esta Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Hi there, We have just got a rabbit and we are not sure about if its a boy or a girl and if its a boy if it has all his...well you know...Anyway last night it was clawing at its cage so we let it in the house as we are currently trying to find one as this is a big rabbit and it ran around like crazy . Any help on how to keep/handle rabbits would be great. Any home made recipes and what not but please don't send links thankyouu Esta x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FruitandNutCake Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 so we let it in the house as we are currently trying to find on Currently trying to find what?? Any home made recipes and what not Recipes for what? I hope you don't mean rabbit recipes So, what help do you need? I would suggest taking rabbit to vet, and having it sexed. How old is the rabbit? You should be able to get it neutered - vet should be able to tell you when you can have it done. then I would suggest getting a mate of the opposite sex (also neutered) as rabbits love to have a mate. Is your rabbit going to be a house rabbit?? If so, you will need to bunny proof your house - 1st priority is making sure there are no electrical cables or wires he/she can get to. Be aware that rabbits have a very strong desire to chew - wires, carpet and wall paper - usually in that order!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmommasally Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 How old is your new bunny? As for recipes - Buns have very delicate tummys so you can't mess about with different foods for them. Their main diet should be hay hay and more hay! You can ring the changes by trying him with different types of hay, Pets at home do a selection box of them, I presume you are feeding the pellets that the previous owner/breeder fed him if these aren't single pellets then you will need to think about gradually changing him over to this sort. All depending on his age you can introduce fresh veg, carrots, carrot tops, broccoli, spring green etc. But these can only be introduced one at a time and only in very small quantities. When I first got my rabbits I found the Rabbit Rehome website really useful, I haven't put a link to it as you didn't want links but I can do if you can't find it. It has a list of all good fresh foods you can feed your bunny and also a list of those that are poisonous to them And of course we'd all love to see a picture of your new bunny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esta Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 Sorry while we look for a run and no not to eat it i meant for the rabbit, the comp kept freezin so it was hard to type sorry Esta x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FruitandNutCake Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I guessed you didn't mean the rabbit recipe - only joking!!! As Bigmommasally said, the best diet for a rabbit is olots of hay - this minimises the risk of teeth problems. Teeth misalignment and resulting abscesses are often the result of giving a rabbit a "mixed" commercial rabbit feed, where the rabbit will often pick out their favorite bits. It is generally advised that when you obtain a new rabbit, you take some of their food with them so that they can slowly be adjusted to any new food over a few weeks. A "complete" pellet food is good , as all the pellets are the same, and contain all the required nutrients. However, if the rabbit isn't used to it, the new food needs to be slowly introduced, increasing the ratio of new food over time. Fruit and veg can be given in small amounts, again slowly over time to see how the rabbit copes with it. Greens, cooked corn on the cob, carrots, apples, strawberries and blueberries and grapes are favourites with my two. However, do not give lettuce at all as it upsets their tummies. Some weeds can be given if they come from an unpolluted part of garden, where pesticides haven't been used. Also, if the rabbit has access to grass, it will happily graze ( that's what they do in the wild) but cut grass (ie. lawnmower clippings) is not good. Also, some commercially available "treats" are not good - especially the sweet honey/seed ones - best stick to fresh vegetable/fruit as occasional treats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esta Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share Posted July 23, 2009 Hey thanks for the information I feed him pellets and lots of veg and the occasional treat. Is it ok if i put a toilet roll for him (not the whole thing just the cardboard in the middle). Also i have put a chey stick in for him aswell with a straw bedding and water we are taking him to the vet next week because it is fully booked Thanks please tell me if i need anything else Esta x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FruitandNutCake Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Are you getting him vaccinated next week? He will need a mixi jab, followed by VHD a couple of weeks later. If he isn't cooped up in a hutch outside, then he probably won't need xenex for flystrike. Flystrike often affects rabbits that are confined in small spaces - especially when not cleaned out regularly. House rabbits, or free ranging rabbits don't tend to get flystrike - but you can get xenex spot on as a precaution. Also a course of Panacur is recommended to prevent internal parasites. Some rabbits love cardboard tubes, some like shredding cardboard boxes. It all depends on how much space he has. My rabbits love willow balls and will decimate one very quickly, but aren't interested in plastic balls (like cat toys). also raffia type toys are good - like the "carrot tree". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esta Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share Posted July 23, 2009 Thatnks ever so much fruitandnut, if you have any more tips that would be great Esta x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy-Mama Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 hi, am a bit late catching up with this thread, how is your new bunny doing? Benji loves to play with balls he has one with a bell in it, one that is soft and more of a cube (his favourite) and a few others he likes his tunnel too (it's a green bendy one from pets at home) i can post links if you want them. I agree with all the feeding advice given. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esta Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 Shes doing great thanks, she loves eating fuit and veg! We are currently finding her a double hutch, you no the two storey ones and a really big run soo yes shes doing fab Ill keep you updated Esta x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
