New Bunny in Haverhill, MA !!! (Thumper)

[GTOJOE2]

So, as the story goes, this past Saturday (ST. Patrick's Day) my girlfriend and I were waiting for one of her friends to get out of work, so we decided to stop in at a family owned pet store in the area. (Laconia Pet Store, Laconia, NH)

We looked at the fish and birds just to pass the time, then we got this small black adorable little Norwegian Dwarf bunny, he's so cute just laying there looking on at my girlfriend and I. Couldn't help but to ask one of the employees to unlock the cage so we could hold him and play with him.

Instantly fell in love with how adorable and especially calm he was. The pet store put together a packaged deal for us including everything that we needed. (cage, hay, water bottle, pellet holder, etc.. and ofcourse the bunny ! )

We couldn't bring him home to our apartment that night because we were staying at her friends apartment visiting. (We live in Haverhill, MA)

That night went by ever so slowly as we waited and waited for the night to by and it finally did :biggrin:

Got to the pet store and picked him up, they had everything ready to go as they promised. They gave us a box with some hay and mulch for the car ride, but my girlfriend couldn't resist holding him. Surprisingly, he did VERY well on the car ride, wasn't jumping around or trying to crawl all over the place. He did get a little adventurous and try to look out the car window so my gf held him to look out a couple of times.

As soon as we got back to our apartment we took him to the local PETCO and bought a travel carrier and a harness because he will be coming to car shows and events with us. He's our new mascot !!

Well, enough of my blabbering, here are some pictures of the little bugger known now as Thumper.

Girlfriend holding him

I guess he wanted to be a parrot !

when we first saw him =]

where he sleeps (he gets run of the house when me or my gf are home)

 

[GTOJOE2]

Plans:

Litter box train
Harness train
teach him a couple of tricks

any tips would be awesome on treats for teaching him tricks, he seems to like bananas !

All the best !



-Kayleigh & Joey-

 

[MILU]

Welcome to the forum! You'll find lots of info here, and a lot of bunny lovers. Nice pics by the way! Your bun-bun is really cute! If you ever decide to get a new one though (if bonding is ok) you should try to adopt one... many sweet bunnies need homes and are waiting for someone special to bring them home.
Well, I hope you start a blog for Thumper and share stories and pics with us.. congrats for getting such a cute new member for your family!
:welcome1

 

[GTOJOE2]

hotmaildeal wrote:

Welcome to the forum! You'll find lots of info here, and a lot of bunny lovers. Nice pics by the way! Your bun-bun is really cute! If you ever decide to get a new one though (if bonding is ok) you should try to adopt one... many sweet bunnies need homes and are waiting for someone special to bring them home.
Well, I hope you start a blog for Thumper and share stories and pics with us.. congrats for getting such a cute new member for your family!
:welcome1

Thanks, he is a cute little bun-bun !!

For anyone that wants to upload pictures like I did, just create a photobucket account and upload the picture, copy the image URL and paste it in here and there ya go

Bonding wouldn't be a problem and buying Thumper was a spur of the moment decision, but I'm glad the girlfriend and I decided to do it ! We have something to look forward to when we come home now

Where do I find somewhere to adopt a cute little bun-bun in my area ?

I don't think bonding would be a problem, could always make sure the little bun-buns go to a good home, because I wouldn't need more than two. But that's also something that me and the girlfriend would have to discuss to make sure we are ready for that kind of responsibility.

Thanks for the warm welcome ! I'll look into starting a blog for my little cutie !!



:big wink:

 

[SOOOSKA]

Hi:wave:welcome to RO. Thumper is adorable.

Can I make a suggestion, put something on the wire cage flooring. You don't want the little guyto get sores on his feet. Suggestions, grass mats which would be good, he can chew them, cardboard, a blanket (if he's not a chewer).

You should give him a toilet paper roll filled with hay, something to play with and eat hay at the same time.

I hope you don't mind memakingsuggestions, I wish I was a member on this forum when I first got Buttercup (RIP). I knew nothing about bunnies, for goodness sakes one book I read said to dry the greens before you give them to the bunny.:confused2::baghead:embarrassed::whistling OMG my Vet thought I was nuts, his reply to me when I mentioned it to him was "Do you think someone actually dries the wild bunnies food." DAH!!! LOL

Susan:weee:

 

[Samara]

Congrats! Thumper is adorable! It sounds like you're really going to make him a part of your life and take good care of him.

You're close by too! I'm in NH

 

[GTOJOE2]

The more the suggestions the better !! No offense taken at all

I want this little guy to be the happiest and healthiest little bun-bun he can be

Where would I get this so called grass mat ? I put a pair of old undies in there (not dirty !) ripped the runner band off so he couldn't chew on that. The little guy likes to chew a little, but I haven't noticed him eating away at the clothing in there. I mostly put that in there for him burrow and get comfy.

When he gets older I plan to get a bigger, maybe two or three level cage for when we aren't home, I still need ideas on a play area for the little guy when we are home. Suggestions, comments, and criticism are welcome ! The more I get to know, the better !

I don't want him to get bored while we aren't home, he is already affectionate towards me and I don't want that to change. (followed me around yesterday hopping around and being cute)

I bonded with a lot yesterday which made me even more attached than I already was. Already starting to train him to "come" when I call. Just being patient and sticking with the same routine so he gets used to my smell and voice.

Would REALLY like to learn how to litter train him so that when he out of his home he doesn't do his business on my couch and carpets. He's had a couple mistakes yesterday, but that's because I left him there too long.

I'm starting to notice when he is about to go to the bathroom. He goes from energetic and jumping around to not moving and doing his business.

Tips for potty/litter training would be greatly appreciated as well as tips and hints for training him for tricks and harness training

Thanks in advanced !! -Thumper, Joey, and Kayleigh-

 

[GTOJOE2]

Samara wrote:

Congrats! Thumper is adorable! It sounds like you're really going to make him a part of your life and take good care of him.

You're close by too! I'm in NH

You hit the nail right on the head !!

Maybe one of these days we could set up a play date for the little buggers !! Book set is at the most 45 or so from me

 

[SOOOSKA]

]http://store.busybunny.com/grass-mats---extra-large-bb-85-p872direct.aspx');]

[/url]I like this kind from http://www.busybunny.com/catalog/grass-mats---extra-large-bb-85.htm

You can probably get them from a store that sell Rabbit supplies. I've ordered from this company, shipping was a bit costly as I'm in Canada.

Check the pet stores around you.

Also put a couple oflitter boxes out in your living area when he is out with you. Show him where it is and put a few Poos and even a little of the pee soiled litter so he can smell it. Also if you are holding and he starts to box you put him down as I would bet he has to pee pee.

Susan

 

[GTOJOE2]

^^ Thanks for the help Susan ! But the tray in uder the wite for him to go to the bathroom on while in the cage, wouldnt this "grass mat" get in the way of tha ? We already planned a trip to PETCO, to see what they offer.

He hasn't "boxed" or squirmed around really too much when I have been holding him. He is nice and calm when I hold him, just like to hop around a lot when put down, he has a lot of stirred up energy from being home when me and my gf are at work. (we work at the same place, same exact hours, which is good for a routine wise)

I'll have to try out the multiple litter box idea and see what happens, he is still young (at 9 weeks old) so I'll just have to be patient and be consistent with the little guy

 

[audrinasmommy88]

Congrats on the new bun. Hes a cutie You should be able to get the grass mat at Petco. I have gotten them from there too.

 

[GTOJOE2]

Thanks ! He's getting more and more adventurous everyday ! He actually is jumping off the couch already and getting hang of going "up" on his two hind legs for a special treat

He really likes to explore, And has A LOT of energy, so at this point I think I'm going to make one of my three bedrooms into a pen for him, cover the hole floor in that grass mat, put some obstacles and toys in there let him run around get exercise and keep from being bored.

Snapped a couple more pictures !

One thing he isn't catching onto yet is the litter training, patience and time is all

 

[MyBabyHasPaws]

OMG he is super cute! Congrats on Thumper!

 

[Samara]

GTOJOE2 wrote:

Samara wrote:

Congrats! Thumper is adorable! It sounds like you're really going to make him a part of your life and take good care of him.

You're close by too! I'm in NH

You hit the nail right on the head !!

Maybe one of these days we could set up a play date for the little buggers !! Book set is at the most 45 or so from me

:biggrin:

 

[GTOJOE2]

MyBabyHasPaws wrote:

OMG he is super cute! Congrats on Thumper!

THANKS !! he really is awesome already !!

already doing what i think are "binkies" right in front of me as i lay on the floor with him while talking calmly so we can bond =] he went full lop and followed me around a little today, its so adorable !

just now he was in my gf's arms and got down then just flopped right down next to her and relaxed =]

learning to litter train him right now, using his cage as his litter tray because it has a tray underneath the wire. he is doing "ok" with it, had a couple pees on the couch, but that's because he couldn't get down I think. But since then, He has the courage to jump down !

so far, so good. Very happy with him !

Thank you for all of the wonderful comments !!

Can never have enough pictures of the adorable litte bun-bun!

:innocent:big wink:

 

[Samara]

What a cutie! He seems very personable. Great job!

 

[GTOJOE2]

Thank you Samara !! This is my first bunny and I'm doing the best I can with the knowledge that I have.

Let's just say I have been doing A LOT of reading to make sure this little guy is as content and as healthy as can be

 

[Samara]

:thumbup

 

[ZRabbits]

Congratulations on the your new bunny. By the pics, it looks like he is settling in nicely. Yes, have to agree, never enough pics of bunnies!

Keep doing what you are doing. As I did, read everything I could get my hands on before I brought my first two home, but the best teacher IS your bunny. Get to know him and he will teach you a lot!

Again, congratulations!

K

 

[GTOJOE2]

ZRabbits wrote:

Congratulations on the your new bunny.  By the pics, it looks like he is settling in nicely.  Yes, have to agree, never enough pics of bunnies! 

Keep doing what you are doing.  As I did, read everything I could get my hands on before I brought my first two home, but the best teacher IS your bunny.  Get to know him and he will teach you a lot! 

Again, congratulations! 

K

Thanks K ! To me at least I think he is settling in nicely, he still gets timid from loud noises (cars driving by with windows open) and fast movements.

But he at least runs right to his cage, which he feels as safe which is good too because I have found any messes in the carpet or floor from him yet ! Everything looks to be in the cage.

I think he's very smart for a 9 week old ! He has taught me a lot already, yesterday I laid on the floor just casually talking with my gf as he ran around so he can get used to me and her being around. Curiosity got the best of him and he was climbing all over me and eventually just flopped down right in front of me after a couple of binkies and short bursts of sprinting around the coffee table, so that deserved a treat (he seems to like bananas, in very small portions for now until he is older)