newbie to the rabbitworld. need tips!

[hollandloplover1]

hi everyone! i just got a rabbit last friday and i've never owned one before. hes an almost 5 month old holland lop named cloud . hes the puffiest, cutest little thing and i fell instantly in love with him. any advice on rabbit care is much appriciatedi have him free range all day and keep him in a cage when i sleep. hes partially litterbox trained-pees in it always and poops in it most of the time. any tips on getting them to use it more? also tips on diet. hes a long hair and i'm haveing trouble with the grooming (he came with alot of mats in his fluff. also what to expect when he "matures". (the only vet that will fix him for a resonable price is away until mid september). any advice will help! thanks!

 

[Whiskerz]

Well, your bunny is probably a fuzzy Lop if he is fluffy enough to get matted. You can see that breed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_fuzzy_lop
I am actually getting a fuzzy lop myself, so what you described just sounds like one. If thats Cloud in your avatar, I cant really tell because I cant see his body but, if you look at the link that should tell you wether or not he is one.
Anyways, what all would you like to know?

oh, and welcome!

 

[hollandloplover1]

he came with a pedigree that says hes a holland lop but from all the pictures he looks more like the fuzzy lop. looks like i may have been lied too...are any holland lops fluffy? change my pic so you can see him better too.

some of my questions were:
-what is a good diet for bunnies?
-how to get them to always poo in the box?
-how to deal with an unneutered male rabbit(his appointment is in september but hes already almost 5 months?
-how to de matt your fluffy bunny?
-and anything else i might ned to know

 

[Whiskerz]

some of my questions were:
-what is a good diet for bunnies? I'd say Premium show rabbit is a good food, they sell it at Tractor supply so most farm stores would have it, I would guess. Usually the crap from the pet store is not healthy for rabbits even though its "rabbit food".

-how to get them to always poo in the box? Rabbits poop and pee while eating so the best way to potty train is to put there hay in JUST the litter box, you can hang the hay rack above the litter box or just pile it on one side of the litter box, or both. Dont put hay anywhere else. You can even put the food dish in the litter box if need be. That should do the trick. And in the mean time, the poops that he does poop outside the litter box, pick them up and toss them in the litter box so he knows "This is where your poopies go"

-how to deal with an unneutered male rabbit(his appointment is in september but hes already almost 5 months? Uneatured male rabbits usually are not hard to deal with. They usually have good temperaments and are very friendly. I would need to know what you mean by this? Is he acting a sertain way or what?

-how to de matt your fluffy bunny? A pick brush or flea comb is what I heard will do good on fluffy bunnies. You could try that, OR you could be dramastic and get him cut short and let it all grow out nice and fresh.

-and anything else i might need to know:
Well, Bunnies should have hay 24 7, all the time. Its apart of there main diet. Make sure he can get to it easily and not have to strugly. Make sure there is FRESH water all the time! And if he goes outside, make sure there is shade, ventalation and water, rabbits can over heat very easily. Do not use clay kitty litter, cedar bedding, or untreated pine bedding with rabbits, it can cause multiple issues for them and some could be fatal. The best litter to use would be somthing like "Yesterdays News" or Paper pellet cat litter. Veggies and fruits are good for bunnies but onyl sertain amounts (others on the forum can go into detail for you on this). Bunnies need LOTS of space to run and play and NEED out of cage play time to stretch
Rabbits should not chew or eat carpet so watch your bunyn carfully if he is out running around on carpet. Make sure your bunny doesnt eat anything he shouldnt. Bunnies teeth grown constantly so they NEED things to chew, but safe things, like wood chew toys for bunnies.

Um, thats all I can think of... any other questions?

 

[Whiskerz]

P.S. Can you upload a large pic of your rabbit to this thread, I still cant tell in the avatar.

 

[Wabbitdad12]

Let me 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.

Many bunny's 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.

I have listed some links 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.

*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.

I am glad you have joined rabbits online and I look forward to seeing you around.

 

[Wabbitdad12]

hollandloplover1 wrote:

he came with a pedigree that says hes a holland lop but from all the pictures he looks more like the fuzzy lop. looks like i may have been lied too...are any holland lops fluffy? change my pic so you can see him better too.

some of my questions were:
-what is a good diet for bunnies? A good diet can consist of pellets, but do not buy any that have seeds, corn or any colored pieces in them. Petco, Petsmart,or a good pet shop should have something like this. Hay, its not only good for them, but it helps wear down their teeth. Veggies, few carrots they are mostly sugar, dark green lettuce, romaine, green etc or turnip, collard greens.
-how to get them to always poo in the box? Put the litter box in a corner where he goes if you haven't done so already and keep putting it in the litter box. Some people have had success with putting a hay rack next to the litter box so the bun will be in it munching on hay.
-how to deal with an unneutered male rabbit(his appointment is in september but hes already almost 5 months? One common problem with a unneutered male is marking or spraying their surroundings, some males get a little aggressive when hitting the teenage period, 6-8 months. Neutering a male will reduce it considerably and you are likely to have a calmer bun.
-how to de matt your fluffy bunny? Depends how bad, like it was suggested, a good brush, or a pick (looks like a flea comb but the prongs are larger and spaced out more) and lots of patients.
-and anything else i might ned to know Check out some of the links I listed in my other posts.

 

[hollandloplover1]

thank you all for the tips and links, they were very helpful. i moved his hay and food to the litter box area and it has helped alot. he still leaves the occasional present though. i think with the mat problem i might have to shave him down. the girl who gave him to me wasnt grooming him properly and he had a too tight collar on which contributed to all the m
mats-especially the ones on his neck . he gets alot of excersize( i have him free range all day-hes too cute to put in a cage ! thanks again! will add more posts in other sections when i think of more questions and such!

 

[Whiskerz]

wow, a collar? huh, that person apparently didnt know what she was doing with that poop bunny!

 

[leo9lionheads]

hollandloplover1 wrote:

he came with a pedigree that says hes a holland lop but from all the pictures he looks more like the fuzzy lop. looks like i may have been lied too...are any holland lops fluffy? change my pic so you can see him better too.

some of my questions were:
-what is a good diet for bunnies?
-how to get them to always poo in the box?
-how to deal with an unneutered male rabbit(his appointment is in september but hes already almost 5 months?
-how to de matt your fluffy bunny?
-and anything else i might ned to know

Sometimes people get Hollands with a wool coat because when the brought the broken color into the breed they used fuzzy lops. so you sometimes get Hollands carrying the wool gene and when you pair with the right rabbits you get a wooly Holland. Which are unshowable unless you try to show it as a fuzzy lop, which explains why he was petted out.

 

[tonyshuman]

He is really cute! As for pellets, I like Oxbow brand, which can be bought at some PetSmarts/PetCos and some smaller stores, especially those that specialize in exotics. Their baby bunny food is called 15/23 and the adult food is called Bunny Basics T. I also like Purina Hi-Fiber Lab Diet and Fibre3, and other good brands you can order include American Pet Diner and Sweet Meadow Farms. At his age, you will want a pellet that is high in protein and contains alfalfa as the main ingredient. Many foods at a farm supply store will be good for this. When he gets above a year, you will probably want to switch to a Timothy-hay based pellet.

I would check with the local rescues and Humane Societies as far as neutering. Our Humane Society does a low cost spay/neuter for bunnies that is $100. The local rescues can also recommend good local vets. We have listings of vets by state on this website as well, and the House Rabbit Society maintains a similar list on their website www.rabbit.org .

I am glad this guy found his way to you!

For mats, I would use clippers or very carefully cut them out of the coat if possible.