Loads of questions...

Hi all, I have a good handful of questions I guess my girlfriend doesn't care to ask.

She has a Flemish Giant that' we've had for about 2 months now. For the most part I believe the rabbit's over all care is good.

But my girlfriend works non stop and when I work from home and notice the rabbit's behavior - she doesn't care to look into it for an explanation? So here I am.


If you'd like, you can skip the details and scroll to the bottom...



So, first off I'd like to ask if it's okay to get the bunny's claws cut. The bunny will be content for 3-20 seconds with you picking it up... after that it will maul you and bite you till it's put down. Not only this but, sometimes we lay the fouton down, and lay there and watch movies. The bunny likes to jump up and climb all over us. This cute little act can turn into a painful nightmare when the bunny decides to climb over your face with her razor sharp claws. The scratches she leaves behind can be so bad that scabs will be left there and the marks won't disappear for days. I didn't know a bunnys claws got THIS sharp. So, can they be cut?

Next I would like to ask about what house hold remedies I could make/use to keep the bunny from chewing on stuff. We bought white vinegar? Someone said put this where she pees if she manages to do it outside the cage, and put it on stuff she shews on. Well this doesn't yield her chewing habits. She LOVES cords and the wooden gates we put up to keep her out of parts of the house. I have proofed and hidden most the cords I can... But I can't hide them all (example: the laptop cord that goes towards the couch across the room). On this note she has an edible log and this little thing on a chain with wood chunks for her to chew on. She rarely chews on either.



Also I would like to ask about potty training. I'm home a good 80% of the day. So I let her run free. As far as I've seen, she's only pee'd out of the cage 2 times? Both times I put the white vinegar on the spot. Other than that I'd have to say even in her cage, she manages to pee in her litter box 90% of the time. But, as for her poop... It's ALL over the cage. She really doesn't care where it goes. Sometimes she'll let out a pellet or 2 around the house. Not a whole pile though. But a lot more than she pee's outside of the cage - that's for sure. The litter box is a litter box designed for the corner of a cage. And her cage I believe is plenty big. It's designed for a great dane? Tall as well as long and wide.


Also, is there a supplement for the dried milk pellets we're supposed to be feeding her? Only a small pet store caries them in the area. Pet Smart and Petco don't carry these pellets. At that the small pet store (Plano Pets) finds it hard to get ahold of them for some reason. For now they said we can use yogurt pellets? Is there anything else?









So...


Can I cut her claws?
What can I use other than white vinegar to keep her from chewing on my stuff?
What can I put on her chewable objects to get her to chew on them more?
How to help her poo in litter box?
Also is it necessary to be giving her a bath? We have bunny shampoo.
And a dried milk pellet supplement?

Yes, you can cut her claws. I have special rabbit scissors, that have been cut to fit around their nail.

Put any poo that is outside the litter tray, into it. This will show her that the litter tray is the place to go.

It is not necessary to bath your rabbit, as they clean themselves and I've never heard of giving an adult rabbit dried milk supplement.

LionheadLuver said:

Yes, you can cut her claws. I have special rabbit scissors, that have been cut to fit around their nail.

Put any poo that is outside the litter tray, into it. This will show her that the litter tray is the place to go.

It is not necessary to bath your rabbit, as they clean themselves and I've never heard of giving an adult rabbit dried milk supplement.

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Cool, super thanks for the response.

The pet store told us the bunny should stay on the milk for a good 6 months? It slows the bunnys growth but helps the bunny build a stronger body. Again this is just what I'm told.

Pet shops usually give out incorrect information. They will not need milk supplement. What do you feed, out of interest?

Can I cut her claws? Yes. Get some special pet claw clippers but be careful not to cut too far down or you will cut the blood vessel and they will bleed. If the nails are clear then its easier You may feel happier watching your vet do it first.

What can I use other than white vinegar to keep her from chewing on my stuff? You could try rubbing a bar of soap on it or you can buy purpose made stuff from pet shops, but you may find nothing works but keeping things away from her that you don't want wrecked! Maybe you could"bunny proof" one room where she can't do any damage?!

What can I put on her chewable objects to get her to chew on them more? Not sure you can :? I guess you could rub some banana on them, but if she's not interested then she'll probably ignore them. Try buying her some rabbit willow toys or sea grass or similar - they usually go down well. Also a branch from a fruit tree is great for rabbits - they will spend ages stripping the bark!

How to help her poo in litter box? Confine her to a smaller area while she learns. Put any poos in the litter box that are on the floor. Put hay in the box as they like to eat while they poop! Maybe have a few litter boxes around in the corners until she gets better.

Also is it necessary to be giving her a bath? We have bunny shampoo. No. You shouldn't bath a bunny. She should keep herself clean.

And a dried milk pellet supplement?I've never heard of this and I wouldn't think its necessary. She should be o a good quality extruded pellet food for rabbits that she should have unlimited supply of until she's fully grown. She should also have a constant supply of fresh hay and you should gradually introduce her to some daily fresh veg

How old is she?

Are you from the UK? :? Just ive never heard of the milk supplement :? Sounds strange. She should be having a good quality pellet like Science Selective, Excel or Allen and page.

As for her claws, i have a giant bunny too and hes also a house bunny! I thought his claws were too long but when i took him to get them cut, they were actaully fine and just needed the tips filing off as indoor bunnies arent on anything like concrete to wear down their claws. So you may be able to use a nail file to file them down. If you havent cut claws before id take bunny to the vets, so the vet can show you how to do it. Its very important not to cut to far as they will bleed badly :? xXx

Spacegirl said:

Can I cut her claws? Yes. Get some special pet claw clippers but be careful not to cut too far down or you will cut the blood vessel and they will bleed. If the nails are clear then its easier You may feel happier watching your vet do it first.

What can I use other than white vinegar to keep her from chewing on my stuff? You could try rubbing a bar of soap on it or you can buy purpose made stuff from pet shops, but you may find nothing works but keeping things away from her that you don't want wrecked! Maybe you could"bunny proof" one room where she can't do any damage?!

What can I put on her chewable objects to get her to chew on them more? Not sure you can :? I guess you could rub some banana on them, but if she's not interested then she'll probably ignore them. Try buying her some rabbit willow toys or sea grass or similar - they usually go down well. Also a branch from a fruit tree is great for rabbits - they will spend ages stripping the bark!

How to help her poo in litter box? Confine her to a smaller area while she learns. Put any poos in the litter box that are on the floor. Put hay in the box as they like to eat while they poop! Maybe have a few litter boxes around in the corners until she gets better.

Also is it necessary to be giving her a bath? We have bunny shampoo. No. You shouldn't bath a bunny. She should keep herself clean.

And a dried milk pellet supplement?I've never heard of this and I wouldn't think its necessary. She should be o a good quality extruded pellet food for rabbits that she should have unlimited supply of until she's fully grown. She should also have a constant supply of fresh hay and you should gradually introduce her to some daily fresh veg

How old is she?

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Uhm. Not sure of her age. The pet store says they get them and sell them almost instantly. When we got her she was very small. Now she's about 3x the size she was only a couple months down the road.

As far as food, we feed her Purina One mix? ("The Gourmet bunny chow"). We also feed her Orchard Grass hay stuff - as well as these little yellow seed things (unlabeled as they come out of a dispenser at the store). And twice a day we feed the bunny 1 of these yogurt tablets as directed on the bag.
Rarely she gets some pieces of apples (seedless) since we have a turtle who usually eats most of the apple. Not too much apples though b/c we were also told that it doesn't aid in helping the bunny's poo stay hard. Runny bunny poo = extremely ill bunny.

As far as the banana thing goes. I heard seeds were poisonous to bunnys. Especially bananas since you can't remove the seeds.

I might look into finding fruit tree branches. She LOVES to peel things. It's weird. I had a box with clear tape on it. And she would rip the tape off (wouldn't eat it). So I'd wrap the tape around the box again, and she'd rip it off again. She loves it for some reason.

Becky86 said:

Are you from the UK? :? Just ive never heard of the milk supplement :? Sounds strange. She should be having a good quality pellet like Science Selective, Excel or Allen and page.

As for her claws, i have a giant bunny too and hes also a house bunny! I thought his claws were too long but when i took him to get them cut, they were actaully fine and just needed the tips filing off as indoor bunnies arent on anything like concrete to wear down their claws. So you may be able to use a nail file to file them down. If you havent cut claws before id take bunny to the vets, so the vet can show you how to do it. Its very important not to cut to far as they will bleed badly :? xXx

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Naw, I live in Texas. Plano Texas (Plano Pets, hah!).


And yeah we keep her in doors. She's like a dog - craves attention and what not. Likes to play and chase you... Sometimes, some of her chewing habits can be put on hold for several hours (sometimes for the rest of the day) if you rub her head for just a few minutes. I guess she gets mad when she gets ignored so takes it out on my stuff.

chriswf said:

Naw, I live in Texas. Plano Texas (Plano Pets, hah!).


And yeah we keep her in doors. She's like a dog - craves attention and what not. Likes to play and chase you... Sometimes, some of her chewing habits can be put on hold for several hours (sometimes for the rest of the day) if you rub her head for just a few minutes. I guess she gets mad when she gets ignored so takes it out on my stuff.

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:lol: Sounds exactly like our house bunny!! Its funny you say that, as our bunny seems to only chew my partners things :lol::roll:

Im sure she doesnt mean to scratch you - she probably just wants your undivided attention

Has she been speyed? Or dont you do that where you live... not sure? xXx

Becky86 said:

:lol: Sounds exactly like our house bunny!! Its funny you say that, as our bunny seems to only chew my partners things :lol::roll:

Im sure she doesnt mean to scratch you - she probably just wants your undivided attention

Has she been speyed? Or dont you do that where you live... not sure? xXx

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No she hasn't yet. Not sure why would would get it done, we're not planning on getting a 2nd yet... Unless there's another reason to get it done.


And I dono about yall, but if we lay somewhere that the bunny can climb on us - it will. I dono if that's it's nature to climb things (people) or if it just wants a higher view. But it just loves to. Very unpredictable bunny.

chriswf said:

No she hasn't yet. Not sure why would would get it done, we're not planning on getting a 2nd yet... Unless there's another reason to get it done.


And I dono about yall, but if we lay somewhere that the bunny can climb on us - it will. I dono if that's it's nature to climb things (people) or if it just wants a higher view. But it just loves to. Very unpredictable bunny.

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Yes, you ought to get her speyed as uterine cancer in female bunnies is a big killer, especially once theyre about 3 yrs old Many bunnies die from this, when its easily prevented by the bunny being speyed. Id highly reccommend it

:lol: Our bunny too climbs all over us :roll: Just thinks your a climbing frame i guess :roll: :lol: xXx

my bunny loves to clamber around on me too. he was trying to do it just now, i ignored him so he started trying to chew/dig into the duvet. so i am now stroking him with one hand and typing with the other, has stopped him destroying the bed linnen, ha. I am convinced that they go destructo when they want fuss and dont get it!

Banana is fine for rabbits in small quantities as a treat.