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New and in need of advice! Hi all!!

Lynne_Zeb

Lynne_Zeb

Young Bun
HI all,

I am new (hence the title!) and was advised to visit this site and use this forum as there is a lot of experienced bunny keepers!

I currently have a new house rabbit. I have had him 1 week exactly, we seem to have gotten past the trying to rip my fingers off stage (as of 2 days ago) but dont want to talk too soon! I can get him out of his cage and cuddle him for hours but he wont come to me yet...my current challenge is litter training him and am wondering if anyone has any tips.
He was out of the cage yesterday and hopping around and depositing his bumbles along the way. I did try to pick him and the bumbles up to put together in the litter tray but he is still nervy and doesnt seem to like me picking him up.....

I am not sure if I am doing whats right by him or me for that matter....he is my 2nd rabbit but unfortunately I had to have my first rabbit put down at about 13 weeks (devestating) so have not successfully litter trained a rabbit as yet......

any ideas?

I am really looking forward to chatting to people who like rabbits and understand and know about the things that I do not yet!

hope to get to chat to lots of people soon
xxx
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. :wave:

Watch him and find out where he likes to go to toilet and put his litter tray there. When he does any bumbles outside the litter tray pick them up and put them in the litter tray. Another good idea is put something nice to much in the tray like some hay.

I don't whether your rabbit has a cage but I found that putting Honey in her cage for about half an hour after eating her pellets made her use the litter tray.

Good luck.
 
Hiay:wave:
Thanks for the quick reply!

He is in a cage when I am not in and most of the time actually as he isnt yet brave enough to come out on his own! I did think I had put the litter tray in the right place but he now seems to have changed his mind about where he wants to pee as there is now a big wet patch of sawdust some where else!
He seems to like using his litter tray as more of a bed (which apparently isnt unusual?)

I am a bit timid about picking up his bumbles as he does get quite terriortial and goes for me if I try to pick his poo's up from inside his cage....we are both quite scared of each other at the moment I think!

Caring for rabbits is really hard isnt it!! Or maybe I mean getting the rabbit to trust you is quite hard!

I am intrigued about the honey thing...did you put it in the litter tray or just in a bowl in the cage??

I really appreicate your help with this x
 
I don't no whether it makes much of a difference to most bunnies or just my Josie but she uses the litter tray best when it's got a wood based litter in it and when this is different to the litter used in the bottom of her cage! She's only 10/11 weeks old and has pretty much litter trained herself so I think I've been lucky!

Welcome to the forums. There's some good threads on litter training in the behavior/bonding section that might be worth a read! :wave:
 
Thank you Lu x....I really kinda feel like Im failing here a bit as I just dont really know what I am doing and I wish mine and zeb's relationship would start developing.....

I am using saw dust in the bottom of his cage and cat litter in the litter tray ( made sure the cat litter was ok for rabbits) I thinking of getting a straw matt for the bottom of the tray so the texture between the tray is completing different to the litter tray......

Then comes the stress of stopping him from pooing when he's out of the the cage!!

once again thanks for the prompt replies....this IS a really friendly site!
 
Do you mean sawdust or wood shavings? Saw dust is finer and I wouldn't recommend it as it's too dusty and can irritate the upper respiratory system! I can recommend the wood based pellet cat litter and it's not to expensive and very absorbent!

I think it would definately help if the texture of litter tray litter was different to the cage litter. Also try taming him with a bit of parsley! They go mad for it! :D
 
ahhhh Zeb just licked me!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok maybe Im kinda starting to like this bunnyhop!! Think im finding it hard beause I was sooo in love with Mosh (my first) and am probably holding back some.....plus Zeb is far bolshier than Mosh ever was!! and Mosh never bit me!!
Mind you he is currently perched on my leg and leaning against my arm so I am currently doing slow 1 handed typing!!
I think I have wood shavings but think having something 'fluffy' under his bum is encouraging him to poo as that is the fisrt thing he did when he got near my flufy rug...grrrr!
thik i gonna go buy some parsley!! xx
 
Lynne_Zeb said:
Hiay:wave:
Thanks for the quick reply!

He is in a cage when I am not in and most of the time actually as he isnt yet brave enough to come out on his own! I did think I had put the litter tray in the right place but he now seems to have changed his mind about where he wants to pee as there is now a big wet patch of sawdust some where else!
He seems to like using his litter tray as more of a bed (which apparently isnt unusual?)

I am a bit timid about picking up his bumbles as he does get quite terriortial and goes for me if I try to pick his poo's up from inside his cage....we are both quite scared of each other at the moment I think!

Caring for rabbits is really hard isnt it!! Or maybe I mean getting the rabbit to trust you is quite hard!

I am intrigued about the honey thing...did you put it in the litter tray or just in a bowl in the cage??

I really appreicate your help with this x
Click to expand...

Sorry to confuse you, Honey is the name of my rabbit.

I sure he will get used to you soon.
 
oh I see......drrrr how silly of me.....there was I thinking there was some type of magic thing about honey!!!

Zeb is pretty much in his cage all the time, the door is always open for him to come out if he wants (when Im about of course) but at the moment he hasnt ventured out by himself.....
 
hi!

im quite new to this whole bunny thing, and i felt at a loss as to how the litter training works, BUT we seem to have cracked it by putting a tub in the hutch where Mrs Snuffles likes to pee, and after 2 or 3 days of doing that,it seems thats the only place she pee's and now poops,BUt she does poop when shes out free running in the kitchen,which isnt a problem.

Stick with it and u will get there.
 
Do you know, this is great! I think everyone at work was thinking I was mad for going on about and worrying about the rabbit all the time....at least here I know that I can get encouragement (love it!) and advice (love it even more!!)
Thanks everyone x
 
Aww glad you're enjoying the forums- I'm a bit addicted now! Make sure you get fresh parsley! Happy litter training! I'm sure it'll all go well! x
 
Hmmmm....Im not sure it will but at least I am more determined now and feel supported which I think is a big part of it.....am now sat on the floor next to the cage (decided I didnt want to wear him out with too much loving!) using the laptop looking for grass mats big enough to fit his cage! Oh the joys of my evening... lol x
 
I've seen some grass mats in P@H, which are bunny sized, that might be worth a look! Can't remember who makes them, but I can see the label design in my head.... its the same people that make the lava treats and swings for chinchillas! Can't think! :?
 
hmmm had a quick look on line and couldnt see anything....

Zeb just went for me again....I was being brave and went to pick up one of his poo's in his cage to put in the litter tray and he really didnt like it....I developing lightening quick reactions! x
 
He is 13 weeks and I am pleased the say the vet has just told me he is able to have the chop already (yay)
He is on a museli type food.....he wouldnt taketo the nuggets so decided to keep him on what he knows and of course plenty of hay...he gets his treats as and when and that's about it.
I have just found an extra large straw mat from BinkyBunny.com so that's good.....
x
 
I really wouldn't recommend a museli food, the nuggets are best! The museli's can have a lots of additives and colourings! Also they will selective feed, which isn't good! There are a few different nuggets on the market so maybe try a dif one, but wean him on to it! The Excel Nuggets are good!

Most of his diet should be hay! Also try some veg in the mornings but again wean him on to this gradually! Theres a few good lists in the diet section of suitable veg to feed! x
 
Lynne_Zeb said:
He is 13 weeks and I am pleased the say the vet has just told me he is able to have the chop already (yay)
He is on a museli type food.....he wouldnt taketo the nuggets so decided to keep him on what he knows and of course plenty of hay...he gets his treats as and when and that's about it.
I have just found an extra large straw mat from BinkyBunny.com so that's good.....
x
Click to expand...

you will need to gradually wean him onto nuggets as thy will prefer the museli(akin to giving a child a choice of pizza and chips or veg and a pie) but it is low in fibre(check the side of the bag a good food should be over 16% in fibre and not allow the bun to ppick out teh bits they like(selectively feeD) 80% of diet should be hay too to get extra fibre. after the snippp he will take around a month to calm down and will still be fertile up to 6-8 weeks so dont introduce him to any unspeyed fmales. also he would probebly be calemr with a calm female as a freind after hormones settled take him to a local rescue where he can speed date adn pick a freind theye will already have had bunny speyed so that wont be an additional cost for you and they will bond them as this can be extreamly stressful and scary process for the human if done incorrectly can be dangerous to the rabbits. xx
 
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