Some questions

[Faith.Dungy]

Well I did get a new cage for Buttercup. I don't know if it's considered ideal but it's a heck of a lot better than the other one, and the price was right.....free! It measures 36"x24". I also got him some hay. Buttercup seemed really excited about his new cage. I've looked over to find him totally stretched out either laying on his side or flat on his tummy. He looks so relaxed.

I have him located behind my desk in the kitchen. He's not in a secluded spot, he can see everything that is going on in the house but he is away from foot traffic. This is the best spot I could come up with at the moment for a cage this size.

He loves the towel I placed in there, you can hardly see him he blends in with it so well. I was wondering about getting some fleece for him. I have a fabric store that sells odds and ends fairly cheap. I want him to be warm and snug. Fortunately it doesn't get freezing in my house but it's still winter and it gets a bit chilly. Is there anything else I can use to help keep him warm?

I also took him to the vet today for a check up. I found a vet that is rabbit savvy and lucked out that they had an opening today. Vet says he looks healthy and remarked on Buttercups friendly disposition. I also I made an appointment to get him neutered. I have to wait until January 19th because I am going through a spay/neuter program that will pay a majority of the operation. But at least the appointment is made.

I also got him got Buttercup hay, it's a mix of several different hays and the purchase benefits a local rabbit rescue. I didn't buy any new pellets yet cause I'm not sure what to brand to get him so I'm looking for suggestions on that.

So anyway that's todays little update :happybunny:

 

[kherrmann3]

Nice new digs, Buttercup! That's the same size cage that I have my resident house-bun in.

As far as being cold in Winter, I really wouldn't worry about it. Your profile says that you live in California There's no such thing as "cold" there lol What is the coldest that it gets out by you? Toby, my house-bun, loves cold weather. Right now, it's in the high-teens and he is sitting near the cracked-open window. There are a lot of people who leave their buns outside all year (I don't agree with it, but meh, what can I do...). Us silly humans tend to fuss over our fur babies and think they need to be pampered (which, they do sometimes), but when it comes to keeping warm, buns are very good at it!

If you are still concerned, I would recommend getting him a "nest box" that is covered, so he would have somewhere to snuggle in to get away from a draft. Towels or fleecey blankets work well, too, as long as your bun isn't a chewer and could ingest some of the chunks.

As far as food recommendations go, we need to know the approximate age of Buttercup. If he's a younger bun (under 6-months) then I think he needs a good alfalfa based pellet, but if an older bun (6+ months) he should be eating a timothy based pellet. Around here, there aren't a lot of options, and I get Oxbow brand pellets for my bun(s). Toby, my almost-four-year-old-bun, is on Oxbow's BBT (Bunny Basics Timothy), and our foster-bun, Berry-Boo, was just transitioned onto the BBT from Oxbow's alfalfa formula.

Good luck with Buttercup! Keep us posted about his little life of luxery!

 

[Raspberry82]

Totally agree with Kelly. Most buns stay a lot warmer than you think and generally, indoor heated homes during winter came be a bit too warm for their preferred temp. Fleece, towels, and blankets from fleecy fabrics are well loved by my bunnies. When Max was little, he would always chew holes in them, but never ate the fabric. He really enjoyed digging in them for fun and burying under them.

Max always had a habit of scooting his butt right at the edge of his litter pan and getting some over the edge onto the carpet, so I had to buy a deeper litter box with a pee shield on top.

Your cage looks great! If you ever want to give your bun some more space or look into other people's cage, toy, or setup ideas, we have tons of photos in the NIC Cage thread in the photophile section off the main page.

Here one of the cage threads:

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=37295&forum_id=21


If Buttercup starts to get really chew-y, I'd pick up some untreated willow balls or baskets from your local craft store, pinecones, and pieces of cardboard or small boxes for him to nosh on. <3 your bunny! So cute!!

 

[Faith.Dungy]

Your profile says that you live in California There's no such thing as "cold" there lol

Your right, I always joke with my husband saying here in San Diego we don't have weather,lol. Even at the coldest here, my apartment stays warm. I never have to run the heater, that becomes a problem in the Summer cause my house is so hot but in winter it's nice.

As far as food recommendations go, we need to know the approximate age of Buttercup.

Well the guy said that they got him back in July and that Buttercup was about 3 months old. So I'm figuring he is about 8 months old now.

 

[Faith.Dungy]

Your cage looks great! If you ever want to give your bun some more space or look into other people's cage, toy, or setup ideas, we have tons of photos in the NIC Cage thread in the photophile section off the main page.

Thanks, I loved looking at those pics. Such great ideas. After Christmas when we take down our tree I may build one. The tree is actually in the only open spot in our apartment. But then it's in front of our sliding glass door so not sure if that is a good idea.

Also here is a pic of the little area I blocked off in front of his cage. I'm gonna buy some NIC cubes so I can make a better "gate" to block off the section but this worked for now.

I'm gonna look around on the forum but is there a thread showing everyones bunny play areas? I would to get some ideas.

 

[kherrmann3]

I don't know if this qualifies as a "play area" since he roams around our bedroom, but this is how his cage is set-up. He gets put in the cage at night. I figured that I would just post it here for you

His cage is a store-bought plastic and metal cage. It is only 30 inches or so long, and about 20 inches wide. When we bought him, it looked huge, because he was only 3/4 of a pound!

We store all of his stuff in chew-proof bins under his cage. Litter, food, hay, medical/grooming supplies, treats and toys are all stored there.

We made that ramp for him so we didn't have to pick him up to put him back. It's just plywood and shop carpeting with three hooks at the top to attach to the cage. It gets taken down at night or when we are cleaning and need the walking space.

The thing to the right of the cage is his condo. We found an old cat condo and turned it into a bunny playground. It's made of plywood & PVC pipes, and is covered with shop carpeting. We attached the carpeting with a staple gun (made sure none were loose) and added a few toys. There is a hanging grass ball with a bell inside, as well as a wooden chew with a bell on it.

That wooden foot stool is his now, too. He has claimed that as his loafing stool