New to owning rabbits, just a few behavior questions!

just got this wonderful little rabbit, Remmy, and he's a total sweetheart. Unfortunately, with all of my reading and research, i still have quite a few questions. I would love to hear some advice from people who have had rabbits.
To start out i should point out that he lives outside in a hutch i built my self, but he gets time to run around out of the pen or inside the house every day. I should also point out that he is not neutered, as he is technically an FFA show rabbit. Show is in october of next year, but i don't know if I should neuter him before then as this might change the way he develops as a breeder rabbit?
Alright, here we go
Food Habits
Remmy LOVES the hay that i got from the local feed store, but DETESTS the hay that some family friends got him from the pet store. Is that odd, or is it just that he prefers one over the other?

He really loves dried papaya, and i'm probably feeding him a little too much. So, how much is too much of something tasys?

He gets a little bowl of veggies (broccoli stems, various lettuce stubs, cabbage and basically anything else we have lying around) and pellets twice a day. I've read that this is what they're supposed to have, but that seems to be a whole lot of food for a little bunny

Behavioral stuff

He does plenty of the cute little bunny things, running around, tossing his feet up when he's happy, bounding up and bumping me with his nose... but when it comes to flopping, he seems to be flop free! He does this little thing where he lies down and kicks his feet out behind him, but he doesn't look too relaxed. Anything i can do for him to help him relax?

We have two cats, and although they haven't gone after Remmy at all (just a bit of sniffing and grooming) he chases them around! It's pretty adorable, but i want to make sure it's all right.

Sorry about all of the questions! I just want to make sure my bunny's happy. I also apologize for any typos, he likes to run on the keyboard!

Getting him neutered would mean he would not be a breeding rabbit. Neutering makes a rabbit sterile and keeps them from breeding and can reduce or eliminate hormonal behaviours. Neutering should not change how a rabbit develops physically if it is done at the right time. Since he is an FFA rabbit, you probably can't neuter him and still use him for that purpose. FFA seems more focused on breeding (I could be wrong about this), so a neutered rabbit would have little use in that program.

Rabbits do have preferences with hay. Hay from a pet store tends to be finer and doesn't have as many long stands. It really depends on what you rabbit likes, if he likes the farm hay that is totally fine and usually cheaper for you.

For dried papaya, you should limit it. A small piece a day is plenty, the size of a quarter would be good or a bit smaller.

Rabbits do seem to eat a lot for their size. Most of what they eat is not digestable, but provides good fibre and moisture. Rabbits also tend to graze during the day, so don't eat all the food at once.
Broccoli and cabbage can cause gas, so should be limited or not given at all. The best veggies are leafy green ones, lettuce leaves are good as is parsley and cilantro.

The jumping around in the air is a binky and is something they do then they are happy. Rabbits flop when they are relaxed. It sounds like he is a happy rabbit. I would watch him around the cats and a cat scratch or bite can be very dangerous due to the bacteria they carry in their mouths and on their claws. Any scratch or bite should be seen by a vet immediately.

Remington said:

I should also point out that he is not neutered, as he is technically an FFA show rabbit. Show is in october of next year, but i don't know if I should neuter him before then as this might change the way he develops as a breeder rabbit?

Food Habits
Remmy LOVES the hay that i got from the local feed store, but DETESTS the hay that some family friends got him from the pet store. Is that odd, or is it just that he prefers one over the other?

He really loves dried papaya, and i'm probably feeding him a little too much. So, how much is too much of something tasys?

He gets a little bowl of veggies (broccoli stems, various lettuce stubs, cabbage and basically anything else we have lying around) and pellets twice a day. I've read that this is what they're supposed to have, but that seems to be a whole lot of food for a little bunny

Behavioral stuff

when it comes to flopping, he seems to be flop free! He does this little thing where he lies down and kicks his feet out behind him, but he doesn't look too relaxed. Anything i can do for him to help him relax?

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I was under the impression that altered rabbits can't be shown - assuming I'm correct, then a neuter is out of the question until he's retired from showing.

feed store hay is not only a buttload cheaper than pet store hay, it's generally fresher and better! just be glad he likes it, lol - my brats won't eat feed store hay (or pet store hay, for that matter), so I have to mail order them a special hay mix from sierra valley hay ><

fruit should be limited to no more than 1 tsp per 2 lbs body weight per day

non-leafy greens like broccoli stems and cabbage should be limited to no more than 1 tbsp per 2 lbs body weight per day. in particular, both of those can potentially cause gas, so they should be especially limited.

you should feed a minimum of 1 cup (packed/chopped) leafy green veggies per 2 lbs body weight per day, 1/4-1/2c pellets per day for an adult (NO seeds, nuts, dried fruits/veggies or other colorful bits in the pellets - just PLAIN pellets. sherwood forest is my favorite brand, as it's all natural with no sugar or molasses added and very low in starch. oxbow essentials is another great brand)... if he's younger than 7 mos old, you can feed more pellets than that. he should have unlimited hay... a "good amount" to be eating is a pile of hay approximately the same volume as his body (or more) per day.

they do eat a LOT of food - they're grazers, designed to eat fairly constantly and eke every bit of nutrients out of foods that don't necessarily have a lot of nutrients in them (which is why pellets have to be so limited, as they're very calorie-dense and constantly grazing on pellets leads to a chubby rabbit).

diet info and veggie lists:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#babies
http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html
http://www.3bunnies.org/feeding.htm#greens

my holland lop, Gazzles, is the QUEEN of dead bunny flops. my lionhead, Nala, on the other hand, **** near never flops. she likes to lie down the way you describe your rabbit doing. if that's how he's laying down, that must be the position he's comfortable in

Is the sole purpose of this rabbit to be a show and breeding rabbit or will this be his one and only show? If he is only going to this one show then the things you are doing are perfectly fine as he will be a pet after. If this is not going to be his only show and or he will be used for breeding then you will probably need to change how you do things.

Also if it is an FFA show run by ARBA rules(they should make note of this in the handbook you have for the show) then he cannot be neutered or he will be disqualified for not having testicles. If he is going to the show he also needs a tattoo in his left ear. This is basically his identification and is required by the American Rabbit Breeders Association to be in their shows.
Some county shows and fairs do have pet classes but the rabbit are judged differently than a conformation or ARBA show

As for the hay, you didn't say how old he is, or what kinds of hay they are. Growing bunnies need more calcium for bone growth than grown up bunnies do. We were told alfalfa until 6 months, then switch to timothy hay, which is what we used for Miss Hoppy.

Hay can get moldy, and sometimes bunnies notice that before human noses, so that's another thing to consider - if he doesn't like some, maybe that's why?

Miss Hoppy, by the way, rejected pellets the day we brought her home, and lived on hay and veggies the rest of her life - and she lived to be about 11 years old, good for a dwarf bunny! She demanded flat parsley and dandelion greens whenever possible - all the produce department guys knew me well! The first time one explains to a store employee that no, curly parsley and flat parsley are certainly NOT the same, thank you, and no, I cannot substitute the dried stuff ... tends to leave an impression!

woahlookitsme said:

Is the sole purpose of this rabbit to be a show and breeding rabbit or will this be his one and only show? If he is only going to this one show then the things you are doing are perfectly fine as he will be a pet after. If this is not going to be his only show and or he will be used for breeding then you will probably need to change how you do things.

Also if it is an FFA show run by ARBA rules(they should make note of this in the handbook you have for the show) then he cannot be neutered or he will be disqualified for not having testicles. If he is going to the show he also needs a tattoo in his left ear. This is basically his identification and is required by the American Rabbit Breeders Association to be in their shows.
Some county shows and fairs do have pet classes but the rabbit are judged differently than a conformation or ARBA show

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Thanks for the reply!
He will be showing twice, and after that he's just going to stay at home. I think you're probably right about the disqualification, that makes plenty of sense. Hopefully after the show next February he'll be getting a friend, and as of right now he's alone, but after that he's going to be retired from shows!

Typically with males people tend to get them neutered to stop unwanted behavior such as spraying urine. With females it is more of a must for pet bunnies as it reduces their chances of developing certain cancers. Also buns should be spayed or neutered if the will be living together to avoid fighting/breeding unless of course your aim is to breed.

I have an unneutered male Flemish giant who is slightly over a year old and he does not have any of the unwanted behaviors, isn't completely focused on hormonal behavior and is a lone bun so he remains unneutered.

Some bunnies flop more than others and some just take longer to get comfortable enough to in their new homes. You can look at it this way, due to buns being prey animals the longer it would take a bun to move from their position and run the more relaxed they are. If your bun is laying with legs stretched out behind him then he is relaxed as it would take him longer to run away from danger, he's just not to the flop stage of relaxation. It could be that he is too interested in what is going on around him when you are near, maybe he flops when in his hutch with no one around to see.

PetoftheDay said:

As for the hay, you didn't say how old he is, or what kinds of hay they are. Growing bunnies need more calcium for bone growth than grown up bunnies do. We were told alfalfa until 6 months, then switch to timothy hay, which is what we used for Miss Hoppy.

Hay can get moldy, and sometimes bunnies notice that before human noses, so that's another thing to consider - if he doesn't like some, maybe that's why?

Miss Hoppy, by the way, rejected pellets the day we brought her home, and lived on hay and veggies the rest of her life - and she lived to be about 11 years old, good for a dwarf bunny! She demanded flat parsley and dandelion greens whenever possible - all the produce department guys knew me well! The first time one explains to a store employee that no, curly parsley and flat parsley are certainly NOT the same, thank you, and no, I cannot substitute the dried stuff ... tends to leave an impression!

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You can mix alfalfa and grass hay, it makes it easier to transition. Sometimes when they're fed ONLY alfalfa they don't want to eat the grass hay.
And I don't think that alfalfa is 100% needed if they eat an alfalfa based pellet.
I only fed alfalfa for about 2 weeks and that was mixed in with the regular grass hay and then we straight to a grass hay mixture.

Everyone else advice and suggestions is really good! I just wanted to add the tidbit about the hay!
Oh and the flopping, let him get more comfortable with you and you'll probably see some nice flops. But he sounds like a pretty happy bunny!