I got my rabbit yesterday... need some advice please!

Hiya! Im new to this board! I got my 8 week old lionhead male rabbit yesterday, he is called Hutch. He lives in a 4 foot hutch in a sheltered part of my garden.

I guess i just want to know im doing things right... here is what i have been doing...

His hutch is lined with newspaper and on top is a thin layer of wood shavings. he has a pile of hay in it too... today i found his wee spot and put a tiny bit of wet shavings and fresh shavings in a newspaper lined litter tray for him (the pet shop man suggested this) I am going to clean his hutch out daily because of the heat (somebody told me about flystrike)

I picked him up and he dose wriggle a bit first and i have scratches but i guess he is just getting to know me. Last night and today i let him run about in my front room and held him and stroked him. Last night he was a bit still but today he was hoping about and even did a funny little jumpy thing. we just was in there for about 45 minutes.

I held him during the day and stroked him but couldnt let him down as i need to get him and my 14 month old son used to each other.

My concerns are... If he is lives in his hutch outside, can he come in to play for long periods of time? How long do i need to let him out for a day? (i will be getting a run when he is a bit older) how do i know if he is happy or not?

Sorry this is so long but i just need to know if im doing the right thing!

Nay x[/list]

Oh and i thought i better show you what he looks like... This is Hutch!

Aw hes georgeous

He must be happy cos the funny little jumpy thing he did is called a binky and they only do those when they're happy.

I'm sure you will get some good advice from the others here.

you sound to be going along the right track, sadly most of the time rabbits do not make good childrens pets but if you ensure your bun has plently of socialisation with your child right from the beginning, they should grow up to be firm friends! lion heads tend to be fairly docile rabbits and you should get him used to being groomed as soon as possible, they take a little looking after fur wise. mind, he doesnt look very hairy for a 8 week old lion head, is he definately one?
i hope he brings you much fun and please remember to keep us updated with lots of cute pics and funny stories

aww - he's gorgeous Sounds like you're doing fine to me - just don't make any changes to his diet as he's at an age where they can get sick if not used to veg or grass.

Carry on reading the forum and you'll see we all do things differently anyway - if you need a specific answer you can use the search button at the top, or ask away, whichever is quickest for you

I am pretty sure he is a lionhead yes, the pet shop man said he was and i did a google image search on lionheads and yes i can see a similarity... he has a small main but its not very visable in the photo.

As for the grooming, im planning to pick up a brush tomorrow as well as some rabbit safe detergent. Will his hutch need going over with detergent weekly or more often? if i get his litter tray working!

I plan to groom him daily while watching tv or something!

As for veg introduction, i offered him a tiny piece of carrot yesterday but he didnt seem interested, a tiny floret of broccoli this morning but was untouched at 7.30 pm when i cleaned him so left a tiny bit of lettuce in there earlier.

lettuce isnt very good for bunnies, especially iceberg. dark leafy vegs are best. coming from a pet shop, he may not be used to veg anyway so as long as you dont give him too much and too many things at once it should be ok.
if he will use a tray, keeping clean will be much easier and weekly disinfecting should be enough, with the tray being cleaned daily.

EEKKKK :? Just run outside and fished out the iceburg lettuce from his bowl! he hadnt touched it any how!

http://www.mckellier.com/archives/images/2006/RabbitMenu.pdf

http://www.carrotcafe.com/index.html

http://www.adoptarabbit.com/articles/toxic.html

You might find this helpful

Good luck with your new bunny I have a lionhead too, he is gorgeous! I'm sure your bun will bring you lots of joy

sorry! didnt mean to frighten you! its just high in water and fed in huge quantities can cause the runs and bloat which then cause other problems.
oops, didnt mean it to sound like it was a dire emergency sorry again! :wink:

no need to worry! i didnt think that it was so was trying to feed it earlier to him... glad you did tell me any how.

I dont suppose any body has any advice about the playing with indoors but hutch outdoors do you?

I don't see why you shouldn't have him in a hutch outdoors and bring him in everyday. He will need plenty of "free" time to run around, so if you have a safe room for him to explore I'm sure he will enjoy it. Have you made sure that cables and wires are out of his reach or protected? A rabbit can chew through a wire really fast! Make sure he has somewhere to hide out in if he wants a bit of peace.
In general I don't think rabbits enjoy being picked u[ much - they lik their feet on the ground! It's useful, obviously, if he is comfortable with being picked up when necessary like bringing him indoors but he will probably be happiest if you get down to his level and give him plenty of nose rubs!! I have small children and has to drill into them right at the beginning that the rabbits are NOT to be picked up by them at all. But they will sit on the floor and wait for the rabbits to come up for a stroke.
He is gorgeous by the way!

Awww he's beautiful.
I've learnt a lot just by reading other people's posts. He sounds happy.
The more time you can spend with him the better, I suppose. I don't think changing from indoor to outdoor should be a problem this time of year, as it's pretty warm outside. Try letting him come to you and explore you, rather than picking him up. That way he'll get to know and trust you.
Good luck, hope to see more pics soon.

the wires in that room are tucked behind the tv and pinned to the wall with cable grip thingys... will he be able to munch those?

i dont see why that would be a problem, a house makes a good playground

Nay_&_Hutch said:

the wires in that room are tucked behind the tv and pinned to the wall with cable grip thingys... will he be able to munch those?

Click to expand...

Probably!!! Lol! You can get some really cheap stuff from B&Q that covers wires! Clear tubing stuff! Or you could just use something to block that area off!

will have to look into that... luckly for me the only thing he has tried to chew so far has been my jeans!

Nay_&_Hutch said:

the wires in that room are tucked behind the tv and pinned to the wall with cable grip thingys... will he be able to munch those?

Click to expand...

Probably will be OK - just keep an eye out - some bunnies REALLY love to chew! Wicker type baskets, matting, cardboard tubes and boxes are good alternatives! Mine also LOVE to chew on an apple branch.

:lol: You'll find little things as you go along that you learn & adapt to whatever suits you best

Ah thank you all for your help and kind words. Im glad i seem to be doing things ok! want to go and get him for another play but i think its too late now!