who has rabbits? i need advice.

[AshleyRae]

He's getting alfalfa this week because I have it on hand; it's what my goat eats. We're on a budget til payday, but I'll get some timothy hay for him when I can. I put a small tray with grass clippings in his kennel for a litter box, and he is using it. As long as summer lasts, I can change it with fresh clippings every day. We'll probably do straw in winter.
. My neighbor said he had a rabbit that liked pears, so we gave him one of them and he's been munching off and on. If I get an orange do I need to peel it, or will he eat the rind as well?
I either overestimated his size or underestimated my cat's. He's more than half her size, though, and his claws are really sharp. I'm going to let him relax a couple days before I clip them, but I worry about my cat hurting him.
. As soon as I can, he's going to the vet, and I'll get him fixed. But again, we live on a budget. I can easily feed my animals and care for them, but we have to be as economical as possible, since the humans in our home like to eat as well.

 

[AshleyRae]

As far as eating feces, I know that coprophagy is fairly common in the animal kingdom. It's efficient for herbivores with only one stomach, and I will appreciate a pet that cleans up even a little

.

 

[islandgirl82]

He's getting alfalfa this week because I have it on hand; it's what my goat eats. We're on a budget til payday, but I'll get some timothy hay for him when I can. I put a small tray with grass clippings in his kennel for a litter box, and he is using it. As long as summer lasts, I can change it with fresh clippings every day. We'll probably do straw in winter.
. My neighbor said he had a rabbit that liked pears, so we gave him one of them and he's been munching off and on. If I get an orange do I need to peel it, or will he eat the rind as well?
I either overestimated his size or underestimated my cat's. He's more than half her size, though, and his claws are really sharp. I'm going to let him relax a couple days before I clip them, but I worry about my cat hurting him.
. As soon as I can, he's going to the vet, and I'll get him fixed. But again, we live on a budget. I can easily feed my animals and care for them, but we have to be as economical as possible, since the humans in our home like to eat as well.

I haven't tried giving orange slices with the peel...I just usually give a single wedge of a full sized orange or 2-3 clementine wedges that I've peeled for my babes or myself.

Cradling them like a baby always puts mine in a rather catatonic state, making nail clipping a very quick and simple thing to do...but again, like any other animal with claws that need trimming...try to avoid cutting too close and clipping the quick so they won't bleed. You may want someone to help you...at least until you get comfortable.

You can see how relaxed my Ivy is being cradled.


...she's even giving you a little wave after her mani/pedi.



Cats can injure or kill rabbits so I wouldn't recommend leaving them alone together but don't underestimate a rabbit's defenses either. They are very territorial and once your new bun gets settled, it may very well let your cat know there's a new boss around. I have a Siamese cat who will kill anything but she's terrified of my female rabbit. She's less weary of my male but he's not grouchy like Ivy is.

Check with vets and local animal rescues...sometimes they offer spay/neuter programs for people on tight budgets. They want to help reduce the number of animals that wind up in shelters so the procedures cost them less in the long run than caring for more unwanted animals.

 

[AshleyRae]

I'm going to call the humane society on Monday just to make sure he hasn't got a family looking for him. He's so cute and docile it is hard to imagine he didn't have a loving home at one point. I'll ask about their spay/neuter program when I call.

 

[islandgirl82]

He may have had a good home at some point but could have escaped or been the unwanted product of "I was told they were two females/males). You'd be amazed at how many people just turn animals loose thinking that their survival instincts will kick in and they'll be fine or just not caring what happens to them once they're set loose as long as they don't have to deal with the responsibility anymore. "Out of sight out of mind" mentality. My male is a rescue rabbit and I could not believe how friendly he was (I've never seen a rabbit a friendly as he is) considering all the fur on his hind end was crusted together and yellowed from dried urine and his nails were over an inch too long. All he wanted was to have his super chubby cheeks scratched and his floppy ears rubbed. He didn't even seem to care that as soon as I brought him home, his hind end took a dip in a warm water bath to start his clean up process. He was just happy to have the attention.

I'm sure your new bun is happy to be looked after. He's lucky he was found by someone who cares!!

 

[AshleyRae]

I really hope I get to keep him, because I love animals and have wanted a rabbit for a while now. But if one of my pets were lost, I would be grateful to the person who helped bring it home.
I also know that people don't always have consideration for animals. "oh, lets get a bunny for the kids for Easter!" and when the kids don't care for it they let it go, thinking it will be fine. Or people let pets go because the animal is too big or too much work. They don't realize that tame animals are not likely to survive, or the damage they can cause to the local ecology if it does survive. Not that I think Missouri's woods are going to be overrun by pet bunnies, but it is this mentality that infested the coast with lionfish and the Everglades with snakes.
It will be sad for this bunny if it is what he went through, but also sad for me if I find his family. If he does have a home, my boyfriend will probably have to get us a rabbit. It's too much fluffy adorableness not to have in the house.

 

[Bunnylady]

Not that I think Missouri's woods are going to be overrun by pet bunnies, but it is this mentality that infested the coast with lionfish and the Everglades with snakes.

Generally speaking, I am behind the sentiment expressed in the above post, but I think you need better examples to make this point. I've heard that there had been genetic tests run on some captured pythons in the Everglades, and they were all related. It is believed that they are descended from a shipment of snakes that a snake breeder lost due to damage at his facility from a hurricane (don't remember which one). The Lionfish on the east coast also are thought to be decedents of animals accidentally released by a hurricane. Frankly, I think it more likely that they are the product of someone who lost some valuable breeding stock all at one go, than the result of the odd aquarist here and there dumping an expensive fish that they'd gotten tired of feeding.

As I said, I agree that a pet should remain a pet, and should never be "set free" for any reason. Most of the time, the result is, as a House Rabbit Society flier puts it, "when you turn your rabbit loose, you don't 'make him free,' you make him lunch."

 

[AshleyRae]

Considering the high prevalence of both pythons and lionfish in the pet industry, I find it unlikely that these are accidental releases. The fact that the animals are all related points to release. The lionfish on the coast can be genetically traced to three individuals- two females and one male. A hurricane damaging a pet store would have resulted in infestations of several kinds of tropical fish, who can thrive in our waters but have no natural enemies. In other parts of America, large snakes have been found released, but not in environments where they can survive and breed.

However, we can set that aside, since we can't be entirely sure. Other examples of invasive species include Japanese honeysuckle, which is very pretty and fragrant but is taking over habitats and pushing out native species. Starlings were brought to America from England, where they behave much like robins. Here they cause massive damage to crops because of the large flocks descending on fields, and the nest in cavities of trees, which is where native species, such as the Eastern Bluebird, nest.

I agree that intentional release usually results in death for an animal. This little bunny is black and white, so he stands out like a sore thumb. He's also unwary and slower than wild rabbits. He would have been coyote lunch pretty quickly.

 

[AshleyRae]

Well, this rabbit is an official member of our home now! We call him Scooter and my cat is terrified of him. When we let him run loose she won't let him out of sight. He hops right up to her to sniff and make friends but she runs away. It took a week for her to forgive me for bringing him here.

since he's mine, I was wondering how to "bunny" proof my house, and what kind of special treats they like.

 

[Dutchgirl]

Yay!

On bunny-proofing: I've never done it myself. You can look up tips on litter-box training - there are lots of websites on that out there. (Beware the house rabbit sites, though.)
What I can tell you: Hide all electrical cords. Put litterboxes in every corner (rabbits mostly use the corners). We use cardboard boxes and plastic shoeboxes filled with kitty litter for quick litterboxes.

Just be ready with the broom and have a mop on hand.



Special treats?
Fruits like apple, banana, strawberry, etc.
Veggies like romaine lettuce, carrot tops, spinach, etc.
Herbs like mint, dill, parsley, cilantro, basil, etc.
Wild greens like plantain, dandelion, blackberry/raspberry leaves, strawberry leaves, etc.

Grains generally aren't the best for rabbits, but I give mine some scratch grains on occasion, when I'm giving the chickens a treat. Corn isn't really good for rabbits but in small amounts it's okay.
Rolled (old-fashioned) oats, or whole oats, and sunflower seeds (I prefer black oiled) are good treats. I usually just sprinkle some over their pellets once in a while.
Some breeders who show rabbits feed sunflower seeds to keep rabbits' coats in good condition.