• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Completely New to Bunnies

C

choccy

New Kit
Hiya, we've just got our first ever rabbits, which I found in a local(ish) animal shelter through the Rabbit Rehome site. They are Basil an adorable black 2yr old dwarf neth cross buck and his new girlfriend Minty an equally adorable 4 month old siamese sable dwarf lop cross. (I think thats right) They've been bonding for a few (long) weeks & we finally picked them up Fri eve. I spent hours on the i.net trying to find out as much as I could about rabbits before deciding they would make a good pet for us, but now that we've got them home, I'm beginning to realise I don't know very much at all!! I'm probably going to need to pick a lot of brains :? so please excuse my ignorance when I start asking daft questions!

One for starters - is it possible for them to eat 'too much' grass. They have a 6'x8' run attached to the hutch, the idea being that they could hop in an out as much as they like, but now I'm fretting that too much fresh grass may be bad for them & would I be better off limiting their time out? Any advice would be welcome :)
 
Hello and Welcome :wave:

i think that your buns are ok eating as much grass as they like do they get hay aswell?
 
Hiya,

Are they used to eating grass? If not it might be an idea to limit the time it is available to start with so they can get used to it gradually. Eventually they can have access all the time altthough unless you move the run around you'll probably find there isn't much grass left after awhile anyway :)

Welcome to the forum and feel free to ask as many questions as you like :D

Tam
 
Yep they also get lots of hay & a bowl of the dry food they were on before they came to us, though I bought a bag of Excel dwarf/junior which I haven't yet moved them on to. Have only given them bits of carrot so far (and dandelion leaves) as I wasn't sure either how much veggies to give them & whether to give them as treats or by the bowlful. I've read so many posts I don't know whether I'm coming or going. Mind you I've printed off the list of good & bad foods & stuck it on my pinboard, which is a start! It's just quantities to strike the right balance.
 
With food the key is to make any changes or introduce any new food slowly. So new veg little pieces to start with to check they don't upset their tummies and then build it up gradually. Changing dryfood you need to mix the old and the new together over 7-10days gradually increasing the amount of new and reducing the old.

Make sure you read the amount guidelines on the dry food bag. A common problem is feeding a bowl full or topping up the bowl to often so they get more than they need and end up plump ;)

It sounds like continuing their previous diet will be good. Plenty of hay is really important. Dry food about 50g per average sized bun per day. Then you can add veg to that gradually too. The amount people feed depends on their bunnies some with only feed little pieces others a bowl full. You'll find yourself inspecting their poop so you can see how their diet is working for them :lol:

Tam
 
Hi and welcome
I've had bunnies for 5 years and I'm still learning!! This forum's great for advice.
 
Hi and welcome - I was new to buns last year and you cant ask any more questions than I did - everyone was very patient - anyway, how else do you learn?!! :wink:
 
Thanks for the warm welcome & the advice. I can see this forum is going to be my bunny bible from now on! Will post some pics soon (once I figure out how).
 
I've no idea if this is going to work, but fingers crossed...
friends.jpg

doorsshut.jpg


If pics appear, this is Basil (black) & Minty (choc).
Wow - I'm amazed, just checked preview & it worked!!
 
Hello and welcome! You already sound like you know the important things - you've kept their diet similar to how it was at the rescue, you're feeding them hay, you're giving them access to a run, and (most importantly of all) you're asking questions! Believe me, keeping bunnies is a continuous learning process, and you should never be afraid of asking questions no matter how silly they may seem to you! :)

Enjoy the forums!

AMETHYST
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Cocoandpickles
hay allergies
Replies
13
Views
190
Cocoandpickles
Cocoandpickles
D
bonding a trio to a quad!
Replies
1
Views
140
Omi
O
R
Breeding two sisters
Replies
15
Views
673
halfpenny
H
Back
Top