New Bunny Mom

HellOoo! I'ma NEW bun mommy. I've had BunBun since 2/07 and have had so much fun watching him grow. However, I'm very new to this. I need a lot of help to keep my bun safe and healthy. I mentioned in another thread that Bun keeps chewing on a terry cloth towel I gave him, he's pulling threads out and I believe eating them because I'm finding it in his stool. So, I heard that I should give him a phone book to play with and remove the towel. Well, I gave him a phone book and he won't stop eating the pages. He rips them out and eats them! Is that safe? I've given him chewing blocks and wood blocks but he chews them at first and then they go in the corner for eternity and never get touched. He's only a year old and I really want my Bun to be healthy yet have fun and play around. But, I'm having a hard time. I give him cardboard boxes, he enjoys them and chews them. But, with the wooden cage my husband made for him, if Bun gets too bored, he's going to chew chew chew on the wood and destroy it. Please help!

Has he been neutured and had his vaccs and check ups?
Has he had his back teeth checked recently?

If so and he's perfectly fine does he have his body weight in hay a day? My bunnies love to have a good chew on hay toys that i bought from the hayexperts. Also Willow Balls will keep him amused for hours.

How long does he spent in a large run area a day? Hw big is his 'wooden cage'?

Sorry for all the questions

He hasn't been to the vet since I first got him in 2/07. My vet told me that rabbits don't need shots (sounds like I need a new vet) and he also stated that my Bun wouldn't need to be fixed unless he becomes unable to handle or gets a "bad attitude." His cage is pretty big - two levels 5 foot high by 4 foot wide. A lot of room to jump and do a lot of binkies. He doesn't get his weight in hay and gets to run around almost daily. I'm so new to this and want to be a good Bun mommy.

I definately recomment shots! They only cost about £15-£20 each (one for Myxi and one for VHD) and can help prevent your bunbun from getting these nasty (life-threatening) diseases. Just check any rabbit website or google it for more info if your unsure on the vaccinations

Its great to hear he has so much space in his house sounds a fab set-up - very jealous of him hehe I can only recomment the toys again, gettin a toy which you can put hay in (and if it can roll around even better) occupies my buns for ages and ages!! Its a sort of eat out the hay-toy, drink, sleep (repeat xinfinity) haha i've watched them push their toy up and down the room endless times and they still don't get bored.

The fab toy i got (after seeing it in some pics here) i came across last week in the 99p store!! Its plastic so if your bun is likely to eat this then maybe not the best idea and a sturdier metal/wood one may be better but to check it out its only 99p and comes with large jingle ball too!

EDIT: can't find it on their website so here it is about 2 seconds ago with Spice playing with it

I think you're American, right? In which case the guidance on vaccinations is different than for us in the UK but, sorry, I dont know what they are! Neutering isnt essential but you might want to think about it as it might help calm his behaviour (no guarantees). Of course you could get him neutered and then find him a lady friend (also neutered for her own health) to keep him busy

He doesn't get his weight in hay

Click to expand...

If this isnt a typo, then your bunny needs MORE hay. It's essential for his digestive system and for his teeth, and the bonus for you is the more time he spends eating hay the less time he is chewing everything in sight A hay-chomping bunny is a happy and occupied bunny!

Edible toys sound like a good plan. Sorry my phone book one didnt work! If he's only shredding it, that's fine, but if he's eating the paper then that's no good.

Does he have free range time out of his cage, either in the house or garden? A good run round can work off lots of that bunny energy. My rabbit is definitely happier now he has garden time morning and evenings. (Dont forget that rabbits are naturally dawn/dusk creatures so it helps if you can fit in with their body clock.)

im unsure what is required when it comes to vaccinations for bun in america. last i knew there weren't any. and the vet didn't mention any were needed. so please update me and what is vital for bun. yeah i took the phone book away.... that's the end of that one. he just chomped it and ate it. i'm going to look around my local sweet feed store and look for some hay for bun. i've been giving him just timothy hay. and he loves it, so i gotta get him a lot more! i'm unsure what to do about other eating habits. he likes carrots, kale, apples, pellets (of course), hay, corn cobs, broccoli and lettuce, but i've cut back on the kale and lettuce, it got a lil pricey and he would ignore pellets and only eat the kale or lettuce. I see i need a lot of help here. i live in ohio so there isn't many bunny lovers around to ask - other than the farmers in 4H - but those bunnies never look happy in those tiny cages at the fairs.

Now - another thing. my husband has been mentioning that maybe he needs a friend. however, i've had bun since he was just a month old and he's pretty independent and i'm worried about "bonding" and possible fights. please help me. i really would like to get him a friend . but i dont want baby buns and i'm not sure if he'd do well with another male. he's NOT aggressive AT ALL towards anyone. and we have two other dogs that i'm sure he can smell (but i won't introduce to because my american bulldog would bark once and bun would die of a stroke) but anyways, he's friendly and happy. no bites to anyone - no bad behavior other than this "chewing thing" lol help!

im unsure what is required when it comes to vaccinations for bun in america. last i knew there weren't any. and the vet didn't mention any were needed. so please update me and what is vital for bun.

Click to expand...

I really dont know so it's best you ask your vet. Here in the UK we have myxi vaccinations every six months and VHD (Viral Haemorrhagic Disease) vaccinations annually.

i really would like to get him a friend . but i dont want baby buns and i'm not sure if he'd do well with another male.

Click to expand...

That's why I suggested a neutered female. Two male rabbits together is possible but apparently usually difficult to achieve unless they are brothers. Both would have to be neutered anyway. A female really needs to be neutered for her own health anyway (there's a high rate of uterine cancer in unneutered does). A neutered male and neutered female is a good pairing.

Hello and welcome to the forum. :wave:

I fill a hamster ball with hay and food/treats and it keeps my buns busy. You shouldn't feed your bun lettuce. Not too much of the apples or carrots as they are full of sugar apparently so i stick to celery, cucumber, cabbage, brochali (not sure how u spell it) there are loads of sites out there with things you can feed your buns, good luck!