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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum DIET & CARE Am I Doing This Right So Far?

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    • CinnamonPearl
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        So I’ve started gathering supplies for my future bunny Clover (assuming someone else doesn’t nab him while I’m prepping), and I just wanted to make sure I’m on the right track! I’ve bought a couple of things, and I’ve got my amazon cart loaded up, but I want to make sure I’m doing the right thing before I make a mistake and have to bother with returns. 

        1. For housing, I plan to set up a pen for him and then open the door and let him out to run around my bedroom (once he’s settled in). I have a 4’x3′ area of my room that I’ll be sectioning off for Clover, making 12 sq ft in total for him as a pen. I plan to build a gate using whitmor storage squares and zip ties. It seemed a lot more economical than buying a puppy fence for $90. Would the homemade gate from the cubes be okay? Or would it be too unsafe? I’m willing to spend the extra money for the puppy fence, I’d just rather avoid it if there’s a possible alternate solution! Also, if anyone has any recommendations for what to put on the floor of the pen, like some sort of mat, I’d love to hear it.

        2. For litter, I’m getting him a medium sized litter box. I got the yesterday’s news brand litter since I noticed it was recommended somewhere. Are these okay?

        3. For food, my understanding is essentially: timothy hay all the time, 1/4 cup of pellets daily for every so-and-so pounds of rabbit (I forget the exact number but I can check it), and 2 cups of greens a day. I plan to get Oxbow bunny basics adult food for the pellets since that seemed to be what most people recommend, I’m currently looking around for cheap timothy hay options around me, and greens of course from the fridge. 

        4. For grooming, I just got a fine, wire comb. I didn’t think I needed anything more. 

        So, am I on the right track with everything so far? Also, if anyone has any recommendations for things to add to my shopping list or things to do differently, I’d love to hear it. Once I have all the basics finalized, I’ll start working on a med kit!


      • Mikey
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          DIY grids are fine and work well for a lot of people; fleece works well for flooring. But, I have to comment on size. 18sqft is the minimum, and even with the 18sqft, the rabbit needs atleast 7 hours a day outside of the cage as well. I wouldnt recommend a rabbit if you dont have the minimum room for one. Lack of proper space can cause health problems, some of which can lead to death.

          Yes, that litter is fine. Note that some rabbits like larger litter boxes. For example, my little 3lbs rabbit needs an XL cat litter box or else he will refuse to go in it. Some buns are divas with their toilet area

          Diet is correct, although its usually 1/8th pellets to ensure the bun is getting enough greens and hay. Hay needs to make up the majority of the buns diet, and sometimes they will fill up so much on greens and pellets that they will eat less hay than they need.

          Do not use wire combs. Rabbits have very thin delicate skin and wire brushes can cause scabbing and bleeding with even the lightest touch. Look for something with bristles, rubber, or dull metal edges.


        • Deleted User
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            I also have XL cat pans. It does look kind of silly to have my teeny little bun in there, but I’m sure that she likes the space! I notice that she usually just pees in one corner of the box, so it actually is a bit more hygienic to have a larger box. With a smaller box, they may be forced to kind of stand on the soiled litter, but with a larger one they can choose to go in one corner and then the rest of the box stays pretty tidy.

            For litter, I use equine pellets. I used to use Yesterday’s News, but its like $18 a bag. I can find equine pine pellets at local farm supply stores for only $6 for a 40lb bag. WOOD SHAVINGS are not acceptable to use as litter, but compressed pine pellets are. Do not use pine or cedar shavings, they contain phenols that are harmful to bun.

            I wouldn’t recommend the wire brushes either. Ophelia really doesn’t like it, and Mikey is right that they have very thin skin. Even being as gentle as possible she squirmed like it was uncomfortable. I would get a soft bristle brush.

            How old is he and what breed?


          • CinnamonPearl
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              Huh okay! So quite a few things to change. Ill swap out the medium litterbox for an XL one, return the wire comb and steal one of my dad’s bristle brushes, less pellets per day. Did not know about the 18 sq ft. Pretty much every source I’ve read says 12! Researching pet care can be hard, haha, thats why I like to join forums!

              For the pen, it is my eventual plan to just leave the pen door open at all times and let him have 100% free range of my bedroom (and its a BIG bedroom, three connected rooms). Would having the smaller pen be okay just for his settling in the first few days, and then maybe sleeping? Or is it still a no-no, even for the short time? If so, then i will certainly be happy to bump up his enclosure size! ^^


            • Deleted User
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                I think that 12 sqft pen is fine if he is going to be allowed outside of that majority of the time!


              • joea64
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                  Make very sure to bunny-proof your bedroom. That consists chiefly of protecting wires and cables from being chewed and furniture and other items like books from being chewed or damaged. That being said, once you render your bedroom bunny-safe, it sounds like it’d be an ideal environment for a free-range bun! And yes, keeping the pen around and propping its door open is a good idea too; rabbits really like and need to have safe spaces to retreat to, so it’s good to make the pen his “home base”.


                • CinnamonPearl
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                    Okay great! So Ill go with the 12 sq ft plan then. That makes things a little easier for me. Ill go ahead and start gathering supplies. Thanks everyone!


                  • Mikey
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                      I agree that 12sqft is fine since you plan to eventually let him free roam. The pen will basically turn into his private food and litter box hut when he needs a little escape

                      Dont forget to show us pictures when you get the little bunny!


                    • CinnamonPearl
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                        Of course! You will absolutely get pictures. He’s such a cute little thing.

                        My mother’s making a bit of a fuss right now about the new animal, but I’m convinced I can talk her through it. She always gets a little nervous about having a new species around. But I’ve started gathering supplies! I got bowls, a large litter pan, the storage cubes, and a bag of timothy hay, and I ordered the yesterday’s news stuff on amazon. It was a fun shopping trip! I’m excited to start building, heehe. I’m still a bit stuck on flooring for the pen, I know fleece was recommended but I would like something a little more economical or easier to clean. Oh! And I visited little Clover at the shelter again today. We hung out for an hour. He’s as spunky and friendly as always! And still loving the cuddles. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have found a bunny who’ll accept kisses. ^w^ Once I get the yes from my mother, I plan to go to the shelter and see if they’ll let me pay the adoption fee so at least no one else will snag him while I’m still getting things together. That’d be a nightmare!


                      • Deleted User
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                          Oh, you’ll need a nail clipper. Forgot to mention that.

                          I just wanted to give you a little food for thought about the situation with your mother.

                          Does she understand that rabbits are considered exotic pets, so they need to see a specialized vet that deals in rabbits? This means that any vet trips are going to be quite expensive. Do you know if Clover is already neutered? I am assuming that the shelter has him neutered (my local shelter does not adopt out any unaltered rabbits) but I’m not sure if that is common practice everywhere. If he is not neutered, you’ll want to get him neutered to reduce some of those hormonal behaviors like honking and spraying, and it will improve litter habits. Additionally, domestic rabbits can live 8+ years when properly cared for, so this is a pet that you may have for a while. (Most people think they have a much shorter lifespan).

                          I haven’t said this to discourage you, I just want you to make sure that your mom is truly on board for this commitment, because it would be really bad for both you and Clover if (God forbid) he became ill and your mother can’t/won’t pay the vet fees. Rabbits conditions decline very quickly so they need prompt attention when they become poorly.

                          My bun is free range completely She had a cage, but she really did hate it and never went in it, and prefers to retreat to the corner behind the couch or under the bed. It all depends on Clover’s personality but I think that as long as you take the necessary bunny proofing precautions, it will be fine to have him free roam. Your mom should also understand that he will be much happier having free range!

                          Best of luck!


                        • CinnamonPearl
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                            Oh, dont worry! Ive been keeping all sorts of animals for years. Ive had dogs, parrots, fish, aquatic invertebrates, frogs, and currently have six pet mice. All of these animals had no trouble seeing veterinarians when they needed to. My mother even has a cat right now who gets yearly checkups and has gotten other appointments for vaccines and such. So my mother knows everything that goes into pet care. Its mainly just having a new species that has her somewhat antsy, which has happened when Ive gotten almosy all the species Ive kept, and of course shes always come around.

                            Ive got a nail clipper! Ill use the one my mom has for her kitty, make things a little easier. And yeah, I imagine once Clover gets used to being free range, he’ll probably use his pen a lot less. And thats absolutely fine with me! I even wouldnt mind if he wanted to sleep in my bed, though considering its a loft bed (a little relic from childhood, heehee), he might not like it so much. Guess we’ll see!


                          • Deleted User
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                              Well, rabbits are a bit different than those pets because there’s a huge range of things they could develop… some buns can’t get rid of their molar spurs and have to continually have teeth clipped, episodes of stasis usually require a vet visit, since they can offer better care than you can at home, respiratory infections, urinary infections, kidney stones, etc.  So I mean, it’s all good as long as she understands that there is the potential for a LOT more issues than just yearly checkups.

                              My bun likes to sleep in my bed, but most bunnies can’t resist the urge to pee on a soft pillowy bed. My rabbit is actually just a little angel with her litter habits and she never pees or even leaves a single poop on the bed! Maybe you’ll get lucky with a super good litter user


                            • CinnamonPearl
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                                Trust me, mice alone can have tons of issues as well. I had a mouse once who had to go to the vet every other week for her health issues with her eye and obsessive compulsive disorder. I am no stranger to taking care of animals with fragile health, and my mother is too. Besides, I am an adult with my own income. I only needed my mother’s permission to have the rabbit in the house and for occasional help with expensive treatments, not for things as simple as running him to the vet. I even work at a vet clinic that sees rabbits, so if worst comes to worst, I can just take Clover to work with me to get him checked out for anything he needs.

                                The issue is resolved, anyway. My mother and I talked just earlier, and she said she’ll leave me alone in terms of any pets I want to have so long as they stay in my room. And considering my bedroom is huge, there will be no lack of space for Clover. So we’re fine!

                                Oooh, I hope Clover will be a good litter user! At the shelter, I always notice all his poop is always in one corner of his cage, so I think we’ll be alright. I plan to set up his enclosure tomorrow and bring him home this weekend! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

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                            Forum DIET & CARE Am I Doing This Right So Far?