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alucinor posted:That's a pretty normal price, unfortunately. Sometimes you can find those boxes on sale for $12, but that means a long wait-and-see process. Some people have found them at CostCo, Sam's Club, etc, in 50 cube boxes for about $20, but the ones near me have never had them. I've very occasionally scored them from Goodwill/craigslist; speaking of such, you may also be able to find a cheap dog exercise pen from one of those that might suit him. I couldn't find any in my area for under $25 a box, but did find them online (they didn't have them in store) at Staples for around $10 or $12. Also, check at stores that are going out of business--before I was able to order mine, my mom called to tell me she had gotten a box of 60 for $5 at a Kaybee toy store that was closing. I've also seen them (and kicked myself for not buying them!) at college rummage sales. I live around a few colleges, and on occasion (usually at ends of semester) they sell stuff people left behind or didn't want for really cheap. There were like 20 boxes of cubes for a dollar each last time I went. Or maybe you could put up want ad posters on a campus for used ones--people are always trying to get rid of cheap shelving stuff so they don't have to move or store it. (Edit: I looked around for a link: http://tinyurl.com/9jy8kv ; also I found these? not sure if it's a better deal: http://tinyurl.com/8ozu62 ) rushivywithglocks fucked around with this message at 19:12 on Jan 21, 2009 |
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Jan 21, 2009 19:06
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I have a question about house bunnies I hope you can help with. My girlfriends bunny died last year and she was devastated, since then we have moved into a two bedroom top floor flat, which is relatively roomy. I've been thinking about getting her another rabbit for valentines day but I'm not sure sure keeping it in a flat is a good idea? Some people have said they are perfectly fine in their apartments but I was hoping you could give me some advice and tips? Obviously I'm mostly worried about the goddamn smell the thing will produce, my girlfriend assures me these things can be litter trained... is this true and how do I go about training it? Thanks!
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Jan 21, 2009 20:41
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Hanpan posted:I have a question about house bunnies I hope you can help with. Getting someone a pet as a gift is a BAD idea. What if she was so traumatized by her bunny's death that she never wants another? What if she feels that school/job/whatever is more important and she doesn't want the responsibility and financial burden of pets right now? The rabbit and all his supplies have to be returned (probably no refund for you) and you ruined valentines day, good going man.  A better idea would be a toy bunny with a ribbon around its neck, carrying a card that reads "good for one fully paid rabbit adoption" or something like that. That way, if she decides she doesn't want the responsibility of a pet right now, she still has an adorable stuffed toy to cuddle with. V-Day saved!  To answer your other questions: No, there's no problem keeping house rabbits in an apartment, just make sure you have money saved up to replace damaged carpet/etc. Litter training info here. Note the following: Litter box use and destructive habits like eating carpet and baseboards are vastly improved by having the rabbit spayed or neutered. This can be expensive, but you can avoid the extra cost by going to a rescue and adopting a rabbit who is already fixed. Are you a neat freak? The hay and fur get EVERYWHERE and requires a lot of extra cleaning. They are much happier in pairs and pairs keep each other entertained, so they are actually a lot less work than a single. How did her previous bunny die? If her diet information was bad, or she didn't know the danger signs of ill-health, or if she didn't have access to a good bunny-savvy vet, getting another rabbit should be put on hold till she's had time to research all these issues.
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Jan 21, 2009 22:05
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Thanks for the reply. She has expressed she wants another rabbit, I wouldn't just spring it on her  Good info there, thanks very much.
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Jan 21, 2009 22:10
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Hanpan posted:we have moved into a two bedroom top floor flat, which is relatively roomy. My apartment is technically a townhouse, meaning it has an upper and lower floor with neighbors on all sides. My rabbits have their own room upstairs and when they get angry, scared or bored they will sometimes thump. Repeatedly and loudly. Now, I know my neighbors can hear it because it's loud as hell when I'm sitting in the room below or trying to sleep in my room. Luckily no one in this building talks to anyone else so I never hear complaints. Also, most of my neighbors are loud assholes who slam doors and let their kids scream and cry and stomp up the stairs. My point is, mention the idea to your downstairs neighbor. Let them know about bunny behavior before you get a knock on the door at 3am because Fluffy was spooked by a draft or odd noise. Always better to be safe than sorry!
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Jan 22, 2009 07:18
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I live in a two room (not two bedroom, two room) apartment with my girlfriend and our two bunnies and it works out well. And has anyone else ever got the smell thing? People ask me that a lot and I find it odd, I've never had any kind of odor problems with rabbits.
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Jan 22, 2009 11:57
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So I found a cheap table cloth type thing and it seemed like it would be ideal to try in the floor of their house to help with the carpet chewing problem. I figured as plastic-y as it is there was no way Milly would chew it. After night one she had it completely mauled, I think I'm just going to have to break down and buy a sheet of chloroplast for the floor and just always keep a super close eye on her while she's out (even though they're sometimes out for 12 hours a day).
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Jan 22, 2009 12:03
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GoodApollo posted:And has anyone else ever got the smell thing? People ask me that a lot and I find it odd, I've never had any kind of odor problems with rabbits. Even though I regularly change his litterbox, and I use Carefresh which is really good at absorbing smells, and he's neutered, when Billy has just peed the smell is still strong enough to just about make my nose hairs curl up. Maybe it's diet related. He loves his broccoli.
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Jan 22, 2009 15:31
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DS at Night posted:Even though I regularly change his litterbox, and I use Carefresh which is really good at absorbing smells, and he's neutered, when Billy has just peed the smell is still strong enough to just about make my nose hairs curl up. Murphy loves broccoli too. Ever since I started allowing him to eat more of it I noticed a stronger smell in his urine, but only when cleaning out his litterbox. Honestly that's the only time I notice any odor and it's not even strong enough to waft through the room, let alone the whole upstairs. My bunnies smell like rainbows and sunshine. And hay
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Jan 23, 2009 02:24
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Ugh. So one of my roommates is getting a rabbit. Hes adopting it from a woman who can't take care of it anymore because they have a dog and are afraid to take it out of its cage too much. Hes getting it for his birthday, along with the pet deposit which his parents are covering for him. We still don't even know if our apartment complex will even allow it in the apartment in the first place since they have a no rodent rule in regards to pets but he thinks that just applies to mice, rats, etc. I sent him immediately to rabbit.org and have been questioning him with everything I have gleaned from reading this thread including stuff about diet, vet locations in our town, what hes going to do when he moves (we're in college), etc. Blah. Are there any other resources I can show him or things I can tell him to maybe convince him not to get the rabbit? At this point he has his heart set on it but its still sort of up in the air. Halp?
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Jan 23, 2009 03:35
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Egad posted:Are there any other resources I can show him or things I can tell him to maybe convince him not to get the rabbit? At this point he has his heart set on it but its still sort of up in the air. Halp? Expensive, expensive expensive! They also can live up to 10 years. One time I had to take both rabbits in for x-rays when they decided to eat a Jar-Jar figure. While funny in retrospect, the vet visit cost me a little over $300. A few months ago Debbie had an e-vet visit that cost me another couple hundred and several hours of my time. Had it really been stasis, it would have cost much more. If the rabbit isn't fixed, neutering runs $100-250 and spaying is upwards of $300. Prices will obviously vary, but it's a rough estimate. Fresh veggies can cost quite a bit as well. They aren't like fish either. Daily fresh hay, water, veggies and pellets(though ideally they would be a veg and hay only diet) are needed. You can't throw some extra food in the cage when you go away for the weekend. If your friend believes he is financially stable and responsible enough to care for a rabbit - and the landlord allows it - maybe he'll be fine. edit: This is on the high side, but what I expect to pay out for 2009 quote:estimated cost for a year for 2 bunnies including misc. expenses: Windy fucked around with this message at 07:40 on Jan 23, 2009 |
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Jan 23, 2009 07:30
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Windy posted:Murphy loves broccoli too. Ever since I started allowing him to eat more of it I noticed a stronger smell in his urine, but only when cleaning out his litterbox. Honestly that's the only time I notice any odor and it's not even strong enough to waft through the room, let alone the whole upstairs. My bunnies smell like rainbows and sunshine. And hay Egad posted:they have a no rodent rule in regards to pets but he thinks that just applies to mice, rats, etc. Rabbits are lagomorphs, not rodents  Anyway the new roommate might turn out just fine. You don't seem too happy about it though... are you worried it's gonna be you who gets stuck with taking care of it?
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Jan 23, 2009 08:14
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Windy what size hay do you buy in? That's really expensive. I go through about 3 50lb boxes of timothy hay a year (each $54) with Annie and Ben. The next size down has been 9lb bags for $25. You can contact Oxbow and ask them what places in your zip code they ship the 50lb boxes to.
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Jan 23, 2009 09:47
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DS at Night posted:Rabbits are lagomorphs, not rodents Shhh.... And while I love the idea of having a pet around (hes allergic to cats and we can't deal with a dog), yes, I am worried I'll be stuck taking care of it. Hes a bit flaky and my fear is that he'll get bored after a month or so. He said hes had a rabbit before but it was killed in some bizarre manner. He told me once but I can't remember right now. Blah. I'll just do what I can I guess...
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Jan 23, 2009 14:31
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Egad posted:We still don't even know if our apartment complex will even allow it in the apartment in the first place since they have a no rodent rule in regards to pets but he thinks that just applies to mice, rats, etc. They probably don't allow rodents because they are worried about the damage they'll cause if they escape. While a rabbit wont be able to go inside the walls and chew up the electrical - they can do a pretty good remodeling job (walls, woodwork, carpet). If you can't have a rat, I'm positive you can't have a rabbit. You could always ask management for him  .
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Jan 23, 2009 16:28
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Deceptor101 posted:Windy what size hay do you buy in? That's really expensive. I go through about 3 50lb boxes of timothy hay a year (each $54) with Annie and Ben. The next size down has been 9lb bags for $25. You can contact Oxbow and ask them what places in your zip code they ship the 50lb boxes to. I used to get it cheaper directly from oxbow, but now I have to buy it from a retail shop. It's $25 for a 9lb bag like you posted. I don't understand why I have to pay twice as much for the same amount of hay. The last time I checked, the nearest pet stores only carried up to the 9lb boxes and wanted to charge me for the shipping cost to get the 50lb box. But like I said, I estimated on the high end. Expenses will fluctuate but I keep a certain amount on hand for emergencies as well as necessities. I prefer to err on the side of caution. Saving ~$150 would be nice, but not too noticeable when I'm already setting aside a grand for expenses. Though it would be handy for boarding money if I go on a vacation this year.
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Jan 23, 2009 17:19
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Baitu posted:They probably don't allow rodents because they are worried about the damage they'll cause if they escape. While a rabbit wont be able to go inside the walls and chew up the electrical - they can do a pretty good remodeling job (walls, woodwork, carpet). If you can't have a rat, I'm positive you can't have a rabbit. You could always ask management for him Hes told me that he is going to ask himself. So hopefully that will stop his dreams of rabbits in its tracks. We shall see.
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Jan 23, 2009 18:06
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Soo, my girlfriend and I recently found out that there is a girl in the dorms here hording a bunny in her room. Obviously they aren't supposed to have him, and the rooms there are absolutely tiny, comparable to a walk in closet. We've heard they're keeping him in a small cage, which is believable as there really isn't any room to put him in appropriate size housing. Right now we're just snooping around trying to get confirms for everything. We haven't contacted any of the housing people or whatever because we're afraid the girl will get reported and just dump the bunny at the park or something. Regardless we're both really nervous because we think the only decent way to do this will be to get in touch with her and feel her out to see if we can get her to give it up or put him somewhere more appropriate. I know some people here have done rescue work before in much worse situations, I was just curious if anybody had any pointers for when we do find this girl and get in touch with her.
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Jan 26, 2009 05:38
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You'll be doing the right thing if you can get her to give him up to a shelter or rescue where he can be taken care of properly. She probably has no idea how to take care of him and isn't even feeding him hay or veggies or providing proper vet care. If you educate her on all the things bunnies really need she MIGHT be willing to give him up, but more likely she'll respond that rabbits don't really need all those things and he's just fine without.  However - you're in Starkville? You're screwed as far as finding a GOOD rescue, your only bet is probably going to be the local shelter. MS is like the one state with NO representation from the House Rabbit Society. Your choices look like the Oxford Humane Society or driving him clear to Alabama. You can try contacting EARS and see if they have any local friends who could get him and transport him, but it's not likely.
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Jan 26, 2009 16:12
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We have a bunny. The apartment complex ok'd him, even saying he didn't need a pet deposit. He was just warned that if the rabbit were to tear up any carpet or chew on baseboards, etc, he would be in a lot of trouble. So far it hasn't been much of a problem. Hes (guessing at gender here) a standard albino. We have no indication of him being anything more than regular domestic rabbit. My roommate holding him for the first time:  Looking less terrified in his cage:  Chillin'. Hes a very easy going rabbit. Not really affectionate but he isn't terrified of us.  The cage does have a wire bottom and its pretty bare-boned but he doesn't seem to like lying on anything. A couple of old t-shirts and a dishtowel are in there with him but he just sort of flings them around.  Mr. Rabbit in his cage. Its fairly large(?) I guess but he also gets a lot of running around time in the bunny-proofed room.  He had some crappy Hartz pellets and alfalfa cubes. The woman who had him earlier was using pine shavings which we immediately dumped with some random litter pellets. The bottom part of the cage pulls out for cleaning. My roommate purchases a rubbermaid type tub thing for a litter box and put it in a spot outside of the cage for him to pee in. It has some timothy hay in it as well has shredded newspaper and a small layer of cat litter though I don't know what kind. Hes got a lot of hay to chew on and we're finishing up the pellets he came with before going to PetCo. They have Bonanza stuff which I seem to recall reading was good but I'll have to check back in the thread. His age is estimated to be ~5 months so we're just feeding him as per what rabbit.org suggests. There is also some neutering to be done this weekend at a local vet. I'm going to try and get my roommate to take the list of questions suggested by rabbit.org to ask about procedures. He said the woman said something about lazers? I don't know. Sorry for the novel, any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. tl;dr New bunny, any suggestions? 
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Jan 27, 2009 02:59
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Egad! posted:tl;dr New bunny, any suggestions? I would cover up the wire bottom and get him a litter box for inside the cage. pictures show the cage hay less =/
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Jan 27, 2009 03:13
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SpaceMonkey posted:I would cover up the wire bottom and get him a litter box for inside the cage. Hay was purchased today and hes got oodles of it right now. Those were from when he first got there. And I am going to suggest an in-cage litter box. Do you have any suggestions on what to cover the bottom with? We keep trying to spread stuff out on the bottom but he just sorta tears it up again. And he poops all over it and that bothers my roommate for some reason. I figure hes supposed to...
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Jan 27, 2009 03:25
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could try cardboard, Rabbits will usually pick a spot for food/bathroom, find where he goes the most and plop down a litter box with hay, since the rabbit is new to the location he's just laying down territorial markings.
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Jan 27, 2009 03:30
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Okie doke. I have access to empty cardboard boxes thanks to my job so I'll gank a couple of them and hand them over.
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Jan 27, 2009 03:34
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alucinor posted:You'll be doing the right thing if you can get her to give him up to a shelter or rescue where he can be taken care of properly. She probably has no idea how to take care of him and isn't even feeding him hay or veggies or providing proper vet care. If you educate her on all the things bunnies really need she MIGHT be willing to give him up, but more likely she'll respond that rabbits don't really need all those things and he's just fine without. There's actually a rescue that's closer than Oxford, AlbamaEARS directed us to email them today. We have a really good shelter here unfortunately they don't have a clue how to deal with anything that isn't a dog or a cat. In the meantime we're still digging around. And yeah, sadly, NO HRS here period. I have a terrible feeling the scenario you described is what we will encounter. And I'm not really finding any hard facts, I only know a few people who live there and they only seem to be vaguely aware of the situation. I've considered just alerting their housing office, trying to explain the situation, and see if they will confiscate him or failing that pressure them to give the little guy up to a rescue. Unfortunately I feel like they'll read "bunny in dorm room" say "thank you" and proceeded with a dorm search that ends with fluffy being dropped in the park.
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Jan 27, 2009 06:59
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Are you planning to let him free-roam? If not you guys should probably consider building him something bigger. I know you've been reading rabbit.org, but it always bears repeating- rabbits require minimally something like 4 times their size in space, and it's generally agreed upon that this is the case even when they run a lot (and when I say 4 times their size, I mean of floor space, not including things like their litterbox). When I first got Milly she stayed in a smallish cage except when running and it just did not work out, and as I later learned this was most likely adding to her bad behavior (which is pretty bad a lot of times even under the best circumstances). Sounds good about the hay and the liter box... good to get them started as early as possibly on both. Milly wasn't raised on hay so it took me a while to get her to eat it, and because she raised in a smaller cage where she could go to the bathroom anywhere I've never got her to even remotely care where she drops a poop. Luckily bun #2 taught her to pee in the box. In general don't rely on pellets a lot. As far as I know, the only two brands you should really be feeding a rabbit would be here and here. Also, a daily salad filled with fresh veggies is absolutely required. Not too big of a deal, especially with only one bun. Rabbit.org has a good list of dos and don'ts when it comes to what to get. Also, as has been mentioned, junk/cardboard boxes are a bunny paradise. They love cardboard tubes and things they can crawl in. When my girlfriend and I buy groceries we take all the excess boxes and just throw them in the floor and let them go to town, they have way more fun than they ever would with a store bought toy. Guys if I'm full of crap on any of this feel free to correct me, I still feel new to this.
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Jan 27, 2009 07:33
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Yeah the wire bottom cage seems like a bad idea. Rabbits are prone to jumping around a bunch, even in a small cage, and I can see him hurting his feet or toes badly. Maybe you know somebody who has spare pieces of carpet lying around that you can cover the cage floor with? Like old leftovers that you can throw away if it gets peed on or ripped up too much.
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Jan 27, 2009 10:30
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Is Oxbow a good brand because I've been getting the 10 pound bags of Timothy hay for $15 bucks on sale now and then (the biggest they sell) at PetSmart by Kaytee which our bunny loves (but doesn't at all like the Petco brand of Timothy Hay ). 50 pounds for $54 bucks sounds like a god drat steal.
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Jan 27, 2009 22:03
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Fenarisk posted:Is Oxbow a good brand because I've been getting the 10 pound bags of Timothy hay for $15 bucks on sale now and then (the biggest they sell) at PetSmart by Kaytee which our bunny loves (but doesn't at all like the Petco brand of Timothy Hay Oxbow is the BOMB. Once I started feeding that my guys wouldn't go back to Kaytee crap. They'd pull it down from the rack and stand on it while screaming to be fed. Of course, now they're loving addicted to Kleenmama's bluegrass. I had to use up a box of donated Oxbow and they acted like I'd secretly switched out their Folger's for dried vomit.
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Jan 27, 2009 22:12
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Random, but your guy's hay prices made me die a little inside. Ouch! I get grass hay buy the bale for about $14...of course, the horses help eat it, too. Oxbox is some darn good stuff, though. I've never been unhappy with it when I've bought it.
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Jan 27, 2009 22:58
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My roommate is allergic to timothy hay  I'm going to help with that though, but its just one of those things that is making it that much more difficult. Oh well...
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Jan 28, 2009 05:06
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Frith likes to lick my sheets. I swear I wish I could take the best qualities of both my bunnies and make SuperBunny. Frith's spooning, Zen's excitedness, Frith's placid demeanor, Zen's super-cute paws-on-the-pen-bars-when-it's-dinner-time, Frith's lack of pickiness in food, Zen's ability to use a litter box properly (Frith is PRETTY good about the peeing, but the poo just goes everywhere), Frith's pretty pretty white coat. Zen and Frith are still not in love, but god dammit I hope when they finally fall in love, they'll take on each others' better qualities. Not the annoying personality traits. :/
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Jan 28, 2009 06:03
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What would you guys recommend to help sop up urine in a litter box? If I get a bun I'd want to make sure his little paws are ever as clean as can be.
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Jan 28, 2009 08:51
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ShadowCatboy posted:What would you guys recommend to help sop up urine in a litter box? If I get a bun I'd want to make sure his little paws are ever as clean as can be. Litter....unless you're asking something different? Most people use Carefresh, I used wood stove pellets because you can get a 40lb. bag for $10 and it's all natural, no additives or anything like that.
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Jan 28, 2009 18:22
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ShadowCatboy posted:What would you guys recommend to help sop up urine in a litter box? If I get a bun I'd want to make sure his little paws are ever as clean as can be. I use Carefresh and my white bunny has white feet. You just have to keep the litter box clean/dry. When you clean out the litter box, look at the bottom of the pan. If it's wet/dirty you either need to use more litter and/or replace the litter more often.
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Jan 28, 2009 18:40
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Aaaawesome, once again I'm gonna be force feeding Billy. Vet said it's either a parasite or I've been giving him too much greens (?). Nothing shows true love like having to scrub clumps of old diarrhoea off a struggling rabbit. I'm not too worried because I went to the vet right away when I noticed he wasn't eating, and now I see him eating hay, but god drat I hope he doesn't do this every year. It's not how either of us most want to spend our time.
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Jan 28, 2009 20:01
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Sorry to hear DS. I feel your pain on the force feedings Murphy is on Critical Care for a few days. The vet found absolutely nothing wrong after 3 x-rays, blood panels and an exam. I was sent home with medicines and Critical Care and Murph was given some sub-Q before we left. Oddly enough, he's loving the Critical Care. Probably because the mixture smells of mango and pineapple. When Debbie needed the CC last year it smelled like, well, ground up hay.
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Jan 28, 2009 22:41
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alucinor posted:Oxbow is the BOMB. Once I started feeding that my guys wouldn't go back to Kaytee crap. They'd pull it down from the rack and stand on it while screaming to be fed. To be fair, I've had mixed luck with Oxbow the past few years. I've seen it come in dusty, stemmy, or just kind of unappealing. I still prefer it to KayTee, but I dont always get the fragrant, lush hay I used to get from them. But yes, whatever hay you get, get it in the largest quantity possible. You may not be able to find large quantities of other brands, and Oxbow should still be fine, just not always orgasmic. They actually have a variety of sizes, but the bigger ones are far cheaper than the smaller ones. So much so, that I figured that if I only used half of the larger size before it went bad, it was still probably cheaper than going down one size.
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Jan 28, 2009 23:32
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My new bunny keeps jumping into his food bowl and pooping. Then he turns around and eats out of the bowl (he's NOT eating his poop). WHY is it pooping in his food when his litter box is right next to it? He IS pooping in his litter box too. He's also eating the litter in the box (it's tree-pulp based litter, and it doesn't look like he's eating the wet stuff).
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Jan 28, 2009 23:38
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Are there any hay alternatives?  My roommate is having troubles breathing just with having the stuff in his room and in the rabbit cage. We both know he needs to eat it for digestive purposes but is there something else that will do the same thing that isn't actually hay?edit: In other news he is ridiculously affectionate and loves sprawling out on the floor for a pet. He has no interest in chewing furniture or cords (not that there are a lot for him to get at) but likes to burrow or at least attempt to. Trying to get a box full of stuff for him to safely burrow in, not sure what to do there. And here is a picture I took when I was lying on the floor with him and just hanging out I was a bunny jungle gym and he stood on my head once.
Egad! fucked around with this message at 02:33 on Jan 29, 2009 |
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Jan 29, 2009 02:23
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