Help? Got a bunny but I have no idea what to do.

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roxana2412

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Hi everyone I recently Got a bunny ( I think he's a dwarf) as a present from a friend yesterday. I was too **** excited and bought all the necessary stuff for the bunny. Water bottle holder, water bowl, food bowl, his food, timothy hay, bedding, litter box, igloo, treats and a toy; however, I feel like he's scared and depressed. He eats little from his bowl and also eats hay (a little more than he eats his food) but one thing I've noticed is that he doesn't drink water! At least I haven't seen him drink water yet! I tried putting his mouth near the water bottle that's hanging in his cage but he just smells it and walks away, same with the water bowl, smells it and walks away, I'm not even sure if he recognizes the water or not. Or I'm just being paranoid. I don't know, I don't want him to be dehydrated. Also he poops everywhere and also in his litter box, and likes to lay down in his litter box sometime.. Can you guys tell me if this is normal? I just got him yesterday, I hope this is just because he's getting used to the environment. He's around 2 months old. I also offered him a piece of red apple and a carrot, he seems uninterested in eating them.
PLEASE HELP! http://postimg.org/image/5losy4iox/
 
Just leave him alone. Hes new, you're scary, new house new food new environment.....
Give him some time. Hes eating (more hay then pellets is best) and he sniffed his water. Offering a bowl and bottle is excellent. So he obviously knows where it is and will drink when hes tirsty. Your water may also have a funny taste too it compared to what hes used too. Just leave him alone for a few days. Change his litter/food/water as needed but let him settle in. Stay away from apple and carrot - high sugar items, good only for treats. You can slowly introduce him onto leafy greens like red/green leaf lettuce, kale, dandelion leaves, etc (1 at a time incase he gets an upset tummy)
 
I'd also suggest slowing down. Just leave him alone in his cage to get settled for the first 48 hours. At just 8 weeks of age, his tummy is very delicate. Plus he is stressed from the move. Don't try to offer new foods yet. Just go slow. If he's eating hay and pellets, that's is just fine for the next month. Anywhere from 12-16 weeks of age, you could slowly introduce greens, one type at a time.

Fruits (and carrots) are unnecessary and best avoided at least until he's already been introduce to healthy greens and is used to eating greens daily. Once he's used to greens regularly, he'll surely enjoy the occasional apple slice or carrot slice. Store bought treats are typically bunny junk food. I wouldn't offer any store bought treats at all, but certainly not to a baby.

It isn't unusual for a bunny to poo everywhere when introduced to a new area. It also isn't unusual for bunnies to lie in their litter box. I top litter with hay which keeps bunny dry when they lay in the box.

This site has lots of information to browse through on the main forum page. You may also take a look at my rabbit site too if you like.
 
What a cutie! Congrats. Looks like he's a lop bunny.

Check his litter box and you will be able to tell if he's drinking water if he's peeing. I agree with the above posters, he's probably scared at the new surroundings. At his age, you may want to give him alfalfa hay and pellets. Make sure the pellets do not have any of the colorful treats in them, just plain pellets. If he's eating hay, that's good. Definitely no treats yet.

My bunnies would sleep in the litter box when they were scared so it's not uncommon. I would keep the cage in a higher space on a table if you have room so it doesn't feel like you're towering over him which might scare him more. He should also get monitored cage free time to stretch his legs and run every day.
 
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Give him time to settle in. He is after all a prey animal so some buns can be shy, especially when moving to a new home and with new family.

It is normal for buns to poop everywhere when in new surroundings. It is one way in which they mark their territory. Usually it will slow down over time. Clean up any poops outside of the litter box and place them into the litter box. If there is any urine outside of the litter box then soak a small piece of paper towel in the urine and place it into the litter box.

Clean everything that has been pottied on with a mix of vinegar/water to completely remove the smell. Hang a hay rack above the litter box so your bun has to be completely in the litter box to munch his hay or place hay in one corner of the litter box. Buns tend to potty while eating so this will help. Most buns are considered litter trained when they pee only in the litter box as it's rare to find a bun that won't drop at least a few poos outside of the litter box.

It is normal for buns to lay in their litter box.

My best suggestion is to read everything you can here to learn all about buns and how to be a good parent to your bun.
 

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