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New Bunny Owner - advise appreciated!

Babybella - Poppy was indeed just sleeping and promptly woke up when i moved my chair, bless her! Gave me such a fright though!

Loiuse200 - what we really need are poo pictures which show good-bad in a scale so we can all obsessively watch what comes out of our rabbits and feel good when it's correct! Poppy had no runny bum today and i restricted her to 25g of pellets and hay and fresh water only, she did eat hay last night so hopefully if i reduce her pellets she will continue to eat more when she settles down a bit :)

LadyLogamorph - I saw the 2 tier cages on ebay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Large-Ind...ayer-620-/400873366949?_trksid=p2054897.l4275) which would give her double the space but with the same floorspace until i can find a more suitable housing for her.
If we have a garden in the new house i would love to buy her this (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151427594...me=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649) so she can have free reign. She would also come in the house everyday too though :)

Lucy24 - Thankyou, she seems happy enough, settling in very well and already is proving to be a little madam. She doesn't want to just roam around the craft room she wants my undivided attention for 3 hours now!
 
I love it when they lay down like that! such a cutie she really is, if she still has a bad bum don't give her any veggies at the moment just hay and a tiny amount of pellets they really don't need many,mine get an eggcup full each and that is sufficient their diet should mainly be hay and grass I buy my hay in bales from a farmer cause its only £3 a bale and feeding my lot its so much cheaper, I think that's a good idea having a pen for her for when she is in the lounge with you guys :)
 
Update:



We now have no runny bum and lots of golden coloured poos! She seems to now be eating her caecotrophs (only leaving the odd few every other day or so) now ive completely stopped giving her fresh veg etc.
She is down to 1 litter box in the craft room (she did have 3) but she refuses to choose a corner in her cage. When i do find the latest wee corner and move the tray in with her soiled bedding etc to soak it up (and make it easier to change more regularly) she will go do it somewhere else. Plus she just poos all over her cage and not in a specific corner?
She continues to be very cute and social, coming up to me and licking my nose and nibbling my face like she is trying to groom me. And she me by doing a binky the other day in her cage, very random but very cute.
Her and Red (the dog) have met a little more and they seem to really get on, though she washes herself a lot if he touches her!



She has discovered she can get through the baby-gate now...but her hind legs get stuck so she can't get all the way out, so its door shut from now on but that makes it really hard for her and Red to get along, need to find something to put along the bottom so they can still sniff and meet but which she can't get through!

I am also starting to think she is a boy....ive tried reading posts to help me sex her but i don't really want to poke around down there too much! If She is a he will the balls be quite visible or feel-able, could this help me tell?

Thanks!
 
PoppyRabbit said:
Update:



We now have no runny bum and lots of golden coloured poos! She seems to now be eating her caecotrophs (only leaving the odd few every other day or so) now ive completely stopped giving her fresh veg etc.
She is down to 1 litter box in the craft room (she did have 3) but she refuses to choose a corner in her cage. When i do find the latest wee corner and move the tray in with her soiled bedding etc to soak it up (and make it easier to change more regularly) she will go do it somewhere else. Plus she just poos all over her cage and not in a specific corner?
She continues to be very cute and social, coming up to me and licking my nose and nibbling my face like she is trying to groom me. And she me by doing a binky the other day in her cage, very random but very cute.
Her and Red (the dog) have met a little more and they seem to really get on, though she washes herself a lot if he touches her!



She has discovered she can get through the baby-gate now...but her hind legs get stuck so she can't get all the way out, so its door shut from now on but that makes it really hard for her and Red to get along, need to find something to put along the bottom so they can still sniff and meet but which she can't get through!

I am also starting to think she is a boy....ive tried reading posts to help me sex her but i don't really want to poke around down there too much! If She is a he will the balls be quite visible or feel-able, could this help me tell?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

In the first pic, you haven't put her on her back have you?

Secondly, a trip to the vet for vaccinations and neutering will answer your gender question!
 
Azucena - She was cradled in my arms whilst we tried to get her very runny bottom cleaned, but it was too soiled to wipe it that way so we had to carefully dunk her rear end in some water (there were two of us doing it) and gently wash it away instead. She wasn't very happy about being dried though!
Im waiting for my new Pets at Home VIP card to come then i can go get her a checkup at the Vets4Pets place they have in there. They said it would be here within 28 days hopefully :)
 
PoppyRabbit said:
Babybella - Poppy was indeed just sleeping and promptly woke up when i moved my chair, bless her! Gave me such a fright though!

Loiuse200 - what we really need are poo pictures which show good-bad in a scale so we can all obsessively watch what comes out of our rabbits and feel good when it's correct! Poppy had no runny bum today and i restricted her to 25g of pellets and hay and fresh water only, she did eat hay last night so hopefully if i reduce her pellets she will continue to eat more when she settles down a bit :)

LadyLogamorph - I saw the 2 tier cages on ebay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Large-Ind...ayer-620-/400873366949?_trksid=p2054897.l4275) which would give her double the space but with the same floorspace until i can find a more suitable housing for her.
If we have a garden in the new house i would love to buy her this (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151427594...me=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649) so she can have free reign. She would also come in the house everyday too though :)

Lucy24 - Thankyou, she seems happy enough, settling in very well and already is proving to be a little madam. She doesn't want to just roam around the craft room she wants my undivided attention for 3 hours now!
Click to expand...

I would advise you to look at companies such as these
http://www.welfarehutches.co.uk/category/6ft rabbit hutch
and
http://www.boylespethousing.co.uk/rabbit-housing/indoor-rabbit-cage.html

They offer excellent quality long lasting good sized rabbit accommodation. I have a welfare hutch for my two belgian hares and its wonderful.

The cages you linked are very small and the two story indoor one is pointless, the ramp takes up most of the space. You would be better off with a double six foot hutch from one of the above (or similar high quality carpenter) as they are much better designed.

Poppy is lovely. So is your dog. I also have two dogs (black labrador and an orange and white collie) who are curious about the rabbits. I have never let them hang out together. It only takes a second.
 
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Hello! :wave:

Poppy is a beautiful bun!
I think the set up have for her is lovely- but as others have suggested the cage is a little too small for prolonged periods of time. However she seems happy and healthy and looks like she gets a lot of time outside the cage!
I have one of these cages as I didn't know how small they were for a rabbit when I got my first bunny. I also had litter habit problems with my first bunny just like you are with Poppy. I actually managed to expand my bunnies area and no longer needed the cage. However instead of getting rid of the cage I decided to use the base of it as a GIANT litter box. Guess what? Bad litter habits stopped immediately and he consistently pooped and peed in the litter box!
Maybe this is something you could try? :)

Also; one other thing I picked up on. I don't want to seem like I'm being rude to you as I'm sure you were unaware; but in your recent update photo of Poppy you appear to be holding her on her back. Instead of ranting at you like I have seen people do to others, I would like to share this image with you from the RWAF in the hope it helps to educate you so you can understand the dangers of holding a bunny on its back.

d8a526491a3dc83ff6d223536a591480.jpg


Again, Poppy is gorgeous and I can tell that she (or maybe he if your suspicions are true!) is going to well loved in your care. :love:
 
Tulsi - The cages you showed me are lovely but far to big to fit in any room in our house, to be completely honest i doubt we would actually get them in the flat at all (the 4ft vivs barely fit as it was when i moved in in oct) plus i don't ant a wooden one as they are difficult to keep clean and as she is an indoor rabbit and i have allergies i need plastic in order to properly clean it out twice a week etc.. Until we move (hopefully jan next year) we are stuck with the indoor cage she has (and the 2 story one i found for in a few months) until then unfortunately.
She is now out in the craft room most of the day, without supervision as long as i am in the house. We also left her out today whilst we walked the dog and she was fine on her own unsupervised. So she has a lot more room to roam now. However all she does is sit under my craft table, she doesn't run around much or do anything really.

TheBunsketeers - Poppy is really good at going to the toilet in her litter tray or her cage...but i hoped maybe if she could do it in a single corner etc. in her cage i wouldn't have to clean her out 2/3 times a week as i am doing now. But i guess that is just something i will have to live with as she seems adamant she will go anywhere in there!

However after lots of comments from people on here i am now of the opinion that Poppy would do better with a more suitable owner as i am clearly not doing very well with her. I will hopefully be looking for a new home for her shortly, once i can find somewhere appropriate to advertise her.
 
PoppyRabbit said:
Tulsi - The cages you showed me are lovely but far to big to fit in any room in our house, to be completely honest i doubt we would actually get them in the flat at all (the 4ft vivs barely fit as it was when i moved in in oct) plus i don't ant a wooden one as they are difficult to keep clean and as she is an indoor rabbit and i have allergies i need plastic in order to properly clean it out twice a week etc.. Until we move (hopefully jan next year) we are stuck with the indoor cage she has (and the 2 story one i found for in a few months) until then unfortunately.
She is now out in the craft room most of the day, without supervision as long as i am in the house. We also left her out today whilst we walked the dog and she was fine on her own unsupervised. So she has a lot more room to roam now. However all she does is sit under my craft table, she doesn't run around much or do anything really.

TheBunsketeers - Poppy is really good at going to the toilet in her litter tray or her cage...but i hoped maybe if she could do it in a single corner etc. in her cage i wouldn't have to clean her out 2/3 times a week as i am doing now. But i guess that is just something i will have to live with as she seems adamant she will go anywhere in there!

However after lots of comments from people on here i am now of the opinion that Poppy would do better with a more suitable owner as i am clearly not doing very well with her. I will hopefully be looking for a new home for her shortly, once i can find somewhere appropriate to advertise her.
Click to expand...

People are just giving you advise on how to improve, not saying you're inadequate.
Litter training is SO much easier once spayed. It's likely you'll only need 1 tray a few weeks after the spay.
Also, you can put Lino on the floor of hutches to make them just as easy to clean as a plastic one.
 
You are doing what a good owner does. Research. We are simply advising you on the best kind of care, which it sounds as if you are looking to provide as soon as you can.

I can totally sympathise. I nearly rehomed my two belgian hares when I first moved to this house (a few months back) as I could not envisage how I was going to fit a large enough set up into the garden.

Now that we have been here a while I have cleared a lot of space and found a way to add a run (due in a few weeks from the welfare hutch company). My quad are in an 8 x 6 she also waiting for a run and the others are indoors in a less than ideal space, shed and run on the way.

Rabbits are most active at dawn and dusk and often at night which is why 24/7 access to a run is advised. I am sure that Poppy is having a lovely life with you - far better than being shut in a tiny hutch down the bottom of the garden and largely ignored.

I hope you stay around and that we see loads more of your little cutey.
 
Last edited:
Azucena -
Im not sure i will be getting her spayed, at least not yet. I don't plan to breed from her or anything, but i also don't plan to have children myself but i haven't had a hysterectomy even though im sure it would lessen my chance of cancer etc. That is just one thing i am unsure of atm, will need to do more research into it and have a chat with a good vet hopefully :)
Her litter training has gotten loads better since i first got her, she did have 3 litter trays and her cage, now just 1 and her cage (her choice, she stopped going in the other ones and when i took them away she didn't care). Ill just have to live with the fact she needs cleaning out a lot more often than once a week. Suppose that's what i get for being owned by a bunny!

Tulsi -
Thanks, i am trying my best. I did a lot of research before i got her, i didn't just go into this blindly. And i didn't plan on getting a bunny until we moved house. But i saw her and it all just clicked. But if it is best for her to go someplace else then it will be done despite that.

Her housing situation is as follows:

Because we only have access to a roof (we live in a 1st/2nd floor flat) it would be difficult to have her outside in a hutch for many reasons:
1) The roof is a suntrap with no shade and no grass.
2) The roof floor is patchy (due to Red ripping most of it up when he was a puppy) so i would need to line her run with something suitable.
3) Red would share the roof with her, and although he is a gentle giant it would require adult supervision every time he was out there to do his business which frankly is a pain in the bum for us humans!
4) We have a family of foxes living near us which regularly come and steal Reds treats and toys from the roof and which have now started leaving him 'gifts'...they would obviously try and eat her or at least bother her a lot.
5) The access to the roof is a window about 2ftx2ft so any hutch or hutch components would have to fit through that gap!

As such you can see my reluctance to have her up there even though she would have lots more room etc.

She now has free roam of the craft room for about 6 hours a day and i hope to increase this to 9am-12pm everyday (i am slowly increasing it to see how she would fair, so far no gnawing/destruction).
The craft room measures 7.5x9ft (66 square ft) and she has access to this much floor space when she is out (minus her cage floorspace) - this includes a giant 'hide' under the vivs and under the table, china cabinet and chairs. Her litter tray is behind the door in the pictures.







I stuff tubes full of hay for her and she has a little cardboard house with doors cut into it. She has a treat ball which she plays with and im going to get a ball with a bell in it for her to nudge around.
I thought about maybe getting her some carpet squares (the carpet shop down the road is selling them off) so she could sit on them and it may help her climb on top of things (she slips on the laminate floor a lot), however i am worried about her eating them. So it's something to think about.

I have put out an advert out for a smaller baby-gate which would allow the door to be open or shut with no worries about her running out (atm the other baby-gate is too large to leave in place AND be able to shut the door if needed). Plus i need some thick plastic mesh to shut off the bottom of it and also the open walk in cupboard in the room.

There isn't much more i can do space-wise for her. If all that isn't suitable then im afraid she will have to be re-homed :(
 
PoppyRabbit said:
Azucena -
Im not sure i will be getting her spayed, at least not yet. I don't plan to breed from her or anything, but i also don't plan to have children myself but i haven't had a hysterectomy even though im sure it would lessen my chance of cancer etc. That is just one thing i am unsure of atm, will need to do more research into it and have a chat with a good vet hopefully :)
Her litter training has gotten loads better since i first got her, she did have 3 litter trays and her cage, now just 1 and her cage (her choice, she stopped going in the other ones and when i took them away she didn't care). Ill just have to live with the fact she needs cleaning out a lot more often than once a week. Suppose that's what i get for being owned by a bunny!

Tulsi -
Thanks, i am trying my best. I did a lot of research before i got her, i didn't just go into this blindly. And i didn't plan on getting a bunny until we moved house. But i saw her and it all just clicked. But if it is best for her to go someplace else then it will be done despite that.

Her housing situation is as follows:

Because we only have access to a roof (we live in a 1st/2nd floor flat) it would be difficult to have her outside in a hutch for many reasons:
1) The roof is a suntrap with no shade and no grass.
2) The roof floor is patchy (due to Red ripping most of it up when he was a puppy) so i would need to line her run with something suitable.
3) Red would share the roof with her, and although he is a gentle giant it would require adult supervision every time he was out there to do his business which frankly is a pain in the bum for us humans!
4) We have a family of foxes living near us which regularly come and steal Reds treats and toys from the roof and which have now started leaving him 'gifts'...they would obviously try and eat her or at least bother her a lot.
5) The access to the roof is a window about 2ftx2ft so any hutch or hutch components would have to fit through that gap!

As such you can see my reluctance to have her up there even though she would have lots more room etc.

She now has free roam of the craft room for about 6 hours a day and i hope to increase this to 9am-12pm everyday (i am slowly increasing it to see how she would fair, so far no gnawing/destruction).
The craft room measures 7.5x9ft (66 square ft) and she has access to this much floor space when she is out (minus her cage floorspace) - this includes a giant 'hide' under the vivs and under the table, china cabinet and chairs. Her litter tray is behind the door in the pictures.







I stuff tubes full of hay for her and she has a little cardboard house with doors cut into it. She has a treat ball which she plays with and im going to get a ball with a bell in it for her to nudge around.
I thought about maybe getting her some carpet squares (the carpet shop down the road is selling them off) so she could sit on them and it may help her climb on top of things (she slips on the laminate floor a lot), however i am worried about her eating them. So it's something to think about.

I have put out an advert out for a smaller baby-gate which would allow the door to be open or shut with no worries about her running out (atm the other baby-gate is too large to leave in place AND be able to shut the door if needed). Plus i need some thick plastic mesh to shut off the bottom of it and also the open walk in cupboard in the room.

There isn't much more i can do space-wise for her. If all that isn't suitable then im afraid she will have to be re-homed :(
Click to expand...

Without being spayed, it is EXTREMELY likely she will get uterine cancer by 4/5 years, so significantly reduces her life span.
See here: http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/uterine.htm
Also, it's necessary for her to be spayed to be bonded. Company is very important for rabbits. :thumb:
 
Azucena - I never had plans to get another rabbit and i don't have enough room for one with what i have been told, so i obviously can't have two :(

Thanks everyone for helping.
As much as i adore her she would obviously be better with someone else so i have asked for permission to advertise her for re-home on the forum and she is also listed on RabbitRehome.org http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/moreinfo.asp?RabID=37185 (which i am currently updating).
 
Don't shoot me down in flames but having read this post, I think you're doing the right thing. Best of luck, it's never going to be easy rehoming x
 
Your sound discouraged! But speaking from personal experience, one becomes bunny competent one step at a time. You've reached out to others with more time under their belts, and that's a fantastic start. I have extremely bad allergies and I have learned gradually what I have to do to live with my darling bunnies. Cats, dogs I cannot tolerate healthwise.

For cleaning literboxes, have you tried hand removing the wet parts and hand wiping those parts with a vinegar dampened clothe, then refilling with fresh liter? For cages, have you looked for cheap metal grids that you can tie together around vulnerable stuff like furniture, bookcases, cords, etc, and use the cage you have as a litterbox?

I do spend time cleaning, grooming, and caring for my bunns, but I so enjoy their funny little faces and their hops and jumps and their pleasure at being petted and their furry presences in my apartment--that I dont want to be
without them. I'd say that because of my particular allergies, I spend nearly twice the time others spend on like tasks. But that's my life and I have my bunnies! I enjoy their bunniness.

I wish you the best.
 
Hi there, I'm so sorry if you are feeling like you're not providing well enough for your lovely new bunny. In my opinion you are miles ahead of the majority (those not on forums such as this) as most rabbits are setup in a small hutch in the garden with minimal human or animal interaction, the wrong type of food and little or no hay. You've come on here, asking for advice and that's fantastic. It's clear you love her, would you consider looking into fostering until you're moved, rather than lose her?

On the neutering front, uterine cancer stats aside, its the hormonal behaviours aspect that also comes into play. Spraying, litter training difficulties, becoming territorial, displaying frustration in various behaviours really does end up with a case for neutering. My feeling (and I'm no expert) is that rabbits are such proficient breeders, these little guys are fighting raging hormones a lot of the time once they get to a certain age.

Anyway I just wanted to offer support, there are lots of options to adapt a home for a bun. Seems to me she could almost free range in your gorgeous craft room? Just my opinion of course but if but were me I would go for a temporary mesh door to the room with a good bolt (I can post a pic of one if needed) then dog and rabbit can be pals through the mesh. You could have a couple of deep hay and newspaper filled storage boxes for litter trays in the room, tucked away, and a couple of hidey home options (her cage, left open, and a cardboard box with a towel inside...) and clean ups would be really easy for you. I have a bit of newspaper in tray, hay on top and I roll it up and lay new every other day. Sweep up a few dry poos and then once a week I wipe areas with hutch cleaning wipes and dry with a cloth, it's so much less faff than sweeping out a hutch that way. I don't use wood shavings at all.

From what I can see a lot of folks on this forum come in to rabbit ownership feeling prepared, but soon panic and think 'what have I done' once they get a feel for it ;-) Definitely how it was for me last Aug! :shock:

Xx
 
louise200 said:
Hi there, I'm so sorry if you are feeling like you're not providing well enough for your lovely new bunny. In my opinion you are miles ahead of the majority (those not on forums such as this) as most rabbits are setup in a small hutch in the garden with minimal human or animal interaction, the wrong type of food and little or no hay. You've come on here, asking for advice and that's fantastic. It's clear you love her, would you consider looking into fostering until you're moved, rather than lose her?

On the neutering front, uterine cancer stats aside, its the hormonal behaviours aspect that also comes into play. Spraying, litter training difficulties, becoming territorial, displaying frustration in various behaviours really does end up with a case for neutering. My feeling (and I'm no expert) is that rabbits are such proficient breeders, these little guys are fighting raging hormones a lot of the time once they get to a certain age.

Anyway I just wanted to offer support, there are lots of options to adapt a home for a bun. Seems to me she could almost free range in your gorgeous craft room? Just my opinion of course but if but were me I would go for a temporary mesh door to the room with a good bolt (I can post a pic of one if needed) then dog and rabbit can be pals through the mesh. You could have a couple of deep hay and newspaper filled storage boxes for litter trays in the room, tucked away, and a couple of hidey home options (her cage, left open, and a cardboard box with a towel inside...) and clean ups would be really easy for you. I have a bit of newspaper in tray, hay on top and I roll it up and lay new every other day. Sweep up a few dry poos and then once a week I wipe areas with hutch cleaning wipes and dry with a cloth, it's so much less faff than sweeping out a hutch that way. I don't use wood shavings at all.

From what I can see a lot of folks on this forum come in to rabbit ownership feeling prepared, but soon panic and think 'what have I done' once they get a feel for it ;-) Definitely how it was for me last Aug! :shock:

Xx
Click to expand...

I agree with the above....don't let people on here get you down. You are doing GREAT people just like to criticise instead of looking at the positives. You have done lots of research, you are giving her the biggest possible space you have, you obviously love her very much and you have come on here to get advice. Don't re home her...she is very lucky to have such a caring owner. There is no rush to get her neutered...as soon as her hormones kick around 6 months in you could get here neutered then. You will notice as she will start grunting and growling and becoming territorial. They often have phantom pregnancies as well. Then after neutering you could adopt a husband for her. They will both be fine in your craft room and if there are two of them they keep each other company so you won't feel as bad leaving them. They will also keep each other occupied.

For tips on litter training I would recommend putting hay next to and in the litter tray. Or even attach a hay rack on the bars next to the litter tray. They tend to like eating their hay and pooping at the same time. If you have room in your craft room you could also get a large litter tray and again line with newspaper and lots of hay and she will soon learn to jump in it and munch away at the hay. They are easier to train when they are neutered though as it's natural for them to poop all over the place territory marking. Rabbits have scent glands on each side of their bum. They contain a waxy brown substance which is the same as the stuff skunks squirt out. It smells if you open these glands :oops: So when they poop some scent from the gland goes on the poo. If they are neutered they are not bothered about scent marking as much (apart from chinning...they also have a scent gland on their chin) so will poo in one place much easier.

Anyway good luck keep us updated
 
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