going to say 4pounds.
In his new home I'm providing different stuff. He is in a cage (26inches long, 16inches wide, 16inches tall); the bottom is green plastic and the top is wire. The bottom is covered with a bedding mixture; paper-like, dust-free bedding that I bought and a small amount of pine shavings. He has water at all times and has a food mixture.
1 part-
Wild Harvest-Mixed Berry 'n Nut Treat (vitamin and mineral enriched)
2parts-
Wild Harvest-Adult Rabbit Formula : Advanced Nutrition Formula
2 parts-
Country Lane-16% Rabbit Pellets (Prince's original food)
I'm giving him apple stick treats as a side treat to help him gain some weight. He also has 2wooden flavored blocks for chewing in his cage along with 1salt block and 1mineral block. I gave him 1baby carrot yesterday and he ate the whole thing in 1night. He also has a toilet paper roll in there for chewing and he has chewed on that a little.
He hasn't touched the wooden, salt, or mineral blocks, or his food mixture but he has drank a little bit from his water bottle, he ate the carrot, chewed up some of the roll, and chewed on the apple stick treats a bit. This is day2 of him being here. Food is offered at all times and so is water.
His cage is outside in the dogpen so he is safe from predators and our dogs are well-trained and won't hurt him. I've let him loose in the yard before and monitored him (since he has a broken leg, he can't move very fast) and he runs around and gets some exercise and he has grazed on the grass we have in our yard, just a little, though. (pesticide-free!)
He is indoors most of the time though and will be indoors when I'm home to monitor him. He likes to be inside and he behaves himself pretty well! He drinks and eats more inside than he does outside! I have the same food mixture inside for him, a flavored chewing block, 2apple stick treats, and a bowl of water (he does drink out of it without knocking it over!) and he uses all of them! He pretty much sits and lays down on a towel I have for him most of the time but occasionally he gets a sudden burst of energy and takes off down the hall and sprints back into my room and lays down again. What a kill!
So my sister said vitamin C would help his eyes and maybe vitamin D would help his fur a bit. I'm wondering if I shouldn't find a shampoo or spray or something for the dandruff, unless it isn't dandruff?! I haven't given him a bath but I do brush him every day with a rabbit brush so his fur stays nice. I am currently trying to teach him to go potty in a litter box but he isn't quite getting it! LOL!
So am I doing everything right?! Is there something different I need for his diet? How much do you think his vet bill will cost? Is he underweight? Does he have ear mites? HELP!
So yes, it may have been a bad decision due to the fact that it was all upon impulse; but I doubt this rabbit is receiving worse care than he was at our school.
So I honestly have no idea what to do for rabbits! I have tried checking online for information but all of my sites say something different and I don't know which one to follow! I just want advice from a fellow bunny owner!
Let me give you the starter home of this rabbit. I have decided to call him Prince because I am planning on turning his life around and giving him the best home ever! He is about 8years old and that school has had him around 6years. He is a non-neutered Male Lionhead rabbit.
He has constant discharge from eyes and nose. He always itches his ears and one is always down at an angle so I wonder if he had mites? One of his back legs is severely broken and he has funny looking testicles along with one small top tooth. He also has really bad dandruff or something.
So yes, I understand that he needs to see a vet; I'm hoping to get him in next month after I get enough money; I'm saving up and getting donations. How much do you guys think it would cost to get all of that done? I think he will need a dental, amputation, ear mite treatment, skin check, eye check, nasal congestion check, and I will be neutering him. How much do you think that will cost? Please give me an estimate or like.... "I think it won't be any more than $300 or something like that!
So in his original home at the school he lived in an all-wire pen with a litter-pan underneath. He got an all bland diet of 16% rabbit pellets (the cheapest brand). He never got any vegetables, fruits, salt, or anything else; just pellets and water.
He was never brushed or bathed either.
According to our scale, he is 4.4pounds, but I believe it is a bit off so I'm going to say 4pounds.
In his new home I'm providing different stuff. He is in a cage (26inches long, 16inches wide, 16inches tall); the bottom is green plastic and the top is wire. The bottom is covered with a bedding mixture; paper-like, dust-free bedding that I bought and a small amount of pine shavings. He has water at all times and has a food mixture.
1 part-
Wild Harvest-Mixed Berry 'n Nut Treat (vitamin and mineral enriched)
2parts-
Wild Harvest-Adult Rabbit Formula : Advanced Nutrition Formula
2 parts-
Country Lane-16% Rabbit Pellets (Prince's original food)
I'm giving him apple stick treats as a side treat to help him gain some weight. He also has 2wooden flavored blocks for chewing in his cage along with 1salt block and 1mineral block. I gave him 1baby carrot yesterday and he ate the whole thing in 1night. He also has a toilet paper roll in there for chewing and he has chewed on that a little.
He hasn't touched the wooden, salt, or mineral blocks, or his food mixture but he has drank a little bit from his water bottle, he ate the carrot, chewed up some of the roll, and chewed on the apple stick treats a bit. This is day2 of him being here. Food is offered at all times and so is water.
His cage is outside in the dogpen so he is safe from predators and our dogs are well-trained and won't hurt him. I've let him loose in the yard before and monitored him (since he has a broken leg, he can't move very fast) and he runs around and gets some exercise and he has grazed on the grass we have in our yard, just a little, though. (pesticide-free!)
He is indoors most of the time though and will be indoors when I'm home to monitor him. He likes to be inside and he behaves himself pretty well!
He drinks and eats more inside than he does outside! I have the same food mixture inside for him, a flavored chewing block, 2apple stick treats, and a bowl of water (he does drink out of it without knocking it over!) and he uses all of them! He pretty much sits and lays down on a towel I have for him most of the time but occasionally he gets a sudden burst of energy and takes off down the hall and sprints back into my room and lays down again. What a kill! So my sister said vitamin C would help his eyes and maybe vitamin D would help his fur a bit. I'm wondering if I shouldn't find a shampoo or spray or something for the dandruff, unless it isn't dandruff?! I haven't given him a bath but I do brush him every day with a rabbit brush so his fur stays nice. I am currently trying to teach him to go potty in a litter box but he isn't quite getting it! LOL!
So am I doing everything right?! Is there something different I need for his diet? How much do you think his vet bill will cost? Is he underweight? Does he have ear mites? HELP!
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
That's good the teacher is giving the rabbits to new homes. I just really hope, for the rabbit's sake, that he's giving them to people who are going to take them to the vet to get their various issues addressed.
The House Rabbit Society, www.rabbit.org, is the site I most often recommend for owners who want to do more research.
Um I can't tell you how much the vet will cost but keep in mind that rabbit vets usually are more expensive then regular cat/dog vets. If he really does need his leg to be amputated and all that then I'd guess it'd probably get pretty expensive. It sounds like he has a lot going on too, so the cost will go up depending on how many treatments he needs. See if your vet will take care of his leg and neuter him at the same time, then at least you only have to pay for anesthesia once.
His cage sounds smallish to me. Or at least the length does. Maybe you can get him a pen to play in and attach it to the cage? With all his medical issues and being in a new home I don't know how active he'll be, but once he gets more settled in and heals up don't forget to give him plenty of exercise time outside of his cage.
Hay is the most important part of a rabbit's diet, not pellets. He should be provided with a constant supply of clean grass hay. Most rabbit owners use timothy hay. I don't know about those foods - pellets should be plain and healthy and not include things like berrys and nuts and colored pieces. He doesn't need the salt or mineral blocks. Pine, unless it's kiln dried pine, is also not a safe type of litter.
If you're going to keep him outside I suggest getting him a nice durable outdoor hutch. Those wire and plastic cages are really designed more for keeping them indoors. Heat stroke is a real risk for rabbits, especially if they don't have a shaded or boxed area to go in to get out of the sun during the day.
I wouldn't give him vitamins - just a healthy high quality food and that should help his fur. His eyes sound like a medical condition that will have to be looked at by a vet, same with the dandruff. Dandruff looking flakes in rabbits is usually caused by mites.
For litter box training - You should probably remove the bedding from the cage and only use it in the litter box. Also put hay in his litter box or hang hay in a hay holder right above his box.
I can answer other questions if you have anything specific but I really recommend that you check out the House Rabbit Society website to learn more Good luck! Keep us updated on him! I'd love to see some pictures of him if you have any.
The House Rabbit Society, www.rabbit.org, is the site I most often recommend for owners who want to do more research.
Um I can't tell you how much the vet will cost but keep in mind that rabbit vets usually are more expensive then regular cat/dog vets. If he really does need his leg to be amputated and all that then I'd guess it'd probably get pretty expensive. It sounds like he has a lot going on too, so the cost will go up depending on how many treatments he needs. See if your vet will take care of his leg and neuter him at the same time, then at least you only have to pay for anesthesia once.
His cage sounds smallish to me. Or at least the length does. Maybe you can get him a pen to play in and attach it to the cage? With all his medical issues and being in a new home I don't know how active he'll be, but once he gets more settled in and heals up don't forget to give him plenty of exercise time outside of his cage.
Hay is the most important part of a rabbit's diet, not pellets. He should be provided with a constant supply of clean grass hay. Most rabbit owners use timothy hay. I don't know about those foods - pellets should be plain and healthy and not include things like berrys and nuts and colored pieces. He doesn't need the salt or mineral blocks. Pine, unless it's kiln dried pine, is also not a safe type of litter.
If you're going to keep him outside I suggest getting him a nice durable outdoor hutch. Those wire and plastic cages are really designed more for keeping them indoors. Heat stroke is a real risk for rabbits, especially if they don't have a shaded or boxed area to go in to get out of the sun during the day.
I wouldn't give him vitamins - just a healthy high quality food and that should help his fur. His eyes sound like a medical condition that will have to be looked at by a vet, same with the dandruff. Dandruff looking flakes in rabbits is usually caused by mites.
For litter box training - You should probably remove the bedding from the cage and only use it in the litter box. Also put hay in his litter box or hang hay in a hay holder right above his box.
I can answer other questions if you have anything specific but I really recommend that you check out the House Rabbit Society website to learn more
Good luck! Keep us updated on him! I'd love to see some pictures of him if you have any.Good, it sounds like I'm doing some of it right... can you suggest a somewhat cheap, good pellet brand for him? I'm really trying to fatten him up cause i feel he's too skinny.... I know you said you don't know about a vet bill but do you think it will be under $300?
We also moved his cage indoors today so he's inside now i will get him some Timothy Hay soon and i'm hoping to get him into the vet in about 2weeks becuz we already have $129 set aside for him! we will have $229 on Monday!
We also moved his cage indoors today so he's inside now
i will get him some Timothy Hay soon and i'm hoping to get him into the vet in about 2weeks becuz we already have $129 set aside for him! we will have $229 on Monday!Discounts are great! Just be sure they are rabbit savvy!
And a skin scraping is how they check for mites.
And a skin scraping is how they check for mites.
alrighty Prince is getting his first vet check tomorrow! they're checking his lungs and heart, skin, eyes, teeth, and ears tomorrow! they will also determine if he can be safely neutered and whether or not he will need an amputation or rebreak and cast! wish Prince luck!
Prince's proper vet visit it tomorrow morning
Looks like your rabbit has found a wounderful home!!!!!!!!
Note: Your Rabbit needs hay in his diet. My two bunnies didn't have enough fibre in their diets and they got a stomach imapction that cost over 100$ to repair. Just a bit of advice. As for the other stuff I really think the vet should decide. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Note: Your Rabbit needs hay in his diet. My two bunnies didn't have enough fibre in their diets and they got a stomach imapction that cost over 100$ to repair. Just a bit of advice. As for the other stuff I really think the vet should decide. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
