Need info - First time owner

Hello to you all, can I just say first of all this is a very nice forum and alot of good info on it.

We bought my 3 year old a rabbit for his birthday on friday, cost us £30 and then we bought a starter kit which included a plastic hutch some food etc. I need some info on how to train it and where to get a litter tray etc. Its an indoor rabbit just now and it appears does not want to mess its hutch by doing the toilet in there, it comees out and does the toilet on the floor then goes back in, im not sure if this is a good thing or not. Could anyone give me any pointers etc ?, when I pick it up it just scratches like mad trying to get down. Is there a good place to buy food etc online ?

heres a pic of it.

anyone also tell me what kind it is ?

Am I right to assume he has permanent access to the outside of his hutch and is a house bun? It would be wise to start litter training him asap. I'd use a different litter in his tray to the rest of his cage, for example biocatolet or wooded litter pellets. You can encourage him to use the tray by putting what he does in the litter tray and placing him in it occasionally. I've found buns like to be clean and usually litter train quite quickly.

Hay experts is a good place to buy food and hay online. They stock all the Oxbow products, which are great.

Buns are prey animals, so don't generally like being picked up. It's best to let him just hop up on your lap as and when he likes.

I'd guess he's a cross, not sure of what though, I'm guessing his ears may drop and then I'd say dwarf lop maybe! Welcome to the RU by the way :wave:

Aww, what a cutie!
First of all the RSPCA guidelines for a SINGLE rabbit is 5ftx2ft with attatched access to 5ftx4ft run
I'd say that your little baby is being very clean and wanting to do his toilet somewhere else, just like we'd do.
You can get bog standard cat litter trays from places such as Wilkos, Tescos, Pets at home, etc. You can then fill this with megazorb, newspaper and hay If you put his/her poos in it when he/she does her whoopsies, she'll soon get the idea

Rabbit's diet should consist mainly of hay, with a few handfuls of a good variety of veg. And an egg cup/handful of good quality pellets such as Burgess Exel, Science Selective or Allen & Page Natural Pellets.

Rabbits are extremely sociable, so later along the line, if not an indoor rabbit where he/she will get alot of human contact, it'd be best to get another rabbit to bond him/her with.

If she is a female, she should be sterilised at 6 months, and if a boy, when ever his 'plums' show. Neuturing is not only beneficial for behaviour, and the plus that a male and female can't breed, but also for medical reasons.
A doe is 80% more likely to die of cancer if not spayed.
When older and neutured, why not pop along to your local rescue to choose a rabbit they she/he can bond with. There are 1,000s of rabbits that sit in rescue homes that long to have a loving home.

The RSPCA guidelines for a pair of rabbits, is NO LESS, than 6ftx2ft with attatched acces to 6ftx4ft.

Rabbits should be registered with your local vet for frequent check ups and vaccinations. Rabbits should receive 3 vaccinations a year, 2 x myxi (every 6 months) and 1 x VHD (every year)
Also your rabbit can be wormed with Panacur, which will also help reduce E.Cunniculi.
When at a checkup your vet should check your bun's molars with an othoscope. Rabbits having to have 'dentals' under General Anaesethic, is not uncommon at all.

So rabbits, aren't just these easy children pets, that the majority of people believe them to be. They are highly intelligent, and loving animals.

I'm affraid a 3 year old is most likely to become bored of a rabbit, so he/she is your sole responsibilty.

Good luck on your BEAUTIFUL rabbit, and welcome to the forum, you will get such great advice here :wave:

Lu_x said:

Am I right to assume he has permanent access to the outside of his hutch and is a house bun? It would be wise to start litter training him asap. I'd use a different litter in his tray to the rest of his cage, for example biocatolet or wooded litter pellets. You can encourage him to use the tray by putting what he does in the litter tray and placing him in it occasionally. I've found buns like to be clean and usually litter train quite quickly.

Hay experts is a good place to buy food and hay online. They stock all the Oxbow products, which are great.

Buns are prey animals, so don't generally like being picked up. It's best to let him just hop up on your lap as and when he likes.

I'd guess he's a cross, not sure of what though, I'm guessing his ears may drop and then I'd say dwarf lop maybe! Welcome to the RU by the way :wave:

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thanks for your reply, yeah the cage is only closed at night, its laminate tiles to easy to clean. will look online for a litter tray now. I spoke to the pet shop where I bought it and they said its a butterfly lop. ive never heard of that before. They were not even sure what sex it was, so im going to get it checked at the vet. Its 10-12 weeks old.

Martin84 said:

thanks for your reply, yeah the cage is only closed at night, its laminate tiles to easy to clean. will look online for a litter tray now. I spoke to the pet shop where I bought it and they said its a butterfly lop. ive never heard of that before. They were not even sure what sex it was, so im going to get it checked at the vet. Its 10-12 weeks old.

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Pet shops for you :roll:

Well done for getting him/her to a vet

There you vet will be able to tell you about vaccinations and neuturing

They should even give you a sample of Burgess Excel

Martin84 said:

thanks for your reply, yeah the cage is only closed at night, its laminate tiles to easy to clean. will look online for a litter tray now. I spoke to the pet shop where I bought it and they said its a butterfly lop. ive never heard of that before. They were not even sure what sex it was, so im going to get it checked at the vet. Its 10-12 weeks old.

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It's ok

You can get some good corner litter trays, but bear in mind he's going to grow and probably end up being a good 2kg. I'd definately get him sexed by a vet, pet shops can be quite incompetent, unfortunately.

I would advice that you get him immunised against Myxi and VHD, your vet will give you advice on this and I'd also inquire about neutering and if he is a she I'd definately look in to spaying, as it's much better for them in the long run.

Also buns are sociable, so maybe you would want to consider once he or she has been done, bonding a little rescue bun with him/her! :lol: See straight in there with encouraging you to get more!

ok here you go. firstly they can live up to 14years so be prepared for teh commitment!!!
secondly until the rabbits(male or female) is neutered it will be difficult to litter train the average cost of a neuter is £50-£110 males are cheaper than females. you will need to find a good rabbit savvy vet to do the op rabbits must not be starved before hand like a dog or cat . as they can die suddenly if their gut shuts down for any period of time.

food that is best for a rabbit is a diet of 85% hay with fresh veg and a small handful of pellets such as allen and page, science selective, wagg optimum, burgess super rabbit excel. a good food has a fibre content of over 15% as this helps stop future dental problems(which can become costly) your bun will need 3 inections a year as vaccinations.. .these are 2x a year myximatosis and 1xa year vhd for the annual ones they must be given 2weeks minimum apart and the myxi one wil lneed 10% to be given into the skin with the rest into the muscle....there are 2 ways to do this. each vaccination is around £15-£20 but some vets do a deal if you buy the vhd and the myxi at same time(tho adiminister them seperatly)

you will also need to pannacur your rabbit this costs about £4 and needs to be done every 4 months or so to protect against worms and ec.

introductions of new foods should be done very sllowly.

regarding bunny proofing your home you will need plastivc ccovering over any wires to stop him chewing through them( i shall call it him for now!!!)
and be wary that an unnueterd bunny may start to spray. the poops outside the "home" is likely to be him marking his territory this should decrease and make litter training easier once he is neutered.

regarding his toys.. .most buns love cardbord tubes.. tunnels digging boxes and tosss toys as well as treat balls and food orientated toys.

rabbits are prey animals natrually so do not like being picked up tho many nuetered buns enjoy strokes adn cuddles you need to build up his or her trust first so sit on the floor quietly(suden movements may startle bunny) and let him come to you bribery with food often helps as does hand feeding him.

i would be tempted to either not shut him in the hutch overnight or buy something a litle bigger as when he grows he wont be able to periscope(ie stand upright) in it and will need space to hop 3 times and stretch fully.... he will likeey grow to about 2.5-3kg but its hard to say being so small now!!! dog crates in 48-52inches with a second level can be bought on ebay cheaply adn make good bunny homes as do nic home made cages(packs from argos adn b n q)

breed wise i would say he was a cross with an english and definatly not a lop lol sorry but lops have downward lopped ears. tho i do know some babies whos ears lop later than others? most bunnys love company and so in time it may be nice to get him(or ehr) a friend if you get one from a rescue you can choose the colour sex adn age you want and have all the vaccs /neutering done cost price and most rescues wil bond them for you (whichc is no mean feat!!! as it has to be done neutrally)

something i wish i knew when i first started keeping buns is how quickly they can go off colour ie if they are showing illness signs it usually means they are very ill as they hide symptoms well and a bunny who doesnt eat needs immediate vet attention! good luck with your new addition he or she looks very cheeky and mishivous and cute! x

edited just wanted to add most people find that any dusty hay or dusty beddign such as woodchips can cause allergies and problems with respiratory tract so its best o use a wood based litter or megasorb/carefresh with a thick layer of ddust free hya as bedding...or once litter trined have towels and or carpet! x

Bunny looks like a butterfly lop His ears will lop as he gets older

You can use a cat litter tray for the bunnies litter tray You can get cat litter trays for a few pounds xXx

Hi and welcome! :wave:

My housebuns were very easy to litter train. All you do is put some of their poos in the tray - I just use cat litter trays, 1 for each bun. Clean up any wees straight away with white vinegar, washing powder or dishwashing liquid. Don't ever use chemicals near buns.

Bunnies are incredibly social and are very intelligent animals, which sadly, a lot of people miss because they leave their buns out in a hutch They really are missing out on so much. If at all possible, keep him (until we know otherwise, I'll call him him) in as a housebun. He'll be so much fun to interact with and will love you for it.

So glad that you're whizzing him off to the vet for a check up - good going!

Good luck!

I agree with Spider and bunlover on all the info they have given you. Pet shops are not the ideal place to buy a rabbit from as the pet shops dont often seem to know about rabbits at all and they are just interested in making a quick buck. Good luck with you bunster!!