Complete noob-lots of questions and Hello! :)

[Dexter]

Hi everyone! I am very happy to be here. I have never owned a bunny before and I have been perusing this website as well as many others for the last few days. I am hoping that the questions I still have can be answered. I can be a bit neurotic at times so please bear with me and I do realize some answers to my questions will be subjective and that's fine.

First, here is a picture of my Dexter

I am not sure what kind of bunny he is, I will post in the right subsection, unless someone can tell me here?

He is 8 months old, and he has never had hay (until my husband and I started feeding it to him). Same with veggies and fruit. Now I know he only needs fruit in small doses. But since he's never had either until now, I have read you should introduce veggies to them slowly. I have been giving him bok choy this week and he LOVES it. Should I keep giving him the same veggie for a week and then change it up? Right now we feed him Kaytee Forti Diet for juvenile bunnies, about a cup of veggies, unlimited Timothy hay and one or two small pieces of papaya every other day. He weighs 2.5 lbs. Is this enough? Too much? We have had him since July 18, 2011. I know he's 8 months old, should we be feeding him alfalfa stuff still or is he old enough to be not eating that anymore?

Also, I know that when they are being held, if their mouth starts to kind of vibrate, they are happy? Is there any other way to know he's happy if I am holding him?

How can I get him used to me? Right now I am sitting by his cage, talking to him, and feeding him pieces of bok choy, should I be doing something else?

He gets to run and play outside of his cage, he doesn't really play, he just runs. I have an untreated wicker basket for him, a bottle with some change in it, a wicker ball, I made a cardboard house for him, baby keys, and still he just doesn't seem to play. I only give him one or two things at once so that he's not overwhelmed. Am I doing the right thing? He has never played before, how can I teach him how to play?

When I don't want him to do something I say "NO" firmly and stomp my foot, am I scaring him or will he be upset with me if I do that?

He likes to be held, but is scared when I pick him up. I try to stay low and pick him up the right way (hand under butt, etc). He comes over to me when he wants attention, but I don't want to scare him, is there anything I can do to make him happier when I pick him up?

He is getting neutered. Until then (in two weeks), should I buy him a little stuffed bunny to help him um...take out his frustrations?

He's not a regular bunny, I was told that when we got him. I will not go into details because I do not want to be graphic, but he was abused. I am being patient and loving with him, I want him to realize that we are a loving home and want the best for him. How can I show him that?

My husband is over the moon with him as well. I work from home so I am here the day with him. I just want a happy and healthy bunny, so any advice would be wonderful, and if you have read this far, thank you so much!

Hope to hear from all of you!

:big wink::big wink:

 

[kuniklos]

Congrats on your fluffy new friend! I hope the two of you have many years of love ahead of you!

Not for the questions. When they are happy then tend to lightly chattered their teeth. It's a quick smack, smack smack, like someone tasting something. It is less of a tooth sound and more of a water sound in my opinion, and is rather quiet. There is another sound, the pain or grumpy sound. It's closed to teeth cliking. It tend to be louder and slower, and it occurs at much quicker intervals. This happens for me when its nail clipping and butt gland cleaning time. Another way to know he's happy is if his ears relax and his eyes become hooded or closed.

The best way to bond with a bunny for me is to grab a book, get on the floor with toys, and ignore. They eventually come over, stomp around you and decide you are no threat. Then bring out the treats and the occasional soft pet. You can quickly learn where he does and does not like to be pet. I...ahem....also binkie around the house like my little guy. He watches and then follows. After he gets a treat. Yes, ballet happens here.

It took General Bismark about 3-4 days to start binkies all around our place. And about a full week to start playing. But he becomes more playful over time. Now he likes to play the game, "lick the human's butt when they are on the toilet to surprise them game." Which lead to flying bunnies out the bathroom door. Give him time out of the cage and he'll find what he likes. Small paper bags seem to be a favorite here, as well as discarded boxers (I tell my fiancee to put them in the hamper...but nooo).

Saying No and stamping your food doesn't mean too much to a rabbit. Some can learn what no means, but for our bunny we have a funky spray to keep him from chewing naughty things. And especially naughty bunny time leads to "time out" in the cage for anywhere from 10-30 minutes. The key is to react immediate and separate the bunny from the situation, and let him be. He will learn that being naughty means he will lose time with his favorite people. We also do the "trance" when Bismark is bad. He really hates itm so we only do it for about a minute when he's bad. He always stops the behavior, flicks his back legs, and then goes back to being normal. But I think this is more for my rabbit than yours.

When picking him up I supposed his butt, but also his front feet, sort of tucking them under his chin. I pick him up slowly. He does fine with it. It did take a little while for him to get used to it.

As for humping...well, a rolled up towel works just as well as a stuffed animal. General Bismark got particularly...horny around leather shoes. My fiance has cleans a fair number of his off. It couldn't hurt to give him a "date".

As for being abused, he will learn you love him and are a safe haven. Give him time. Be kind, gentle and patient.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Welcome!!

I am not sure of the breed. At his weight, I would say a Netherland dwarf or polish, but he doesn't really look like one. He could be underweight or even a mix. But at only 2.5 pounds, but probably won't get much bigger, but he might put some weight on if he is under weight.

As far as diet, I would stick with pellets and hay right now so he can get used to those. Since he has come from a not so good situation, there is a lot of stress in moving and doing too much diet changes won't be good. Since you have been giving him bok choy, you can continue with that. I would not give any other veggies or fruit for now, let him settle in a bit more.
I would not give alfalfa hay, timothy is fine. At his age, he really doesn't need it anymore. Most rabbits would prefer alfalfa over timothy, so it can be hard to switch them over. As for pellets, what he is on now is probably alfalfa based. That should be fine for now, but you may want to consider switching to a timothy based pellet in the near future. The Kaytee pellets aren't really that good, they are pretty much junk food. I would switch him over to something else. Make sure to do it gradually to avoid digestive upset. A plain pellet is best, I like Oxbow, but there are other goods ones you can get that aren't too expensive.
Remember that with any new foods, you need to introduce them gradually. Only do one at a time so you know what causes an issue if one arises. If you are switching pellets, wait at least a couple days before trying a new veggie. Wait at least a couple days between veggies. Hay is something you can usually switch or add without too much fuss, but still try to do a transition over a couple days, like a small amount of the new kind one day, them more the next.

What you are doing to get him used to you is good. You can also sit around when he is out of the cage and let him come it you. Giving him treats is good too, but keep the pieces small.

I would not stomp your foot. It doesn't really seem to work with rabbits even though they do it. You can tell him no in a firm voice and gently push him away from what he was doing. You can also give him something positive to do. If he chews the carpet, tell him no, then put a phone book or other safe item on that spot.

Some rabbits don't really play with a ton of toys. If he wants to run and he is running for run (as opposed to out of fear), then that is good. You might see him binky, this is when the jump up in the air and twist around, this means they are happy. He might like other toys like a tunnel or bell ball, try different types of toys to see what he does like. Keep toys in the cage so the can play if he wants to.

I would not encourage him to hump things. It can be a learned behaviour and since you will be getting him neutered, it is something I would not allow him to do. This would also include keeping him from humping you. Some rabbits also won't hump objects. Now if you were going to keep him intact, it can be good so he can get it out. But since he will be neutered soon, I would not.

If you just provide him with a safe environment, food and water and give him time, he will come to understand that you are good people and he is safe.

 

[bunnychild]

congrates

 

[Ashleighh]

Congrats he is beautiful! :3
Sorry I have no idea what he is! But he certainly is a cutie!

 

[Dexter]

Thank you so much to everyone for your replies so far. It has been extremely helpful.

All your bunnies are so dang cute!!!

Oh! I have one more question. Dexter has taken a liking to chewing on my hair and I would like him to stop. I tried saying no and pushing him away, I tried to redirect his attention and sometimes that works, but only temporarily. Is there anything I can do to get him to stop doing that? Is there a spray or something I can use?

Thank you so much everyone! I am learning so much!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:wave: Hello and welcome to RO.

 

[MagPie]

Hello and welcome!

Ooooh Harvey chews on my hair every once in a while. I've always wondered why tho haha

 

[hillrise]

Chewing on your hair is a grooming/bonding thing. It's actually not terribly bad, but I agree it can be annoying. You might try adding apple bitters to your hair where he normally tries to eat it. It doesn't smell bad, only tastes bad, and unless you're eating your own hair, you won't notice it. (And if you are, it might help you stop your habit )

As far as breed goes, he's most likely a cross. At that age, the only weight he'll gain is for being underweight, which he doesn't look like in the picture (although his fur is long enough to conceal a little skinniness). Polish is probably the best bet for that size, but more likely a crossbred. Definitely not a netherland, though.

Is that a tattoo in his left ear or just gunk? Most tattooed rabbits are purebreds, although I guess some people would tattoo their crossbreds.

 

[Dexter]

hillrise wrote:

Chewing on your hair is a grooming/bonding thing. It's actually not terribly bad, but I agree it can be annoying. You might try adding apple bitters to your hair where he normally tries to eat it. It doesn't smell bad, only tastes bad, and unless you're eating your own hair, you won't notice it. (And if you are, it might help you stop your habit )

As far as breed goes, he's most likely a cross. At that age, the only weight he'll gain is for being underweight, which he doesn't look like in the picture (although his fur is long enough to conceal a little skinniness). Polish is probably the best bet for that size, but more likely a crossbred. Definitely not a netherland, though.

Is that a tattoo in his left ear or just gunk? Most tattooed rabbits are purebreds, although I guess some people would tattoo their crossbreds.

LOL thanks for the giggle. Thankfully I do not have the hair chewing problem!

I went to the store and bought some bitter apple spray. So far so good. I wouldn't mind him chewing it, but I was worried when it seemed like he was swallowing it. I can't imagine that's good for his tummy.

We rescued Dexter from an irresponsible owner. They said they got him from a breeder. There is a "B" tattooed in his ear (I think it's tattooed, unless someone wrote in his ear with a marker???)

His "owner" was severely mistreating him, my husband has always wanted a rabbit and could never have one as a child, so he was more than happy to rescue him. I was as well. We are learning as we go, but there was no way either of us could leave Dexter in the conditions he was living in. I just wish I knew more and knew if I was doing the right thing.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

The B tattoo could just be how the breeder differentiated bucks from does. They may have added to the ones they were going to keep the show or breed and the ones sold as pets were just left as is. I don't think marker would last that long, not 6 months (time since breeder). Unless the previous owner was writing in the ear, it i probably a tattoo.

It is great that you are wanting to learn and doing it now. Do keep in mind that you won't stop learning. I have had rabbits for close to 6 years now and am still learning.

 

[Dexter]

Korr_and_Sophie wrote:

The B tattoo could just be how the breeder differentiated bucks from does. They may have added to the ones they were going to keep the show or breed and the ones sold as pets were just left as is. I don't think marker would last that long, not 6 months (time since breeder). Unless the previous owner was writing in the ear, it i probably a tattoo.

It is great that you are wanting to learn and doing it now. Do keep in mind that you won't stop learning. I have had rabbits for close to 6 years now and am still learning.

Thank you for that information, I had no idea about the tattooing, although I really wouldn't put it past his previous owner for doing something like writing in his ears.

I can imagine it will be a life-long learning curve with rabbits. I'm always trying to think a step (or six) ahead of him and failing miserably! LOL

 

[Wabbitdad12]

I would like to welcome you to Rabbits Online, my name is Dave and I am a moderator on the forum. So if I can be of any help please let me know. This is a terrific website for rabbits and their slaves, not only is it very active but also friendly. I am so glad you’re here and I know you will enjoy it.

Dexter is a handsome bunny.

Many bunnies’ recommend their slaves to this site so we may learn of others methods to keeping our furry masters happy.

If you everhave a sick bunny, please post in The Infirmary and include your rabbit's age, breed and health history as well diet and output details leading up to the problem.

Here are somelinks I thought you might find interesting:

*For reference the Library section

*To brag or tell everyone about the antics of your bunny or just to talk about your day here is where to start a Bunny Blog, you can also look back at it later and remember when you had a life before your bunny.

*Now all the bunny’s like talk to each other when we mere slaves aren’t around in the Bunny Chat is the spot to be.

*The House Rabbit Society has a lot of good information on what veggies are safe for bunny’s, etc.

*Here is a link to learn what your furry master is trying to say to you How to Understand Your Bunny's Language

*Rabbits Online also has regional forums , this a good way to find a vet in your area that has experience with rabbits and to find out from other nearby of good sources of rabbit supplies.

The Let Your Hare Down section is for anything non-bunny related.

Here is a link tothat will help you and your bunny to connect, How to Bond with Your Bunny.

Now every forum has rules and ours can be found with this link Rabbits Online Forum Rules. This gives guidelines on what is acceptable, what is not and how we hope everyone will treat each other.

Everyone on this forum loves to see pictures of each other’s bunnies. So if you would like to post a picture this link will help you do that, Upload Photo's to Photo Gallery. Then in the post, you click on the "G" in the tool bar to insert your photo. Many people also use Photobucket. You just copy the img file and paste it into the post.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions and I am glad you have joined rabbits online; I look forward to seeing you around.