Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey folks..
First, sorry if these questions have already been asked, I did skim over the posts on the first couple of pages but didn't go further than that.

We purchased a bunny a few days ago supposed to be for our 18 month old daughter but of course hes become a mommas bunny already hehe.

According to the store he is 1 month old and can't be sexed until at least 2 months old sof or the time being we're calling him a he. I'm wondering first of all is there somewhere I can find photos of bunnies to try and determine the breed? I asked the clerk about the size of the bunny when adult and she told me he would be "big but not too big, about 5 pounds" ?
I did a little research beforehand and tried to get a cage that will work for him as an adult but would like your confirmation (or otherwise).. Darn thing was $70 tax so hopefully it works at least for a good while.. I read somewhere that the cage should be big enough to hold 4 bunnies the size of your bunny and at this point even when he is stretched out that could happen but Im nto sure what 5 pounds mean size wise so here are the details let me know what you think.

The cage we purchased is a square, 2 feet by 2 feet, and 22 inches tall. Theres a second level in the cage at about 12 inches that is 12 inches deep and runs the length of the cage so 12 inches deep by 24 inches wide at 12 inches in height with a little ramp going down to the main level. There is a large outward opening door on the front and the top of the cage. The bottom is a solid surface (plastic), as is the ramp and second level. The sides and roof are coated wire.
The food dish is on the second level, the bowl sits into a little hole making it difficult to tip. The water bottle hangs from the side on the lower level. I've read here that bunnies don't usually like water bottles but I guess we're lucky he drinks like crazy from it. I have a corner litter box on the main level as well.

For bedding I put shredded aspen but here are where the other questions begin.. No matter how much I put in and spread it out he pushes it all over to one half of the cage so that all the area under the second level is clear of bedding and this is where he chooses to spend most of his time directly on the plastic floor under the second level (the back wall of the cage is up against the back of our couch which Im assuming makes him feel a bit secure when combined with the roof from the second floor). Rather than the litter box he poops on the aspen. I've put aspen into the box along with his pills but he will still just poop on the aspen on the floor. I have moved the litter box several times but he just moves his toilet ever so slightly so that its still on the aspen but not in the litterbox lol. So, today I am planning on removing the aspen from everywhere except the litter box and see if that doesn't get him to use the litter box. My question is if this works do I need to add something else in the cage for the bunny to cuddle with? As I mentioned before at this point even with the aspen he prefers to be on the plastic not touching the aspen so I'm guessing he doesn't need anything else but I want to make sure with you alls experience.

Thanks in advance!

Just wanted to add that I purchased a slat wheel today and added that to the second level of his enclosure. And I am happy to report that he is now using the litterbox! Still wondering if he needs anything to sleep with or if he'll do okay without it, any inf on possible breeds, and any info about the cage setup would all be appreciated

Thanks!

Salt and mineral wheels are not needed.

Also, I meant to add this in my original reply: I hope you know that rabbits are a 8-12 year commitment. Many people get rabbits, and don't realize that, and end up giving the rabbit to a shelter after only a couple years.

Hi!

I'm from Michigan Rabbit Rescue and the House Rabbit Society, and hopefully I'll be able to answer your questions.

First and foremost, rabbits are the absolute worst pet for children, especially those under 10 years of age. They do not like being held, chased after, layed on, squeezed, or anything else of that nature which children are tempted to do to an animal. Children are also loud and spontaneous, which scares the living daylights out of 99% of rabbits. Definitely house the rabbit somewhere your daughter can't readily get at. I suggest you read this article about rabbits and kids: So Your Child Wants A Rabbit?.

Regardless of how much you paid for the rabbit, you got it from a pet store, which is, in all truth, the worst place to buy any kind of animal, including rodents such as rats, gerbils, and hamsters. It's never the optimum care that they need, but instead, usually cramped, dirty cages, with too many cage mates. This type of environment can cause many different sicknesses and symptoms. Be glad you got a healthy rabbit. I would highly suggest, though, that you take him/her to a rabbit-savvy vet for a check up. Although it would seem like all vets know about rabbits, most of the time they don't, even if they say they're familiar with them. Rabbit's physiology, care, and dietary needs are very different than that of a dog or cat's. Rabbits need exotic animal specialists. To find a good rabbit vet in your area, check this vet recommendation list at the House Rabbit Society: Veterinary Recommendations. One month is early enough to sex a rabbit, which the vet will do for you. Around 6 months of age, it is a very good idea to get your rabbit altered (neutered/spayed), since this reduces a lot of behavioral and health problems. If you ever decide to get another rabbit, I would highly recommend you check local shelters, Humane Societies, and private rescues. There's thousands upon thousands of rabbits euthanized every year because no one is adopting them, and buying from a pet store or from a breeder is just adding to the problem. More over, adopting a rabbit from a shelter or rescue will cost the same amount you paid at the pet store, but the rabbit will most likely already be neutered/spayed, and will have a clean bill of health.

Hopefully you read up beforehand on the rabbit diet, but if not, I will quickly go over that for you. A rabbit's diet should consist of three things, in this order: Grass hay, fresh greens/vegetables, and pellets. Since your rabbit is so young, it should receive unlimited pellets. Once he/she reaches 7-8 months old, though, you cut the pellets back to about 1/4 cup. Along with that, your rabbit should be getting both alfalfa hay and timothy hay -- alfalfa is a legume hay, not grass hay, which has more calcium and protein for growing rabbits. Around 8 months of age, gradually reduce the amount of alfalfa given until you have completely removed it from the rabbit's diet, and up the intake of timothy hay. At all times, a rabbit must have unlimited amounts of timothy hay. At around 6 months of age, you should start introducing fresh greens to the rabbit's diet. Some rabbit-okay veggies include romaine lettuce, green leaf, red leaf, escarole, endive, boston lettuce, dandelion greens, parlsey, cilantro, and basil. All changes in an animal's diet must be made slowly, so start feeding veggies as a treat before giving him/her the usual amount of 3-6 cups chopped veggies (3-4 different kinds, preferrably) daily. For more diet information, read this page: FAQ: Diet. Pet store feeds are very unhealthy for rabbits, especially the "gourmet" mixes with nuts, seeds, dried fruit/vegetables, beans, et cetera. You want JUST pellets. You should check out the two best brands of hay and pellets, Oxbow and American Pet Diner. To someone who is new to owning an exotic animal (rabbits aren't really exotic, but to most people's ideals, anything besides a cat or dog is "exotic" ), their food is going to naturally cost more. Buying hay in bulk will cut down food costs a lot. Two 10 lb boxes of hay from American Pet Diner usually costs me around $50, and will last 3 months. Since your rabbit is much younger, it will most likely last a lot longer. Getting a 10 lb box of timothy and a 10 lb box of alfalfa hay would be a very good idea. Also, Oxbow carries the best pellets for rabbits. They're the most recommended brand by rabbit specialists and veterinarians. There are two types of pellets: alfalfa-based, and timothy-based. Like I mentioned above, alfalfa is very fattening and high in calcium. For a young rabbit, this is good for them. Once they reach 8 months of age, though, and are full grown, they no longer need the extra calories or calcium, and this is when you switch over to timothy pellets, which have more fiber and are much less fattening. Buying pellets in bulk isn't such a good idea, though, since the general rule with them is to buy only what you'll use in 6 weeks time.

Aspen bedding is VERY light. Rabbits naturally like to dig, and many rabbits find that their litter boxes fit the bill for a perfect digging area. I would suggest you get an actual cat litter box, since they are larger and have higher sides, and use a heavier litter, such as Yesterday's News. Putting lots of hay on one side of the rabbit's litter box makes it a great treat for jumping in and using it for the rabbit. Rabbits have a natural tendency to eat and eliminate at the same time, so this helps that desire.

You can get your rabbit a regular cat bed if you feel he/she wants something to snuggle with, but most of the time, rabbits will either pee on them or chew them. I would suggest testing your rabbit's personality out by putting a couple folded towels on the bottom of the cage, and seeing if he/she will lay on them, or pee/chew on them.

Although it seems like she has a good sized cage currently, rabbits are VERY active animals, and need a LOT of time out of their cage. I would suggest you buy a large puppy pen (not a "small animal" pen, since even hamsters can easily jump out of them) for the rabbit to play in for 4-6 hours a day, or even live in once he/she is litter box trained. You should seriously consider bunny-proofing the room you have your rabbit in, and letting him/her freely roam around (that is, once the rabbit's fully litter box trained). It's not uncommon for people to bunny-proof their whole house and let their rabbits run around as a cat or dog would, either.

Hopefully I've answered your questions!

Lots of good info so thank you first of all

Now to the points....

My daughter is never allowed to play with the bunny unsupervised and by supervised I mean the bunny is in my or my husbands lap, my daughter sits next to us and pets him. Shes not allowed to chase him, pick him up or otherwise ruff him up. We had a cat previously (he was given to a some friends of ours) so we got most of those littel quirks worked out with him thankfully but like I said shes still heavily supervised just in case. For the cage she knows not to bang on it (though that took some work after the first day she learned), she now sits quietly on the floor and talks to him lol

Pet stores are bad I agree. We have a ball python, a bearded dragon and 2 corn snakes none of which came from a breeder and are all healthy, the water dragons we had years ago died after a month from the petstore.. I would have loved to buy from a breeder but I felt sorry for this little guy the cage was actually really large but there were 2 other bunnies both appeared to be albino (white with pink eyes) who were huddled together and seemed to want nothing to do with the little black bunyn I know its not the brightest idea but it appears we got lucky and our little guy seems to be pretty well mannered too. I don't think we will get another bunny, would rather just give extra good care to the one at least until we buy our own house.

I did read about the diet but did not know that the supposed premiums were bad. Hes currently on a pelleted food with dried veggies. Will get tha switched out tomorrow when we go for the hay, which is a new one to me. I knew they needed timothy hay but did not know they needed alfalfa.

Good news with the litter box training. Putting the shredded aspen only in the litterbox and leaving the rest of the cage bedding free did the trick and he is now a littertrained bunny! I think he uses the back of his cage as anesting area.. The back wall is blocked by the back of our couch, the top is blocked by the second level and the sides are blocked by the plastic bottom of the cage, it goes up 6 inches before the coated wire starts. I have been looking for a small cat or small animal bed haven't found one yet :/ Not sure if he/she would want it nor not since like I said with the aspen it always got pushed over to the one side and used as his toilet but I figure I may as well offer it to him and let him refuse it if thats what he wants to do.

We haven't bunny proofed the room yet but its child proofed so its not far off I don't think (no exposed wires or small hiding places). Its just that the entrance to the room isn't blocked off so we can't leave him unsupervised, we sit in the entranceway so that he can't pass. So far we allow him to roam for about 15 minutes at a time at least once a day and he's cuddled with at least 3 times a day I don't think I would ever let him/her run free unspervised in an entire house even if it were completely bunny proofed just for the same reason I wouldn't let my daughter, too worried something would happen btu I do like the idea of a pen. I had been looking at the small animal pens but will check out the dog ones now, didn't think about the bunny's jumping abilities.

I'm glad to hear the cage sounds adequate, it was the second largest one they carried, the largest was the same size base but another half level added on. I didn't really know how long our new addittion would live but thats not a discrouagement at all. As I mentioned we have a ball python, bearded dragon and corn snakes so long term committement isn't a problem.

I think I addressed everything.... If I missed anything or if anyone else has any pointers or anything please let me know, I will keep checking back. Thank you for all the info and I will look into getting him some new food!

Oh, for the salt wheel you mentioned it wasn't needed but since he has it now I would like to know is it going to hurt him? If its going to hurt him Ill remove it but otherwise I may as well leave it in there and let him use it

Breeders are also not a good idea. Most of the time, their animals are outside, possibly even in a barn, and aren't given the best care. Most breeders have so many rabbits that they can't spend time with each individual one every day, let alone take them out to stretch their legs. Again, the best place to get animals is from rescues and shelters.

Were you able to find a vet on those lists in your general area? It's not uncommon for a rabbit owner to have to drive 1-3 hours to see a proper vet, so don't be discouraged if the closest one is in the next state.

The diet is kind of hard to explain without being somewhat confusing. This is generally a rabbit's diet:

Before 6 months of age: Unlimited alfalfa pellets, unlimited timothy and alfalfa hay.

After 6 months of age: Limited timothy pellets (1/4 cup daily), unlimited timothy (no alfalfa), and a large salad every evening of 3-6 different veggies.

Again, I have to say that all pet store feeds for, actully, most animals, is horrible. I really suggest you check out Oxbow and American Pet Diner.

The salt wheel won't hurt your rabbit. It just won't do anything. They get enough salt and minerals from their pellets and hay.

Found a vet from that list, Kathryn Okawa in Everett, 70 miles away is the closest one but thats about what I figured being that we're on an island (Oak Harbor, WA).

The diet won't be hard. Our bearded dragon gets a salad in the morning and insects later in the day so fresh veggies aren't a problem, though he wont need them for a few more months if he doesn't get them until 6months of age. For the prices on pellets, they are a lot cheaper than I paid for the stuff from the petstore but shipping is high. Before I buy online I'm going to check out our local feed store to see what they have. Picking up the hays later this evening.

Will keep the salt wheel in since it won't hurt him no sense in taking it away from him.

Thanks!

I think our little guy may be a Polish... He/she looks very much like the polish on this page http://www.arba.net/photo.htm and I am assuming the other 2 bunnies he was housed with came from the same person. Our is black with black/brown eyes and grey toes, the other 2 were white with ruby eyes. Both types are recognized color patterns of the polish breed.

If I'm right though he should only reach about 2 and a half pounds not the 5 the pet store worker said. The other breed I was torn between was the Havana but that breede doesn't have a white with ruby eyes pattern, but it does reach abotu 5 1/2 pounds which would go with what the worker said ours would reach.

Still confused but I think I've narrowed it down