This is what we have experienced with our bunny thus far...
a) she licks her urine when she's got a bottle full of water?
b) they said she was house trained but she poops all over?
c) they said she doesn't like stuff in her house, yet I am finding her pull her fur out and line it? (they had her for 6 months as a solo rabbit...so she shouldn't be pregnant right? did i read rabbits have bunnies in a month or so, like a chicken hatching?)
d) the first 2 days she came out of her house a lot... now she isn't the last 2 days.
e) she likes to chase my daughters cat
f) we take her out for an hour or so and let her hop around daughters room a couple of times a day...VERY supervised... I've got to tell the girls to back off and let her explore sometimes...but she's a very friendly and sweet bun bun.
**ok, so did I just read someone here said, UNLIMITED hay? she really likes that stuff.
...and her toe nails are long and starting to curl but the quick has grown along with it...that's what I was afraid of...they didn't look like they should be as long as they are.
Thanks all for the help and support on our new bunny venture.
hay- you can feed in handfuls or unlimtted. Both ways work. Sometimes rabbits tend to fill up on the hay and will reject their pellets when given all they want of it. So if she starts doing that, cut back to a handful a day. good fresh orchardgrass mixed with alfalfa, or timothy is the best to feed.
I'd go ahead and clip those nails if they are curving. Clip back to the quick. Wait a few daysm then clip again. If you can't do it yourself, my best advice is to have a rabbit savy vet, or breeder show you how. It is best to have someone else do it first, since you are not that experienced with them.
she could be pregnant, or going through a false pregnancy.
Put her litter box in the place where she poops the most. Even though she is litter trained, she may still poop all over the place. Most rabbits can't control that very well.
Oh my ... you have been given so much mixed advise.
I am a bunny mom to a beautiful house rabbit. I have owned her for almost 2 years. I typed you a long message and then it dissappeared when I was almost done ????
This is the website I love best and I think it will help you : BinkyBunny.com
Binky Bunny has a forum you can join and ask all kinds of questions. I think you may find this website very helpful. Go to the forum and sign up and ask any question. Everyone on this site are house rabbit owners. They are really good at helping with any questions. I have learned a great deal from this forum.
Pls be sure to feed your bun lots of hay ... unlimited hay is needed for their digestive system. (Per Binky Bunny and my vet). Timothy Hay mostly ... apalpha and orchard mix are good to give to. Indoor rabbits needs are a little different than outdoor rabbits. I have seen them survive on poor diets when living indoors, but they have tummy problems, etc ... and this may be why she is pulling hair? I am not sure ... I would ask other house rabbit owners about the hair pulling .... at Binky Bunny.com. Mine have never pulled hair. I also have a rescued female now ... I am going to put up for adoption very soon. She is a sweetheart and great house rabbit, but I have too many pets and I can not keep them all. I also board pets.
The Timothy Hay is under $4 at Walmart. You will find it in the small animal section ... normally around hamster foods. I then go to large animal feed stores and buy a bale of Alalpha and Orchard Mix. I store it in a clean cool dry spot and it lasts a long time. .... or if I buy in bulk like this ... I share some with my farm friends. Then they in turn share things with me.
The problem with her "pooping" all over the house may be she is not happy where her cage / home is setting. When I first got my bun ... I put her cage where we could see her often and talk to her. When she was out of her cage, she dropped poops all in the room where her cage was. I learned she was marking her territory .... all around her cage, she was trying to claim as her territory .... but we all walked in that area .... so it was frustrating her and she marked more (leaving more poops). I then moved her cage to another room in a quiet corner. She barely leaves any "poos" outside her cage now. But what little she does, is normal, as she is marking her territory. She is so much happier with her cage away from high traffic area. Now, my bun is out all day and I cage her only at night.
My bun has never urinated anywhere except her litter box ... so that is good.
as their urine is what has the ordor.
Also, your new bun may still be adjusting to her new surroundings. It does take buns awhile to get use to their new homes.
Speaking of litter box .... many use different things. This is what I like to use.
It is cheaper for me. I buy clay cat litter. Do not use the newer clumping cat litters as it has products in it that can be harmful to your bun. Buy the old fashion cheaper clay ... and it works well to absorb bunny urine in their litter pan.
Ok ... I put one to two cups litter in bottom of pan, then I buy a cheap hay at feed supply .... fescue hay .... and I put this about 1/2 inch layer or 1 inch layer on top of the cat litter. The bun may chew on the clean hay at first ...but once she begins to use the bathroom in the pan, she will not eat the hay. I buy the red bag of cat litter at Walmart. Very inexpensive.
If you have a Petsmart in your area ... the Oxbow brand rabbit hay and pellets are great products. The pellets are expensive by Oxbow, but very good for your bun. I buy Kaytee brand and Oxbow brand and mix it.
If you change pellet brands .... be sure to do it while you still have some of your old brand left .... and mix the brands when switching ... when feeding to your bun. It is not good to change brands on her suddenly ... slowly introduce the new brands to her.
I can go on and on to help you, but I have so many chores to go get done. But I will be glad to answer any questions ... just email me.
I have lists of foods outdoors you can pick for them, etc. Email me if you have an interest.
P.s. ... my house bun is deaf ... I did not realize until 6 mos after owning her.
I have learned from the internet ... this is not uncommon. So, watch her ...
see if she hears. One way to tell ....If you walk up behind her often and she does not hear you coming when you are calling her name or talking to her, and if then sees you and is frightened and runs and thumps her back feet .... she could be deaf. (because she did not hear you approaching and calling her).
House rabbits, and outdoor rabbits are the same. They have the same dietary needs, and everything. I don't know much about binky bunny, but I am guessing they support the house rabbit ways since they have house rabbits? I have had both house, and outdoor rabbits. Neither one had different dietary needs. Been a breeder for several years now,and have never run into an instance where feed caused GI problems as stated above. The only time it does do it, is when there is something in it, which, in that case should be checked out and tested in case their is a problem with it. A good quality pellet won't cause any problems, and good feed company will get right onto it, if their pellets are suspect to causing them. Could also be caused by a bacteria problem with the rabbit too.
Be very careful, if you do chose to go with the HRS info. as I stated before many of those rabbits end up dead on that type of diet/advice. So just be careful. Most of the tim eit is best to err on the side of caution and use the breeder/non hrs supporting pet owner advice in order to keep your pet healthy.
As for the hay, both ways work. Heck some pet owners and breeders never feed hay at all and never see problems. You can try self feeding the hay, and cut back on it a little bit if he/she starts picking it over their pellets. Watch the walmart timothy. Check the bags thoroughly to make sure ther eis no mold, or foreign objects in it(like cigarrette butts. yes I know of someone that found one of those in a bag once). The best place to buy hay is from your local farmers. That way you can see it for yourself, and make sure its free from mold. Check your local craigslist for it. They may sell it to you by the section, or by the bale. Orchard grass, oat hay, timothy, and all of the above mixed with alfalfa are the best to feed. I found a guy on craigslist last week that has some great quality orchard grass.
