PLEASE HELP

[picklezon]

Ok i just bought a mini rex bunny yesturday.. ive been researching a lot on the interenet but it doesnt help me for everything. This is my first rabbit.

Background info: he was born in march i think. so he's about 3 months old. Im 16 and have strict parents, and they usually dont let me have pets, but i love them! and i even work at a pet shop, but i work more with birds, because i have some. So i talked them into letting me get a rabbit, but of course he has to stay in his cage, unless im watching him.

ok now Questions:

~ I have been trying to train him to use the litter box... he doesnt seem to get it. and on the internet it says put the box where he likes to poop.. the problem is he likes to poop all through out his cage. Can you help me with that.. and how long does it take to train? .. and ill prolly neuter him when he gets more mature.

~ also i use gentel touch.. which inhibits dust. So is gentel touch ok to use for the litter box?

~ and ive been playing with him.. he's very adventurous! he sometimes likes to be petted.. like i can hear him purr in the way rabbits do, but then he'll get up and move somewhere else.. does it take a long time for rabbits to trust you and cuddle with you?

~another thing.. i cut up some carrots, but he's only interested in the pellets and hay.. is that because he's still young? (i read something weird about that)

i think thats all the questions i have for now.. i might ask more later.



thank you for taking the time and reading, but i want to be the best owner i can for him!

 

[picklezon]

you dont have to answer every question.. if you know an answer to one.. thats a step for me.

 

[sheridan]

ok, I will try and answer these. To let you know, I have 2 rexes, both about 17-18 weeks old so I am in a similar position as you.

(1) litterboxes- afraid to say I havent had much luck at all. I have a big hutch and have 4 litterboxes but like yours they go everywhere. They did get a bit better but I think they hit puberty and its gone down the drain. I am just waiting to get them fixed. Hopefully that will help.

(2) veggies - Most people say not to give any until they are about 6 months old. My vet told me to give them 1/3 of a carrot per pay but no more than that. I think people will have different opinions on this. But I do think your rex is a bit young.

(3) rabbits temperament changes. Mine sometimes will want stroked and will nosebutt my hand to get me to do this. Other times they will nosebutt me to get me to stop. Just dont force it. Be patient and they will come.:colors::bunnydance::colors:

 

[bunnydude]

Hello and welcome to the forum

1. First of all, litter training will be so much easier once he is neutered. Also he's pooping everywhere in part because he's marking his new territory (his cage). Is there one corner where he seems to go a bit more often then the others? If so put the box there. If not, pick a corner for the box and start putting all of his poop in the box. He should eventually get the idea.

2. I've never used gentle touch before, what is it made out of?

3. He seems to be warming up very quickly. It was months until I heard my first purrs! Every rabbitlearns totrust at different speeds, but he seems to be well on his way.

4. The lack of interest in carrots could be a combination of his personality (My male rabbit Devon is afraid of new foods, no kidding) and the fact that he is in a completely new environment.

You're well on your way to becoming a great bunny owner, I'm glad to hear that you've done your homework.

Matt

 

[jordiwes]

Congrats on your new bunny! Have you checked out the Bunny 101 section on this site?

Here are some answers to your questions from my personal experience:

also i use gentel touch.. which inhibits dust. So is gentel touch ok to use for the litter box?

I'm not familiar with that, is it kitty litter?

and ive been playing with him.. he's very adventurous! he sometimes likes to be petted.. like i can hear him purr in the way rabbits do, but then he'll get up and move somewhere else.. does it take a long time for rabbits to trust you and cuddle with you?

Rabbits are very energetic and curious by nature (especially when they are young). It's great that he's letting you pet him. He probably just gets tired of it after a while and goes off to find a new adventure. One fun thing to do is lie on the floor and let your bunny hop all over you.

 

[picklezon]

thanks for all your help... it really does help me.

umm gentle touch is something my pet store uses.. its used for all animal litters, and its also can be a bedding. the good thing is it helps the cage smell good, and absorbs pee.

this is what it looks like.



and the company describes it this way...

100% Natural Aspen wood
1/4" Pellet sizes
Dust Free
[font="Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif"]All natural wood product
[/font][font="Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif"]Longer Life Cycle[/font]

Recommended for animals such as ferrets, rabbits, hamsters, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, puppies, horses, farm livestock, or any larger animal.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

1. Litter box habits improve with age. He's still young and babies are known for messy cages. A lot of people on here have litter trained rabbits but some still leave trails of poops everywhere but most of us don't care about that, poops are easy to clean up, just as long as they pee in one spot.

2. As for veggies, all my rabbits were eating the at a young age and I never had an issue, it's improtant to go very slowly though. I'd suggest starting with something like parsley, carrots are high in sugar and too many are bad for him not to mention he may just like the greens better.

 

[JimD]

Good job with the answers, everyone!:goodjob

Welcome to the forum, picklezon:welcome1

What's the little guy's name .....and do you have any pictures??

He might be a bit young for the litter training, and then it might change when he hits the puberty stage as mentioned. After mine was neutered, his litter training went much better and his litter habitsare goodto this day.

I use wood pellet litter (aka Woody Pet ). I've also used paper pellet (Yeterdays News), aspen shavings, and shredded paper.
From the internet: Gentle Touch is a product made from 100% natural aspen wood fibers and aspen bark.
It looks very similar to what I use and should be fine for you bunnie.

I've introduced veggies to my buns at around 4-6 months. I started with small amounts of romaine and then gradulally added different veggies and fruits from the "Safe" list in the Bunny 101 section of the forum.

~Jim

 

[picklezon]

THANK YOU! it means so much!!

his name is probably gunna be copper... he's a brown mini rex. Copper is the hound on Fox and the Hound.. which is one of my childhood favorite movies.

he's such a cutie, i just got done letting him run from room to room. when he goes back to his own room he gets so excited and hops, then he started running away from his own shadow, and finally got tired and plopped down to rest for just a second. its fun watching him, but i constintly have to pick up his poop, which is pretty easy.

i dont have any pictures yet, ive been taking some, but i dont have a digital camera to hook up to the computer.. i wish i did, he really is a handsome boy!