First Rabbit - Need Advice

[Wizzy Lizzy]

Hello,

Yesterday I picked up my first rabbit from an animal rescue shelter and he is settling into his new home. I have never had a rabbit before and would welcome some advice.

A bit of background info about him - we don't know how old he is but the shelter said that he is about 1 year old. He is a mini lop and is not neutred (I am booking his first vet appointment for a couple of weeks time when he is more settled).

Apparently he comes from a family that had children and was 'well socialised' at a young age. He certainly seems really friendly and is quite chilled and does not mind being stroked in his cage and seems to be settling in nicely. He sometimes hides in the bedroom area when I walk by or open the door to his hutch but I am sure that is just part of him getting used to me.

I don't want to force my affection on him and am trying to give him space to get used to his new surroundings. However I am conscious that I need to do 'checks' of his teeth, claws, ears, rear end etc and should be grooming him quite regularly (his hair looks absoultely fine but is moulting a bit so I would rather give him a brush than him swallow the hair).

My question is should I pick him up and try to do the checks? Is it too soon? Is there a technique to holding them when doing the checks?

Thanks!

 

[Emm-Jane76]

hi there and congratulations on your new bunny! Has he got a name yet?

Personally I would leave all the checks. They rescue centre should have checked him over so he was in good health to rehome. Also the vet can show you the proper way of doing these checks when he goes in for neuter. I would just concentrate on your relationship initially. Get him used to you by offering him tasty treats and making sure you are down at his level. Gain his confidence that way which should be fairly easy as he appears to be quite chilled out anyway. Piccies would be great!

Were you thinking of getting him a girlfriend bun?

 

[aussiebun]

Hello :wave:

Congrats on your new bun!

Coming from a shelter he will have had a health check which includes teeth, so you won't need to worry about that just yet.

Just leave him be for the first couple of days, quietly talk to him, perhaps with him while he eats, then after a couple more days you could start to stroke him while he eats and progress to brushing from there.

If you start doing this now it will only take a couple of weeks for him to settle and get used to you and your ways. Slow and steady wins the race.

One thing that is ESSENTIAL for every rabbit, in unlimited amounts is hay. Did the shelter tell you this? It's very important for their health. A bun's diet should be 90% hay. He'll need to eat a block of hay the size of his body every day.

Good luck and please post a pic or two!!

 

[aussiebun]

PS - a vet always needs to do the teeth checks. We can only see the front teeth, but frequently it's their back teeth that cause the problems. The vet will use a something-scope (can't remember it's name!) to look into buns mouth and will be able to see what's going on.

 

[Wizzy Lizzy]

Thanks for the replies!

Yes he does have a name - we have called him Lorenzo! My boyfriend and I ride motorbikes and follow the Moto GP so we have named him after a racer called Jorge Lorenzo!

Thank you for your advice it sounds sensible and that is what I will do! I have read a few books about keeping rabbits but now I have one I keep doubting myself and hoping I am doing things right! I just want a happy rabbit!

Yes - the shelter did say about loads of hay. I have put up hay holders in his upstairs hutch and downstairs run (although he has not been brave enough to go down the ramp yet so has not found his play area full of toys!) I will keep these full so that he has unlimited access to hay.

I am going to keep to the same feed that the rescue centre fed him as he looks to be in good condition and it obviously suits him. I am going to feed him his 'rabbit food mix' in the evening and give him a few vegetable bits in the morning to keep him happy while I am out at work (I have just gone to Sainsburys in my lunch hour and bought carrots, apples and broccoli for him!) Does that sound about right? I don't want to overfeed him - the last thing I want is an obese rabbit!

At the moment he has a 2-tier hutch (although so far he has not ventured down stairs) but I have just ordered a run for the grass that also has a hutch on top of it so he can stay in there during the day and run around or can go into the hutch to sleep/hide. Is it ok to leave them in a run all day?

Does anyone on here have a 2-tier hutch? How long did it take your rabbit to get used to going down the ramp? I feel bad at the moment because there is a hole in the top floor where the ramp is and it makes the top floor quite small!

Finally, how do I post a picture?!

Thanks again for your advice and encouragement, it has been really helpful

 

[Emm-Jane76]

Lorenzo - great name! :lol:

Regarding his food, it is important to introduce any new foods very gradually. Also I would think about, in the next few weeks, changing his rabbit mix to a pellet of some kind i.e Science elective or Excel. This will ensure Lorenzo does not pick out the bits he likes and leave the bits he doesn't like (selective feeding). If you feed pellets you can make sure he has all the nutrients he needs.

If you download your piccies to photobucket on the net then you can copy and paste your piccies. You need to cut and paste the IMG code.

The ramp issue. Have you tried putting him at the bottom so he can go up the ramp? See if that makes a difference x

 

[Wizzy Lizzy]

Were you thinking of getting him a girlfriend bun?

Good question and one I don't know the answer to yet!

I was originally planning on getting 2 rabbits to keep each other company but one of the rabbits had some behaviour issues in the only pair that the rescue centre had. As a first rabbit I wanted a friendly rabbit that I wouldn't mind asking my parents to look after on the rare occasion that I go on holiday!

I asked a different rabbit sanctury whether they thought getting a 2nd rabbit would be a good idea and they advised that rabbits don't really mind whether they are on their own or in a pair. They are not 'pack' animals but if Lorenzo starts to get 'depressed' then I could look into a 2nd rabbit as an option.

He also has never had another rabbit around so I don't know how he would bond with it.

In time I want to get it so that I can play with him and groom him etc and was told that this would be plenty of company. I am conscious that I work during the day (Mon-Fri) though and don't want him to get lonely/bored!

So for now, I'm not planning on getting a 2nd bunny but as my confidence grows who knows!

What are your thoughts on the subject?

 

[Wizzy Lizzy]

Lorenzo - great name! :lol:

The ramp issue. Have you tried putting him at the bottom so he can go up the ramp? See if that makes a difference x

I thought about putting him on the lower level but that would mean I would have to pick him up and I don't want to force him into anywhere he doesn't want to go while he is still settling in. I figured I would leave him alone for a couple of days, just feeding him and talking to him/stroking him and then introduce him to the downstairs maybe Wednesday/towards the end of the week.

Here is a picture of him!

 

[melly]

hi congrates on your 1st bun, i have 2 of my buns in a two tier hutch i did put them in the bottom so they had to go up which they did after about a day, it was comin down that sherbert didnt like she tried then decided not to then went for it, went to fast and sat at the bottom lookin abit shocked :roll: but then they where fine. i also have one bun (i have 6 altogether lol) who is now on his own as i found out after havin 2 babies that she was a he lol :shock: anyway he is fine on his own i just make sure i spend more time with him and even bring inside to play when i get back from work as i work mon-fri aswell. im gettin him done soon so may try to bond him back with flopsy but will see after.

 

[Emm-Jane76]

Beautiful boy.

I would deffo say that bunnies need to be kept in pairs. You definitely see them really flourish and I can spend hours just watching my group intereacting with each other - playing and grooming each other.

If Lorenzo was an indoor bun then I would say it would be different but I understand Lorenzo is outdoors. And you will be at work all day.

If it was me I would definitely recommend getting Lorenzo a girlfriend - he would really thank you for it And now would be a perfect time (after he has been de-plummed) as he is on neutral ground x

 

[Biscuit's Mum!]

He is absolutely gorgeous, I think I have just fallen in love

Congratulations on entering the world of bunny love. I agree about keeping them in pairs. I have a bunny on her own (she has always lived on her own and doesn't mix well), but she is indoors and spends pretty much all day with the run of the house and considers herself a human now. She is in our pack and she licks me while I stroke her and sits on the sofa with us. You just need to make sure that he is not isolated.

As for food, does your Sainsbury's have one of those almost at the use by date veg sections? Our Tesco does and it is an utter God send. I could not affort to feed our girl things like pak choi and such a brill varied diet.

You will always worry whether or not you are doing everything you should for your bun, and you will get things wrong, it's a learning curve.

Good luck and give that gorgeous boy a scritch behind the ears from me