A few new owner bunny questions!

Hey all, just got a baby blue rex called Maisie, just over 8 weeks old.

My boyfriend and I are new to rabbits, but already own a dwarf hamster.

Just a few things, we put her in her cage after we got her (after a long cuddle) And have got a few toys, and now a litter cage for where she is pooing and weeing.

Anyway, we let her out for about half an hour a day to roam the living room, but when we do she runs around really fast, darting and jumping around in circles and all sorts, is this normal?

We are debating about getting an indoor run, and possibly an out door one also, does anyone have any recommendations?

When we let her out occasionally we try to pick her up and put her away but she thinks its a game and doesn't want to be caught! Should we let her go back in herself?

Any other tips or advice would be really handy! Will get a few pics up soon.

Thank you

If you want a very good book to read about rabbit behaviour this is a good one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Does-Rabbit-Anne-McBride/dp/0285635506

Rabbits are prey animals and many are not keen on being picked up, it is better to get down on the floor and sit quietly with a book and some tasty morsels to eat. Ignore them and let them come and explore you, climbing all over you.

Hi :wave:

I've only had my boy Billy for 6 weeks and was a bit confused too!!

I just let him do his own thing for about a week. Let him come to us and then if he went back in his cage I would leave him be.

The crazy running about is quite normal! Billy is mad! He jumps in the air, runs around in circles and then flops on the floor!!

It's great fun learning new things about them, I've still got a lot to learn myself. I'm always asking questions!!!

Great news about the litter tray, they seem to get the hang of it quickly even though Billy has decided he doesn't want to use his at the moment for poo's!!

Billy is a house rabbit so when we are here we let him run around as he wants and has an enclosure when we aren't here.

Have fun, hope this helps a bit!!

when they jump in the air and flick their bodies it's called binkying and it means they are happy, if they flop down and sprawl out on the floor it means the same, and they are relaxed.
I would reccomend that she stays out longer than half an hour, it's not long enough really. x

Thanks for the quick responses! I will let her out for a lot longer now then! Thanks for your reassurance, I'm sure I wil be asking a lot more questions soon!

My boyfriend is a Chef so can bring home a little bit of all sorts of veg etc that she can eat so that will be nice for her, she loves to sit and lie down on me and be stroked

my hubby is a chef too, we are the lucky ones
Welcome to the forum:wave::wave:

You are very lucky, I wish Billy would do that with me He loves to be stroked but only if sitting next to me. He climbs all over me, but only to be nosey to see if I've got anything that he wants!!

Just be careful if you have any cables anywhere, they can reach further than you think!! We have already encountered that problem!!

Any more questions, feel free to ask!!

:wave:

Just a quickie, I have straw on the floor of her cage, and hay in a metal sort of stand which we change/replace daily, but our rabbit seems to like to eat all the hay but some straw as well, is that okay? should anything else be used on her floor?

U can use straw or hay for bedding aswell as other things. I tend to use sawdust as a carpet and then have soft bedding on top in his bedroom (advice from people at pet shop!!) Rabbits should have a lot of hay available as it helps with their digestion. I give Billy fresh hay everyday.

Billy tends to sleep on a blanket and have the occasional flop in his cage but that's about it. We leave his cage door open and have an enclosure around that so he can run about.

you can just have newspaper down on her cage floor, it is much cleaner, especially if she is using her litter tray to toilet in, and any stray poops can be swept up with a dustpan.
Just make sure she has a constant supply of fresh hay to eat (they also like hay in the litter tray so they can eat and poop)and you could always put a square of carpet , a towel or a fleece blanket for her to lye on. just watch she doesn't chew and eat them.

Your baby bun is still only very young, being 8 weeks old. Be careful on the veggies, as bunny's digestive systems are very delicate,- you will read plenty of threads on these forums about problems with buns eating, and why bunny owners seem to be so preoccupied with poos!
Rabbits teeth are always growing, so they need to nibble for many hours a day, in order to wear their teeth down. You will read plenty of threads about teeth problems too!
If you give your bun and endless supply of hay to eat, and very slowly introduce veggies, (I mean very slowly, one dandelion leaf size, and increase a tiny bit each day.) You can also introduce a few bunny pellets. There are some just for baby buns, which you can change to adult ones as your bun grows. Stick with one brand, (different people prefer and will recommend their own favourite, but you will find one your bun likes.) They only need one handful per day, so if you give them half in the morning, and keep the other half until you want to 'put your bun to bed' for the day, you will soon find your bun will come running if you rattle some pellets in a bowl!
(Saying this, there are the odd bunnies that break all the rules, and all I have said above will be proved wrong!)
oh, and don't forget a fresh supply of water!
Hope this all helps, and is not too basic, but you will find if your bunny eats properly, you might avoid many of the tummy and teeth problems some people have with their buns.

Good luck, and welcome to us bunny-mad folk.

Welcome to RU :wave:

Your new bun sounds very happy, all that running at speed, jumping and binkying is very contented behavior, and although frightening at first, once you know what it means it's lovely to watch!

Great idea with the veg but be careful not to introduce it too quickly. Your bun is still young and at this age they still have delicate stomachs. All new foods should be introduced very slowly with just a little piece at a time, I would wait just a few more weeks before introducing any veg at all

Pellet food is the best for rabbits, unlike muesli mixes it makes sure they cannot feed selectively - only picking out the bits they like Good brands are Science Selective, Excel and Alan & Page (amongst others). And of course unlimited fresh hay.

You can use a pellet or two to entice them back into the cage

Indoor runs can be useful for making sure they don't get up to mischief when your not looking

I have attached a run to my indoor cage which is permanently open. There are some great indoor set ups all over the forum, just try searching indoor setup, house rabbits etc. Here's a recent thread with some good ones in: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=124734

What is best for the litter tray? I know thatt litter is dusty unless a specific type is used, is straw/hay ok?

i use woodshavings (only in the litter tray though) and cover it with hay, you could just use hay , they like to eat the hay and poop and pee at the same time

Any large flat plastic tray is ideal. I use the double size seed tray holders that they sell in Wilkinsons (and other places). The sort thats without holes in the bottom. In this I put a sheet of newspaper, then a layer of shredded paper (it's where all my shredded private documents go!), then a layer of old bedding hay on top. You might find buns like to nibble hay whilst they are looing. If you have a couple of trays you can be using one, whilst the other is 'in the wash'. I dump the whole lot of used soggy litter, etc in the garden compost bin.
If your bun is a house bun, then people use more wee-friendly litter, the type that aborbs liquids and stops the smells.

We use carefresh due to allergies to sawdust. It';s a bit more pricey but definitely worth it! And you can leave it a bit longer too...

I use wood based cat litter from Wilkinsons, 15 litres for £3.99 and it's really good. Same with the hay too, he likes to eat and go at the same time. Funny that a male can actually multi-task!! :lol: