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Hello, new bunny mum here!

M

Marigold

Warren Scout
Hello I have just got my first ever bunny! She is a French Lop and she's grey all over and called Flopsy bunny (very original I know!!)
I have a few questions........ Hope you don't mind? :oops:
Firstly I have let her out and she got very good, coming up to us and things. We can now both stroke her all over. However... I had to take her to the vet this morning, which involved catching her which she HATES! She goes all hunched up and still, and now (after I'd got her home) she was sitting in a far corner and won't come up to me :cry: Have I broken bunny trust? Help! Also how many litter trays do you give to start with? She poos everywhere when I let her out and she did a wee yesterday yukky! Annnnd (last q!) what is the best way to get her back in her cage? I don't want to chase her or pick her up, how do you people do it?
Many thanks for reading my looong post :D
Katy
 
Hi Katy,

I have a 14 week French Lop female and I know how you feel!!

My best advice is get down on the floor with her (down on your stomach) and offer her some nice treats and build up her trust again.

French Lops are generally one of the most friendliest so don't worry she will settle down soon I'm sure.

Wait until she is coming at you like a missile flying across the room and landing on your lap!!!

Two litter trays are normal enough one in her cage one out, however mine is pooing everywhere as well and I think until she is a bit older this will continue, bit like babies, she also eats for England.

I would also say get a washing up bowl as a litter tray and put loads of hay in it and she can sit and much to her hearts content and poo away, it does help

Good Luck


Mogs
 
Best way we've found of getting them back into their cages on demand is this; we used to have to pick them up or herd them in, but we'd always say "Bedtime!" as we did it. After a while we could just say "Bedtime" and head in that direction and they'd all jump in to avoid being picked up. :)
 
Hello and welcome to you both :)
We have a lot of french lop fans on this board.

Don't worry, a lot of bunnies don't enjoy being picked, especially if they are enjoying their freedom! ;) If you make a habbit of picking her up daily for a small cuddle, she should eventually get used to it.
It's always a good idea to get them used to being handled because you can tell so much about their general health, such as whether they have lost weight or have a dirty bum due to lets say, too many greens for example.
My guess is that Flopsy is sulking at her trip to the vets... some bunnies get rather stressed with the journey and being handled by that nasty vet doctor ! hehe
I assume Flopsy Bunny is a house rabbit? I would start of putting a tray down in an area she is most comfortable with, drop in a few of her homemade currants so she can smell her scent, and hopefully she will start using it. If she has the run of the whole downstairs for example, I'd be inclined to place another tray somewhere else. See what you feel is neccessary. Bunnies tend to go to the loo in a particular spot, she might tell you where she wants her tray placing :)
Enticing a bunny back to their cage? hmmm not always easy! lol
You either have to tempt her with a nice piece of fruit/veg, or just get in there and catch her! Either way good luck, she sounds like a right darling :)
 
Hi,

I've got a 6 month old french lop.

At the moment I have one litter tray, which comes into whatever room Blueberry is in, I like the washing up bowl idea thou, might try that myself!

As for getting her in I use breakfast and dinner time, she knows the sound of the door been opened and comes bounding out now to greet her food!!
I have her out first thing and put her breakfast in her cage when it's time to go home and in the eve she gets dinner when it's time to go in.
She has hay available all the time and she eats loads of it now, took some perseverance thou, she still only eats it out of the litter tray, so I think the washing up bowl is a good idea.

I usually am able to trick her into her carrier with a carrot, I leave the carrier in the room with her so she is totally used to it now and goes in of her own accord sometimes.

Hope some of this helps.
 
OOOh thanks people, I'm excited to have replies!
A washing up bowl sounds like an ideal litter tray cos she's quite big! And I am going to practice that 'BEDTIME!' thing.
I glad that she's just in a bit of a bunny strop, I'll make it up to her later by getting some carrot tops - her fave!
Thanks again useful advice, I can see myself having this page minimised at work all day!!!!
 
litter

any one tried cat litter in the tray? very good for mitsy as she knos the smell n it clumps if she pees so u can scoop it out n then u hav less germs , with hay it just sticks n goes soggy. anyone kno how to stop them chewing corner of walls??????? its drivin me insane!
 
Re: litter

maryflynn said:
anyone kno how to stop them chewing corner of walls??????? its drivin me insane!
Click to expand...

Olbus oil worked for me, (digging carpet and stripping wall paper) I used it for a couple of weeks now she's not interested in "that corner" at all.
 
I have cat litter in the litter trays, but they are wood pellets. Never use clumping litter as it will clump in their stomach as well if they nibble at it!!!

I also say Bedibies when I want them in their cage, walk up behind them and they run in. They learnt that from initially being herded into their cages and using the word whilst doing so. They quickly pick up on it.

Vera
 
I was told not to use cat litter because they might eat it? Shavings make Flopsy sneeze a lot so what I use is newspaper covered in hay.
I'm going to have to borrow a digital camera to take a picture of her to put on here!
 
Re: litter

maryflynn said:
any one tried cat litter in the tray?
Click to expand...

I use megazorb and it's safe for buns.



maryflynn said:
anyone kno how to stop them chewing corner of walls??????? its drivin me insane!
Click to expand...

I used strong perfume!!!! Think it was Samsara. House smelled like a brothel and the buns wouldn't go near it :lol:

Hello and welcome by the way :wave:
 
Hi Katy,

I use woodbased cat litter at the bottom of the washing up bowl with loads of hay on top.

I have no trouble picking her up, infact she looks like she stands on two legs and begs me to pick her up and give her a cuddle.

With regard to getting themr to go back in her cage - put her food in it will work a treat.

Welcome to the FRENCH LOP FAN CLUB :lol: :D

Bye for now


Mogs
 
oh my god, i didnt realise bout the clumping litter! im a bit worried now! thanx to all 4 the perfume tip!.. better not use my nice stuff tho otherwise this rabbit could get v.expensive
 
Hi Marigold and everyone.....

On the converstaion of litter, I got a huge bag of Easi bed horse bedding the other day it was only 6 pounds for a massive bag and I am finding that is works quite well.....and doesn't scatter and blow around everywhere like wood shavings.

For getting the bunnies back in their runs I am quite lucky really Roo just needs to have his carry box placed in front of him and he will hop in and get carried back to his house and Splats, I just have to walk behind saying home to him and he will hop back up the garden.

To stop them chewing things I use pet behave spray that can be used for kittens and puppies....they hate the smell so if you spray a little bit of this on they will soon stop chewing the things they shouldn't
 
Baby

my french lop, Baby is 2 1/2 yrs now. we've had her since she was 8 wks.

i think the key is to spend as much time as poss with your french lop in the early months to build trust. frnch lops can be so friendly. I did this with Baby and our bond is amazing. she grooms me, lays with me etc. regards litter training, Baby is so big she has a deep cage that is her litter tray & was very easy to litter train.

She has her own bedroom but if in the rest of the house i just shepherd her in to her room at bedtime,

:D
 
hi there

great to hear from another french lop owner.

how old is Flopsy?

when i first got Jack, I kept him inside his cage for a day or so, found out which side of the cage he was using as a toilet and then put the littertray there. i put fresh hay in it regularly (twice a day) and put his other food and more hay near the tray. this worked for us. he now hops out of hte cage for a run round and back in to the littertray. Strangely, after his op, his littertray has been moved to the opposite side of his cage. but still works. i've deliberately kept his exercise 'space' down to a minimum and moving towards more v slowly. at the moment he's just got access to his bedroom - this isn't a huge room and one littertray is working well.

i think baby buns do have a tendency to poo everywhere, but having said that, i think mubby caught on pretty quick and he's a young frenchie.

i've read that littertray training can be lost when hormones kick in.

when i give jack a carrot i hold it for him, so he can get a good nibble. i think this helps him gain my trust.

when picking him up, it was suggested to hold him 'like a baby'; this advice has proved invaluable as, when the position is established, he's v relaxed and it's v easy to check his bum, wound (from the op) and look at his nails etc.
As he's probably going to be a big bun, i'm endeavouring to get as much 'health check' type handling in as often as possible to get him used to it.

with the wee thing i think you need to get rid of the odour to prevent further accidents

hope this helps oh and when can we see pics?

good luck
Julie
ps - i read that clumping litter expands in a buns tummy.
 
Morning fellow french loppers...and everyone :lol:
Bunny loves me again! I did pretty much what Julie suggested above, feeding her veges by hand and after an initial huff she came over and let me stroke her.
How do you pick them up like baby then? Pick up under 'armpits' then turn them into the crook of your arm? Don't they go nuts if they are upside down?
I put out another litter tray yesterday where she did her business on the carpet yesterday. She was good and did most of her poos in there. There were a few scattered around the room though!
I read on another thread that white wine vinegar is good for disguising wee small? Is it safe to put on carpets? I have a touch of rented house paranoia!!
Alice thats a good plan with the easibed, its very absorbant isn't it?
Thanks all :D
 
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