I just bought my first bunny (was told it was a 2-3 month old dwarf bunny and I named it Pop Tart, for the fact they told me they could not sex it till 7 months).. Is there anything I should know about this type of breed? anything to do/not to do?
First time bunny owner...info please?
- Thread starter Dashie
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Tauntz
Well-Known Member
Hopefully someone with more experience can give you more specific advice but in the meantime I will give you a few of my suggestions. Make sure you always have a good quality hay available for Pop Tart. Hay is the most important food you need to provide for your bunny. Hay is important for both their digestive tract health & their teeth. Also, fresh water. A good pellet in small quantities so that he/she will mostly eat their hay. Until he/she is older alfalfa hay provides more protein & other nutrients for a growing young bunny. No veggies or fruit until he/she is older & able to handle their digestion. Use a cat litter pan & unscented paper cat litter like Yesterday's News. Be patient & allow your bunny to relax & want to get to know you. Remember he/she is a prey animal so they tend to be frightened of strange places & things including people. Spend time on the floor with your bunny. Watch TV or read the paper or something while sitting on the floor ignoring your bunny. After awhile he/she will be comfortable with you & come nudge you to let you know he/she wants to spend time with you &/or wants to be petted. After the two of you get relaxed & get to know each other you are going to be hooked on bunnies! They are like potato chips, hard to have just one! Anyway, that's my little bit of advice, hopefully you already knew it but if not hope it helps. Glad to have you & Pop Tart join us! Rabbits Online is a great place to come to learn about bunnies & to just meet other bunny people! Hop on in & make yourselves at home! Oh, & don't forget we love lots of bunny pix!!!!!
Ilovemyrabbit
Elise - Introductions & Blogs Moderator
First off welcome to RO, 
we are happy to have you on board. Secondly I should say that Pop Tart is adorable! I can see he/she in your avatar.
Thirdly, I'm still a newish bunny mom but I will offer my advice.
1. The very most important thing in a bunnies diet is hay. Hay is the number 1 staple in bunny diets. Hay is good for teeth health, ect. There should always be an unlimited amount of hay in a bunnies diet.
2. Bunnies need Water. You can provide Pop Tart water in a bowl or a water bottle. find when I give Ash water in a bowl he always tips it. If you use a heavy ceramic bowl he wont be able to tip it. I use a water bottle for Ash. This is what it looks like.
You can find them online or most pet stores have them.
3. Bunnies should be supplied with unlimited pellets until they reach 7 months of age and then you cut down on them and supply a limited amount.
4. Bunnies should get lots of exercise. At least 3 hours per day of roaming the house.
5. Its always good to supply your bunny with toys. There are many homemade toys you can make, just search 'homemade bunny toys' and you should find some good ideas. Ash doesn't like many toys. He does 'play' with his cardboard box house. He'll sit in it and climb on top of it. I make him cardboard houses by simply using a simple box and cutting a hole in it for the door. If you make on for Pop Tart just make sure there is no tape or colored ink on the box.
6. If your bunny has a long coat you'll have to brush it often but it looks like Pop Tart has a more short coat like Ash. I don't brush Ash very much because it always stays in good condition, however when he sheds I brush him a lot to remove the hairs.
7. After time bunny nails need clipping, this can be tricky because they often squirm and kick. If it gets too hard to do it just take him/her to a vet, they will do the clipping for you, its a lot easier.
Yes pictures are always nice! And good luck with Pop Tart!
we are happy to have you on board. Secondly I should say that Pop Tart is adorable! I can see he/she in your avatar.Thirdly, I'm still a newish bunny mom but I will offer my advice.
1. The very most important thing in a bunnies diet is hay. Hay is the number 1 staple in bunny diets. Hay is good for teeth health, ect. There should always be an unlimited amount of hay in a bunnies diet.
2. Bunnies need Water. You can provide Pop Tart water in a bowl or a water bottle. find when I give Ash water in a bowl he always tips it.
If you use a heavy ceramic bowl he wont be able to tip it. I use a water bottle for Ash. This is what it looks like.
You can find them online or most pet stores have them.
3. Bunnies should be supplied with unlimited pellets until they reach 7 months of age and then you cut down on them and supply a limited amount.
4. Bunnies should get lots of exercise. At least 3 hours per day of roaming the house.
5. Its always good to supply your bunny with toys. There are many homemade toys you can make, just search 'homemade bunny toys' and you should find some good ideas. Ash doesn't like many toys. He does 'play' with his cardboard box house. He'll sit in it and climb on top of it. I make him cardboard houses by simply using a simple box and cutting a hole in it for the door. If you make on for Pop Tart just make sure there is no tape or colored ink on the box.
6. If your bunny has a long coat you'll have to brush it often but it looks like Pop Tart has a more short coat like Ash. I don't brush Ash very much because it always stays in good condition, however when he sheds I brush him a lot to remove the hairs.
7. After time bunny nails need clipping, this can be tricky because they often squirm and kick. If it gets too hard to do it just take him/her to a vet, they will do the clipping for you, its a lot easier.
Yes pictures are always nice!
And good luck with Pop Tart!
Bunnylova4eva
Well-Known Member
Also, be sure you don't over do it on veggies at a young age. Always remember bunnies have a very sensitive digestive tract and sudden changes in diet can really upset things. Anytime you add anything in, be sure to do it slowly and gradually.
Be sure your new bunny gets plenty of space. So many new bunny owners make the mistake of buying one of the tiny cages they sell in the pet store-95% of these simply are not big enough. Consider getting an xpen or making your own cage out of NIC cubes, or build one or even just search for something very roomy.
Be sure your new bunny gets plenty of space. So many new bunny owners make the mistake of buying one of the tiny cages they sell in the pet store-95% of these simply are not big enough. Consider getting an xpen or making your own cage out of NIC cubes, or build one or even just search for something very roomy.
HomeworkCrazy
HomeworkCrazy
HANDLING
with a young bun i'd be sure to get him/her used to be picked up and handled a lot or else she will be very antisocial when she is older. Be careful when picking her up and about her struggling. Some rabbits can kick themselves "silly"
DIET
a good quality pellet is key. I would aim for something that has a fiber % of at least 20 or more. Protein % around 18 but no more than that. Fiber is most important at this age because it helps set up the digestive system. stay away from veggies until he's older because that'll throw it all out of whack. wait until a year. hay is great at this age. i usually give a mixture of alfalfa and timothy to young.
HOUSING
just be sure you got a decent sized cage. depending on how you go about things i would invest in a medium-sized playpen because that gives them plenty of roaming room, unless you're willing to give him plenty of "out of cage" time (under supervision) because young bunnies are particularly naughty good hardy ceremic bowl for pellet, hay rack, shelter (huge box or overhang), water bottle, litter box with good litter (i personally use an equine bedding found at my local farm shop), and plenty of toys to play with so he doesn't get bored (DIY rabbit toy ideas is a great place to look for this; baby key toys, rattling balls (cat toys), cardboard tubes, huge paper sacks, boxes, ect. the list never ends).
OTHER
i would try to get in a vet visit and try about neutering/spaying when he is old enough (it just eases up with complications and mood problems in the future)
with a young bun i'd be sure to get him/her used to be picked up and handled a lot or else she will be very antisocial when she is older. Be careful when picking her up and about her struggling. Some rabbits can kick themselves "silly"
DIET
a good quality pellet is key. I would aim for something that has a fiber % of at least 20 or more. Protein % around 18 but no more than that. Fiber is most important at this age because it helps set up the digestive system. stay away from veggies until he's older because that'll throw it all out of whack. wait until a year. hay is great at this age. i usually give a mixture of alfalfa and timothy to young.
HOUSING
just be sure you got a decent sized cage. depending on how you go about things i would invest in a medium-sized playpen because that gives them plenty of roaming room, unless you're willing to give him plenty of "out of cage" time (under supervision) because young bunnies are particularly naughty
good hardy ceremic bowl for pellet, hay rack, shelter (huge box or overhang), water bottle, litter box with good litter (i personally use an equine bedding found at my local farm shop), and plenty of toys to play with so he doesn't get bored (DIY rabbit toy ideas is a great place to look for this; baby key toys, rattling balls (cat toys), cardboard tubes, huge paper sacks, boxes, ect. the list never ends).OTHER
i would try to get in a vet visit and try about neutering/spaying when he is old enough (it just eases up with complications and mood problems in the future)
edwinf8936
Well-Known Member
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Spend time near your bunny just talking to it. It will become more used to you.
Most bunnies like it when you lie on the floor and they will walk all over you.
Plan on getting it fixed. Males will pee all over, run circles around you and grunt when they reach puberty.
Females have potential for reproductive cancer if not fixed.
They like boxes and paper that they can play with. Some play with toys more than others.
Most bunnies like it when you lie on the floor and they will walk all over you.
Plan on getting it fixed. Males will pee all over, run circles around you and grunt when they reach puberty.
Females have potential for reproductive cancer if not fixed.
They like boxes and paper that they can play with. Some play with toys more than others.
