Any Rabbit advice ?

reehsetin

Thanks! Yes he is, he pretty much has a room to himself although he's in his hutch/run when we're not there.
They're not huge puddles but they're not drops - 2 tablespoons maybe. Glad to hear it's not unusual - had no idea what to expect. He's picked a corner for his wees now so hopefully the sofa wont get drenched!
I'll ease off on the veggies till next week then - he's had a little bit of carrot and a tiny bit of yellow pepper so far and he's been fine with them I was just worried I wasn't giving him enough veg.

We were told to wait till 16 weeks for his jabs and everything but not sure how reliable that is now, might take him sooner as his paw is a little swollen so we can get it all checked out.

amy104

Hi reehsetin, welcome to the world of bunnies.

There is a list of safe fruit and veg here:

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/going_green_oct_06.pdf

I think when people say green peppers they just mean bell peppers not specifically the green ones. Mine eat all the colours.

Only baby sweetcorn is ok. The bigger stuff can cause problems as it doesn't digest properly. Avoid the hard pet shop version at all costs as I have heard of bunnies choking.

Carrots should be fed sparingly due to their high sugar content.

Mine love celary. If you feed celery tho you'll need to cut it in small bite size pieces as it has been known for the string to cause probs.

Herbs are also a good choice but parsley should be feed sparingly as it is very high in calcium and too much can cause bladder sludge.

As katebl said all veg should be introduced one at a time and slowly so as not to upset the stomach.

If you buns are on adult pellets already thats fine, it wont hurt them, but if you do want to change again it needs to be done gradually.

The main staple of a rabbits diet is hay as it helps wear down the teeth and keeps the gut healthy.

I wouldn't advise feeding things like bread though. They are too starchy which can upset the rabbits delicate gut flora.

Rabbits poo loads. The bigger the more golden the better. Few poos or small tiny ones can be a sign that the bunny's gut has slowed down and that they are going into something called ilues which is very serious and requires urgent vetinary treatment.

amy104

We were told to wait till 16 weeks for his jabs and everything but not sure how reliable that is now, might take him sooner as his paw is a little swollen so we can get it all checked out.

Myxi can be given from 6 weeks old.

VHD depends on which one your vet uses - Cylap is 10 weeks, Lapinject is 5

reehsetin

Thanks Amy that leaflet is exactly what I was after,
I hope that is the case with bell peppers, mine loved the yellow but wouldn't touch the green ones
I bought some raddishes for him, on the leaflet it just says raddish tops, can they not eat the actual raddish?
His poos aren't very big - about the size of a pea, is that too small? (never thought I'd be discussing poo with people until I got him!)
I'll get him to the vets asap for his jabs then.

As this is a money saving site, any recommendations for pet insurance companies?

clutterydrawer

reehsetin wrote: »

Thanks Amy that leaflet is exactly what I was after,
I hope that is the case with bell peppers, mine loved the yellow but wouldn't touch the green ones
I bought some raddishes for him, on the leaflet it just says raddish tops, can they not eat the actual raddish?
His poos aren't very big - about the size of a pea, is that too small? (never thought I'd be discussing poo with people until I got him!)
I'll get him to the vets asap for his jabs then.

As this is a money saving site, any recommendations for pet insurance companies?

Re: poo - that sounds ok to me for a young rabbit but I've only had adults myself so not 100% sure.

The only company I've found for rabbit insurance is Petplan, never had any problems with them....was super pleased to have taken out the insurance when one of mine needed an out-of-hours appointment at £90!! :eek:


As for veg I tend to feed leafy things, with a tiny amount of root veg occasionally. Swollen roots are the plants way of storing food ie sugar, so they're always high in it - carrots, radishes, parnsips, swedes, turnips. Fruit ditto - remember peppers and tomatoes and sweetcorn are fruits!

I feed a lot of celery, kale, watercress, herbs, fruit tree leaves and wild plants eg dandelions, brambles, chickweed, clover. (If you gather these make sure they're from pesticide/traffic free areas)

bizywizy

My bun eats orange pepper as thats the one I eat LOL (dont like green)

He likes my apple biscuits which are just apple, pumkin, sunflower and sesame seeds - nothing else oh other than a bit of cinammon.

He didjump up thinking they were about but it was chocolate LOL - he didnt want that just covered it in hair - yes I just brushed it off.

I have a lovely BIG lionhead white and black - he is a cutie

wee wise he is a !!!!!! - he will do wees next to his toilet sometimes. does my head in!!!!!!!!!!!!

macymoo

Hello

We are planning on getting DD1 a bunny for her birthday (9yrs old) we have been given a hutch and friends and relatives are buying bedding/food etc for her.

I am getting the rabbit from a breeder and plan to go and pick one next week, so what questions do I need to ask? Do they need vaccinations? Should I take mr or mrs bunny to the vet's for a once over?
Any other advice gratefully received.

Thanks

clutterydrawer

macymoo wrote: »

Hello

We are planning on getting DD1 a bunny for her birthday (9yrs old) we have been given a hutch and friends and relatives are buying bedding/food etc for her.

I am getting the rabbit from a breeder and plan to go and pick one next week, so what questions do I need to ask? Do they need vaccinations? Should I take mr or mrs bunny to the vet's for a once over?
Any other advice gratefully received.

Thanks

Hiya :T

Bunnies need vaccinting for myxomatosis and VHD. They also need spaying/neutering to preventing behavioural problems and uterine cancer.

A crucial point in keeping your rabbit healthy is diet, their teeth are constantly growing and need wearing down so their don't hurt bunny's mouth, so the diet should be at least 80% hay, with some fresh veg, and a very small amount of pellet food.

Make sure your daughter knows how to approach, handle and interact with the rabbit - they are often nervous and defensive and can cause a LOT of damage with their teeth and their powerful back legs. One of mine split my lip the other day! Also, either get insurance or put some money aside for vets bills. One of mine cost me over £1000 over two years.

There's lots more good advice at http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk - have a look for typical signs of illness so you're well prepared - there's lots of ideas for homemade rabbit toys/amusements etc too so you can keep it amused without spending too much!

Are you definitely set on getting one from a breeder? I favour rescues myself because rabbits from rescues are typically already neutered and vaccinated, and reliably health checked - and you'd be helping a good cause as over 35,000 rabbits are given into rescues each year

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new bunny wherever she comes from

reehsetin

bizywizy wrote: »

My bun eats orange pepper as thats the one I eat LOL (dont like green)

He likes my apple biscuits which are just apple, pumkin, sunflower and sesame seeds - nothing else oh other than a bit of cinammon.

He didjump up thinking they were about but it was chocolate LOL - he didnt want that just covered it in hair - yes I just brushed it off.

I have a lovely BIG lionhead white and black - he is a cutie

wee wise he is a !!!!!! - he will do wees next to his toilet sometimes. does my head in!!!!!!!!!!!!

mine did that today - wee next to his toilet, don't think he's ready for training, as soon as I think he's picked a spot for weeing and I put his toilet there - he goes somewhere else (apart from me and the sofa, he's fairly consistent with that - 4 times he's peed on me and a lot more on the sofa)
I read that restricting where he goes might help, I tried but I felt so bad for him locked up - he needs some exercise (although really he doesn't run about much) and he needs to spend time with us and get used to us still

He's on celery this week and seems to love it!

shelley1977

Id just like to second getting a bun from a rescue and dont know if anyone has mentioned they should have a large hutch ideally 6' by 2' by2' and its better to get a bonded pair than keeping as a single.