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Newly acquired baby rabbit

Mickles

New Kit
Hey.

I've acquired a rabbit for the first time every. I believe it is about 5 weeks old and I've only had him for 3 days now. I have read many guides but am unsure about the behaviour of the lil' bun bun. He runs around freely when I open his cage (he's an indoor rabbit) but during the day he often sits in remote corners and stays there a while. If I place him on my desk he mostly cuddles next to my arm and sits quietly. He also will not return to his cage where he sleeps (at night) but insists on sitting around dark corners of my room (is he scared of me/frightened about something?). He is quite active at night, when we 'play games', but his general inactivity worries me. Also, baby rabbits, I hear, need time to get used to their owners - he licks me, comes to me when I am around, but I'm not sure if, in other cases when I pick him up, he is terrified of me (hence sitting in corners or becoming inactive when I stroke him).

I'm an inexperienced rabbit owner, so forgive me if my questions seem a little paranoid and daft :p
 
They're not paranoid and daft at all. If you have a 5week old baby bun then he should be with his mum for at least another 3weeks, learning how to be a bunny with her. Where did you get him? No-one should be releasing baby buns from their mums until they're at least 8weeks old. You'll have to be his mum and I don't have any experience of raising seperted babies but I'm sure someone who knows more will be able to give you some good advice. Good Luck.
 
So, there is nothing more I can do because I do not know where the rabbit actually came from. I'm asking around, but does anyone here have any advice on what I should do (in terms of looking after, feeding and spending time/playing with him), to ensure his survival?
 
Why dont we actually offer some sensible advise rather than interogate them?

Theres a 5 week old bun here who needs help :roll:
 
Why dont we actually offer some sensible advise rather than interogate them?

Theres a 5 week old bun here who needs help :roll:

Well said jellybaby thats just what I was thinking.

Sorry no experience wth a bun so young.all I can suggestis that you give the baby a soft toy to cuddle into, keep hm/her warm & indoors & definately dont feed him/her any veg. S/he should be able to eat hay & a small amount of pellets try not to feed him a mix
 
he dont sound scared hun... he seems to like you if your getting licks... the hiding in dark places during the day is what rabbits seem to do... i never see my alvin as he stays under the sofa all day long.... i guess thats why wild rabbits have warrens so they can kip all day long....

im sure theres a few peeps on here who have hand reared baby rabbits can help with advice, or maybe your vet could advise you on a 5 week olds dietry needs if hes not got his mom..

good luck with him xxx
 
Its JellyBelly but Jellybaby is quite alright :lol:

Sometimes this forum is quick to jump on people when all they need is help.

I hope Mickles comes back for some advise :?
 
Hiya,

At five weeks he'll be weaned (not drinking milk) but he'll still have a sensitive tummy. Feeding wise you need to keep his diet as close to the diet he was fed before you got him as possible (includng the same brand food). If that's not possible feed mainly hay and introduce new foods very very slowly.

He sounds quite confident which is good :) All bunnies like to feel secure so enjoy places to hide and tunnels (this might include corners, under a chair or table etc. Make sure his cage has a box for him to hide in and he'll like it better.

Rabbits tend to rest during the day and be most active early morning and evening/night. As a young bunny he'll probably have periods of high energy then a quick nap to recharge.

If you've got more questions please post them - nothings to daft to ask :D

Tamsin
 
Its JellyBelly but Jellybaby is quite alright :lol:

Sometimes this forum is quick to jump on people when all they need is help.

I hope Mickles comes back for some advise :?

Sorry Jellybelly, jellybabies are my favourite sweets & Im very hungry right now,must getsome breakfast as every time my tummy rumbles very loudly Lucky gives me th funniest of looks (shes on my knee as a I typre0
 
Weanlings go through a stage of PH readjustment in the GI tract to enable them to cope with an adult diet. If I remember correctly the gut goes from alkali to acidic.

Its because of this that young rabbits are prone to a host of nasty gut infections at this age, mucoid enteritis, enterotoxemia and coccidia to name a few.

Adding probiotics to the water can help the young rabbit build up a good immune system and strong good gut flora to cope with these changes.

Its also been suggested a PH balancer such as Zantac or Tagamet can help.
 
Hiya :wave:

Sounds like you are doing a great job so far :thumb: Can't offer advice on feeding as I have no experience in that area but I know that bunnies can have periods of resting (mine often snooze all day, active at dawn and dusk). When I had Humphrey (who was about 3 months old) he slept a lot of the time because he wore himself out exploring all day :roll:

xx
 
I wouldn't worry too much about his periods of activity and inactivity. Rabbits are very active at dawn and dusk and rest during the day and middle of the night. My pair are full of beans in the morning and evening and have a kip during the afternoon.

If he is licking you and choosing to come to you then it's a very good sign as he likes and trusts you and shows this through grooming you. As he's on his own with no other company then spend as much time as you can with him, playing and grooming.

Keep a close eye on his diet and his development given he's so young as he will have a very delicate digestive system. He shouldn't need hand rearing and giving him kitten formula as such as he'll now be weaned (though somewhat earlier than he should be). But make sure he has regular meals, at least two a day (morning and evening) and a constant supply of fresh hay and fresh water.

Sounds like you're doing a good job so far though.
 
Could it be that Mickles is just guessing baby bunny is 5 weeks old cos they look so small when they're tiny, maybe it is the right age to have left mum? Sounds like bunny is quite normal to me, doesn't like being picked up and has active periods and times when he just wants to chill out!
 
Why dont we actually offer some sensible advise rather than interogate them?

Theres a 5 week old bun here who needs help :roll:

I didnt mean to interogate just trying to get a picture of the situation :) looks like you've got lots of great advice already anyway, hope the bun is ok x
 
Hey guys, thanks for all the replies!

If you'd like to know, I got the bun bun as a surprise birthday present through a friend's friend. This guy apparently has been breeding rabbits for a while and has had many successful customers. He's not trained, I think- perhaps just a student with an interest.

I have had no experience concerning rabbits before this so I did as much research as I could in the past few days. I don't know anything about my Henry other than that he had been feeding on vegtables (lettuce, etc) before he came into my care. I have read, though, that they shouldn't be fed veggies until they're a few months old- can anyone enlighten me on this? I was told to keep his diet the same... but if the previous diet wasn't particularily healthy, then what?
(What I feed him on now is a rabbit food containing hay, alfalfa, maize, oats, carrots, a few pellets and a few other ingredients)

It's true, I'm not sure at all how old he is- 5 weeks is just a speculation I made from viewing pictures on the internet. I don't know anything about the different stages of rabbit development! Except for that 5 week old rabbits should not yet be weaned- hence my registering on this site in search of help (which you guys have wonderfully provided!)

He seems healthy and doesn't seem stressed - how would I a stressed bunny react? He doesn't SEEM to mind being held- how would I know if he did? Generally he sits still in my hand and licks it if I hold him. Sometimes he does make weird soft grinding sounds, though. Is that something I should worry about?

Thank you guys for all the help! I was really feeling worried this morning when I discovered how young he is/could potentially be. I'll be back if anything else worries me. Again, thanks:)
 
The can have fresh foods if they are used to them, but avoid iceburg lettuce, fruit, too much carrot and similar watery/high sugar fresh foods. Instead go for dark leafy greens. Only in small quantities too. The most important part of the diet is hay and he should have a constant supply of this.

The dry food sounds like a mix which isn't great but won't do any harm short term as long as he has plenty of hay so gets lots of fibre that way.

Hay is full of fibre which keeps their guts in good working condition, wears down their teeth (which grow continually, and is least likely to upset their tummies so if you think of that as your basic food stuff and feed everything else in small quantities and change gradually to what you want then you won't go far wrong :)
 
I don't have any experience, but im sure others would agree that you should not feed a baby that young lots of different veg until he is a couple of months older. It needs to be introduced very slowly to avoid gut upsets. I would stick to hay and the food the bunny came with. I would completely avoid lettuce, it has no nutritional value and would likely upset the buns tummy.

Signs of stress in a young bunny vary, one main one is diarrhea which young bunnies can be very prone to.

Well done for researching though and asking for advice :D
 
you'll know if he doesn't like being held! he'll squirm and be desperate to get away! my bun doesn't mind being picked up, as long as he feels secure and is held tight to you and doesn't squirm, bun will be fine. i'd say try and pick him up a couple of times a day, even if it's only for a few seconds so he gets used to it (especially if he doesn't mind, you're very lucky) - it will very helpful in the future if you ever need to give him medicine or whatnot.


make sure you keep his food low and hay high! yum!
 
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