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Well my bunny is now totally better and eats like a champ. So hooray for that. Heartfelt thanks to whoever suggested the strained carrots baby food, it helped the pills go down so much easier. Except that now he seems to be making GBS threads everywhere with little regard for his toilet. I'm going to have to assume this is some leftover confusion from having had diarrhoea last week, and maybe also because he's now 4 months old and is going through some changes. Speaking of which, dear lord he's destructive. Does anybody have any tips on what I can use to spray on things (like my carpet) to make him stop ripping it up? I'm going to assume it's a bad idea to use deodorant. But maybe there's something non-chemical that bunnies find really gross. Any ideas?
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Nov 4, 2007 16:52
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You can try purchasing an area rug or one of those heavy plastic mats for under office chairs. Chances are that those will get chewed and ripped up as well, but it's less destructive than ruining carpet. Debbie goes through stages where the carpet suddenly becomes gumdrops and ice cream, and she'll pull up bits and pieces with little regard to reprimand. During those times she loses "outside" privileges unless I'm right there with her, watching her every move. Covering the floor with cardboard has been the best deterrent for her thus far, but I'd prefer a more permanent solution :/
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Nov 4, 2007 18:10
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alucinor posted:Very nice, but I'm anxious about all the little ends. How close did you trim them? If you run your hand over the cut ends, is it at all sharp? Buns get mouth abscesses fairly easily; if a lip or cheek is cut you might end up with a horrible situation. Hmm, I cut them about as short as the cutters will let me, but yeah, some of em are still scratchy. I like the pvc pipe idea, or I was thinking of just sanding them down. As it is, the bunnies would have to chin the hay feeder to get scratched, which, on thinking about it, is quite likely. I'm gonna go run to the hardware store....
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Nov 4, 2007 20:50
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I have this in my other thread, but I just wanted to let everyone know that my wife and I are crazy and two bunnies have taken over an entire wall of our bedroom:
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Nov 4, 2007 21:43
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Oops...didn't realize my friend was logged in. Wrong screename!
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Nov 4, 2007 21:54
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Update on feeder for mine and alucinor's sanity: Should be plenty safe now. Updated the guide too. Big horny Cow/Insidion that is an amazing cage! I can't wait till I have that much free space in my room for them!
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Nov 4, 2007 23:54
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dandy lion posted:Thanks for a very informative thread on buns! After reading everything, I know I'm definitely waiting a good while before I add any to my home. On https://www.bunnyrescue.net under Bunny Basics you can download a .pdf file that tells all about how and why to take care of bunnies. It's very user-friendly! This might help 
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Nov 5, 2007 03:38
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girlscoutdropout posted:On https://www.bunnyrescue.net under Bunny Basics you can download a .pdf file that tells all about how and why to take care of bunnies. It's very user-friendly! This might help Thanks! I just might slip a copy under their welcome mat or something. It pains me to walk by that rabbit every day and see it's poor feet on those wires.
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Nov 5, 2007 03:57
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Here are our two house rabbits. They are 4 year old holland lops, both fixed, who are now well behaved enough to roam the house as they please 24 hours a day. Those of you who are considering adopting pet rabbits, please understand that fixing your rabbit contributes to a less aggressive animal, with a longer lifespan (rabbits are prone to cancer in their reproductive organs).. not to mention the obvious multiplication issues involved with potent, unfixed bunnies roaming your house. The male, Pancake...  The female, Hen Wen...  And their house. Cardboard makes a nice house they can chew on.. in this case we built ours out of plywood and it keeps them warm when the temp. drops. The pen is open in the front allowing for them to exit whenever they want, but it creates a space which is theirs. This is important as they don't urinate or defecate anywhere in the house except in their litterbox, and they spread a few droppings *inside* of the pen to mark it as theirs. So overall this setup leads to our house being pretty clean overall (have to vaccum alot when they shed however). 
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Nov 5, 2007 09:53
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Deceptor101 posted:Update on feeder for mine and alucinor's sanity: AWESOME. That's exactly what I meant. I use the same technique on my litterboxes. I use rubbermaid containers with a cut-out for the smaller buns. After a few weeks the bunnies discovered the joys of nibbling the cut edges, resulting in a few litterpans with less than 1" of wall at the front.  Lining them with a split pipe as above totally eliminates the chewing.BIG HORNY COW and mode13h, those are lovely cages!
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Nov 5, 2007 15:59
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Windy posted:You can try purchasing an area rug or one of those heavy plastic mats for under office chairs. Chances are that those will get chewed and ripped up as well, but it's less destructive than ruining carpet. Debbie goes through stages where the carpet suddenly becomes gumdrops and ice cream, and she'll pull up bits and pieces with little regard to reprimand. During those times she loses "outside" privileges unless I'm right there with her, watching her every move. Covering the floor with cardboard has been the best deterrent for her thus far, but I'd prefer a more permanent solution :/ Yeah I was considering covering but to be completely honest I'm moving out of here in a few months and I don't care that much if the whole carpet gets eaten. I'm a little worried he's eating it though and how bad it is for him. He'll eat anything he's not supposed to (while he turns his nose up at carrots and lettuce, and he doesn't seem to care much for parsley either).
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Nov 5, 2007 20:38
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NMR posted:Speaking of which, dear lord he's destructive. Does anybody have any tips on what I can use to spray on things (like my carpet) to make him stop ripping it up? I'm going to assume it's a bad idea to use deodorant. But maybe there's something non-chemical that bunnies find really gross. Any ideas? I've never used it, but I've heard you can put dishwashing soap on table legs and let it dry and that works. Maybe that'll work for carpet? I have no idea.
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Nov 5, 2007 23:08
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Rabbits burrow underground. Give your house rabbit tunnels to run through and hide in. Cardboard is nice because they will likely chew on it, and hopefully leave your couches and other furniture alone.
mode13h fucked around with this message at 00:03 on Nov 6, 2007 |
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Nov 6, 2007 00:01
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mode13h posted:Rabbits burrow underground. Give your house rabbit tunnels to run through and hide in. Cardboard is nice because they will likely chew on it, and hopefully leave your couches and other furniture alone. I'm so jealous! I wish I had the space for such an extravagant maze. I also wish I had carpet, I didn't realize my buns wouldn't walk on hardwood. My next house (hopefully will be moving in the next 6 mos) will have carpet!
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Nov 6, 2007 01:16
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Hai guys! We just got a cute little bunny yesterday - don't worry, I've done all my research. The only problem is, there weren't any cages/pens that were in my price and size range, so I've temporarily got Nobbers (AKA Doorknob) housed in a plastic-bottomed dog kennel. With the litterbox in there, it's a bit cramped, but it'll do for a few nights and afternoons when no one's around to keep an eye on him. The cat has been afraid of him - it's pretty funny to watch, she will get close enough to sniff at him, and then hiss and run away. Once she gets over her weirdness, we're certain that they'll be fine. What I want to ask is, where do you all get those wire cube-things? NIC cubes, I think they're called? I'm trying to decide if I want an open, circle-type pen or a cage built with a few of those. The circle would be great because it's flexible, and could fit in our awkward living-room, but the cubes would be awesome because we could build UP and not take up as much room. Also, any tips on litter-training? We don't know exactly how old he is, but he's neutered and probably a year+. He was, we guessed, kept in a pen, probably covered in woodshavings. (He smelled a bit funny when we got him - we think it's because the cage wasn't as clean as it should have been. He's not as stinky now. ) So, he just pees and poops wherever he feels like it... it also doesn't help that he HATES the hardwood floor, and will usually only stay on it if there's a blanket. Which he then pees on. Heh. No pictures, sorry, my camera's lost. 
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Nov 6, 2007 01:43
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I get mine from WalMart, Target or Bed Bath & Beyond. The price range is 12-15 dollars for a box of grids and you can make a decent 4x4x2 pen with a raised area. Or buy two boxes of grids and make a castle for your bunny
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Nov 6, 2007 03:58
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Bagleworm posted:Hai guys! I buy my cubes from Target in the home storage section ($15) and zip ties ($3)and a scrap of low-weave carpet from Home Depot ($17). Tadah! New bunny home. I also use those "D-Clips" (the clips on the ends of dog leashes) to keep the open sides closed. I prefer the circle pen because I can just fold up the pen and vacuum the carpet, very easily. Litter training: Just keep as many litter boxes around as you can. I think it helps to put hay in the box because bunnies usually like to go potty while eating. While he's in a new house he's probably doing alot of territorial marking, so it might take a couple weeks for him to get the idea. It should be fairly easy with him being neutered and over a year old. Congratulations!
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Nov 6, 2007 05:30
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So Annie leaped into her litterbox today, and somehow took this stray mat with her, and well, it's just too perfect: Can't you just see her saying "I has a fort, no humans allowed!" (those orange plastic things are Schluter Ditra, we sell em at my tile store, ben likes to pee Out, rather than down)
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Nov 6, 2007 05:50
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girlscoutdropout posted:I've never used it, but I've heard you can put dishwashing soap on table legs and let it dry and that works. Maybe that'll work for carpet? I have no idea. Thanks I'll try that, but knowing my rabbit he will probably think of it as salad dressing. mode13h posted:Rabbits burrow underground. Give your house rabbit tunnels to run through and hide in. Cardboard is nice because they will likely chew on it, and hopefully leave your couches and other furniture alone. To be honest now that he's 4 months I should get him neutered, he's also started attacking my hand when I change his litterbox, it's just that- well... I know this is dumb but I feel bad for not letting him have a say in what happens to his balls. He doesn't spray or hump so as far as I'm concerned there's no hurry, but I shouldn't put it off too long.
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Nov 6, 2007 08:10
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NMR posted:Oh he's got more cardboard than he could ever eat, including a couple of tunnels. It's just that spot by the door is where he has his heart set on eating the carpet. ...just as long as he isn't INGESTING the carpet. It's hard to break down, even worse than fur, and can lead to gastrointestinal stasis, and eventually death by dehydration or starvation. I hope his carpet chewing isn't excessive.
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Nov 6, 2007 08:33
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NMR posted:To be honest now that he's 4 months I should get him neutered, he's also started attacking my hand when I change his litterbox, it's just that- well... I know this is dumb but I feel bad for not letting him have a say in what happens to his balls. He doesn't spray or hump so as far as I'm concerned there's no hurry, but I shouldn't put it off too long. I know it seems cruel in some sense, but in reality rabbits who don't get spayed/neutered are near destined for cancer. He might be grumpy for a day or two, then he'll get over it.
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Nov 6, 2007 15:28
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Windy posted:I get mine from WalMart, Target or Bed Bath & Beyond. The price range is 12-15 dollars for a box of grids and you can make a decent 4x4x2 pen with a raised area. Or buy two boxes of grids and make a castle for your bunny Excellent, thanks! I'm in Canada, so I guess WalMart is my best bet for cheap stuff... We don't have Targets yet. -sad- Also, girlscoutdropout, thanks the the tips. I just noticed that he had a nice little pile of poo in the corner the litterbox ISN'T in, so I'll move it there... Poor thing won't come out of his cage - his floor blanket is in the wash right now. Also: he hasn't been eating his pellets... although he loves the hay and fresh veggies. I'm almost certain that he WASN"T on a veggie/hay only diet before, so I think he just doesn't like the pellets. Are there any particular pellets no rabbit can resist? I'm a bit worried because I'm not sure he's getting all the nutrients he needs from the hay and carrots/romaine lettuce/radish tops. (he wouldn't eat the green pepper or fruit...)
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Nov 6, 2007 15:46
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Bagleworm posted:Are there any particular pellets no rabbit can resist? I'm a bit worried because I'm not sure he's getting all the nutrients he needs from the hay and carrots/romaine lettuce/radish tops. (he wouldn't eat the green pepper or fruit...) His nutrition is probably fine without pellets. Several of us here feed a nearly pellet-free diet. Whatever brand you're using, it's probably different from what he's used to and will just take time for him to get interested. Do NOT sacrifice quality in order to find something that he'll eat. Stick with Oxbow Bunny Basic T, or American Pet Diner, or Kaytee Timothy Complete if you can't find the good stuff. As for not walking on hardwood - you guys should consider large industrial doormats, the 3'x5' or larger ones that they put inside the front doors in schools or other public buildings. They are backed with rubber, so pee won't soak through, and they are almost perfectly flat, so there's no tempting shag for bunny to nibble on, and they can be hosed off and hung to dry, so washing is a breeze. I have tile in my bunny room and my bigger buns won't leave their "rugs". I think I got mine at a hardware store for about $12 each. Also: I'm a huge nerd and I've used google sketchup to make coroplast-cube cages. Here's a divided 2x4 with a jumping platform, two doors, without coroplast.  Anyone who wants to "visualize" a cube cage, let me know what you have in mind and I'll put it together for you! Anything to make converts to the C&C way. 
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Nov 6, 2007 16:16
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We've acquired a new bunny named Jiki (as opposed to Kiki, MTG players will get it). It's a cross-breed female that we adopted from a local breeder. It's a show rabbit, so it's got fur like velvet. They also had some great recommendations for food and care. Pics are forthcoming. We quickly discovered to our surprise, that Kiki was not in fact, altered as we'd originally thought, so a quick seperate had to be made before we had bunny babies on our hands. At least they both seem to like each other, and have been sitting in their seperate cages, noses pressed up against the bars. We're going to get an appointment for both of them to get spayed/neutered asap. Someone recommended a good rabbit vet in/around Charlotte, can that person please remind me who that was, since that thread has long-since been archived? After the appointment, I'm considering keeping a daily video-diary of the bonding process for the purpose of education and entertainment, if the folks in PI would be interested in such a thing.
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Nov 6, 2007 17:14
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TotalBiscuit posted:Someone recommended a good rabbit vet in/around Charlotte, can that person please remind me who that was, since that thread has long-since been archived? There are two: Griffin Avian and Exotic Veterinary Hospital 2100 Lane Street Kannapolis, NC 28083 (704) 932.8111 http://www.griffinexotics.com/ Dr. Lauren Powers Carolina Veterinary Specialists 12117 Statesville Rd. Huntersville, NC 28078 704 949-1100 Both are phenomenal vets and worth every drop of gas to drive there, no matter how far away you are!
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Nov 6, 2007 17:43
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alucinor posted:There are two: Kannapolis, that's useful! It's right down the street from us. We'll be taking them there. I'd also like to thank people for their advice regarding the wire-storage crate cages. Kiki is currently basking in a large 2-story carpeted palace and is getting the idea of litter-training. I've also discovered something that every Rabbit owner should have in their arsenal and that's a little Dust-buster vacuum for dealing with droppings. A great way to clean the cage out in minutes without stinking up your normal vacuum-cleaner.
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Nov 6, 2007 17:48
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We've booked an appointment, though I must say the costs made me wince. We'll be paying 55$ per bunny for the initial appointment (that's fine, I want them checked out anyway since neither have papers and I want to know if there's anything amiss). The spay and neuter however are going to run into the hundreds, and that's assuming there are no complications and they don't need any shots. It might sound like penny-pinching but money is tight right now so I'm asking for a little advice. If we only had one of them altered, what could potentially happen behavior-wise when trying to bond them? How would an altered female react to an unaltered male's advances and visa-versa? I'll splash out the whole lot if I have to, but I'm just looking at options, ie. having one of them fixed and then the other when/if we have problems and when my financial situation is more stable.
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Nov 6, 2007 18:31
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I have a question about my bunny - He's about 3 years old, a danish white rabbit with blue eyes. Huge lazy fatty named Tweek. I've been trying to get him litter trained, but for some reason he's being increadibly stubborn. His pen is lined with linolium which is water proof. He used to have carpet, but he kept peeing on it and it soaked in and got nasty - plus he liked sitting in his cage which was plastic, so I don't think he minds. He has a litterbox in the pen, but he refuses to use it unles I pick him up and put him in there - Once I do that he goes for some reason. He doesn't even like to go in one place - just kind of everywhere, which I don't get, and when he eats he pees either right near or sometimes on his food. Does anyone have any insights as to why he's being so random?
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Nov 6, 2007 18:33
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TotalBiscuit posted:If we only had one of them altered, what could potentially happen behavior-wise when trying to bond them? How would an altered female react to an unaltered male's advances and visa-versa? It might utterly fail. Or they might bond, and then later fight with great damage once one goes into hormonal behavior. It depends strongly on the individuals, but EVERY time I've tried to bond one intact/one altered, the intact animal caused heaps of trouble (in both female-intact and male-intact situations). I'd STRONGLY recommend getting both done at once, waiting 30+ days for the hormones to work out of their systems, THEN starting the bonding. You can also alter one now, one next month, but don't start the bonding till the second animal has had 30 days to recover. Praesil posted:Does anyone have any insights as to why he's being so random? 1. Is he neutered? If not, that's why. 2. How big is his cage? If smaller than 3 rabbit lengths, that's why. If both are at fault, (1) is a bigger problem than (2). If he is neutered AND the cage is large enough, try this: 1. Two litterboxes, on opposite sides of the cage. If the cage is more than 3' on a side, put one in every corner. 2. Use large litterboxes, not the little corner boxes - rubbermaid storage boxes work well, cut down one side if it's too tall. 3. Put his hay manger OVER one of the litterboxes, so he has to sit inside the box to eat. You can also just put the hay directly in the litterbox if you don't have a manger that works this way; but you must offer fresh hay twice a day. 4. Clean all litterboxes DAILY. Don't even begin to let them get smelly. Wipe up any accidents ASAP with white vinegar. This works 99.9% of the time. I have one stubborn bunny who was intact and outdoors in a wire hutch for 10 years. He still drops poops whenever he eats, so I have to put his pellet & veggie bowl inside a litter box, too.
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Nov 6, 2007 19:11
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alucinor posted:
He is Neutered, Cage is plenty big, Litterbox is also plenty big. I think I'm going to have to put his pellets / veggies in the litter box. He always has a fresh supply of hay, but I don't think he ever eats it. I give him fresh veggies every day - iether spinach, romaine lettuce, carrots, or kale. He LOVES Kale. I've been using the vinegar to clean up, but it really doesn't seem to be affecting whether or not he pees in the same place. Thanks for the sugestions - I'll try giving him a second box and moving the food - Will report back later!
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Nov 6, 2007 19:44
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mode13h posted:...just as long as he isn't INGESTING the carpet. It's hard to break down, even worse than fur, and can lead to gastrointestinal stasis, and eventually death by dehydration or starvation. I hope his carpet chewing isn't excessive. He probably wants to, but I keep a close eye on him so he hasn't had much of it. And I remove the loose bits of carpet right away. I also suspect him of eating his willow twig ball. As well as large quantities of cardboard. girlscoutdropout posted:I know it seems cruel in some sense, but in reality rabbits who don't get spayed/neutered are near destined for cancer. He might be grumpy for a day or two, then he'll get over it. I should just get it over with... Risk of cancer is a good reason to remove my doubts  It's weird, his four-month birthday was only a few days ago and almost exactly at the same time he started getting noticeably more aggressive. Little guy's like clockwork.
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Nov 6, 2007 20:51
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NMR posted:I also suspect him of eating his willow twig ball. As well as large quantities of cardboard. I'm pretty positive it's okay for a rabbit to eat those twig balls - ours do it all the time. As long as its natural roughage its fine, like oat hay, straw, timothy grass, sticks (applewood sticks are great for chewing).
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Nov 6, 2007 22:11
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NMR posted:I also suspect him of eating his willow twig ball. NMR posted:I should just get it over with... Risk of cancer is a good reason to remove my doubts Yeah cancer is no fun, let us know how the little guy does. A four month old bunny is the behavioral equivalent to the terrible twos and the hormonal equivalent to a pubescent teen. Isn't it just lovely?
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Nov 7, 2007 01:42
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girlscoutdropout posted:He probably is, from what I've been told, willow kind of give bunnies a buzz. Isn't willow where natural "aspirin" comes from? If so, this would make sense that it would give them a kindof "buzz" or overall "good" feeling. 
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Nov 7, 2007 02:40
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Moraine Sedai posted:Isn't willow where natural "aspirin" comes from? If so, this would make sense that it would give them a kindof "buzz" or overall "good" feeling. I believe that's right!
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Nov 7, 2007 06:10
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Indeed it is... http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail62.php I remembered reading something about willow bark tea a few years ago as headache remedy so I looked it up.
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Nov 7, 2007 15:26
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Moraine Sedai posted:Indeed it is... Who needs Tylenol? I'll just snag one of Jack and Lucy's willow balls and knaw on that for awhile.
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Nov 7, 2007 22:47
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So am building the new cage for Momiji...if he has bonded to Cowslip, can they share a cage, provided it is large enough? It's two stories so far, because Mo does like to sit up on high and survey his territory. Cowslip does as well, but not to the same extent.
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Nov 8, 2007 04:45
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Solar Jetman fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Mar 26, 2008 |
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Nov 8, 2007 16:44
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I have a huge question. I am moving back to my home state in December. It will be a 8-hour drive. I need to know how to transport my bunny comfortably. I was planning on using her old cage instead of sticking her in her small carrier. Getting rid of her is definitely not an option. Any suggestions?
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Nov 9, 2007 16:37
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