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Doc Faustus
Sep 6, 2005

Philippe is such an angry eater
I'll jump in and respond, as I'm the aforementioned fiancee who got suckered by a bunny and its twitchy little nose.

Regarding hay, we were indeed told to give unlimited timothy hay. There's a good bit in the cage now, plus a little hay dispenser thing on the cage wall. We were also absolutely warned about the sugar content of carrots; but seeing as we already had carrots in the fridge and wanted the bunny to like us... :ohdear: Don't worry, there'll be no more carrots for a little while. We can look into getting more of an open space, but the most immediate issue with that is cats. Our cats are more curious about the rabbit than aggressive, but we'd need to get that resolved before pen could be really set up.

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Rodent Mortician
Mar 17, 2009

SQUEAK.

Doc Faustus posted:

Regarding hay, we were indeed told to give unlimited timothy hay. There's a good bit in the cage now, plus a little hay dispenser thing on the cage wall. We were also absolutely warned about the sugar content of carrots; but seeing as we already had carrots in the fridge and wanted the bunny to like us... :ohdear: Don't worry, there'll be no more carrots for a little while. We can look into getting more of an open space, but the most immediate issue with that is cats. Our cats are more curious about the rabbit than aggressive, but we'd need to get that resolved before pen could be really set up.

Additionally, you're never going to be able to litter train her with both bedding in the bottom of the cage and in the litterbox. It's like spreading cat litter all over your bathroom floor and then putting it in the litterbox and then expecting your cat to know the difference.

If you can't do a pen because of the open top, I'd seriously suggest building a NIC cage with a top. I have no idea why they even sell those cages for rabbits, they're so tiny and they can barely move around. I always point out to people that most rabbits are roughly the size of a chihuahua and then ask them if they'd feel abusive if they left a chihuahua in their cage of choice for 8+ hours a day. If the answer is yes, you need a new cage.

I'd also get her to the vet to check sex (that's a common problem at pet stores) and be prepared for literally any size of rabbit. Usually the "dwarf" rabbits they sell around here mature out at 8-10 pounds.

dopaMEAN
Dec 4, 2004

GrAviTy84 posted:

May I direct you to your new Bible.


If she is really 4 mo. old, she should be on higher calcium hay like alfalfa, that pet store dude is wrong, sorry: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#babies
If you read the next question on that link, you'll see they recommend waning off of alfalfa between 7 mos - 1 year. Pet store dude is correct if he was talking about an adult rabbit.

Overfeeding - you may know this, but I just want to make sure it's clear. This statement is true when referring to pellets, it is NOT true when referring to hay, rabbits should have unlimited hay, all the time (again, not alfalfa only 1 yr+ olds).


Carrots, in general, should be more considered as a treat than a food source, due to their high sugar content. It can lead to some health issues (diarrhea) if you regularly feed her them. You should be leaning more towards dark leafy greens, romaine lettuce, parsley, cilantro, etc.
http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html

I'm glad you are really enjoying her. If you have space, please look into getting some sort of permanent larger pen set up, a cage is a terrible place for a bunny to spend most of the day. You can make a pen from baby playpens, dog playpens, or build fencing out of wire cube organizers (some rabbits can jump over these).

I expected to get in trouble for not getting a shelter bunny- or a well bred bunny at least. I did look through different avenues for other shelter bunnies, but there were just the two in our area. There weren't even any rabbits on craigslist and I wasn't able to find a reputable breeder anywhere near us. I miss living in a city!

I came to the thread looking for resources, so I'm really thankful for the links. Based on the guide, he was wrong about pellets too. Since she's not an adult yet, she should be getting unlimited pellets, rather than a small handful.

I guess I'll start introducing her to romaine today, then cilantro tomorrow.

Rodent Mortician:
I wouldn't really mind if she ended up huge. I'd just have to find a different living situation for her. When I had rabbits as a kid I had a wire-cube organizer cage. I wouldn't mind doing something like that again. Our office only has 3 power cables I have to protect, plus there's nowhere for her to get out of reach. I'm planning on letting her run around on there as often as I'm in there.

I know how to sex rabbits, when she's less freaked out I'll check her out. Tomorrow we're going to rearrange her cage and put a towel down on the main part.

candeh
Apr 1, 2005

your reviews aren't that good

dopaMEAN posted:

Then he gave me a recommendation for a vet.

You should call this vet's office as soon as possible and find out if he/she is an EXOTICS vet. Your garden-variety vet knows nothing about rabbits, they are considered an exotic animal. Then, take her to the vet and have her checked out to make sure she's healthy. The vet may be able to give you a better idea of how old she is as well. I'm sure the pet store guy has the best intentions, but pet store people are usually misinformed.

You should also find out where the closest emergency vet that handles exotics is located.

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender

What kind of shavings are those? It looks like cedar.

dopaMEAN
Dec 4, 2004

alucinor posted:

What kind of shavings are those? It looks like cedar.

It wasn't in a labeled bag- the cage came with two clear plastic bags. It is odorless, otherwise I wouldn't have put it in. I'm more familiar with pet rats, I know that the aromatic oils can wreak havoc on the respiratory tract as well as the liver and such.

As soon as it's time to change her she'll be getting Carefresh and timothy hay in her pan, and a towel in the cage bottom.

Since we cleared the bedding off of the floor and put it in her litter box she has been limiting her pees and poos to just the box. She's so smart!

We just brought her out onto the couch to watch Fringe for a little while. She didn't panic when the cats came to look at her, but the fiance did- he made sure they didn't get too close. I hope they're able to get a good introduction.

She was okay with sitting on me for awhile, but then she wanted to explore the couch. She was really interested in hopping on the top of the couch- I was so worried she'd jump off the back and kill herself! She didn't make even a single poo during the ~20 minutes she was on the couch with us, and she licked my hand/arm a little! She also was willing to lay down and be pet!

Best rabbit ever.

pseudonordic
Aug 31, 2003

The Jack of All Trades

dopaMEAN posted:

As soon as it's time to change her she'll be getting Carefresh and timothy hay in her pan, and a towel in the cage bottom.

I won't say anything hyperbolic like "If you really loved your bun, you'd get Kleenmama's Hay" but I will say that it's a great hay that our bun loves and every other bunny owner we've given some to says their bun loves it as well. 3rd cut timothy for life.

Doc Faustus
Sep 6, 2005

Philippe is such an angry eater

pseudonordic posted:

I won't say anything hyperbolic like "If you really loved your bun, you'd get Kleenmama's Hay" but I will say that it's a great hay that our bun loves and every other bunny owner we've given some to says their bun loves it as well. 3rd cut timothy for life.

We currently have Ox Bow; what's the thread opinion on Ox Bow?

Fanged Lawn Wormy
Jan 4, 2008

SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK!
Pretty sure I've seen oxbow mentioned before in this thread with some fair praise.

When we started buying Oxbow for our Bun, it was a whole world of difference from the hay you pick up anywhere else. We really ought to get some more....

pseudonordic
Aug 31, 2003

The Jack of All Trades

Doc Faustus posted:

We currently have Ox Bow; what's the thread opinion on Ox Bow?

We'd purchased Kaytee and Ox Bow and I had a ridiculous sneezing-fit reaction to both. They both had a lot of dust in the bag that got up in my nose. The Kleenmama is pretty much straight from the farm, green and ridiculously sweet smelling. And it's cheaper per pound that Ox Bow or Kaytee, even when you factor in the shipping!

Ox Bow is our fall back for when we run out and need something to tide her over until the new order arrives. We go through about 5 lb per month and buy the 15lb boxes.

bitprophet
Jul 22, 2004
Taco Defender

pseudonordic posted:

3rd cut timothy for life.

Made the mistake of trying to move our bun back to 2nd cut after he'd gone through a 15lb box of 3rd cut (i.e. about a month or so). He's pretty unhappy about it :mad:

We've only been ordering from Kleenmama's for under a year; is 3rd cut really as hard to get ahold of as the site implies? Thats' why we moved ours back to 2nd cut, on the assumption that it'll be available year-round.

candeh
Apr 1, 2005

your reviews aren't that good
Oxbow is good, but Kleenmama's is better. My buns love the bluegrass (KM's version of orchard grass) and when it isn't in season I order the 3rd cut timothy hay. The shipping costs as much as the hay but it still comes out to be less expensive than buying hay at the pet store. To give a rough idea, I just paid about $45 for 25 lbs. of bluegrass hay. If I were buying the equivalent amount at Petsmart, it would cost $125 plus tax. It has also been my experience that KM's quality is higher and there is less dust in the bag. Their hay is also very fresh and retains its nutrients longer. If you can manage it, KM is the way to go.

dopaMEAN
Dec 4, 2004
Update on cat introductions: Lola (temporary bunny name, she seems to come to it!), has successfully taught one of my cats not to mess with her, we're going to need some time with the other cat before I'll trust him though.

When we introduced her to Fival, our 14lb Maine Coon, he batted at her and she didn't stand her ground. We pulled him out of the room and haven't let him in since. Sadie, our 8lb tortie, tried batting at Lola too, but Lola chased her around until Sadie retreated to my desk. Sadie just about gave me a heart attack when she batted- she was 12 inches away, but it still scared me.

After she got Sadie to run away, Lola celebrated by doing a 3 twist binky around the room. She then went to the scratching board Sadie had been using when Lola was approaching her and jumped a solid 12 inches into the air on top of it.

Pardalis
Dec 26, 2008

The Amazing Dreadheaded Chameleon Keeper
I use Oxbow and am very happy with it, however I pay what a store gets it as wholesale so it is cheaper and more convenient than kleenmama for me. That being said, Kleenmama is amazing and you should order from her instead of buying it retail at a pet store. Heck, I even want to order some sometimes and would get it for June.

My local chapter of HRS, Rabbit Advocates, grows and sells really, really nice hay each year here in the PNW and sells it as a fundraiser for their programs. They are a wonderful organization and also who I am fostering for. If you are in the area, please consider buying a bag of hay from them. Info is on their website. The money will go to the rescue of neglected and abandoned bunnies as well as most of the shelter bunnies in the area.

They also have some fantastic bumper stickers and stuff.

I bet you could also email them or one of the retail locations that carries it and pay a little extra to have it shipped to you. Most stores will do this. It is $10 for a 10 pound bag.

dopaMEAN
Dec 4, 2004
More pictures!

I made her a rudimentary hidey box, she enjoyed running in and out of it. Her favorite thing to do was to stand up and try to touch the top. She wasn't tall enough, and would rock back on her little bunny feet because she'd lose balance.

Click here for the full 800x600 image.



Click here for the full 800x600 image.



Click here for the full 800x600 image.


Here's the set up as of today:

Click here for the full 800x600 image.


We're going to clean the floor up more and try to buy her some flooring of some sort. She really, really likes lying down on the naked cage floor. Her cage at the store had bedding pushed away, and she is quite insistent about pushing off the bedding here, too. She doesn't even like the towel, she just likes laying on plastic.

Oh, and she really likes cilantro and romaine! We hand fed her some of the greens and then let her run free most of the day. I think it helped get her to like us a bit more. She still doesn't like us putting her away or petting her while she's out, but she'll run up to us and interact. I think she was out for maybe 3-4 hours today, and then when I was studying a while ago she was running in circles in her cage, so I let her out again for another half hour. She has a lot of energy! I feel bad that she has to stay in the cage. While I was laying on the floor reading she hopped up on my back at one point. She licked my hand a little more tonight, but then she nibbled too, so I don't know.

I managed to get her first voluntary hop out of her cage on camera! It's a boring minute, but she tosses around paper towels! Everyone loves that, right? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvNNTurpWJg

dopaMEAN fucked around with this message at 07:03 on Oct 11, 2010

GrAviTy84
Nov 25, 2004

dopaMEAN posted:

Cats

justFaye and I use these on our kitteh: http://www.softpaws.com/?gclid=CNL895CSyqQCFQQ-bAodBGMk_g, These claw covers prevent claw damage to the rabbits if she was to accidentally get a swipe in in the (near nonexistent) event that she would try to swipe at one of the bunnies before we could intervene. Also prevents claw damage to furniture, which is definitely a bonus. They sell these softpaws at petsmart, too.

We keep the bunnies and the cat separated when we are not around, with both a door and a lid to the playpen. I think it's a good idea if you are going to leave them alone at home, to make sure that the rabbit gets her own space where she can't be seen by the cats and vice versa, it's good for her to have a place where she knows she's safe.

quote:

She still doesn't like us putting her away or petting her while she's out

She'll never like it, she may even start learning mannerisms of yours that you do before you put her away that she'll take as a warning to go hide somewhere. Ours react to the sound of the TV clicking off or the sound of our sliding glass door sliding shut, running and hiding inside their cardboard house to avoid being put away.

ShadowCatboy
Jan 22, 2006

by FactsAreUseless
Congrats on the bunny you two! She just looks so drat precious. :3:

I've read recommendations that the ideal way to get a bunny to go back to its cage is to just annoy it until it gets the hint. Forcibly sticking her in the cage makes it less of a safe homey spot and more of a prison, apparently. One lady would walk up to her bun, clap and declare "Bedtime!" and continue until they retreated into their pen.

Also if your bun were a boy I'd recommend Dapple as a name. So cute!

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender

dopaMEAN posted:

Here's the set up as of today:

Click here for the full 800x600 image.


We're going to clean the floor up more and try to buy her some flooring of some sort. She really, really likes lying down on the naked cage floor. Her cage at the store had bedding pushed away, and she is quite insistent about pushing off the bedding here, too. She doesn't even like the towel, she just likes laying on plastic.


Most of my buns are like that. Get her a carpet square or a grass mat for part of the cage, but leave the rest of it bare. She'll have to do less rearranging that way.

Also, I'd recommend you get some pliers and detach the door to that cage, then re-attach it with the hinge at the top. That will make it easier for her to enter and exit the cage without possibly ripping a toe off. If it's hard to use that plastic lock in the new configuration, you can use a binder clip or carabiner instead.

Bunway Airlines
Jan 12, 2008

Raptor Face
I know I've said this before but I will mention it again:

You guys seriously do not need to be spending $45 on 25lbs of hay or any other outrageous price. Hay is hay; go down to your local livestock supply or feed store and buy a half a bale or a full bale. My local place has half bales and they'll bag it for you so it doesn't make a mess. It's very lovely high quality grass hay that runs $22 a bale, which is about 80lbs of hay. Hay storage is easy if you have a sheltered place and a bag to keep it dry in. Something like this (you can find them cheaper) will allow you to store it outside or in a garage: http://www.statelinetack.com/item/hay-bale-bag/SLT311908/

I keep mine in the garage in it's bag and I have no issues. When I was in apartments I would store it in outdoor storage cubbies, porches, or decks. Just trying to save people money! :)

Rodent Mortician
Mar 17, 2009

SQUEAK.

Bunway Airlines posted:

I know I've said this before but I will mention it again:

You guys seriously do not need to be spending $45 on 25lbs of hay or any other outrageous price. Hay is hay; go down to your local livestock supply or feed store and buy a half a bale or a full bale. My local place has half bales and they'll bag it for you so it doesn't make a mess. It's very lovely high quality grass hay that runs $22 a bale, which is about 80lbs of hay. Hay storage is easy if you have a sheltered place and a bag to keep it dry in. Something like this (you can find them cheaper) will allow you to store it outside or in a garage: http://www.statelinetack.com/item/hay-bale-bag/SLT311908/

I keep mine in the garage in it's bag and I have no issues. When I was in apartments I would store it in outdoor storage cubbies, porches, or decks. Just trying to save people money! :)


If you're lucky to live in a temperate area, then that's an awesome idea. My local place sells "high quality horse hay" that's so coarse and miserable you could stab hobos to death with it.

I foster for a small animal rescue and I've spent much $$$ and gas driving around to local farms trying to find half-rear end decent stuff. I'd save around $100 a month if I could find nice local stuff. The "nicest" I found was still quite brown and dusty.

So yeah, if you're in the NE or NW you're gold, maybe not so much in some areas.

ETA: KM's and Oxbow aren't really more expensive in and of themselves -- base price for 45 pounds of KM is $26 -- that's fairly decent considering the quality you get. You're really paying the fee for UPS to schlep it to your door.

Rodent Mortician fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Oct 12, 2010

pseudonordic
Aug 31, 2003

The Jack of All Trades

Bunway Airlines posted:

I know I've said this before but I will mention it again:

You guys seriously do not need to be spending $45 on 25lbs of hay or any other outrageous price. Hay is hay; go down to your local livestock supply or feed store and buy a half a bale or a full bale. My local place has half bales and they'll bag it for you so it doesn't make a mess. It's very lovely high quality grass hay that runs $22 a bale, which is about 80lbs of hay. Hay storage is easy if you have a sheltered place and a bag to keep it dry in. Something like this (you can find them cheaper) will allow you to store it outside or in a garage: http://www.statelinetack.com/item/hay-bale-bag/SLT311908/

I keep mine in the garage in it's bag and I have no issues. When I was in apartments I would store it in outdoor storage cubbies, porches, or decks. Just trying to save people money! :)

I live in South Carolina and all they have locally is horse hay.

Bunway Airlines
Jan 12, 2008

Raptor Face

pseudonordic posted:

I live in South Carolina and all they have locally is horse hay.

Not sure what you mean, high quality grass hay is high quality grass hay. Horses will not eat lovely hay either unless they're pretty hungry.

Rodent I hear you, some areas it really is a struggle. We pay out the rear end for hay here but it is very nice.

dopaMEAN
Dec 4, 2004
Today Lola figured out that it's pretty fun to dig. She has been digging at the plastic in the corner of her cage, digging the floor of her hidey box, and digging at the hem of my jeans.

I get the first 2, not sure what her obsession is with my right pant leg though. I have taken to making quiet yelps to get her to stop. It's just digging now, but when she was doing her hidey box she moved from digging to peeling pretty quickly. I was on the floor at work today, so it might just be that my pants smell like the dust from rat food.

She's so cute!

2 poos on the floor in the office today. I saw her do them, both times she stopped as if to get her cecal packets, then spit it out onto the floor.


She's been coming up to my hand while she's out- to retrieve 1/4 raisins. Still, last time I gave her one she let me pet her for awhile. Usually we aren't allowed to touch her while she's out exploring. She's been hovering around my feet a lot too.

My fiance has taken a no-food-bait position, but I don't see the harm. I do conditioning at work, in theory my giving her bits of raisin (in moderation!) should make her like me more! Doc Faustus thinks she'll just come to him for food and nothing else if he does that. He is doing better with handling though. I think I broke her trust a bit by picking her up to take her out and put her away, before we figured out our voluntary playtime system (she goes into her cage by herself when tired). Since he has never picked her up she's more at ease when he pets her.

She's still doing great with the litter box- all of her pee is in there. I'm doing well too- I have been cleaning it consistently, and I plan on keeping it up. I had no idea one little bunny could pee so much! When I cleaned up today there were about a dozen poos scattered throughout her cage. I finished clearing all of the bedding off of the floor and took out the towel she hated. She's currently chillaxing on a bare floor, I think she prefers it. Hopefully she'll stop pooing outside of the box.

She's also established a bit of communication with us- when she wants out she hops around and chews on the bars at the front of her cage. Is it okay for me to let her out with this cue, or should I try to get her to stop chewing the bars?

Finally- she has been demolishing her lettuce. We gave her two small handfuls, morning and night, and she disappeared them. Her poos are still a good consistency, we might move up the quantity of lettuce she gets. But not quite yet.

I think we decided to keep the name Lola! She might be a he, so it's extra appropriate! I thought I could sex her- I can sex baby rats and used to sex bunnies as a kid, but I just wasn't sure.

ShadowCatboy
Jan 22, 2006

by FactsAreUseless

dopaMEAN posted:

Today Lola figured out that it's pretty fun to dig. She has been digging at the plastic in the corner of her cage, digging the floor of her hidey box, and digging at the hem of my jeans.

I get the first 2, not sure what her obsession is with my right pant leg though. I have taken to making quiet yelps to get her to stop. It's just digging now, but when she was doing her hidey box she moved from digging to peeling pretty quickly. I was on the floor at work today, so it might just be that my pants smell like the dust from rat food.

Give her an old phone book to tear through. :)

GrAviTy84
Nov 25, 2004

ShadowCatboy posted:

Give her an old phone book to tear through. :)

Take the glossy cover off and all tear all the glossy pages out.

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender

Bunway Airlines posted:

Not sure what you mean, high quality grass hay is high quality grass hay. Horses will not eat lovely hay either unless they're pretty hungry.

"High-quality" and "grass" are the two tricky variables here. The locally grown stuff sold in NC as "high quality grass hay" is neither: 60% bermudagrass, 20% alfalfa/clover, and 20% brambles/pokeweed/poison ivy.

I am not joking. I actually got poison ivy from a bale of this hay.

Even if I could find a better quality locally, it's moot because the only grass hay that grows well in NC is bermudagrass, and my guys would eat their coroplast before they'd stoop to eating bermudagrass. God, even when the bluegrass runs out and they're reduced to third-cut timothy, they act like it's poison.

loving rabbits.

pseudonordic
Aug 31, 2003

The Jack of All Trades

Bunway Airlines posted:

Not sure what you mean, high quality grass hay is high quality grass hay. Horses will not eat lovely hay either unless they're pretty hungry.

Rodent I hear you, some areas it really is a struggle. We pay out the rear end for hay here but it is very nice.

I can't get timothy and 3rd-cut from KM keeps the bun room smelling nice as well as it keeps my bun happy. :3:

alucinor posted:

God, even when the bluegrass runs out and they're reduced to third-cut timothy, they act like it's poison.

Should I avoid trying Cilantro on bluegrass?

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender

pseudonordic posted:

Should I avoid trying Cilantro on bluegrass?

It's bunny crack. I think it would be sad to withhold it, but you do risk creating a monster.

Eventually they get over their addiction, but then they eat their timothy so reproachfully.

Bunway Airlines
Jan 12, 2008

Raptor Face

alucinor posted:

"High-quality" and "grass" are the two tricky variables here. The locally grown stuff sold in NC as "high quality grass hay" is neither: 60% bermudagrass, 20% alfalfa/clover, and 20% brambles/pokeweed/poison ivy.

I am not joking. I actually got poison ivy from a bale of this hay.

Even if I could find a better quality locally, it's moot because the only grass hay that grows well in NC is bermudagrass, and my guys would eat their coroplast before they'd stoop to eating bermudagrass. God, even when the bluegrass runs out and they're reduced to third-cut timothy, they act like it's poison.

loving rabbits.

Yeah I always inspect hay before I buy it so I've seen some interesting stuff. I wonder what barns feed the horses there. Anywhere there's a big show barn you're going to find people picky about hay ;)

Amaterasu
Aug 7, 2007
Godless Heathen
Alright bunny fans, help me identify this rabbit breed. I know this is a crappy cell phone picture but hopefully it's enough. I found this guy hiding under my car Sunday night. He's not that big, maybe 5lbs. His ears are not very big either He's relatively tame and lets me pet him and pick him up without batting an eye.

I just so happen to have a rabbit hutch in my house for my tortoise to winter in and a big bag of timothy hay. I've posted signs in my neighborhood as I'd like to give him back to the original owner. If I don't hear anything by this weekend I'll be taking him to a shelter that regularly works with rabbits. Knowing his breed might make it easier for me to describe him. He's a cute little bugger but I have enough animals as it is. Is it insane to try to bathe him? His back is a bit dirty from the grease he picked up from the underside of the car.

Lagomorpha
Feb 17, 2009

Amaterasu posted:

Alright bunny fans, help me identify this rabbit breed. I know this is a crappy cell phone picture but hopefully it's enough. I found this guy hiding under my car Sunday night. He's not that big, maybe 5lbs. His ears are not very big either He's relatively tame and lets me pet him and pick him up without batting an eye.

I just so happen to have a rabbit hutch in my house for my tortoise to winter in and a big bag of timothy hay. I've posted signs in my neighborhood as I'd like to give him back to the original owner. If I don't hear anything by this weekend I'll be taking him to a shelter that regularly works with rabbits. Knowing his breed might make it easier for me to describe him. He's a cute little bugger but I have enough animals as it is. Is it insane to try to bathe him? His back is a bit dirty from the grease he picked up from the underside of the car.



It's really hard to tell from the picture, but judging from the stripe down his back, dark ears, and what look like dark rings around his eyes, he could be a juvenile English Spot. A lot of breeds share this coloration pattern though. Wikipedia has a helpful list of rabbit breeds with pictures in case you haven't already checked it out.

Bathing isn't the best idea as it can be traumatic and even life threatening because rabbits have such tiny nasal passages. There are better alternatives for getting the gunk off him:

Rabbit.org posted:

...spot cleaning the dirty area with an application of baby cornstarch (available at any supermarket in the baby section) (do not use talcum, as it is carcinogenic) and then gently combing out the dirt with a fine flea comb...

Best of luck :)

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

A warm, well-wrung washcloth will take some dirt off too, without getting the little bun too wet.

DS at Night
Jun 1, 2004

dopaMEAN posted:

I get the first 2, not sure what her obsession is with my right pant leg though. I have taken to making quiet yelps to get her to stop. It's just digging now, but when she was doing her hidey box she moved from digging to peeling pretty quickly. I was on the floor at work today, so it might just be that my pants smell like the dust from rat food.
As far as I can tell it's a rabbit way of saying hey. Hey I want your attention, hey this thing is interesting, hey I want to get to your chewy center. There's little chance of stopping it so either put up with it or nudge her away. But pay attention to whether or not she's chewing on or ingesting part of your pants. They love giving themselves gastrointestinal problems.

quote:

She's also established a bit of communication with us- when she wants out she hops around and chews on the bars at the front of her cage. Is it okay for me to let her out with this cue, or should I try to get her to stop chewing the bars?
I've read about people in this thread having some success with not paying attention to the rabbit when it's chewing and shaking the bars, but I couldn't for the life of me get mine to stop doing it. I've accepted it as a form of communication now, Billy doesn't do it unless he REALLY REALLY wants to get out of the cage.

Amaterasu posted:

Is it insane to try to bathe him? His back is a bit dirty from the grease he picked up from the underside of the car.



He looks quite a bit like my own rabbit who I think is a French Lop. Picture for comparison.



Might be a mix or I might be wrong, you're looking at something continental either way.

And I would advise you to at least try and get the grease off because the rabbit in question will end up trying to lick itself clean at some point, it's not something you want them to ingest.

pseudonordic
Aug 31, 2003

The Jack of All Trades
More more more Cilantro!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iTxxfbOs8E

For those of you outside the US, click here.

dopaMEAN
Dec 4, 2004
We got Lola a mat made out of woven sisal from Meijer. It was only $4 and she seems happy with it so far. She is trying to eat it though, is that okay?

I know she likes her bare cage, but I was worried about her slipping around too much. The mat is the perfect size so that she still has the bare floor where she likes to lay.

I'm trying to decide if she's smart or incredibly dumb. She hopped into the crate where we were keeping her food, bedding and hay. She was only in there for about 30 seconds before I made her leave. In that time she managed to pee on her bag of food.

She has only done 2 poops total on the floor, no other pees. I think she was trying to claim her food.

Also, in cage potty behavior is perfect. She had 5 errant poos when I changed her cage today. I let it go for 2 whole days before changing it yesterday and she hopped into my lap while I did it.

She's still kind of aloof- she'll run up and see us, then run away for long periods of time. She seemed to enjoy me petting her on the couch- she even clicked her teeth and leaned into my hand while I stroked her cheek. But then she started nibbling on my hand and arm, even after I stopped. I think she was trying to get me to leave her be. When I picked her up and put her back in her cage she thumped twice. I have no idea if I pissed her off by petting her, or if she was mad because she wanted to chill on the couch.

luscious
Mar 8, 2005

Who can find a virtuous woman,
For her price is far above rubies.
both of mine like being petted. But on THEIR terms. God forbid you try to pet them if they don't want it. And god forbid you don't know when they want it. Confusing creatures, for sure.

DS at Night
Jun 1, 2004

Nibbling, much like chewing or nudging is a way of saying hey. She might have been trying to get you to pet her some more.

Don't be fooled, they love attention more than anything. They might occasionally get bored and wander off but when they're properly used to you they could demand petting and playing for hours and hours.



On an unrelated note, once again I've had to rush Billy off to the vet because of GI problems. Third time's a charm! Or third time is the time they shave his rear end and force feed him paraffin. :laugh:

He loves eating his own hair. He had it coming.

Melicious
Nov 18, 2005
Ugh, stop licking my hand, you horse's ass!
Bowser used to love nibbling on pant legs while people were sitting on our toilet. Cracked us up, but she really wanted to be petted while you did your business.

luscious
Mar 8, 2005

Who can find a virtuous woman,
For her price is far above rubies.

DS at Night posted:

On an unrelated note, once again I've had to rush Billy off to the vet because of GI problems. Third time's a charm! Or third time is the time they shave his rear end and force feed him paraffin. :laugh:

He loves eating his own hair. He had it coming.

Try feeding him papaya enzyme pills. You can get them at the drugstore... they're a digestive aid. Paterson eats his fur too but it essentially breaks it down so it's not a big deal. Also, they loooove them because they think that they're treats. They are really yummy.

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pseudonordic
Aug 31, 2003

The Jack of All Trades

luscious posted:

Try feeding him papaya enzyme pills. You can get them at the drugstore... they're a digestive aid. Paterson eats his fur too but it essentially breaks it down so it's not a big deal. Also, they loooove them because they think that they're treats. They are really yummy.

Or you can try feeding him some lovely, delicious Kleenmama 3rd cut timothy. I'm just saying. :3:

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