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New Mum - Some Basic Questions Please!!

Harrys Mum

New Kit
Hi there im a new mum to Harry who is an 18 mth old snowy white angel of a lop eared bunny(and his new Dad is Kev!). No piccys yet though!

Harry was adopted by us on saturday from Kathy at the Notts Small Animal Rescue Centre (who is marvellous by the way!) and I have been hounding Kathy ever since with lots of daft questions as we want to make Harry the happiest house bunny in the world!

You see we're completely new at this bunny business (only had dogs before!) and so Im wondering about several things:

1. Already sussed I gave him too many veggies yesterday after speaking to Kathy (spoiling him already!) and so he has been on hay all day today and is sitting in his litter tray with his back to me rather disgusted by all accounts! He had a hay bum this morning (too much soft poo from the veggies - silly mum! but he seemed to have sorted it by the time we came home so I dont think i need to get the babywipes on his bum - which Kathy suggested if he was still sporting a little straw skirt tonight!)

2. However came home today to a terrible whiff - has he been spraying? The aroma hit me as soon as I opened the front door through two closed interior doors in the kitchen and makes ur eyes water!! (Have cleaned out his cage (maybe another reason why he is not amused - he was pulling the paper about when I change it - very cute!!) Im please if he has been spraying as at least it shows he's feeling at home but hopefully it will be less frequent and pungent after he has been neutered on Thursday - goodness knows how long I'll be in the dog house then though - esp when he's sporting the little hood!!)
In the meantime can I use one of those plug in airfreshners in the kitchen or will it upset him?

3. How much Hay should i be putting in the bottom of the cage (he had a featherbeds worth!!) Have i overdone it on this and is that the reason for the pong? - there was alot in the bottom of the cage when i emptied it!

4. The vet said that i should put shredded newspaper in his bed when he comes back on Thursday as the hay has dust in it that can irritate his stitches but surely he needs his hay for food so how do you suggest I deal with that one?? I put some in his food bowl today but he tossed it out (i reckon he's looking at me going "pah amateur!!")

5. What should I use to wash out his bowl as bunnys seem to be sensitvie to alsorts and I dont want to upset his tummy.

He's a bit shy but we keep on talking to him and I've put my old teeshirt in his cage so he gets used to my smell (hopefully he's not going "phew what a pong" :lol: !!)The good news is was eating bits of carrot from my hand yesterday so Im in heaven and can easily forgive him anything!

As you can see we are novices really but love harry to bits so any advice you have would be great! :oops: I have also been reading the advice to others which is great too!

Thanks alot

Harrys (very new) Mum
 
Im not sure because you say hes a house bunny , mine are all outside buns but i would imagine that hay on the bottom of the cage is not very absorbant and will smell. I use wood chips and have had a few rabbits castrated and have never had a problem. As for washing the bowl out i just use hot soapy water and rinse in cold fresh water after. Some of my boys that have not been done do tend to throw their food bowls around and i think thats because they get hypo thinking about sex and carnt be bothered to eat much, dont worry about it he will calm down after hes been done. val
 
Hiya my house buns have litter trays with mega zorb bedding in it and hay on top they sleep on ved bed.
you will need to get a hay rack to put his hay in that way he should just munch on the hay instead of sitting on it.

I use keep it clean to clean litter trays bowls and cages etc
 
hi there.

i'm new to this as well, Jack's been with me for just over a month now.
anyway, hope i can help with the following...

veg, introduce small bits at a time. one at a time. i've read that it's best to introduce inch cube size, one veg, three times a week.... maybe over cautious? don't know.

Jack's wee really whiffed when his hormones kicked in. he was neutered asap and miraculously the whiff has gone. also i noticed it more when the litter was just hay and newspaper.

the vet's told me NO Hay whatsoever. i put up a post on here and then decided that my Jack could have some and this advice was a bit extreme. basically, its so they don't lie on the hay and irritate their fresh wound.
within a couple of days he'd dragged his hay into his litter tray so we're back to normal now.
hay in a hay rack, through the bars, stuffed in a toy and stuffed in a tissue box are good ways round this. i just added a little bit of fresh stuff to his cage, regularly.

good luck. let us know how he settles in.

Juliex
ps - Jack's still settling in... he has free run of his bedroom, however, i leave his bedroom door open and he's still yet to venture out of his room to the landing..... i'm going at his pace and so far things have worked out well.
 
Hiya,

1. Rabbits should have a constant supply of hay, this is their main diet and they can't over eat on it. Its got lots of fibre which is good for the tummy and it helps keep their teeth getting too long as well. Introduce veggies slowly just a piece at a time and build up gradually.

2. A litter tray is certainly a good place to start. It needs to have paper based litter in not clay/clumping litter. Until your bun is neutered he will most likely have 'accidents' outside but neutering should help. If you look in his cage you'll probably find one corner he's been using as a toilet so start of with the tray there, you can always move it later.

The neutering should also help stop the spraying. I would avoid air fresheners. A good clean should help some pet safe cleaners help with smells.

3. A hay rack may work better, you'll go through a lot of hay if you put it on the floor as it will quickly get soiled and pong.

4. Paper or vetbed would be best for the floor after his op. Just to make sure the wound stays clean and doesn't get irritated.

Best wishes,
Tamsin
 
Ah!! See I knew you would all know!

Ah! Thanks your replies are really helpful, I feel such an idiot!! :oops: I've got a hay rack which I put some hay in today! He doesnt seem very able to get at it though - im not sure hes seen one of these contraptions before!! Stupid question again - should it go on the inside or outside?? I put it outside but he cant seem to get at the hay very well!

Also bought him a carry case and it has a little bed in it - is that a vet bed and what size one would you recommend for inside the cage? I made him a little house by cutting a hole in a cardboard box - he sits half in and half out (looks like a mini dog house :lol: ) And disappears into it if he feels timid! Should i put the vet bed in the house??

And Ive also got him a litter tray as I kinda worked out where he poos and wees and put it there with some sawdust in the bottom and hay on top - is this wrong and if so what should I be putting in the litter tray as rabbits cant use cat litter can they isnt it poisonous?? Im assuming the sawdust is an absolute no-no after his vets visit too!

Thanks for your help!! I cant wait to get a photo of my little boy to show you all!
 
Get some carefresh or mega zorb bedding to put in his litter tray after his op,and put vet bed in his cage
 
And More questions!!!

Sorry just thought of some more questions/comments!!

Val - :lol: - maybe i could loose weight that way!!

Bluebunny - thanks for the tip, could you tell me where you get this mega zorb bedding from? What do you use on the floor of the cage? I clean out his litter tray every day but how often do you clean the cages of your bunnies (who are very cute by the way!) Sorry its 20 questions!!

Julie - its so nice to know im not the only one!! You say it was worse when Jack (what a sweetie!) was on just newpaper and hay so what do you use now? Harry has not ventured out of his cage really although i leave the door open when we are in. He has sat outside on the door (tempted by a piece of carrot!!) after i put a little box under it to make a kind of step.

My kitchen floor is laminate and kind of slippy so im a bit worried he will skate about when he does venture out and I dont want this to put him off -do you think it might??

I know im fretting over him alot but I assume this is perfectly normal for new mums :lol: !!
 
Hiya.

I get megazorb from www.bunnymail.co.uk You can also get it from some farm shops if you drive, Someone here should have the link of stockists.
I find woodshavings a bit messy for indoors.

I use megazorb in the litter tray and put hay in one corner of it, as this is where Blueberry eats most her hay from. I top the hay up throughout the day as she tends to ignore the hay rack!

I have got pro fleece on the bottom of the cage, which I believe is similar to vet bed : http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQgotopageZ1QQsassZpurrfect4petsQQsosortorderZ1QQsosortpropertyZ1
This seller has different sizes.

Some bunnies like laminate others dont, see how he gets on. I bought a cheap rug to go down on the kitchen floor.

All bunnies love cardboard boxes! They are great for hiding in -and ripping to shreds in Blueberrys case!!

Hope this helps. Dont worry about asking questions, I'm still learning new things and I've had house bunnies nearly 8 yrs.
 
I haven't tried megazorb but I found with carefresh I still got a pong. Best so far with me has been wood based catlitter as it absorbs well with few odours and comes in huge bags although because it turns a bit dusty it wouldn't be good for all rabbits but mine have a rubber backed rug with boxes and toys they spend most of their time on and just use their litter tray when necessary, they also live in the hall so it isn't enclosed and the dust doesn't build up.

When I had Zeus done I wasn't told to keep him off hay, he just came straight home back onto his wood based cat litter and hay (I put the hay in the litter tray as they love to munch while they poo).

Zeus can't walk properly on laminate - he can when he wants (such as when he hears the fridge open) but he won't choose too unless there is a treat in it. Athena can walk perfectly well on it after a bit of practice but she won't stray too far from Zeus so only walks around on it when she wants to torment him by staying out of reach ;)! It depends on the rabbit although in my case the smaller ones seem to find laminate easier to walk on. Both of mine have no trouble with lino.

I think hayracks generally go inside the cage but I am not sure as I haven't used one.

Don't worry about fretting when I first got rabbits I wasn't a member of any forum so would save up a list of questions for when I saw my vet - still do actually :oops: :lol: !!

Caz
 
My 3 have been with me just over 1 week stillg etting use to me but they are coming out of their shell. 1 of mine has ventured on to the laminate and can cope quick well (shes a little explorer and chews a playstation controller cable last night - oops! ) but the 2 others, a little older have not really got on to the laminate yet, let them decide I think is the best way.

I recommend card board boxes, fruit sticks (little twigs from pet shops), plenty of hay available and lots of love!

The guys love hay, I have it all over their little pen, they sit in it, eat it and move it all around!! Crazy!
 
Hellooo fellow new bunny mum. Don't worry about having too many questions, I had more!! I only got my bunny a week or so ago and have been on here everyday asking questions... Everyone here seems lovely and has great helpful and reassuring advice.
I found a great way to make friends with my bunny was to feed her her veges by hand. I don't know if this is particularly recommended as she now has taken to biting me a bit. Not hard, just odd? No idea why....
Anyway good luck with litter training etc :D
May you have many happy hours with your Harry :)
 
Hi one of our bunnies Ginny (see Lets guess the breed thread) love laminate flooring and also chewed through the AV cable of hubby's new playstation :x (only had it 2 weeks) while Ron (see Anyone know about Himalyans thread) absolutely hates it.

They are both in our conversatory (which is laminated) at the moment and we had to put an offcut off carpet down, also we have a run of carpet leading from the conservatory to the living room for them to run along.
 
hi maria, thanks for the compliment :oops: your little lady is going to be spayed tomorrow, will phone you later tomorrow night.
 
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