New wittle bunny, need training advice...

[Duckchick2011]

Hey guys, Just got a new little Dutch/new zealand cross bunny, he's active so I haven't managed to get a decent picture of him yet(not for lack of trying

). I don't know his age but he is still small enough to sit in the palm of my hand so I'm guessing about 6-7 week range.

For the moment he is an incredibly tame, curious, and vibrant little rabbit. He loves basil leaves, comes with called (because of said basil leaves

) and gives tickley bunny kisses :3

So far he has been enjoying life as an indoor/outdoor bunny (his cage goes out in the morning and back in in the evenings) and the whole family has enjoyed having him but I was curious, is there anything I should be conditioning him to while he's small and manageable?
Are there any tips you could give on making bunny feel even more at home and comfy or any safe treats for a tiny babies belly? Or just basically any info worth tossing in...this is the first "baby" bunny I've ever owned and I want to do things right

 

[Wishing4Wings]

How wonderful! Just the thought of a baby bunny makes me all warm and fuzzy! My son had a short stint in 4H, the result being that we learned a lot about rabbits and still have his original mini rex as a house pet. Here are a few things I learned that I was surprised about. (Sorry if you've heard all this before. Was unsure if this is your first rabbit or first baby bun.)

Don't feed them lettuce. There is a compound in it that can cause fatal diarrhea. (Although I know folks who give leaf lettuce without problems.) We give a small ration of rabbit pellets twice daily and as much Timothy hay (important to diet) as he likes. We limit sweet treats (grapes, banana, apple, carrot etc) to a very small portion per day, but will give more dark green leafy items (parsley, carrot tops and the like). Fat bunnies are not healthy.

Since he is weaned, your bun's diet can be same as an adult, just introduce new foods slowly.

Always have fresh water. A rabbit can live for a few days without food, but can become seriously ill or die within 24 hours without water. (organ damage)

Consider neutering your male. As adults, many males will spray to mark territory (like male cats). There are exceptions. Our intact male mini rex has never sprayed and is fastidious about using his litter box. Our male Flemish Giant constantly marked his entire pen and never used the litter box with any consistency.

Keep all electrical cords out of reach if you let him out in the house. Rabbits find them irresistible and will chew, risking electrocution. We have several chewed cords to prove it (fortunately all were unplugged). Their front teeth grow continually, and need to be worn down by chewing. Willow branches make good chew sticks (but chewing needs mostly fulfilled by unlimited Timothy hay).

Try to get him to use a litter box. That way you don't have to clean the entire cage as often. We just put a small plastic box (with bunny friendly litter) in the area of the cage that he naturally chose for his "toilet." It became a good habit very quickly.

*** Most important!*** Handling him regularly will keep him friendly and stimulated. A bored bunny is a sad bunny. They like toys that they can pick up and toss. (Favorite is a metal ring with a few keys.) Ours loves to explore "obstacle courses" that we make out of cardboard boxes. Get him used to handling his feet (so you can clip claws as needed) and looking in his mouth and ears for health checks. Strangers may scare them, and they will THUMP a warning with a hind leg, but frequent socializing is good; they can get lonely.

This was my first experience with a rabbit in the house, and I was pleasantly surprised at how social and curious they are. They are so precious as babies, as you know

, but grow into adults that are equally as appealing. At 4 years old, our mini rex still races around and does twisty bunny hops just like he did as a baby (well, maybe a bit more coordinated).

Enjoy your little bun and congratulations!

I am awaiting pictures.

 

[Ally Rose]

Aw hes so young! Make sure you handle him often, and give him a treat after your done holding him so he knows its a good thing, not a scary thing (buns are afraid of heights), and for the treats, slowly introduce him to fresh veggies and the sorts(kale is great, they like banana A LOT and only occasionally give carrots, lettuce, and spinach etc. They love herbs too.), but you can also give him yogurt or those bunny yogurt drop treats from the pet shop. Until he's a few months, just keep giving him mild food. make sure you keep his nails trimmed because I learned the hard way- when you pick him up and he doesn't like it, he will KICK KICK KICK until your chest and arms are red and cut up. BEWARE!!! Oh, and make sure that he's a male and get him fixed later on (keeps them calm, and they won't growl (yes bunnies growl, mine does it) and they also live longer that way! Have fun with your baby bun! best wishes!!
PS now that i gave you bunny info, got any duck knowledge for me? (I'm hatching soon!)

 

[Duckchick2011]

Thank you sooo much for all the advise guys!!!!

I think I might give the litter box training thing a try and thanks for the heads up on timothy hay, I've just been giving him the normal stuff I feed my goats.

I did finally manage to get some decent pictures of him but for some reason I could only upload one (I think it's a sizing issue :/ )




Oh yeah, we named him Bernie!













Ally Rose I would love to give you some duck advise! but being that your on this site and you posted a week ago I'm pretty sure you have more duck info than you even need right now!

LOL

 

[Ally Rose]

haha i know! theres a lot of info on this site...
Your bunny is so cute! he's like a softer version of a dutch...love it! he looks like a Bernie!! Great name choice!

 

[Duckchick2011]

Yeah, I remember when I hatched out my first batch, it was a real thrill but also a little nerve wracking and I remember this site helped alot!

Haha, thanks! We were originally going to call him Basil but someone said he looked like Bernie Mac when his eyes bugged out and it kinda stuck LOL

I'm going to try to up load the other photos in a bit plus some new ones since he's gotten MUCH bigger than when I too those

 

[Ally Rose]

YAY! cant wait