Hi. dont know if anyone remembers but i was going to get Abu and Alladin from a rescue centre but changed my mind as the vet bills may have been too high. have been told told a member of staff will take them (hope they werent saying that cause i was in tears) and we are now picking up annie and bert tomorrow. (2 butterfly normal breed 9month old bunnies, butterfly?) got my hutch and my run, have no clue wot food to give them (guess they will tell me 2morrow) and iam very nervous iam going to do something wrong. do i really fill the hutch up with hay? do i spread it all on the run floor? (run is on the patio at mo). i think i give them pellets to eat, how many bowls a day? the hutch is 5ft long, ive seen a hutch cover but it covers the window of hutch, what about ventilation? HELP!!!!!!!!!!xxx
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Abu and Alladin update.
- Thread starter tanya
- Start date
thumperlop
Alpha Buck
Bless you remind me of me last summer when I got my first bunny 
Everyone on here is great and will give you lots of advice they're great at putting your mind at ease.
We ended up getting a much larger hutch & run for our baby lop then first anticipated. Within wks we'd changed from a standard hutch to a palace (even the kids could move in :lol: ) We found it was trial and error with her bedding, they are quick to show you what they like & dont like. Thumper loves a little sawdust, lots of straw mixed with juicy hay; she has just started loving having her soft bed inside her hutch too (which she became acustomed to following being neutered). For the run as in the winter she lives in our big garage (now empty) she runs around freely in there without anything on the floor, as she goes back inside her hutch when she feels she wants to chill and be cosy. Outside its ok to have the run on the patio (with no hay etc) or on the grass; but bear in mind its freezing at the moment. Maybe we're soft but we bring thumper inside for a few hours of mad running/hopping about as its cold and wet outside.
We give thumpers loads of fresh veg (different each day) and you know when enough is enough cos she leaves it. Just keep an eye on their droppings; as some veg can give them runny droppings like too much spinach. You should really feed them the pellets/food they are on when you get them and only introduce new food very slowl or you can upset their digestive systems and again cause running droppings.
Hope thats helped and I'm sure everyone on here will let you know the best things they've found worked
Good luck x
Everyone on here is great and will give you lots of advice they're great at putting your mind at ease.
We ended up getting a much larger hutch & run for our baby lop then first anticipated. Within wks we'd changed from a standard hutch to a palace (even the kids could move in :lol: ) We found it was trial and error with her bedding, they are quick to show you what they like & dont like. Thumper loves a little sawdust, lots of straw mixed with juicy hay; she has just started loving having her soft bed inside her hutch too (which she became acustomed to following being neutered). For the run as in the winter she lives in our big garage (now empty) she runs around freely in there without anything on the floor, as she goes back inside her hutch when she feels she wants to chill and be cosy. Outside its ok to have the run on the patio (with no hay etc) or on the grass; but bear in mind its freezing at the moment. Maybe we're soft but we bring thumper inside for a few hours of mad running/hopping about as its cold and wet outside.
We give thumpers loads of fresh veg (different each day) and you know when enough is enough cos she leaves it. Just keep an eye on their droppings; as some veg can give them runny droppings like too much spinach. You should really feed them the pellets/food they are on when you get them and only introduce new food very slowl or you can upset their digestive systems and again cause running droppings.
Hope thats helped and I'm sure everyone on here will let you know the best things they've found worked
Good luck x
hi. thanks for the tips.
i thought about having them run around for a bit in the living room every nite, i just hope i dont scare them when i try and pick them up. i cant wait to get them tomorrow, i guess it just trial and error with everything. ahhhhh....... what could go wrong? ......................................Gulp!!!!! xx
i thought about having them run around for a bit in the living room every nite, i just hope i dont scare them when i try and pick them up. i cant wait to get them tomorrow, i guess it just trial and error with everything. ahhhhh....... what could go wrong? ......................................Gulp!!!!! xx
thumperlop
Alpha Buck
You will be fine, thumper was my first bunny and believe me she has changed my thoughts on handling etc. I would never hold my friends bunnies in case then took a chunk out of my hands :lol: :lol: but thumper has been great, so gentle, she licks continuously which is more difficult then a little nip because I'm dying to laugh as it tickles so much then i'm afraid i'll drop her lol.
The only thing with hving them in the lounge is if they are not litter trained its a pain having to follow them cleaning as they go :wink: we had a spat where before thumper was spayed she would pee on our sofa or on us if we had dressing gowns on (dont ask why that made a difference but it did lol) and now she doesn't do that and will jump into her tray. Just watch for wire chewing, one quick bit and they're through the wire......we've been cut off our phone twice! Sometimes they're just too quick :lol:
The only thing with hving them in the lounge is if they are not litter trained its a pain having to follow them cleaning as they go :wink: we had a spat where before thumper was spayed she would pee on our sofa or on us if we had dressing gowns on (dont ask why that made a difference but it did lol) and now she doesn't do that and will jump into her tray. Just watch for wire chewing, one quick bit and they're through the wire......we've been cut off our phone twice! Sometimes they're just too quick :lol:
thumperlop
Alpha Buck
tanya said:
:lol: :lol: You will be suprised what creature comforts they like!
And definately keep them safely inside their hutch if kept outside: do you have an insulated cover for the hutch to keep them draft free (its freeazing outside).
no i havnt. the only cover i saw for the hutch was on a website called Muts n Muggies and that covers all the hutch including the window, but on another site it said not to cover that cause they need ventilation. the hutch is 5ft. the run is 10ft x 5ft and i cant find a cover for that anywhere. xx
I use tarpauline over my hutch, bought them from Poundland for £1. I only put it over the hutch, & jst at nights and when it's bad weather during day. At night I put a folded fleece blanket under the tarpauline (jst in the winter time) across where the wire mesh door is, to keep it cosy and draft free.
Is the run attached to the hutch so they have permanent access to it? As long as they can run into their cosy hutch if they'r not keen on the weather, it's not so bad. I jst have a big sheet of ply which I put on the top of my run to stop any rain getting in, have the back covered with tarpauline, and the othr 3 sides open for fresh air.
I bought the RSPCA bunny care book, and it says the best feeding pattern is morning and evening as this is when they would naturally eat most in the wild, so I give pellets in the morning (I feed excell, 2 handfuls between 2 2kg bunnies per day, but follow the feeding guide on the bag or ask the rescue what they'v been getting there) & veg at night, about 3 decent sized handfuls. Hard food like brussels sprouts r good as thy r good for teeth, as is a whole carrot or apple (with the core & seeds removed) but them only once a week max as they r sweet and so not so good for them that way. Remember to feed a variety. I only feed 1 veg per evening, maybe 2, but they never get the same veg 2 nights in a row. They are also graze eaters during the day and night and must have as much hay as they want. U will soon get 2 know how much this is, as u will with which veggies they like.
I put woodshavings all over the floor of the hutch, in their litter tray a thin layer of cat litter (check on the bag that it is safe for rabbits first) then woodshavings then some hay, & loads of hay in their bed. Obv they need less bedding in summer time.
I put loads of hay in their bed, some in a rack in their living area, & a litter tray in their run with some in their too. It's good in litter tray as they tend 2 poo when they r munching so it helps teach them 2 use litter tray.
These r some sites I used when I first got my bunnies:
http://www.fuzzy-rabbit.com/
http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/rwf/articles/feeding.htm
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/index.html
http://www.springlodgevet.co.uk/buyrabbits.html
http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/rwf/articles/safefoods.htm
this one is really interesting and helps u understand wht ur bunnies r trying 2 tell u
http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html
hope that helps, and remember people on here will always answer any q's u have
Is the run attached to the hutch so they have permanent access to it? As long as they can run into their cosy hutch if they'r not keen on the weather, it's not so bad. I jst have a big sheet of ply which I put on the top of my run to stop any rain getting in, have the back covered with tarpauline, and the othr 3 sides open for fresh air.
I bought the RSPCA bunny care book, and it says the best feeding pattern is morning and evening as this is when they would naturally eat most in the wild, so I give pellets in the morning (I feed excell, 2 handfuls between 2 2kg bunnies per day, but follow the feeding guide on the bag or ask the rescue what they'v been getting there) & veg at night, about 3 decent sized handfuls. Hard food like brussels sprouts r good as thy r good for teeth, as is a whole carrot or apple (with the core & seeds removed) but them only once a week max as they r sweet and so not so good for them that way. Remember to feed a variety. I only feed 1 veg per evening, maybe 2, but they never get the same veg 2 nights in a row. They are also graze eaters during the day and night and must have as much hay as they want. U will soon get 2 know how much this is, as u will with which veggies they like.
I put woodshavings all over the floor of the hutch, in their litter tray a thin layer of cat litter (check on the bag that it is safe for rabbits first) then woodshavings then some hay, & loads of hay in their bed. Obv they need less bedding in summer time.
I put loads of hay in their bed, some in a rack in their living area, & a litter tray in their run with some in their too. It's good in litter tray as they tend 2 poo when they r munching so it helps teach them 2 use litter tray.
These r some sites I used when I first got my bunnies:
http://www.fuzzy-rabbit.com/
http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/rwf/articles/feeding.htm
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/index.html
http://www.springlodgevet.co.uk/buyrabbits.html
http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/rwf/articles/safefoods.htm
this one is really interesting and helps u understand wht ur bunnies r trying 2 tell u
http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html
hope that helps, and remember people on here will always answer any q's u have
