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Got my bunnies today...twiglet and eeyore...

houndour

Warren Scout
Hello people!!!!!!!!!! I'm very excited as I brought home Twiglet and Eeyore today from Bobtails. (They used to be Katy and Ben)...if you wanna see some pics I have them here:
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/viewtopic.php?p=71519#71519

I have some questions...

I've been reading all the literature that bobtails gave me and would like some opinions, ideas, and answers please :D

1. I've got Straw and Hay. I've read in forums that straw isnt as comfy as hay and straw might poke their eyes. I've read in a pamplet that you should use straw for bedding as hay is flattened easily and also isn't as warm as straw. Any comments??? What's best? I put hay in today because I had read that someone else did this in the forum.

2. Food...I'm feeding Excel because that's what they are on. So if I decide to change food I know it has to be a gradual process. Now how much do I feed? I weighed out 2 bowls of what it said on the bag...50-60g for a dwarf lop and I think it was slightly more for other rabbits.

They've not really eaten it to be honest. They've had some. But it does look a lot to me. They've been eating the grass mostly today and dandelion leaves I've given them. I also gave them a chunk of brocolli each that they loved.

Now it says to give them a bit of the pellet food, lots of hay, and fresh greens. But how much?? Can I over do the fresh greens? I've put loads of hay. I've filled some small boxes and toilet roll tubes etc.

3. General looking after. What should the routine be? Should I be giving them fresh food/water in the mornings/evenings/both???? It says to clean out the hutch twice a week and daily to clean their bowls, bedding and litter tray.

4. I was shown how to hold a rabbit. But not how to actually pick them up. It says in the lealet to pick them up by the scruff and to slide your hand under their bottom. I have admit I am a little nervous and I've not been able to pick them up yet. I've not had a small animal before...only a golden retriever.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Sam
 
how exciting! they look adorable!
I personally use a mix of barley straw (which is much softer - don't know if anyone else would recommend this?) and hay for their bedding, with a separate supply of hay off the ground for them to eat.
As for picking them up, I don't know about by the scruff of the neck? I usually slide one hand under their belly and one under the bottom in a sort of scooping motion. My partner's really nervous about picking up the bunnies too and I think they sense this. They don't really like being picked up, so you have to be quite firm with them, so they know they're safe. Probably best to give them lots of strokes and headrubs for now until they get to know you.
Best of luck!
 
What cuties!! When did you get them? If you got them last night or earlier today you shouldn't expect much eating, they will warm up soon! Good luck!
 
hi

I'm like you about picking up - makes me nervous! However I'm not sure how I do it - I certainly don't use the scruff of their neck though...I think I put my left hand under bunnies chest, in between his front legs with my thumb pointing up to his chin - so he can't leap forward and hurt himself - and my right hand goes around the side of him (bunny is sideways on to me) and under his back legs - Benji is great with this, but Pepper tends to kick with his back legs on my hand or wrist - very easy to get hurt so have to hold him firmly - like HS said, being firm gives them confidence in you.
When I first got my buns though they didn't know me, so I let them get to know I was nice before picking them up - I just picked up their front end with a hand either side of them, so their front legs were off the floor, whilst they were eating, several times before I properly picked them up off the floor - I didn't move on to picking their whole body up until they were happy with me picking up their front end. Plus I stroked them a lot while they were eating, so they knew I was harmless.
With food - my 2 are smallish, like Twiglet in looks but quite neat and dainty. I give them 2 rounded desertspoon/level tablespoons of pellets EACH per day - 3 spoons in the morning at 7.30 and 1 spoon just as a supper time treat at 9pm - they polish it all off immediately so it sounds like Excel are trying to sell more food than you need!
As well as topping up their hay at 10.30am, and 6pm, and 9pm, they have a handful of grass or dried grass in the morning, and 2 leaves of spring greens or dark green cabbage (I tear out the midrib incase it gives
them wind), half a sprig of brocolli (that's one tiny floret cut into 4 - it can give them wind although they love it), some plantain leaves or dandelion leaves, some sprigs of parsley and an inch of carrot cut into sticks EACH - I guess the fastest eater might get more! They don't half wee when they've had dandelions though!
There is never any food lying around, except hay. I give them lots of different brands of hay as they like some better than others - I've got 13 different bags and sacks at the mo - fussy eaters!
I've never bought straw as they are in a shed, so they don't get as cold as hutch bunnies would - plus they have all the day's left over hay for bedding on top of their litter, newspaper and the litter boxes are on carpet. They seem to like sleeping on their vetbed as that's always where they are when I take them breakfast.
Hope that helps? Bunnies are the best pets I've ever had - I wish I'd got them years ago! Enjoy :D


Edana and the cheeky boys :love:
 
These might help:

http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/care/handling.asp
http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/care/rabbitfood.asp

With handling you might find it better to make friends first. Thats probably best done with you sat on the floor/in their run and letting them come and explore you in their own time. Rabbits are curious and as long as you don't make any sudden movements they'll usually come and have a sniff and even start climbing on you. You can then give them strokes/nose rubs and hand feed them. Once you've have made friends you'll probably find picking them up easier. If you are worried about it, follow the advice in the first article for nervous rabbits. It will probably work just as well for nervous humans ;)

Tam
 
I use hay to line my cage, I did try straw a couple of times but found that Skip ate most of it which i read is not so good for them. Skip loves laying in the hay and eating it at the same time so it is ideal for him!! Piggie :wink:

As for picking them up well Skip hates being picked up so i try not to do it too much :shock:

Skip eats excel but i only give him a little bit twice a day, will be changing it to excel lite soon as read on here that it contains a lot more fibre.

Good luck and you will find bunnies are the best friends ever :lol: :bunny: :rabbit2:
 
hi

That's a good link Tamsin - I've found putting them down again harder than picking them up too!


Edana and the boys :love:
 
Thanks for your replies. A little update for you.

They polished off their excel food overnight and also their water in the bowl (or they spilt it all). I have both a drinking bottle and a bowl. They seem to prefer the bowl.

We brought them in the house for a couple of hours last night. It went really well. we've got some of those storage cubes and we built a fence around the sofa. Twiglet was just itching to get out and explore the house (and chew on my wires no doubt), but after a while they really chilled and we stertched out watching telly with us! I gave lots and lots of strokes and fuss. Twiglet absolutely adores being stroked and nudges me when I go to stroke eeyore!

I picked up eeyore. After lots of attention last night he was chilled and I picked him up with no problems at all and he sat on my lap for 10 minutes.

I think last night did them good as this morning when I went to feed them/clean their bed/litter. They came up to me and sniffed me rather than run away as they did yesterday. So they are clever little things and already know I am the bringer of food :D lol

Eeyores a little piglet and ate twiglets share of the carrot and brocolli this morning. I also gave them some excel forage (? spelling). Eeyore loves it.

I have a little vegetable patch that I started a month ago (in preparation for the rabbits) and I treated them to a tiny but of spinach. My patch is barely growing so can't give them too much yet! lol

Sorry for going on! Just wanted to share my experiences!

Sam
 
:D Aww, it's great that your buns are settling in!!! :D They sound lovely and like they are going to bring you lots of happiness!!!

I give Sophie Exel in the morning and only a little as if it was up to her, she would eat lots of pellets and neglect her hay!! I want to make sure her teeth stay in good health, so I then cut down the pellets which made her then eat lots of hay!! It works well. The last time I went to the vets (last week) for her myxo the vet said everything was perfect :D :D

As for the bedding, can't help you there, Sophie likes to lay bare!!!! When i used to put hay etc in, she used to kick it out of the way!! She is a lot happier just sleeping on the bare floor!!!! I even tried vet bed in there thinking she would like something to lay on, but nope, she tried chewing that up too!! :shock: So, I leave it as it is and she like it that way!! :D

Good luck! Sounds like ur buns have gone to a great home!! :D
 
hi

Awww - bet you're wondering why you ever worried now! Sounds like bunny family bliss :D


Edana and the boys
 
It's great to hear you're getting on well. aren't bunnies the best pets!
 
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