a few questions

[hotelcali2202]

I have quite a few questions.
so please bear with me.

2 days ago we got our bunny from what I am pretty sure is a bunny mill

right now he is still kind of skittish.

me and my sister are taking him out of his cage a few times a day and laying him on our beds.
he gets comfortable and starts hopping around, he also likes to play with toilet paper.

about how long does it take for a bunny to become friendly? will he ever want to cuddle with us?

I also bought him a leash and harness. I put it on him today and he didnt move.
should I wait for us to bond more before putting it on him again?
when I can I will also be getting him a pen to put outside so he can run around out there.

right now I am feeding him what I got from the 'breeder' she said they are show pellets.

I am going to be switching him to a food by oxbow.
are there any other really good foods to put him on? (I feed my dogs the best I can afford, I also want to feed my bunny the best as well)

right now I am giving him 2 baby carrots a day.
I am also giving him unlimited pellets, and unlimited grass
this is the kind of grass:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753582

is there a better hay/grass to put him on from petsmart?

how often should I add a new veggie, and what are the best veggies that I can feed him? and what is a good second veggie?
I assist in teaching obedience for dogs, and once kitten season is over for the shelter, one of my co workers is going to start a class for rodents, which I am going to join. it will be a clicker/agility class

should I start clicker training now?
and how do I go about clicker training him
(I have clickers, that I used for my dogs)

is there any advice you can give to a new bunny owner? I have more information that I posted in my introduction.
please and thank you!

 

[Amy27]

I feed Oxbow Organic Rabbit. It is expensive but I really like it. I order my hay from kleenmama's online. I can get a big bag instead of the little ones at the petstore. Plus my rabbits love Kleenmama's hay. I buy her timothy hay and then will buy other types of hay from the petstore to give my buns to so they get a variety.

I would wait to use the leash and harness until your bun has been with you a little longer and is more comfortable. I would also wait until he is more comfortable to start the clicker training.

All rabbits are different. Some are real cuddly and others are not. My rabbits don't cuddle up next to me. They do come lay by me and love to be petted and listen to me talk. Then there are some members whose rabbits cuddle up and sleep with them at night. I just think it depends on the rabbit.

I would figure out what pellets you want to feed so you can mix them with the ones the breeder gave you. That way it is a slower transition. You don't want to upset the GI tract.

How old is your rabbit? If you introduce veggies I would do it slowly. Again, you don't want to upset his GI tract if he has never had them before. I would start out with one veggie. If you start with more then one and it upsets his GI tract, you won't know which veggie it was. I would feed a veggie for 2 weeks before adding in a new one. I feed cilantro, red leaf, and endive. But parsley and dandelion are also a favorite of my buns. They just don't get them often. How old is your bun? I know they recommend waiting until a certain age before feeding veggies.

I would also feed carrots more as a treat, they are high in sugar.

Here are some library threads that may help you
Pellets
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12160&forum_id=17
Bonding with your bunny
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=33995&forum_id=17
Clicker training
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=27857&forum_id=17
Vegetables
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=13618&forum_id=17
Hay
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12059&forum_id=17

I hope that helps.
Amy

 

[kirbyultra]

Welcome to the bunny world!

hotelcali2202 wrote:

about how long does it take for a bunny to become friendly? will he ever want to cuddle with us? Hard to say - some bunnies are never very friendly and are naturally shy. They are not like dogs and cats, which have been bred to be human companions for zillions of generations. Rabbits are prey animals and will naturally be reserved and scared of strange people and places. Don't be discouraged however! Bonding with your bun can take time Check this bonding article out.

I also bought him a leash and harness. I put it on him today and he didnt move.
should I wait for us to bond more before putting it on him again? This might take time for him to simply get used to. My buns have NEVER liked being a harness and will chew it off at any expense. Some people's buns do just fine with a harness.

I am going to be switching him to a food by oxbow.
are there any other really good foods to put him on? (I feed my dogs the best I can afford, I also want to feed my bunny the best as well) Oxbow is fine to feed. Baby buns can eat Oxbow 15/23 and Oxbow Bunny Basics Timothy. As they get older and less active you can switch them to just Bunny Basics Timothy as it has fewer calories. I have a feeling the show pellets are higher in fat and protein which may not be required for a pet bunny, but a breeder would have to tell you more about those differences.

right now I am giving him 2 baby carrots a day. I would not give him so much if he's a baby bun you just got. Carrots are very sugary and sugar can mess with delicate baby bun digestive tracts.
I am also giving him unlimited pellets, and unlimited grass
this is the kind of grass:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753582

is there a better hay/grass to put him on from petsmart? Orchard grass is fine. Timothy grass is fine too. You will find them at Petsmart and other popular pet stores. The most economical way is to buy in bulk or in bales though. Also, see this thread about rabbit diet. http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=56821&forum_id=48

how often should I add a new veggie, and what are the best veggies that I can feed him? and what is a good second veggie? I don't introduce veggies to a baby bun till they're about 4 months old, some people introduce greens earlier. Start slow, introduce one at a time and check the bun's fecal output. If it remains normal for a couple of days, you can feel confident that the bunny does well with that vegetable. Then you can introduce the next one and observe again.
I assist in teaching obedience for dogs, and once kitten season is over for the shelter, one of my co workers is going to start a class for rodents, which I am going to join. it will be a clicker/agility class

should I start clicker training now? I don't train my buns formally so I can't comment
and how do I go about clicker training him
(I have clickers, that I used for my dogs)

is there any advice you can give to a new bunny owner? I have more information that I posted in my introduction.
please and thank you!

Is the crate or hutch that you got from the shelter flat bottomed or wire bottomed? If it's not flat bottom I suggest you get something to lay down on the floor so the bunny's feet don't get sore from chronically walking on a wirey floor. Just some cardboard box cut up will do fine.

I also saw that you were going to buy some kabob treat in your intro thread. I'd skip it. It's seeds and sugary junk that is not healthy for Snoopy!

A cheap alternative to that hay and herb tunnel you were planning to buy is just a common (clean) cardboard box, with 2 holes cut into it for the bun to run in and out of. They'll love it as it provides shelter and they can chew on it safely And you can get it free probably

In terms of litter, pine is fine as long as it's been kiln dried and without any chemicals added. Stuff like Feline Pine as a compressed pine wood pellet is a good litter to use for bunnies. The clay and clumping stuff is not. Shredded paper is fine too if you clean the box often.

If you are going to buy a litter box for the bunny, buy the biggest one you can reasonably fit in Snoopy's cage. Bunnies hang out in their litter box and they eat their hay from there too, so it's important that they have space in there. The baby bun may look small now but he'll grow. A litter box that is too small deters him from using it. Rectangular ones are preferred over the corner ones.

 

[hotelcali2202]

he is about 7-8 weeks old is what I am guessing

 

[elrohwen]

Everyone else gave you wonderful answers, so I thought I would just address the training. If you know how to use the clicker with your dogs, it's no different with a bunny. I recommend using pellets, if he's interested in them, as the treat because you can feed a lot in a short period of time. Veggies also work, but he's a bit young for those. You don't want to feed fruit or something, because it would limit your sessions to only have 5-ish little pieces to feed.

I found it took at least 2 weeks for my bun to get the hang of what the clicker meant, so I think it would be extremely helpful to start training before the class, so you can use the class thing to learn new things. You can teach him to stand up or spin in a circle or touch an object (I use a tupperware lid) as a first trick so he can get the hang of the clicker.