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New House Bunny Owner

MammaH

Alpha Buck
Hi:wave: Im new to the whole bunny thing and I'm picking up my new bunny on the 4th Sept and he will be a house bunny.

I have loads of questions to ask and the more help I get, the better!

Im living in a rented property and as long as the bunny isnt smelly then its fine, but I know that hay does give off a distinctive smell, i was wondering what would be a better substitute?

Also Ive heard that bunnys need to go outside to get vitimin D? But my garden is not bunny proof at all, so would I need to get a lead?

Aaah I have way too many questions! :shock:
Also how do you potty train a bunny? I am in 2 minds about getting him neutered, but would that help? I'm getting him when hes 8weeks, so will that be easier to help him potty train if hes a young age?

MammaH & Binx (Baby Bunny):bunny:
=]
 
I don't really find hay in rabbit quantities particularly smelly. Might be I'm just used to it though. Hay's the most important part of the diet but you can feed fresh grass instead. Some freeze dried grasses might smell less I guess.

Pellet dry foods have vitamin D etc. added :)

Young buns will litter train but tend to loose their training again about 4-6 months old when they get their hormones. Neutering stop hormones so helps a lot with litter training :)
 
thank you tamsin that helps alot
is it also worth having him vaccinated? becuase he will be on his own and we dont live near the country, but i dont want to take any major risks with him getting ill as he is my first rabbit and i want to do it right.

ive been doing tons of research over the internet, but i feel that it is better if i get information from real people who own rabbits instead of reading it just from a book..

i know that it would vary but approx. how much does it cost to keep a rabbit say per month? cause that would help immensely with knowing how to budget.
 
I have no garden but a cobbled enclosed walk way but B never wants to go out.I took her to a friends house a few times and all she did was sit under a chair,she wasn't interested in the grass or in running.She gets her vit D through the window and isn't that fussed about that either.Shes quite a lazy bun-as we speak,i am sat on the floor and she is laid snoring[literally]on the sofa!!:lol:As for the smell of hay,i love that smell when i walk in her room 1st thing in the morning.I could think of alot worse things i wouldn't want to smell 1st thing in the morning!!!:lol:
 
I would strongly recommend both injections.B has myxy twice a year and VHD once a year.Also i recommend neuturing as soon as he is old enough for health reasons aswell as litter training.B costs me roughly £50 a month for food,veg,straw,hay,litter,treats plus £11 a month for insurance.You also have to have the initial expense of bun,his home,litter trays etc.This all sounds scarey but honestly its not and believe me its all worth while.I wish you could see what i can at mo,B is laid full stretch on the sofa,her head is on its side like she has it on a pillow and she is snoring so loudly it could wake the dead!!!:lol:This is 1of the reasons ive had housebunnys for the last 15years.Be warned though,your home becomes theirs and you become the lodger[hence me sitting on the floor whilst shes laid on sofa!:lol:]but i would never have it any other way!!
 
Hey :D Welcome

Im new to the Rabbit world too My trig isnt neutered and is an outdoor rabbit so i cant help with that

Depending on where you live (i live in aberdeen)you can get some GREAT deals on food - i started off on 1.5kg bags for £1.80 then i found a 15kg bag for only £8.50 and he get 150gr of that a day.. Hay doesnt smell... that bad in a couple of handfulls you shouldnt be able to smell it.. you get some prety good deals on hay/. i started of getting 500gr bag for £2.50 then founs a 7.5kg bag for £4.20 trigs insurance is £6.50 a month (ill try and find the site for you) you get £2000 per illness with an excess of £45 (you have to pay that per illness ) (insurance doesnt cover neutering, jabs, worming, treating)

I read somewhere that small animals can be prone to diabetes (may or may not be true but scared the life out of me) sor Trigger only gets shop bought treats every 2-3weeks (something tasty like his favourite donuts :D) but the rest of the time he goes coocoo for celery :D (really weird, he hates carrots, and i dont give him lettuce but he likes celery. preferably the leaves) so his treat bill for the month is roughly £5 because celery is only £.50 a pack :D

Where does the breeder live What breed are you getting, does the breeder have a site?

Sorry, im wanting another rabbit
 
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Hey I have a house bun! :wave:


Advice I would say would be unlimited hay, it doesn’t smell too much and is vital to the health of their teeth. :D

Ensure food is pellet and high in fibre content

You should ensure that all exlectrical cables are out of reach and if you have cargep be carful particulcary if it s rented accom as they can often pluck it out! My bun is a mare for it! They also might dig it. :shock:

I'd recommend somewhere separate for her to sleep in away from the bustle of the house.

Also they need dark time to assist with their body clock. Hence the time away from everyone else.

Ive got a baby gate to keep my bun in when im at work and it works well but she's a big bun and cant get through the bars!

Good luck!

Any othr advice needed pm me!
 
Hello, welcome to the forum.
I find if you can source a good quality hay that it actually has a pleasing sweet smell. So that shouldn't be a problem. :)
 
aw thank you so much everyone!

Um, what would you use to hide wires and cables? I don't have loads in my room but I want to make sure its all bunny proof because when I'm home my bun will get full run of my bedroom.

I've also heard that people bath their buns too? Is that something that should be done or is it just something that people do by choice?

I'm so excited about getting Binx, and I want to be the best owner that I can be possible.

Do male rabbits have any bad habbits I should know about? I know that they can spray but is that reduced by neutering?

MammaH
 
Oh and what fruit and veg is safe for a bunny to eat? I didn't know until a few weeks back that lettuce is poisonous to them:oops:
 
I would recommend pipe tubing from your hardware store or garden diy stoe.

iwouldbnt recommend bathing buns.

I'd only spot bathe if they had a runny bun or something.

Theoir fur takes a long time to dry and its quite traumatic for them. They keep themselves clean enough :)

By busn when mature tend to mark in the form of peeing on things to mark as theirs.

They will also scent mark and may hump the teddies in your bedroom.

Neutering your bun normally cures these tendancies and also makes him more litter trainable :D

Are you getting him from a rescue? or a breeder?

X
 
Ah thanks for thats great about the tubing situation.

And I do have a fair few soft toys, i don't mind giving up one for a playmate, but I wouldn't want them all being violated :shock:

Is there any home remedies for getting rid of the smell of the wee? so that it doesn't become a constant spot? or is there something that i can buy from a pet shop?

I would at first probably keep him in a house cage whilst I'm out of the house, is that ok? I'm not out of the house long hours, but I think when I think he's more trained and potty trained to let him sleep maybe in my room in one of those Igloo beds that I've heard about.
I'm getting him from a breeder, so he'll be 8weeks old when I pick him up.
 
Hi welcome to the forum. In answer to your question about wee I find white vinegar & water takes away the smell of wee & the stains although you can buy products from the pet store but theyre normally more expensive. Definately no bathing unless its neccessary to remove stuck on poo Looking forward to seeing a pic of your new baby when you get her/him
 
My Avatar picture is Binx. I'll post one now with my signature.

And another question... I have wood furniture... Do rabbits like to gnaw?
 
oh yes!! big time!!! you might need to protect the legs with cardoboard or something tied with strink?

my bun likes the occaisioonal gnaw of my table leg the lil monster,

You can buy lots of toys and I'd suggest a tunnel as mine seem to like those too!
 
Cardboard? Like thick or a cornflake box?

Im off on holiday in a weeks time, and when I get back I'll be picking him up ASAP, but I want to be prepared before I pick him up, the breeder is giving me a bag of pellets because he will be going through the change over period of coming off his mums milk.

I'm so excited I can't wait to pick him up!

But I know that he isnt a toy because I'll just want to pick him up constantly.
Should I keep him in his cage for as long as poss before I start handling him? I do have a smaller room (which has been turned into a walk in wardrobe) that has a window and some space to run around, how long should I keep him there before introducing him to my bedroom? Or should I keep him in my room as soon as I get him?

Also how old should a male be before I get him neutered?
 
:wave: Hello and welcome to RU :wave: Bet you are excited waiting for your new bunny ! There is a list of safe veggies in the reference section :D
 
You have no idea how excited!
But I'm slightly nervous too, I just have this like feeling in my stomach...

I just hope nothing goes wrong, I mean I don't know anything so if there was something wrong I wouldn't know. I just hope everyone on this forum is willing to have me posting posts about something and anything going on with Binx :shock:
 
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