New to bunnies and looking for tips please

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dashathon18

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Hello and I'm going to preface this by saying I'm completely new and I got this bunny ( her name is lucky) from a friend who couldn't keep it and knew how much I love animals.
The only things I know are issues with her are her weird aggression towards food and that she really doesn't like guys. My dad can't even touch her because she hates them so much. So I was curious if you could tell me things about her diet and how much I should feed her, what I should feed her, and when I should do it. I also really want to understand a few noises she makes. She squeaks when I put my hand in the cage and she pounces on her food.
I was told she is a dwarf but she looks pretty big. She about as big as a loaf of bread if that makes any sense. She really beautiful because of her cute little white nose and she loves to lay on the couch with me.
I get a lot of mixed messages from other people and I'm just looking for a way to understand her a little better.
 
Hi there and congratulations on your new baby. Lucky is absolutely beautiful and I love her little white nose. The first thing I would suggest is taking your new baby to the vet for an examination. You need to know if you are dealing with a male/female for sure (but for now, let's assume Lucky is a female), and if she is spayed/neutered. A lot of behavior is tied to their sex hormones. Things like agression, territorial concerns, bathroom challenges, etc. can be reduced by spaying/neutering your baby. You also need to make sure that you've got a healthy bunny on your hands and ensure that she doesn't need any issues addressed, like overgrown or misaligned teeth, nails, etc. Not all vets will care for bunnies, so you may need to take Lucky to an exotic vet. You'll want to call and make sure that your vet is qualified to care for bunnies.

In terms of diet, most (80%) of Lucky's intake should come from timothy hay. She should always have a supply of timothy and a crock of water available. You can buy timothy (2nd cut) at a pet store. It will say second cut on the bag. You should also give her alfalfa or timothy compressed pellets as a snack. She shouldn't have any more than 1/8 cup of pellets a day. You should also supplement Lucky's diet with a variety of greens. My bunnies love kale, carrot tops, and parsley. Don't feed her iceberg lettuce, root veggies - like potatoes, beets, parsnips, and carrots, beans, onions, garlic or leeks. Fruits are too high in sugar and should only be given as an occasional treat - like a small strawberry, slice of banana, raisin, etc. Lucky will be a happy, well-fed bunny if you give her plenty of timothy hay, a small dish of pellets, a dish of greens and lots of water every day. You can give her water through a bottle dispenser or better yet, in a heavy ceramic or stoneware crock. Bunnies drink more water from a dish than a bottle. Don't be surprised if Lucky decides to tip over her food dishes - it happens, and bunnies are very particular interior designers.

As far as Lucky's behavior is concerned, she's in a new environment and I suspect, is not spayed. A lot will settle down in the weeks following her spay. Even if she's not exposed to male bunnies, and therefore not likely to become pregnant, there are many benefits to having her spayed. 80% of unspayed bunnies develop cancer in their lifetimes.

If you plan to keep Lucky in a cage, be sure to give her several hours of exercise/play time outside of the cage. A bored bunny can be a destructive, unhappy bunny. If you decide to eventually keep Lucky outside of a cage (which I recommend), you will need to ensure she is litter box trained, and you will need to rabbit-proof your house. I recommend cord protectors, because bunnies like to chew those, and you may need to spray your furniture legs with bitter apple spray if you find she likes to chew.

Sorry for the long post. I hope you find it helpful.
 
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About diet, read every article on the "diet" category of this website :
http://rabbit.org/category/care/diet/
It's reliable and contains quantities as well as a list of good brands of pellets and a list of vegetables.

Read the rest of the website while you are at it, it gives all the basis you need to raise a bunny. If you have questions afterwards, you can always ask here.
I agree with what Suzanne said. If your rabbit is female, you have to get her spayed. It will help a lot with her behavior and will prevent uterine / ovarian cancers (mastitis and infections of the uterus too) which are almost unavoidable with intact does and result in pretty awful deaths.
 
About diet, read every article on the "diet" category of this website :
http://rabbit.org/category/care/diet/
It's reliable and contains quantities as well as a list of good brands of pellets and a list of vegetables.

Read the rest of the website while you are at it, it gives all the basis you need to raise a bunny. If you have questions afterwards, you can always ask here.
I agree with what Suzanne said. If your rabbit is female, you have to get her spayed. It will help a lot with her behavior and will prevent uterine / ovarian cancers (mastitis and infections of the uterus too) which are almost unavoidable with intact does and result in pretty awful deaths.


So I've read quite a bit, and I love this site for most of my issues, but I'd like to know why she growls at me but when I touch her she squeaks and grinds her teeth. I know the teeth thing is her being happy but the rest dumbfounded me
 
About diet, read every article on the "diet" category of this website :
http://rabbit.org/category/care/diet/
It's reliable and contains quantities as well as a list of good brands of pellets and a list of vegetables.

Read the rest of the website while you are at it, it gives all the basis you need to raise a bunny. If you have questions afterwards, you can always ask here.
I agree with what Suzanne said. If your rabbit is female, you have to get her spayed. It will help a lot with her behavior and will prevent uterine / ovarian cancers (mastitis and infections of the uterus too) which are almost unavoidable with intact does and result in pretty awful deaths.


So I've read quite a bit, and I love this site for most of my issues, but I'd like to know why she growls at me but when I touch her she squeaks and grinds her teeth. I know the teeth thing is her being happy but the rest dumbfounded me
View attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1492212280.154680.jpg
 
So I've read quite a bit, and I love this site for most of my issues, but I'd like to know why she growls at me but when I touch her she squeaks and grinds her teeth. I know the teeth thing is her being happy but the rest dumbfounded me
View attachment 18787
 
Not sure why your bunny makes those sounds, but I just noticed the collar and leash on your rabbit and wanted to give you a heads up that those are not safe for bunnies at all. There are appropriate harnesses that can be used but I am pretty sure there is some practice involved. Just didn't want your bunny to get hurt :)
Also, bunnies are prey animals who prefer to keep a quiet low profile so I don't think he likes the bell either..
 
I got that collar a while ago and actually have since changed to a harness without the bell. I just didn't delet the pic because I bow looks so **** cute lol
 

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