Any rabbit owners in the house? I found a bunny ...

[Arugula Latte]

A few weeks ago, a little black domestic bunny showed up in our yard. After a little chase, we caught him (didn't want the coyotes to get him -- we live in Portland and, yes, there are coyotes here). I put up signs, put ad in paper, listed him w/ animal services -- no owner called. We were going to give him to a friend but that fell through. I talked to a woman from a rabbit advocate group and she warned me about placing him -- hard to find good homes, too many bunnies, people get them for snake feed, etc.

In the meantime, I've fallen for the little fella. He's so sweet and tame and has become the playmate of one of our kitties. So we'll keep "Munchy" (my daughter came up w/ that one). I think we'll make him a pen in our playroom. I've been letting him hop around in there for exercise.

Any advice on rabbit keeping? What do bunnies like to play with? Any tips on litterbox training? Should we give him limited food or just keep filling up the food bowl? Thanks for any insights ...

[cornermouse]

1. You might want to look here.

http://www.arba.net

[Arugula Latte]

2. Thanks.

:hi:

[LynneSin]

3. Awwwww.....a bunny adopted you

doesn't it feel great!!!

[Arugula Latte]

5. Yeah, I'm kinda flattered.

He's pretty damn cute, I must say.

All the pooping gets some getting used to, but at least it's not too stinky, unlike my kitties'!

[LynneSin]

11. I had a friend who cage trained their bunny

They would let him hop around when they were home but when they were away they had a nice giant-size cage with all the goodies for where the bunny stayed. The bunny would even go back into that cage for bathroom purposes. Main thing is to keep him in one main room

[Darth_Kitten]

17. They usually kind of train themselves...

actually they are rather neat I've found. :)

[LeftyMom]

4. Box train him like you would a puppy

litterbox in one corner, food and water in the other, not a lot of extra room. Inmy experience you'll still want to invest in as dustbuster, I've never had much luck getting bunnies to do thier business in the box. Make sure you use a 100% dust free liter, such as the kind that is made from newspapers. Regular clay litter is bad for thier breathing.

[Arugula Latte]

7. Okay, thanks. Will do.

I was thinking about a dustbuster -- that would make things easier.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

26. Yes, they can be litterbox trained.

HOWEVER(!!!): put the box in a corner of the room and build a guard on the corner of the box that is in the corner of the room. keeps the rabbit turds and splashes in the box. They can tend to miss.

[noahmijo]

6. I used to own a bunny I can get you started

First off NEVER it carrots or lettuce on a regular basis. That's like putting the little fella on a diet of candy.

A must is giving the rabbits pellets (the kind made for rabbits) and water. If all you ever gave him were those two things you'd be just fine and he'd be happy enough. Every so often like no more than once a week you can give him a little baby carrot or some green veggies to munch on.

I would say a handful of pellets a day, but depending on size you might want to just judge its own habits. Typically bunnies are the kind of animal that can judge when its had enough and won't eat itself to death or anything like that. Just take note of how much he leaves when he's no longer giving the food bowl attention.

Always change the water bottle at least every other day, change the food every day, and as far as toys go you can give him some store bought wooden toys (make sure you get them at pet shops because if you give him just some stick from your backyard or something you never know what it might contain on it.

Above all bunnies crave love. You need to give the lil guy attention at least once a day whether you're playing with him while he hops around or just snuggling.

Also beware loud noises as their hearing senses are extremely keen.

Make sure to use unscented bedding and no wire cages everything has to be flat.

For litterbox training I used to put little treats or toys where I wanted him to poop and eventually he caught on. Lavish him with praise when he does something right with gentle words and treat.

Enjoy the little guy bunnies are great for stress relief.

[Arugula Latte]

8. Good advice. Sounds like you know bunnies!

[barb162]

9. The other thing...and I am not a bunny owner, but I know

bunny owners. Try not keeping him in a cage anymore than you would a dog or cat or a child. I noticed that when a bunny has a choice of being on the steel wires or a towel they stay on the towel. The cage wires are hard on their feet as you can imagine it would be on our feet. The cages are cruel to me at least and they confine threse poor little animals like a prisoner. My two cents.

[Arugula Latte]

12. I agree. I'd never put him on wire.

I'm going to make a large pen so he can live in plenty of space and have toys and a "house" and be very comfortable w/ a mat, towel, whatever he chooses to lie on.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

10. we have a bunny. they have fairly delicate tummies and need to

be kept on a consistent diet. We feed ours parsley, romaine lettuce (don't feed iceberg), assorted herbs, carrot tops, lots and lots of hay, and bunny pellets. Start with the hay and bunny pellets and then add other foods slowly to see what your bunny can digest without problems.
Mine was very easy to litter train. We got a cage for her and watched where she did her business and then put the litter box in that place (it's almost always a corner). After she understood the litter box, we put one outside her house for when she is running around thehouse she will have one.
The most important thing to cover all electrical wires cause they love to chew them. Mine bunny is three and she is a real pet.
Oh, and your bunny will come and stick her head under your foot--this means it is time to be petted just rub her head and you'll hear her grinding her teeth--that means she is very very happy. drop me a line if you have any questions--mine has done everything imaginable (including eating the top of a suitcase).
Good luck

[Arugula Latte]

14. Thanks -- I'm hoping this one trains easily to the box.

I did put a pan in the temporary cage and he did go sit in there, pee, and then hopped out, so that's a start.

Munchy has already done the head-under-foot thing -- so cute. I'm glad he does that because at first I was a little perplexed; bunnies seem to have a "blank" stare, unlike my cats, who communicate in so many ways. However, as I got to know him more, I found him to be friendly and playful.

[AVulgarianHue]

13. Timothy Hay

or at the very least, alfalfa. The main cause of pet rabbit deaths is from not providing hay.

Avoid any type of wood shavings for bedding... small animals are at risk for respiratory problems.

[Arugula Latte]

15. Okay, will do. Thanks.

I got him some high-end food and it does include hay, along with other rabbit-friendly pellets and fruits and veggies.

[Darth_Kitten]

16. Hay.....

Give him Alfalfa Hay (high protein) until roughly 6 months of age, then Timothy Hay after (I know, it might be hard to judge his age!)

Also, rabbit pellets, but they need good hay every day for roughage (very important!!)

You want a good site for bunny toys and treats, try www.bunnybytes.com

Bunnies love to chew so try some chewing toys you can get for them at nearly any pet store.


One of my bunnies was found by one of my neighbours, she was delivering flyers and found her in a mailbox.
Another bunny I took in when a dumb #$@@# at work had a stupid friend who wanted to make this bunny snake food. :mad:

[Arugula Latte]

20. Ugh. Snake food.

I can't imagine feeding a little bunny to a snake. I keep thinking of that scene in Michael Moore's "Roger & Me." Horrible.

I will definitely get him some chew stuff. Thanks.

[Darth_Kitten]

23. Chew things help keep their teeth in shape as well.

:)

Very important. And lots of hay everyday.

The occasional treat like banana or carrot or apple is much appreciated as well.
Too many greens can cause the runs. :hide:

[Maddy McCall]

18. Our bunny loves to play with baby toys.

He loves rattles and things like that. He picks them up and throws them, chases them, and then throws them again.

[Arugula Latte]

21. That's a good idea. He's been hopping onto my son's car mat

and tossing the vehicles around, which drives my son nuts (that mat is his pride and joy). I didn't realize bunnies like to toss things so much.

Too bad I got rid of my kids' baby stuff!

[fleabert]

19. craigslist often lists hutches for free or cheap...

at least in the SF bay area and the Sac sections. good luck! that's a lucky bunny!

[Arugula Latte]

22. That's a great idea.

I love Craigslist!

[RebelOne]

24. Rabbits are excellent pets.

I have had two rabbits. You can litter train them just as you can cats. Put a litter box in his cage and he will learn to use it. Then move it into the bathroom and he will always go to it.

[Arugula Latte]

25. That would be great, and would solve my main objection to

keeping the bunny -- poop management.

[fortyfeetunder]

27. Check out Oregon House Rabbit Society

http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/oregon/

Also there are a couple of Yahoogroups for rabbits.

Etherbun and Housebun

I don't have a rabbit yet, but am debating being a "parent" for a bonded pair in the future.

[Arugula Latte]

28. Cool. Thanks.

Let us know if you adopt.

I'd like this boy to have a bunny friend, but a kitty friend is going to have to do.

[friesianrider]

29. I have had bunnies for 10 years.

Mine got along famously with my kitties! They are great pets, but they do require a lot more attention than most people realize.

If you decide to keep him indoors, that is a great idea. You can either litterbox train him (we trained two of ours previously), or you can get a large cage and change the "pan" at the bottom of the cage. You can either line it with newspaper or pine shavings. My bunnies LOOOOVE the little Yogurt Drops you can get at most pet stores. They have all kinds of cool stuff. You'll want a pelleted feed (like Fiesta Mix) and then maybe a treat like oatmeal - mine aren't crazy about the instant, they prefer the old-fashioned kind.) You should also provide some alfalfa or hay, which you can also get at a pet store. Bunnies also enjoy something to chew on - they'll have all kinds of cool stuff at most pet stores. We feed our guys once a day (pelleted feed, oats, and hay, and check water of course). That's probably plenty for your guy too.

It sounds like Munchy chose YOU! Must be meant to be with you :) Good for you for taking him in - you're a kind person!

[Arugula Latte]

30. Thanks! I do love animals. And I know that you are an authority,

since, as I recall from another post, you have enough animals to open your own zoo!

It took me awhile to come to terms with committing fully to this creature (because, like you say, they do take more care than most people realize), but I will do what's best for him because he's part of the family now.

[friesianrider]

31. It sounds like you have a very good...

..grip on what kind of care this bunny will require :) Most people just get their kid a rabbit for Easter, thinking ehh, you just throw it in a cage and toss some food at it once awhile. What people don't realize is that if you have a rabbit in a cage, he needs to have a bedbox too (how would you like standing on wire all day barefoot!?), plus his cage needs something up top to block the sun and snow or rain (which should be obvious but you'd be surprised!), and also needs to be blocked on two sides to block the wind. It's amazing - people think they are just no maintenance pets. They aren't high-maintenance so I definitely don't want to scare you, but there are no no-maintenance pets! :P

It sounds like you have a good idea about what to expect, and clearly you didn't get this creature on a whim :) All the animals I've ever had (and yes, I do have a small zoo!) were with me for some reason...and it sounds like Munchy has chosen you for some reason!

Best of luck to you - I think you're wonderful for taking this little guy in. Probably was someone's Easter present and the kid got bored with it already and people think you can just let domesticated bunnies run off and they'll be fine. Anyway, can you tell all my bunnies were once some little kid's Easter present, then I had to rescue them? ;)

I'm sure this will turn out great for you and your family, and please feel more than welcome to PM me if you have any other questions!