Two important questions

[Kiki]

Question number one is how do I pick my bunny up?? I’ve googled his before, but it’s a little hard for me to do b/c 1) I really don’t want to scare her and 2) she’s so little. I’ve done it before because the lady who owned her told me she likes it, she even was holding kiki on the car ride to my house to give her to me (I’m not sure if that’s good or bad? Haha) but she’s adorable I love Kiki and she’s 3 months old. I just got her four days ago and I’m not sure if I should hold her allot b/c I know bunnies instinctively don’t like it but I really want to play with her in the playpen I’m going to get for her to run around in rather than her being in a cage 24/7 I let her out the 2nd day I got her and let her hop around my bathroom for a while to get some exercise. So I picked her up just fine where she was safe I had her back paws and front paws on my chest, but she was sniffing my face allot lol which is okay I just don’t know if it’s good or bad in rabbit language?? Also the putting her down is hard b/c she’ll struggle to get down which scares me >_< she was safe though, but I'd really like to know the proper way to put her back in her cage. My cage opens at the top so the butt first thing doesn't really work.

^wow I’m sorry that’s so extremely long haha

Second question is liter training. I have the paper pellet bedding which I’m not sure I should have as I have no idea where her pee is (sorry) another thing is she won’t let me clean her house x) understandably I wouldn’t want anyone moving my things either, but when I tried to use the scooper she sniffed it and gently flicked it away with her teeth so I had to remove it. But I read that placing the poops around her cage back into the litter box would help her get the idea? I even moved her litter box to where the poop is, but it’s not seeming to help. I know this is a long process I’m just not sure how to do it…..

[Yu]

Hi, I’m not sure about how to hold them but my is 6weeks old lol.. I just put my hand near him and he usually will sniff it and then I just use both hands on both sides of his body and pick him up and hold him close and place him on my leg to pat him, he is really calm most of the time unless he gotta go pee then he’ll start moving a lot then I quickly place him back so he can go lol…
I agree putting them down is hard, they’ll struggle a lot! so I usually just use one hand to kinda cover his head.. mainly his eyes so he doesn’t see what I’m doing and lower him till he’s foot touch and then he’ll hop off my hand on his own donno if this is a good way to put him down but for sure he is really calm this way.
I am still trying to liter train lol… probably 70% of the time he’ll pee in the same area I have for him but i still find his pee in other places :/ maybe he’s still too young

[bpash89]

If you don’t need to pick them up them it’s best not to. While they are much more tolerant about such things as babies, very few rabbits like it and when they get older they will become much more obvious about their disapproval. If you have to pick her up for whatever reason, I usually do a hand under the tummy and a hand supporting the back feet. Hold them tightly to your chest so they can’t squirm or try to jump (makes them feel more secure too) and just be quick and confident when handling them. When putting them down, don’t try to bend over with them in your hands, keep them firmly against your chest and kneel down to get them as close to the floor as possible before lowering them (that way if they jump they are closer to the ground and won’t injure themselves). Just remember that in the outside world being picked up means being dinner for bunnies so they are hardwired to hate it and will do everything they can to escape. So only do it when necessary or your bunny will learn to fear you rather than trust you not to mention they can really hurt themselves by kicking too hard or jumping from too high.

Top-open cages are generally not a good idea for that very reason – the bunny can only get out if you pick them up. I’m going to guess that this is a standard store bought cage? It is most likely too small for a bunny (check out the habitat section for more detailed info) and it will become much much much too small once she gets bigger (and bunnies grow fast) so you might want to look into a different cage option that would eliminate the need to pick her up altogether.

Paper/wood pellet bedding is very common with bunnies. When they pee on it the litter turns to a sawdust looking substance so it should be pretty obvious where she has gone. Rabbits (females especially) tend to be territorial so it would probably be best to just wait to clean out her box when she’s out for play time or something.
Yes, you need to pick up any stray poos and put them back in the box as well as any pee spots (clean it up with a paper towel and put that in the box) and clean the floor with vinegar to remove the smell. It will take some time for her to catch on (and she still won’t be perfect about it until after she is spayed) but just be consistent and diligent about cleaning up after her and she will get the idea. Also, be sure to keep plenty of hay in her litter box since bunnies like to munch while doing their business.

[Kiki]

Thanks you guys, your answers are greatly appreciated. I actually have gotten better with it recently the picking her up, which is really good I think it’s basically the equivalent of holding a baby for the first time, or at least sort of with me. So I find I’m calmer as time goes by when I pick her up and that she is calmer as well, it seems I pick her up correctly now I always do one hand behind her front legs to support her tiny chest and than I scoop the back paws but I am more confident with it so I believe that plays a big roll in making her feel a bit safer. I do try to limit the amount of times I pick her up it’s generally only twice a day for playtime b/c she always seems to want to get out and roam. And honestly if she was extremely scared I wouldn’t pick her up at all as I try to respect her and what she wants wouldn’t want to hurt Kiki <3 but she doesn't show any obvious signs that she hates it or is scared she sniffs fine, her eyes are fine, her ears are up, and she doesn't make any noises or grunts (doesn't mean she's not scared, but she's not too too scared I don't think) it's just when I put her down she try's to get down before we get there lol not high up though so no worries she usually does when I'm like 3inches above the ground.
In her cage she has enough room to run around and do binkys, and I did check out the habbitat section and shes fine, i’m pretty sure the cage is more than 6 times the size of her haha but if she gets bigger and it doesn’t look comfy I’ll be sure to invest in a new one. She’s a lionheaded dwarf bunny so I’m not sure if she’ll get so big?
Okay I gotcha with the cleaning it does make sense and I’ll try to do it when she’s out and about and i’ll do what you recommended with liter box training, seriously thank you so much for answering, the both of you! She is my first indoor bunny and I haven’t had any experience with buns since I was about 11 so I really appreciate any advice I can get. Thanks again!

[BubblesJo]

 My bun Chester has a top opening cage too, but I’ve figured out a way not to pick him up. I put his hidey-house just below the opening, so he can reach it easily, and a box on the outside of the cage, so he can use that as a step. 

 

You can see it here (with Chester in a food coma ):

 

[bpash89]

Not to be the debbie downer but just be prepared for her not dealing with being handled so well later on. She’s still young and still getting used to you and her new home. Once she’s more comfortable with her surroundings her personality will become more prominent. Bunnies that enjoy/tolerate being held are the exception, not the rule so please don’t bank on that. Adult bunnies and baby bunnies are completely different and I’d hate for you to be surprised when you wake up one day and she suddenly throws a temper tantrum over being lifted out of her cage.
If the cage is big enough and working out fine then I wouldn’t stress about it. Just be sure she gets lots of outside time to run around. She’s young and full of energy plus the smaller breeds tend to be more energetic as well so she needs to stretch those legs often. If you do ever decided to get a new cage then definitely get one with a side opening so that she can get out by herself though so you don’t have to lift her all the time. My bunny would go all monty python on me if I tried to pick her up twice a day… hell, she would go cray cray if I tried to pick her up twice a month/year/ever. lol
good luck with the litter training. Just be consistent and follow all the usual guidelines – make sure she has access to a litter box 24/7, no bedding or soft stuff in the cage, clean up every accident as soon as possible ect. I’m sure she will catch on quick.

[Kiki]

Lol AWW he looks so cute and fluffy!! >_< kind of reminds me of a Oreo, with his awesome hair!! but that’s a pretty good idea, though I’m not sure how I’d do it……. gezz my cage is so complicated x) the whole top goes up so she wouldn’t have anywhere to climb too except over the edge which I’m not sure if I’d like because it’s a bit high for her. But it was good advice so thank you and thanks for the cute picture of Chester :3 he’s really cute.

[Kiki]

Don’t worry bpash89 I know that happens you’re not being a Debbie downer at all, its the truth and I’m already prepared for her to bite or something b/c she’s growing up, it’s okay though I understand just like with teenagers, hormones make them all crazy and she’ll have mood swings when she’s older or at least something like that lol. I have a question though if I get her spayed eventually, does that help a little bit??
Also I shall defiantly do the side door thing if I get a new one, not anytime soon though as the one I got recently was rather pricey so I don’t think I can do it right now. I laughed though about your bunny though x) she sounds really cute with her own little personality, she also looks cute in your avatar! :3 I will totally be prepared for my bun to go Monty python on me as time goes on so now worries *stealth mode* and it won’t change how I feel about her I promise ^_^ I already looked up all this before I got her, heck I expected her to not like me so much before I got her. But I’m glad that’s not the case as of right now :3 if it happens (which it most likely will) it happens and I’m okay with it.
And okey dokey *takes paper pellets out of litter box* not only is my cage complicated, but the pooper scooper too, it said it was for bunnies -__- but the poop slips right through it everytime so I need to pick up the pellets with it. I really need to go to petco lol

[bpash89]

Spaying will help loads with the hormone induced behavior. Trust me, when she reaches that age you will know. Fluffy little psychopaths… getting rid of the hormones will help her calm down, improves litter habits, marking ect plus the health issues of female bunnies makes it a must. Other stuff she will grow out of as she gets older. While my bunny still likes to chew on everything, I have noticed her being less destructive to my apartment recently… ie she tears apart her cardboard boxes instead of my wallpaper and couch… mine is still a teenager so I can only hope for further improvements as she ages…
Yeah, my little girl is quite the diva. Totally full of herself. But baby bunnies are quite affectionate and once she’s bonded to you, even with her adult personality, she will still love on you in her own way. My bun likes to snuggle in bed early in the morning before I leave for work and gives me lots of kisses when she wants to be petted.
Oh, I just meant that the only thing you should have in her cage is litter in the litter box. No other bedding or blankets lining the bottom of the cage. Especially in the beginning of litter box training, you want to make it very clear what is appropriate to pee on and what isn’t. Bunnies like soft things so she will naturally gravitate towards that if it is available. If there is litter or bedding lining the whole cage it will be hard for her to understand that only the box is okay it use since the whole cage will smell the same.
Many people just use a large spoon or a mini dustpan to scoop the litter box. Most scoopers are designed for cat litter and such so they don’t work well for bunnies.

[Kiki]

Can’t wait for the fluffy psychopath days x) she’s so sweet now though I kind of wish she’d stay 3 months old. I’d say we are pretty close now for 5 days together which I’m happy about ^_^ she seems to trust me more than when I got her, on the first day she would just hide everytime I passed her cage now she just does her own thing when I walk by. And she’s also gotten used to my voice from me talking to her, than every time I wake up in the morning it’s really cute because she does a excited run around the cage. Sorry I’m rambling lol I’m just really excited about her >_< she's still kind of new to me. she does like to chew the moldings and my books which I'm a little worried about I think the books are semi okay but moldings have paint and I'm like *cringe* I attempted to make a semi decent (sad) looking paper filled shoebox and for the most part she just chewed on that which was good. I really really need to get some toys and treats. Speaking of treats (sorry I should really change the title to four questions) how much veggies are bunnies supposed to eat?? Sorry bpash89 you don't have to answer this if you don't want to x) seeing as you've been so kind to answer all my other one. Yesterday I gave her a small handful of spinach and today I gave her 4 mini carrots. She has pellets and her Timothy hay always there but I'm not sure how much veggies I'm allowed to give her so I'm being cautious.
Ahh I see, Im doing this completely wrong then lol thanks so much, will use a big spoon for her poops and when I clean her cage this week I’ll be sure to put the paper pellets just in the litter box and not all throughout the cage. Got it! ^_^

[bpash89]

It sounds like she’s settling in nicely.
It’s no problem dear, it all just depends really. Check out the diet section for the list of rabbit safe veggies and more details about how to best introduce veggies. You just want to introduce veggies slowly and one at a time. Just a leaf of two per day for a few days and make sure it doesn’t disagree with her system. Some bunnies have more sensitive systems and can get diarrea so you want to only introduce one at a time so you know which veggie is the cause of the problem so you can remove it. If everything looks good you can gradually give her bigger portions while you start introducing a new kind of veggie. Ideally, once you’ve gradually introduced different veggies to her, she should be getting at least three different kinds of veggies a day (more variety is always a plus though) and try to rotate which veggies she gets pretty regularly so she gets a different mix of vitamins. Also, carrots are really more of a treat food so they should be pretty limited since they have a lot of sugar. As for how much, since she’s still a growing baby it’s more of how much she will eat right now. Once she’s full grown it should be easier to tell if she’s getting enough/too much based on how much she will eat and her weight and such. My dwarf bun gets a plate of veggies as big as she is, so right now, I wouldn’t really worry about over feeding her veggies.

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