Hi everyone, first, sorry I am not native English speaker, so if something I say is not clear, please let me know.
I have been reading this forum and I see everyone is very helpful. I have read a lot of bunny literature, but I am still concerned at times whether or not I am doing everything alright.
My bunny is 66 days old, I have Holland lop, his name is pompom, he is super active and he doesn’t like to be lifted and runs like crazy if he thinks I am going to do so. My boyfriend gifted him to me, with a cage, and then I bought him an x-pen and a litter box, some wooden toys he seems to ignore, and I rodent tunnel he seems to like a lot and I want to make him a cardboard castle, we started with 1 box, with two holes, which he liked from the first moment.
Since he is very young, I give him lots of alfalfa, some bunny pellets and my doubts are about what veggies to give him. I know not all lettuce is good, so I give him only the good one some times, and carrot, which he likes. Now I started giving him rucula. And as Treats he likes banana, dried banana, dried pineapple, which I give him in limited amounts, although he asks all day long for them!
I am concerned, because different sites and people say different things regarding what he can eat at his age. Is it ok what I am feeding him? I try not to mix too much fruits, and I monitor his poops to make sure he is alright. A couple of times I think I gave him too many treats and he had some not regular poops, but I fixed that really quick.
I work from home, so as long I am at home he is free-running in the living room, which is kinda large, he likes to climb my couch, so tiny and he manages to jump up! But when I am not there or sleeping he is in his x-pen, he always finds something he shouldn’t be biting and I have some wire areas, that although protected, I am afraid he could breach If I am not paying attention. I live in an apartment. I have tried to play with him, but he doesn’t seem interested in it. He does love to ask for treats, and has no problem in climbing my legs, resting his two front feet in my hand while I feed him or climbing all over me while in my couch (which sadly he loves to poop on!)
Soon I am going to buy a second x-pen to join it with the one I already have so he has way more space. I am litter training him, but I have some issues, because I can not get myself to keep him enclosed while I am there, he stands in his too back feet and looks at me like saying “freee meee!”. Btw he does that a lot, he really likes to be standing in his two back feet, is that normal? Won’t it hurt his back?
I think now he is warming up to me, because he nibbles on my shoes from time to time, and I can’t give him treats all the time, so I try to pet him, and he has started to like it, i think, the other day he was more than 10 minutes there while I was petting him. I would love if he came up the couch and lay there, but I feel he likes more his distance, he likes to lie down behind the couch I sit while I work.
I try to give him his space, and I stopped holding him in my arms (although I did it only 3 times), because he peed an pooped on me. 2 times.
He times to time licks me, but it doesn’t seem to like if i grab them to pet him. Although i always give him a way of escape, so if he doesn’t want to be pet he can leave.
Should I keep trying to hold him? or will he recent me?
Finally, since he doesn’t seem to be interested in socializing so much with me, I was thinking of getting him a dwarf companion. I was wondering if it is alright to mix different races, like will he get along fine with maybe a Netherland Dwarf or a Polish Dwarf? I will get a female one, but I will neuter them both when they are old enough. Should I wait longer to get him a companion?
Sorry for this long winded message and if it the questions are too obvious, but I want to alright by my bunny.
Thanks!