Just got my FIRST bunny ever today, i have some questions!

[horselvrkc]

I bought this beautiful rex bunny, is orange colored, what would you call that color? Anyways i will post pictures. So i have some questions. 1. He is 2-3 moths old, andi have a litter box in his cage but right now he is sleeping in it! Also he poops everywhere except the litter box! Is this normal?

2. I have been getting him used to me, letting him run around the room. He is ok to hold, but not for long. I want him to get him used to it. What is the proper way to hold? Also he is running away from me.. is that vecause he is scared or does not want to be held?

3. Can i give him veggies at this age?



Thanks! He is soo funny, such personality! Now i know why everyone loves bunnies so much!

 

[~Bracon~]

congrats on the new bun! Its normal for your bun to poop everywere, he wont be litter trained yet, place a few poops into his litter tray and mabe a bit of paper with his wee on, hopefully oover time he'll learn that thats were the toilet is. If I were you Id let him settle in before you go picking him up and playing with him. He runs away because he's nervous and not used to you yet, he needs to learn to trust you and this will only come in time. Veggis are fine from about 3 months but Id leave it for a few week while he settles in, then you can slowly introduce them into his diet. Hope some of this has helped, sorry I havnt answrd more.

~Hannah,Bracken&Warren~

 

[horselvrkc]

Thanks! Also i forgot to post this... i am getting him neutered when he is old enough.... but i heard some of them change personalitys as adults is this true? Would neutering stop this? Thanks!

 

[Haley]

Hi there and congrats on your new bunny Riley (I love that name )

Im not sure about the color, but if you post a pic ofRiley in the Bunny Breeds section Im sure one of our breeders can help you out.

Its very normal for a bunny to sleep in his litterbox. Especially when hes getting used to his new surroundings. Heres my boy Tumnus when he first came home with me:

Rileywill most likely leave poops around until he's fully littertrained. Having him neutered will help with that too.

For now, put some hay in one corner of the litter box to encourage him to go in there and do his business.

Some bunnies dont like to be held. Hes probably very scared right now being in a new place so if you can help it, try not to pick him up. Let him explore and come out of his cage on his terms- thats the best way to build trust with him. When you do need to pick him up, do so with one hand around his shoulders and one under his belly, then turn him towards you and hold him close to your body. Most are comfortable this way.

He probably can start having veggies sometime soon. However, unless you know for sure he's had certain veggies in his diet already, you should probably hold off for another month and then start to introduce veggies one at a time, gradually.

Hope that answers your questions, be sure to check out the RO Library for lots of info!

Welcome to you and Riley :hug:

 

[missyscove]

Not sure on the color, someone else will know.

1. yes, that's normal. He's probably marking his territory. When you neuter him (are you planning to neuter him?) that will stop. It will take a bit of time to train him. Just move any mistakes into the box and he'll figure it out.

2. For now, don't pick him up if you don't have to. Let him jump into your lap on the floor if he'd like. Pet him there. Once again, he'll get used to you. I hold my rabith one hand under their chest and one under their back legs and rump.

3. Probably not, unless his breeder had been. Most people hold off until about 4-6 months. When you do introduce them, introduce slowly.



Pictures?

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

:yeahthatretty much. Definitely let him get used to his new surroundings. Some bunnies love to sleep in their litter boxes and this is perfectly fine. As you go to get him litter trained, just keep placing the poos in the litter and wipe up all the pee accidents with a tissue and place that in the litter box. It can take them awhile to get the idea. Also, he'sgoing to getting to thetean stage, so this will make it more difficult. Neutering will help this.

The color you are referring to sounds like Red, but I'd have to see a picture. You could also put a picture up in the Rabbitry section and breeders there will be able to tell you what the coloring is.

I'd just enjoy petting him for now and not pick him up. Let him learn to trust you first. If you go to our Bunny 101 section, there are several sections that would help you to learn all about your new bun, lifting is one of them.

Congrats on your new addition! I'm glad you're already enjoying him. Bunnies are a hoot.

 

[Penna]

Congrats on the new bun!

It's defintally normal for him to poop everywhere. Like Bracon said, just palce a few of his poops in his litterbox when you clean out his cage and hopefully he'll get the idea. One of my buns picked up on it really fast when I first got her, and the other one I'm going to have to re-littertrain. She uses her litterbox about 60% of the time.

Like everyone else has said, I'd let him settle in first. It makes it a lot less stressful on him.

Just be sure to introduce veggies slowly. I'd wait maybe a month or so though just to be safe of his age.

 

[horselvrkc]

Ugh! I cannot believe it!! i just let Riley out again and I noticed a limp to him. His left front leg! He puts a bit of weight on it when he walks/runs, but when he stands still he lifts it off the ground! I love him so much already and I do not want to give the bun up! What should i do? Thanks:shock:

 

[Phinnsmommy]

I would call the shelter and ask if he had the injury before you took him home.

I would check his nails, make sure they aren't broken, and if he lets you, just feel around the leg to see if you can pinpoint the damage.


I would give it some time just in case, but if its th same tommarow, I would take him to the vet.

 

[horselvrkc]

Ok thanks, but i did not get him from a shelter. Originally i was but they wouldnt let me keep it outside, so i got him from a pet store. but now i have decided to keep him indoors! Maybe the pet store will pay for the vet bill.

 

[Leaf]

Around here, pet stores don't really do anything. Some have a 72 hour return policy on live animals (usually if they die) but most sell live animals "as is".

 

[Haley]

Check his toenails and feet. He might have ripped a toenail off, which can cause them to limp for a day or so. Does he had a wire bottom cage? If so, put something soft down for him to rest on- like a piece of carboard or plastic or a towel.

Keep an eye on him today and tomorrow, if he's not better you should take him to the vet for a checkup (which would be good anyway since you just got him).

Its doubtful the petstore will pay for anything or help you at all. Most pet stores will put an animal down if its sick. Vet care isnt usually provided to the animals.

 

[undergunfire]

If you were trying to hold him and he struggled, he may have hurt his paw that way.

Did you get him from a large chain pet store? Most pet stores, like PETsMART and Petco, have a 7 - 10 day type "trial" period....

If you purchase the animal and it becomes sick or dies, then you can bring the animal back to the store for "vet care" and a refund.

What they do is....they refund your money, take your new pet and get it "vet care" while it sits in the "sick animal" room, then when the animal is "cured", they will called you and offer for you to buy the animal back, if you don't want it....then it goes back out on the sale floor.

I have heard stories that people returned their animal, and got a call saying the animal had to be euthanized or died...when chances are....the problem was too costly for the company to fix, and without contacting the people, they just had it put to sleep.

Once the company buys the animal back from you....it is no longer yours....as they gave you a refund. Anything can happen to the animal.



If his leg doesn't get better, then I would get him to a rabbit savy vet and get it checked out yourself, so you know exactly what type of issue is going on...and you have a say in the matter.

 

[Ivory]

Not all chain stores are like this. Dad is one of the vets that PetsMart uses, and he's never put any of the animals down with the exception of a water dragon. They're usually treated, and if the company doesn't agree with the prices of his medication (because they do like the cheap stuff better...because it's cheap) but the managers will pay themselves for the medicine if the company won't.

So not all pet stores are like that.

Just wanted to say that...

 

[undergunfire]

Ivory wrote:

Not all chain stores are like this. Dad is one of the vets that PetsMart uses, and he's never put any of the animals down with the exception of a water dragon. They're usually treated, and if the company doesn't agree with the prices of his medication (because they do like the cheap stuff better...because it's cheap) but the managers will pay themselves for the medicine if the company won't.

So not all pet stores are like that.

Just wanted to say that...

You may just have one of the lucky pet stores with employees and vets that really care about the animals .

I, personally, would never take the chance of returning my animal to the pet store for treatment. Most of the time they don't keep them there long enough to get the correct time frame of treatment, and most stores will not send you home with the medication to finish it off with your pet.

 

[Ivory]

Ah, I would never risk that, either. But then again, I can go straight to the source of medicine in case I need it . So I guess I'm lucky in that sense.

If the animal is sick, they aren't put up for sale...at least that's how it's supposed to work. Of course you have hamsters that develop wet-tail AFTER leaving...but that's a different story.

Or the rats that develop respiratory infections for that matter.

But I digress, I'm drifting off topic.

 

[Butterfinger]

I don't think anybody mentioned it, but I think the orange/red color in rexes/mini-rexes is called castor. Just wanted to be helpful and be able to answer -one- of the questions, anyway, since everyone else was doing so well with the others.

I'm also casting my vote with 'wait until tomorrow, then get the leg checked out by a vet' crowd If it's just a hangnail, the limp would probably go away by the next day

~Diana and Butter

 

[undergunfire]

Ivory wrote:

Or the rats that develop respiratory infections for that matter.

Most all rats for sale in pet shops are sick with URI's. The littlest bit of stress can send them into it, unfortunately.

 

[aurora369]

Zeke is a castor rex:




Wildfire was a red mini rex:


And here is Wildfire with some of her castor babies:


If the bunny is an orange/red colour, he's most likely a red rex/mini rex.

--Dawn