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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A I need advice concerning my new bunny.

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    • RC
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        I brought home a rabbit about 4 hours ago. He is about 3 months old. He was extremely nervous on the ride home. My house is quiet and we are speaking in gentle tones so as to help him relax. Still, he won’t drink water or eat anything even though I’ve given him some great treats. He just sits in the corner loooking wide eye’d and nervous big time. What should I do?

        Thanks


      • Sarita
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          Hi RC welcome. Give him more time. He probably is frightened and is in sensory overload. Let him stay in his new house/cage and let him get used to his new surroundings. Just let him observe and get used to his new surroundings.


        • MissKris&Koji
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            I wasn’t sure what to do when I brought my bunny home, either – a lot of things I read though advised to just leave them be and basically ignore them for the first day. I mean, obviously, keep an eye out to see that he does start to eat.

            As for drinking, I was very surprised to find out how little most rabbits drink on average. It’s not unusual to not really see your bunny drink – I was rather worried about this but read some threads and other resources and it seems they only drink a few ounces per day, and rather than sipping all day maybe just a couple larger drinks. Unless you’re sitting there watching all day you may miss it entirely!


          • Monkeybun
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              For the not drinking part, you may want to offer both a bowl and a bottle of water for now, too. He may not be used to one or the other.


            • Monkeybun
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                Oh, another thing. Does he have a box or anything to hide in? He’s likely scared of the new surroundings, and having a place to hide will help him


              • lashkay
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                  Your bunny is behaving entirely normally, if you can go by my 10 week old lionhead with an ultra-shy personality to boot. When I got my bunny finally home and in his pen, after the trauma of a long bumpy train ride home with diesel shrieks, squealing brakes, honking carhorns, screaming sirens & other terrifying assaults to his senses, he wouldn’t move from where I finally set him down on his bed, and it was well into a whole day before he inched forward and trusted himself (let alone me!) to take a tentative step on his bed and even then he still sat wide-eyed where he was.  It was well into the evening before he began, very tentatively, to explore the rest of the pen and even venture into the hidey-box that was in there for him. As Sarita says, just give him time to acclimate himself to his new surroundings in his own time.  And like Monkeybun said, a hidey-hole to hide in will be welcome haven and once he discovers it, he’s likely to stay in it a long time.  He will eat – do you have lots of hay and some pellets waiting for him in addition to the treats & water?  Or are those the treats you mentioned?  Welcome, and I hope your bunny has a long, healthy, happy life with you & yours – once he’s had lots of time to adjust to his home and you.


                • LizzieKnittyBun
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                    Sounds exactly the way Remy was when we brought him home, and now he’s the most outgoing bunny I could imagine. Give him somewhere to hide, like a box or a wooden hut, and he will gradually become more and more comfortable.

                    Congratulations! Pics pleeeeeeease (when he’s up to it)


                  • RC
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                      Thanks to everyone for the great advice. Yes, he has pellets, and a bannana berry treat stick and a salt, mineral lick thing. I’m trying to hook him up with the good life so to speak. My dog and cat are spoiled big time. They are like my children, my little fur babies.


                    • lashkay
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                        It’s my understanding that treat sticks containing seeds and cereal, can play havoc with a bunny’s delicate digestive system. You may be saving yourself some trouble to check the ingredients on the berry banana stick. I know they’re irrestistable to give to buns, but that’s the seduction of mass-marketing on us humans. lol Pellets, good and mineral lick, ditto. And lots of fresh hay? (hint, hint) And pics, when he’s ready!


                      • LizzieKnittyBun
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                          Yeah, I used to give those to Remy until I found out they were less than ideal for bunny health. Good old fashioned raisins are a better treat, in moderation : D


                        • MirBear
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                            i second everyone else on the treats. generally store bought treats arn’t very healthy for bunnies (its kinda like junk food for us but worse.) i’d suggest a bowl with some nice greens a raisin or two and lots of space and alone time. just to explain why everyones talking about hay. Timothy hay (and other types of hay such as alfalfa and orchard grass) play a crutial role in a bunnies digestion. They should have unlimited hay, just as they should have unlimited water. Depending on your bunny’s age you should either be giving alfalfa or timothy. bunnies who are under 6 months are still growing and developing and should be given alfalfa hay (you can have timothy there aswell for variaty and to introduce it to timothy) and should be on unlimited alfalfa or timothy based pellets. bunnies over 6 months shouldnt be fed alfalfa because its too high in calcium for older rabbits.

                            A bit of an article regarding feeding hay:

                            Hay is good for your rabbit because those long fibers that hay is made from help the muscles of the bunny’s gut stay good and strong. Hay keeps things moving inside the bunny’s system, and can help prevent blockages that may kill your rabbit. Bunnies will chew on almost anything, they seem to have little concept of what they can digest and what they cannot digest. Keeping them well stocked with hay may also help to keep the fur and other weird foreign bodies moving through your rabbit’s complex digestive system. A lack of hay can slow down your rabbit’s intestinal functions and cause a multitude of problems. Hay is an essential part of your rabbit’s diet, and you should no more leave your bunny without hay than you would leave it without water.


                          • Beka27
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                              Welcome here! Different bunnies behave differently. Some buns can be brought home and want to begin exploring almost immediately (these are usually the adventurous “trouble-makers”) and others are just more timid and shy at first.

                              You don’t want to quiet your household TOO MUCH. The bunny will learn to accept the common sounds of your home. This is similar to when you have a newborn baby, you don’t want it to always be quiet, or else baby will never learn to sleep thru noise.


                            • RC
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                                Thanks once again! I’m so glad I found this site. It’s great to talk to people who actually have rabbit’s and love animals. Okay, I went to tractor supply and bought a big bag of timothy hay for Robin. So, raisins are the best treats then? Any other kinds I should know about? And he began eating the bannana berry stick…should I take it away? Or is it cool for him to have this one at least?

                                 

                                Any other advice would be appreciated. Like what type of litter should I use? Is the stuff my cat uses cool for a bunny too?


                              • Beka27
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                                  Seeds can cause digestive problems by getting impacted in the intestines, so I would take it away. And treats that are too high in carbohydrates can cause “poopy butt”, which is commonly from an excess of cecals (aka “night droppings”) not being consumed and getting smeared everywhere. Rabbit digestion is a very delicate thing, so a lot of your research and time in the coming months is going to be geared towards perfecting his diet.

                                  Some rabbits tolerate treats better than others. You can give carrots as a treat, to a maximum of maybe a couple baby carrots a day. Raisins should be limited to only 3-4 a day. Same with “craisins”. The best treats are typically favorite greens or herbs that you can hand-feed.

                                  In general, most treats that petstores sell are junk. Bunnies should not have excess carbs and oils, dairy (yogurt drops are a big no-no!), seeds, corn, honey, cereal pieces, etc… but most of what they sell includes one or all of these! But don’t worry… You’ll learn what is healthy and what’s not, and to read ingredients closely.


                                • Beka27
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                                    Posted By RC on 09/05/2010 07:59 AM

                                    Any other advice would be appreciated. Like what type of litter should I use? Is the stuff my cat uses cool for a bunny too?

                                    What does your cat use?  The only litters I know that are safe for buns and cats are Feline Pine and Yesterday’s News.  No clumping, scented, clay, corn cob, or pine/cedar shaving litters for bunnies.


                                  • MissKris&Koji
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                                      As far as treats, a slice of banana seems to be a bunny favorite. I usually give Oxbow brand papaya tablets as treats, baby carrots as mentioned, a small cube of tomato, slice of banana, or raisins or other dried fruit with no sugar added, I know some people give small amounts of other fresh fruits but I haven’t tried that yet. Sometimes even a couple pellets I will hand feed as a “treat” if he has already had enough sugary items like fruit that day but is begging.

                                      From what I have read, it seems like eating is often everybunny’s favorite activity, so I’m sure his appetite will pick up. How is he settling in?


                                    • RabbitPam
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                                        Hi, and welcome.

                                        One thing that may have an effect on him is knowing there is a cat and a dog in the house. Rabbits are prey animals, and naturally afraid of larger animals like dogs. He may be hearing your cat or dog even if they are being kept away and it could be scaring him. A place to hide in inside his cage will help. Also, never leave him alone and unsupervised with your dog, It will take a long time for him to bond with you and get used to the whole gang, so give him the basics with a nice litter pan and let him feel protected and safe. Pretty soon he will start to want to explore.


                                      • lashkay
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                                          Someone recently was finding staples in Yesterday’s News litter. To play it safe, Carefresh, if you can get it is excellent – it comes, plain grey, in colors, or white (Carefresh Ultra.) I’ve been using Carefresh for 9 years now and it keeps odor controlled and is easy to clean out, stays dry to the touch so doesn’t irritate the little fella’s bum. Green Aspen also is very popular, depending on what’s available to you.


                                        • eyorelop
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                                            My HRS uses newspaper then covers with hay so I have been doing that. I tried yesterday’s news and liked it but use it up very fast. I also cover my litter box with trash bag so clean up is really easy but if you have a chewer they might eat it so you have to watch to see if they leave garbage bag alone. I wanted to try care fresh but man is it expensive.


                                          • MissKris&Koji
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                                              It was me with the Yesterday’s News, haha, but not recent – that was about 1 year ago I found a few in a bag, but I have read other reports online. I have heard of cases of mites and lice from carefresh too though! Not with rabbits, rats, I’m not sure if it’s the same kind of pest. We asked the local rat breeder and she confirmed she too had heard of this, but freezing for a couple days does the trick to kill anything living in it…. maybe that’s a good idea for all beddings, if you want to be paranoid about it. I don’t know, seems both have their flaws, but then again I had bags of both that were fine. Seems like its possible to have problems with any litters, and it can be luck of the draw I guess. But, again, these were both a couple years ago when I was trying to find litter for my rats, maybe quality control has gone up since then. I’m sure there are people on here who have been using YN or Carefresh for a while and had no problems, and in fact I just went through a bag of YN last month because it was on sale super cheap ($12 for a 34lb) and they were out of the unscented Swheat Scoop I used with my rats. No problems on that bag. *shrug*

                                              I guess the real dealbreaker for me with Carefresh is I found it to be dusty. One of my rats was always sneezing. They do have sensitive respiratories, though, maybe not a problem for rabbits. Seems like the dust in pelleted litters settles to the bottom much more, so I just don’t use the dregs and I’m dust free.

                                              I am loving Feline Pine, it controls odor sooooooo well. I am currently looking for a source that sells the Equine Pine (same thing but for horses, cheaper) to stables so I can stock up on that instead. Koji doesn’t love it though, since it is harder than Yesterdays News and others, so I may mix it with something softer. Still, I can’t give up that odor control. Green Aspen is even better, but I can’t find it in bulk bags, so ultimately the price difference between it and Feline Pine has me going to FP right now. If I could get the aspen in bulk for a better price per pound, I would do that. It’s softer, nicer smell.

                                              That is a great idea on the garbage bags! Koji only pees in a small corner, so I do much better to just scoop there than remove all litter, but I bet that makes it a breeze and no risk of spilling when you dump it.


                                            • lashkay
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                                                PLEASE watch with the garbage bags around the buns. A friend of mine’s rabbit lop got hold of a garbage bag and ingested some and had to be at the vets for two weeks. They did surgery on her and she came through but a word to the wise…there’s always a first time and BANG! In the pocketbook, everywhere!  Just thought I’d pass this on. I want your bunnies to be healthy as I do mine!  I’m in favor of Green Aspen also. I guess Carefresh is pricey.  Peace of mind with bunnies doesn’t always come cheap, huh?


                                              • jerseygirl
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                                                  Welcome RC and Robin!

                                                  Does your local Tractor supply have wood stove pellets (accelerant free) or pelleted horse bedding? This is an ultra cheap and effective litter you can use for your rabbit and cat if your cat is ok with a change.


                                                • Beka27
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                                                    I would also caution against using a plastic bag or garbage bag in the litterbox. It is not worth the risk. Just because a bunny has never chewed it in the past, does not mean they won’t get bored one day and try to eat the whole thing.

                                                    Newspapers work well for litterbox liners. They get wet with urine, but after you dump out the litter, they can be easily peeled out. Box can be rinsed, dried, and you’re ready to go.

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                                                Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A I need advice concerning my new bunny.