Any advice to a new bunny owner?

[CherryNicole 10]

I've recently got a little bunny, Dottie; she's 10 weeks old. I have a few questions if any more experienced bunny owners can help me

 

She doesn't seem to eat her cecotropes (she may do when I'm not there but there seems to always be some in the cage, and I don't want her to get ill from not eating them.) Do they produce more than they need? Does everyone's rabbits eat theirs?

 

She only likes the chew cables, she won't chew any of the chew toys I've got her. I'm wondering if to just give her a cable she is allowed to chew rather than constantly trying to stop her electrocuting herself. Surely it's not good for her chewing cables though?

 

How much food should a bunny her age be eating? She has hay in her cage all the time and I give her the food pellets she was started on, but I'm not sure how much veggies to give her, it seems she'll just eat as much as I give her!

 

Thanks

[bogwoppit 10]

I wouldn't worry about not seeing her eat her poo. I have three very healthy rabbits which I have never seen eat their poo - I just assume they do...

 

Too much veg will give them the runs. Two or three very small bits a day should be fine. If you want to give them a break from hay you can feed grass, dandelions, plantain and various other weeds in larger quantities (search wild plants safe for rabbits - you should find plenty of pages.) They would munch these until the cows come home and not suffer too much. You can pick them wild but make sure they are from places which are free from pesticides and preferably dog wee and obviously if you haven't got her vac'd against myxi be very careful about picking in places with wild rabbits.

Nasturcions are another great one. You can pick up seeds very cheap and plant them in your garden. They spread really quickly, have gorgeous flowers and are a favourite leaf. The seeds are really easy to save as well so once you've brought them once you never will again.

Sorry for rambling at you, good luck!

[bogwoppit 10]

P.S. mine get one small handful of concentrated feed each day. I have looked after a lot of rabbits with very bad health (generally they come with very dirty bums) and find the number one reason for this is too much concentrate and not enough roughage. Mine have giant piles of weeds/hay and very little food which seems to work really well (it's cheap too!)

[madagasca 10]

I agree, I wouldn't worry either about not eating the poop. I have two and I never see them eat it. Sometimes they just leave it in the cage and i just pick it out or it sticks to their feet. I'm sure they'll be eating what they need.

 

Are we talking cables attached to plugs? Think that may not be a good idea to let your bunny chew on them. Mine like to chew willow toys, I also got cardboard tubes and put food in them for them to play with when they were younger. Think they're too lazy now to play with the tubes

[Binga 10]

Make sure as a new owner you are on the ball over fly strike! Check bums daily.

[Ha3el 10]

cant say i've heard of too much veg giving rabbits the runs lol - what do you suppose they eat in the wild?!

 

When i was a kid i had two rabbits fed on nothing but dandilion leaves and veg etc for a long time as i didnt have money to buy them rabbit food from a pet shop and my being completely responsible for them was the condition i could keep them - my mams then bf wanted to cook them (they'd been someones unwanted pets before). The rabbits were perfectly healthy and well fed though - normal rabbit pellets no runs! vegetation is the most natural thing you can give them, least no danger really of them being over-fed or too much nutritian which can be just as bad for animals. rabbits are designed to 'graze'.

 

 

edit: as for the cables and other things the rabbit shouldnt be chewing, you can get sprays and things which will deter them - obviously dont spray around sockets but on outside of undamaged, coated cables should be ok. better still just cover all cables in thick tubing guards - you can even make your own buying some clear tube a little bigger than the flex and slicing down the length so you can fit it. my last house-rabbit seemed to have a thing for cables too - and shoes! giving the rabbit its own cable isnt going to make much of a difference. also just because you dont see rabbit eating its poo doesnt mean it doesnt.

Edited July 10, 2010 by Ha3el

[Starlet83 10]

cant say i've heard of too much veg giving rabbits the runs lol - what do you suppose they eat in the wild?!

 

When i was a kid i had two rabbits fed on nothing but dandilion leaves and veg etc for a long time as i didnt have money to buy them rabbit food from a pet shop and my being completely responsible for them was the condition i could keep them - my mams then bf wanted to cook them (they'd been someones unwanted pets before). The rabbits were perfectly healthy and well fed though - normal rabbit pellets no runs! vegetation is the most natural thing you can give them, least no danger really of them being over-fed or too much nutritian which can be just as bad for animals. rabbits are designed to 'graze'.

 

 

edit: as for the cables and other things the rabbit shouldnt be chewing, you can get sprays and things which will deter them - obviously dont spray around sockets but on outside of undamaged, coated cables should be ok. better still just cover all cables in thick tubing guards - you can even make your own buying some clear tube a little bigger than the flex and slicing down the length so you can fit it. my last house-rabbit seemed to have a thing for cables too - and shoes! giving the rabbit its own cable isnt going to make much of a difference. also just because you dont see rabbit eating its poo doesnt mean it doesnt.

 

My rabbits get upset tums if they have too much veg! They seem to be better on mainly hay with a bit of veg and a bit of dry food.

[CherryNicole 10]

Thanks everyone!

 

I've blocked off the area with the cables in but she refuses to chew anything other than cables!