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PopeCrunch
Feb 13, 2004

internets

Look closely at the skin, parting the fur. If you see stuff that looks like tiny grains of rice, those are eggs. Brush them off immediately and hose down all your windowscreens with neem oil, and make sure to check them twice a day for the next week or so. If you see fly larva, drop everything and go to the vet RIGHT NOW.

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Dr. Chaco
Mar 30, 2005

PopeCrunch posted:

If you see fly larva, drop everything and go to the vet RIGHT NOW.

Yes please. As a vet, it breaks my heart when people don't realize there's a problem or don't come in until the maggots are so deep and widespread that it's too late for the bunny, or just too much for the owners to handle. Prevention and catching problems early, as always, is the way to go!

nakedmolerat
Sep 16, 2012

Twisted tails...
We have a 9 year old lionhead bunny named Leo. The lionhead is a relatively new breed of dwarf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionhead_rabbit

Leo is a one person bunny and only loves my son, but he tolerates me. He's very cute and a lovely orange/red color with a ruff around his neck. Now that he's older, he's turning white in spots. He doesn't like hay, but enjoys alfalfa kibble, fresh greens and carrots, dried bananna chips and a bit of mango chip.

Leo is litter trained but he can chew through $100 worth of cords in 10 minutes, so he is either in a large cage in the garage or in my very large master bathroom. Also we have dogs and I know they would kill him if they could, so I'm very careful with him. He is always behind 2 closed doors and the dogs are kept in a different area of the house. During the summer Leo spends most of his time hopping around in my bathroom, since I like to keep him in the air conditioning when it's hot out.

Once I tried letting him exercise in the storeroom but he ran up the inside part of the stairs and got into the ceiling. He hid up there for 3 days eating my house, and only came down to eat the food and water I laid out for him. It was a huge chore to catch him. He looks very healthy and eats well, so I hope he lasts several years more.

bunnyofdoom
Mar 29, 2008

I've been here the whole time, and you're not my real Dad! :emo:
Is Leo a single maned or double maned? Harriet is double maned, and her winter coat is growing in. My friends have now decided she's a tribble. I hope she lives as long and Leo has, and continues. That's really good.

luscious
Mar 8, 2005

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

I just heard a little pop and went to check it out. I walked into a wall of burnt hair smell. Paterson chewed on a wire, something he hasn't done in MONTHS, and managed to burn off all the whiskers on his left side. I examined him and have determined that nothing else is wrong with him.... he doesn't seem to have any burns in his mouth, he isn't hurt in any place I can tell - he's just missing half his whiskers now.

Thank god.

Bean
Sep 9, 2001

PopeCrunch posted:

Look closely at the skin, parting the fur. If you see stuff that looks like tiny grains of rice, those are eggs. Brush them off immediately and hose down all your windowscreens with neem oil, and make sure to check them twice a day for the next week or so. If you see fly larva, drop everything and go to the vet RIGHT NOW.

I'm assuming I start at the back end?

DS at Night
Jun 1, 2004

LilaLovecraft posted:

We have a 9 year old lionhead bunny named Leo.
Hey, this might be completely redundant, but I'd advise you to take a moment on https://www.rabbit.org . I think there's some helpful articles in there on how to get your rabbit to eat more hay, and how to bunny-proof your house. The wires thing is a very common problem for rabbit owners (as Luscious' post just demonstrated). If you've already read up on rabbit.org then forget I mentioned it.

Out of curiosity though was it a conscious decision to have several dogs AND a rabbit? I think the constant door-closing and room-switching dance would drive me completely insane in no time. Or did things just end up that way?

Shebrew posted:

That bun is ridiculously cute :3:

Lately he's taken to walking around carrying a hunk of cardboard in his mouth. He'll just take it into a quiet corner and nibble on it there. It's one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

Hardwood Floor
Sep 25, 2011

luscious posted:

Holy poo poo.

I just heard a little pop and went to check it out. I walked into a wall of burnt hair smell. Paterson chewed on a wire, something he hasn't done in MONTHS, and managed to burn off all the whiskers on his left side. I examined him and have determined that nothing else is wrong with him.... he doesn't seem to have any burns in his mouth, he isn't hurt in any place I can tell - he's just missing half his whiskers now.

Thank god.

I'm so glad he's okay. God that would scare the poo poo outta me if that happened. I completely block access to all wires but of course Decaf throws fits over it. I'm just paranoid something like that might happen. I'm kind of surprised he only burned his whiskers though - did he chomp right through it or just nibble on it?

Dr. Chaco
Mar 30, 2005

luscious posted:

Holy poo poo.

I just heard a little pop and went to check it out. I walked into a wall of burnt hair smell. Paterson chewed on a wire, something he hasn't done in MONTHS, and managed to burn off all the whiskers on his left side. I examined him and have determined that nothing else is wrong with him.... he doesn't seem to have any burns in his mouth, he isn't hurt in any place I can tell - he's just missing half his whiskers now.

Thank god.

You may already know this, but sometimes electrocution injuries can take a day or two to develop. So, hopefully he just got his whiskers singed, but I would keep a careful eye on him for the next day or so and call a vet if anything seems abnormal.

luscious
Mar 8, 2005

Who can find a virtuous woman,
For her price is far above rubies.
Thanks for the heads up... what should I look out for?

Dr. Chaco
Mar 30, 2005
Knowing he got "popped" on a cord, I would be concerned about any sign of illness (loss of appetite, change in poop quantity or character, lethargy) potentially being related to that. The scariest potential post-electrocution problem, though, is fluid building up in the lungs and causing difficulty breathing, and that doesn't always happen immediately which is why I bring it up. So, in addition to everything else, look for breathing more quickly than normal, especially if he's resting and breathing quickly, or breathing heavily and with more effort.

The fluid in the lungs doesn't happen every time something chews a cord, but it can be really serious if it does happen so I just wanted you to be aware that him looking fine right after isn't a guarantee that he'll continue to be fine.

luscious
Mar 8, 2005

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

Dr. Chaco posted:

Knowing he got "popped" on a cord, I would be concerned about any sign of illness (loss of appetite, change in poop quantity or character, lethargy) potentially being related to that. The scariest potential post-electrocution problem, though, is fluid building up in the lungs and causing difficulty breathing, and that doesn't always happen immediately which is why I bring it up. So, in addition to everything else, look for breathing more quickly than normal, especially if he's resting and breathing quickly, or breathing heavily and with more effort.

The fluid in the lungs doesn't happen every time something chews a cord, but it can be really serious if it does happen so I just wanted you to be aware that him looking fine right after isn't a guarantee that he'll continue to be fine.

Thanks.... this might be hard because he's kind of a heavy breather anyway. I startled him right after it happened by picking him up to check him out. He does NOT like to be picked up. I'm trying to monitor him from far away.

He's a generally lethargic heavy breathing dude. I changed their litterbox and will keep a closer eye on him.

nakedmolerat
Sep 16, 2012

Twisted tails...
About Leo...He is a single maned 9 year old orange lionhead. When he was younger he had a bigger ruff. It's more prominent in the winter. He is cute as can be. Sorry I can't quote or post photos. I must not have enough privileges on my cheapo account. In answer to other questions... I know alllllll about the official house bunny directions. I tried for a few years to make Leo eat hay. He won't have any part of it and throws huge temper tantrums over it. I mean he gets really pissed and let's us know by destroying anything in his cage or out of it that he can get his mouth or kicking feet on. Leo insists on having FRESH GREENS NOT THAT STINKING HAY. So he eats 2 very large clumps of fresh greens per week, plus a few carrots, and his alfalfa pellets (yes I know it's bad) and his treats like the bananna chips. I have friends, a couple, who are rabbit experts. They did all the exactly perfect things with their rabbits and all 3 of theirs croaked within 2-5 years of freak problems. I also clean Leo a lot because he poo-poos like a stallion. Every other day I dump and rinse out his litter pan and once per week his cage. In my master bathroom I clean out the litter pan daily. We had the dogs before Leo. They are rescues. He's a rescue. The dogs are (gasp!) Jack Russell terriers!!! It's not a hassle to keep them separate. One of the dogs is crated anytime she is inside, because she is insane. The other one is tied up to the stove, because he is half insane. They are Jack Russells. Leo is either in his private hutch high up on a table in the garage or behind 2 closed doors in my huge master bath or lounging in my tiled shower. Another friend has this rabbit Pipkin who visits. Pipkin never is let out of his cage so doesn't hop very well. At first he tried to bite, but he couldn't hop. I was worried cuz he's bigger than Leo, but Leo is soooo much faster. Then I got worried cuz Leo would hump Pipkin's head and I was afraid his pickle would get bit. But they made friends and Pippy doesn't try to bite anymore. He is hopping a little better now and they have a lot of fun when he visits. I think it's good to have a bunny friend visit. Then you get the socialization without the extra work.

PopeCrunch
Feb 13, 2004

internets

Bean posted:

I'm assuming I start at the back end?

Yeah, and if your bunny is a fatass, make sure you check into all the nooks and crannies. If your bunny is not apocalyptically offended by the time you're done, you probably missed a spot.

bunnyofdoom
Mar 29, 2008

I've been here the whole time, and you're not my real Dad! :emo:
Harriet is seriously growing her winter coat. If you look closely you'll notice there is a head with ears in that pile of fur

nakedmolerat
Sep 16, 2012

Twisted tails...

luscious posted:

Holy poo poo.

I just heard a little pop and went to check it out. I walked into a wall of burnt hair smell. Paterson chewed on a wire, something he hasn't done in MONTHS, and managed to burn off all the whiskers on his left side. I examined him and have determined that nothing else is wrong with him.... he doesn't seem to have any burns in his mouth, he isn't hurt in any place I can tell - he's just missing half his whiskers now.

Thank god.

OMG. Poor Paterson. Glad to hear he is OK.

nakedmolerat
Sep 16, 2012

Twisted tails...

PopeCrunch posted:

Yeah, and if your bunny is a fatass, make sure you check into all the nooks and crannies. If your bunny is not apocalyptically offended by the time you're done, you probably missed a spot.

I tried to check Leo's behind tonight when I cleaned his cage and it didn't go well. He doesn't like humans near his backside and Leo always gets what Leo wants. I guess after 9 years if he hasn't come down with fly eggs then he probably won't, but now I'm freaked out. I have fly tapes hung up in the garage to catch any flies there and none get in the house for long. Would they be in the poo too? There was nothing weird in the poo.

BonerGhost
Mar 9, 2007

The flies land on the animal and lay their eggs on its skin, so having flies in poop would be a separate thing from having eggs on the skin. They're not an intestinal parasite.

Gordon got a thorough inspection last night and her nails got did. I did not envision myself grooming rabbit vag when I first thought about getting a rabbit.

luscious
Mar 8, 2005

Who can find a virtuous woman,
For her price is far above rubies.
Should I worry about fly strike in Canada? Ontario to be exact. I've never heard of it. We're always inside and all the windows have screens on them...

DS at Night
Jun 1, 2004

LilaLovecraft posted:

I tried for a few years to make Leo eat hay. He won't have any part of it and throws huge temper tantrums over it. I mean he gets really pissed and let's us know by destroying anything in his cage or out of it that he can get his mouth or kicking feet on. Leo insists on having FRESH GREENS NOT THAT STINKING HAY.

I didn't mean to imply you weren't taking good care of him or anything. It's just that quite a lot of rabbits are incredibly picky eaters and sometimes there are ways to solve that. If he's pooping like a champ and his teeth are okay it's probably not a huge problem.

By the way you can upload pictures on https://www.imgur.com - just saying. We looove rabbit pics.

bunnyofdoom
Mar 29, 2008

I've been here the whole time, and you're not my real Dad! :emo:

luscious posted:

Should I worry about fly strike in Canada? Ontario to be exact. I've never heard of it. We're always inside and all the windows have screens on them...

Same deal. Please respond!

luscious
Mar 8, 2005

Who can find a virtuous woman,
For her price is far above rubies.
Paterson continues to be Paterson. There has been no change in his behaviour and he's still eating and pooping like a machine. He seems to have avoided bunny suicide yet again.

nakedmolerat
Sep 16, 2012

Twisted tails...

DS at Night posted:

.....If he's pooping like a champ and his teeth are okay it's probably not a huge problem.

By the way you can upload pictures on https://www.imgur.com - just saying. We looove rabbit pics.
***************

OK, I hope this works. I'm new to somethingawful and imgur etc. Here are some photos. Let me know if the link doesn't work: http://imgur.com/a/eGlCF

The first one shows my son in 6th grade with Leo. He's a sophomore in college now and would KILL ME if he knew I posted this. LOL! So I will take it down in a few days. Leo's a one-person bunny and only likes my son. He doesn't really like me, but that's OK. I still spoil Leo rotten. I learned a long time ago to just give him what he wants and things go a lot more smoothly.

Tomorrow I'll give him some fresh sticks. He only likes fresh ones and he likes a new supply every week for chewing.

The other photos show Leo hopping around my bathroom. You can see in some of them his lionhead ruff. Also you can see the shovel shape of his face, typical of lionheads.

Pipkin is hiding in the shower in one. The hippo planter is their water dish. It's great having a bunny visit for playdates. Keeps the rabbits happy and way less work than having two. Pipkin is very pretty and sweet. He's a calico. I think he's a little developmentally delayed. He was never out of his cage much and is in awful physical condition. I was worried at first that he had a heart problem because he got out of breathe so fast. But we had him for the summer and his wind improved a lot. I think it was just from lack of excercise. He's only 2 and Leo, who is 9, can run circles around him. Before Pipkin this other rabbit, Elijah, used to visit.

Right now I think Leo is missing Pipkin and my son a lot. He was destroying his cage for a while and now is looking depressed. I put a stuffed chicken and a stuffed dragon next to his cage but it hasn't helped. I need to find him a new playmate.

PopeCrunch
Feb 13, 2004

internets

Basically unless you live on the moon or in that research station in Antarctica, you have one of the species of flies around that can cause flystrike. In North America it's mostly botflies. Middle to late summer is when it's most prevalent. If you don't have a bunch of flies buzzing around, it's very rare, but still worth checking for, as when it happens, it is always always nasty.

DS at Night
Jun 1, 2004

LilaLovecraft posted:

***************

OK, I hope this works. I'm new to somethingawful and imgur etc. Here are some photos.
It works! Aaw he's really pretty, I love that colour too. Lionheads always look so cartoonish.

Stick talk: toys only go so far but when I give my rabbits some sticks they will not rest until everything has been thoroughly stripped of bark and destroyed. It's scary how quickly they demolish those things.

quote:

Right now I think Leo is missing Pipkin and my son a lot. He was destroying his cage for a while and now is looking depressed. I put a stuffed chicken and a stuffed dragon next to his cage but it hasn't helped. I need to find him a new playmate.

Probably more bored than depressed. A lot of the things they do like destroying the place or act crazy and depressed is out of sheer boredom. They usually settle down a bit when they have a friend. Since he is already 9 years old it might be a good idea to get an older rabbit out of a shelter somewhere. Although that's not a guarantee they'll be any easier to handle...

nakedmolerat
Sep 16, 2012

Twisted tails...

DS at Night posted:

Since he is already 9 years old it might be a good idea to get an older rabbit out of a shelter somewhere. Although that's not a guarantee they'll be any easier to handle...

I would adopt another bunny to be a friend, but you never know if Leo will like him. I might get stuck with 2 bunnies that hate each other. Plus I don't want to deal with anymore poo! Leo alone is a fertilizer factory. I'd like to find him another playdate friend.

I read last night that lionheads only live on average 7-9 years and Leo is already 9-10 so theoretically will croak soon. Though he looks like he will go for a few more years. I want more free time so plan to cut down on animal chores so will not be replacing any pets.

I guess Leo and my 14 year old Jack Russell will both pass in the next few years. The hamster died recently at age 3. Eventually I'll be left with only the totally insane Jack Russell who now is age 5.

Bunway Airlines
Jan 12, 2008

Raptor Face
You guys got me totally paranoid and I did a bum check with both of mine this morning. They're both completely clean. I've noticed a huge difference in the cleanliness of their fur since I stopped using litter. What I do now is just put a fresh towel down in their box every 24 hours at the most. Ender, since he's white, was getting really dirty from soiled litter and his feet were yellow. Since I've switched to towels they're both much cleaner and there is much less odor. It also takes me 15 seconds to clean the box and change the towel. I then shake the towels out in my compost bin and leave them in the garage until I can do a weekly load with hot water and bleach. They both seem a lot happier and Portia has stopped her obsessive box digging that was getting litter everywhere.

The suspects:

bunnyofdoom
Mar 29, 2008

I've been here the whole time, and you're not my real Dad! :emo:
Me too on the towel thing. It used to stick to Harriet's fur, and she'd track litter all over the apt. Now, she stays clean. I also clean the pan with a little vinegar in water every couple changes to keep it from smelling too much.

PopeCrunch
Feb 13, 2004

internets

I've always been worried they'd eat the towels and kill themselves that way.

Bunway Airlines
Jan 12, 2008

Raptor Face
I think it's an individual thing. Portia eats loving everything: paper, cardboard, rubber, towels, litter, clothing, etc and I've never had a single issue with her. Ender has gone to the vet twice for stasis that I caught very early. I keep the drugs around along with some critical care food so I can handle it myself if one of them has any issues.

Then again, Portia was found in a park in Santa Barbara where she had been living for at least 3 months based on sightings. I think she ate dead leaves to survive (a continued favorite).

nakedmolerat
Sep 16, 2012

Twisted tails...

Bunway Airlines posted:

You guys got me totally paranoid and I did a bum check with both of mine this morning. They're both completely clean. ]

Very pretty bunnies. Yeah I was paranoid too about those flies. Looked up some images of it then had a nightmare.

I hate the litter. Instead I use cardboard. Plus Leo has a perch in this cage and he likes sitting up there when he's in the cage. He hops down to eat and use the litter box. In his old cage he had a wooden breadbox and he'd sit on top of that or go inside. So when he's not in my bathroom, he's usually on his perch in his cage.

For a litter box I just use a simple plastic tray. In his cage I use the plastic top that came off a plastic tub of Preen weed control. In my bathroom I use a plastic chip and dip try from the Dollar Store. The Dollar Store sells lots of cheap, low plastic trays that are good for litter pans. Any playdate rabbits I've had over will automatically go crap and piss in the litter pan. I just toss a few bunny balls in there and they go for it. Saves a lot of hassle. I dump litter pans it out at least once every 2 days, often every day. I don't even think about it. I just dump it down the toilet or in the bushes when I'm walking past then a quick rinse (depending on which tray it is). Not good to let the dookie accumulate.


DS at Night
Jun 1, 2004

I'm gonna have to get a bigger litterbox. With tall edges. Billy has never intentionally peed outside of his box but he's also not very bright and does let his butt hang over the edge when he does his business.

The other one always goes right next to the box because she's evil incarnate but maybe a new litterbox might be interesting enough to use.

luscious
Mar 8, 2005

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

DS at Night posted:

I'm gonna have to get a bigger litterbox. With tall edges. Billy has never intentionally peed outside of his box but he's also not very bright and does let his butt hang over the edge when he does his business.

The other one always goes right next to the box because she's evil incarnate but maybe a new litterbox might be interesting enough to use.

Bitsy managed to go almost a week without peeing outside her box! Then last night I said to her "who's mama's good girl using her litterbox for pee pees!" That was too much because when I went back not 30 minutes later she had peed right infront of the door.

Drei
Feb 23, 2006

she's incredible math
I've been skimming this thread, reading tips here and there (and getting warm fuzzies from all the pictures), but I was hoping to get some feedback/advice from the experts. My boyfriend and I have been talking about getting a pet for a while now and since our landlord won't allow cats or dogs we've been thinking a bunny or two might suit us. He had bunnies as a child and I had guinea pigs in high school so it's not a totally new concept but as our first pets as adults I want to make sure that 1) we have a setup and lifestyle that's suitable for bunnies and 2) we're as prepared as possible.

We live in an apartment which is about 850 square feet, hardwood in the living room/kitchen area and carpeted in the bedroom. I don't feel comfortable letting a bun have free range of the unit since we've got lots of cords mounted close to the floor and my boyfriend wants to build a tricked out pen anyways. We can probably fit a 4x4 pen and we may try to make it a double decker. I'm a little concerned because we have a fairly intense sound system so if we wanted to watch a movie or had party where music was playing, would it be ok to move the cage temporarily into the bedroom and then back out when we're done?

Our schedules don't overlap at the moment so 6 days a week, one of us can be at home for whatever time we need to spend with the bunnies. I still like the idea of getting a bonded pair so we need to take that into consideration for our setup.

Based on our situation, does it sound like we can provide a happy home for a bun or two? The last thing I want to do is put an animal in a distressing situation just because I want something soft and fuzzy to pet. If we're good to go, there's a big pet adoption fair happening Oct 13 we were planning to check out so what should I get done between now and the fair, and what should we wait to do till we actually know what we're getting?

Drei fucked around with this message at 21:25 on Sep 21, 2012

angelicism
Dec 1, 2004
mmmbop.

DS at Night posted:

The other one always goes right next to the box because she's evil incarnate but maybe a new litterbox might be interesting enough to use.

Yeah, I love seeing poop and pee like 3 inches outside of the box. That's when you know they're doing it on purpose. :sigh:

nakedmolerat
Sep 16, 2012

Twisted tails...
More on my experience with poo. In his cage Leo always goes in the litter pan. It is at the opposite side from his perch. His food is on the lower level under the perch. He's no fool and wants the poo as far away as possible. He pees in the pan too, so it gets gross fast. Thus I keep an old iced-tea jug full of water nearby (this is in the garage). Sometimes I dump the poo into a bag and tie it shut then wait to put it into the bigger kitchen trash bag when that goes out. If I'm in a hurry and no one's looking, I flip it into the bushes. (I can't flip all the poo into the grass or bushes all the time, cuz it's just so much!). Then I rinse the tray with the water from the jug and put it back in the cage. Takes about 40 seconds. I toss the cardboard and rinse the entire cage bottom with water and soap weekly and put in fresh cardboard. That takes about 5 minutes. Sometimes Leo's butt hangs over the edge and he makes poo on the cardboard and not the litter pan. Not a big deal cuz those bunny balls will dry up.

Pipkin and his owner spent the summer with us. He never had a litter pan before. His owner used a lot of expensive litter and Pipkin used to just poo in a corner of the cage, but the owner had trouble cleaning it so it sat there for an entire week (Gag!) I got her a litter pan from the Dollar Store and she saw how EZ it was with Leo and his litter pan so she started doing it. She never gave up the expensive litter but it got easier. A few times she had maggots in Pipkins cage due to inadequate cleaning. I must say, Leo never has had a maggot in his cage. You cannot let pee and dookie sit in the rabbit's cage! Ewwwww!

Leo spends a lot of time hopping around my very large master bathroom. At first I put the litter pan in the middle of the floor but he decided that he wanted to piss and poo at the far end of the room by the entry door. Of course, where I would have to hop over it. I think it's bunny logic to put the icky stuff as far from themselves as possible. So then I started putting the litter pan there. I put a 2nd pan there for Pipkin. Leo is 100% on target in his cage, as is Pipkin (and Pipkin is pretty dumb). In my master bathroom, Leo is 80% on target and Pipkin I'll give a 65%. Pipkin is a poor hopper so maybe can't get to the pan fast enough. Plus they play a lot so maybe get distracted. The larger the room the more error. Leo is 90% on target when he is alone in there. I close the door to the toilet area because they will hide under the toilet and it's hard to get them out. I really like keeping bunnies in the bathroom because it eliminates the cord chewing issues.

Ooooh another thing... Leo eats the special poo directly out of his butt. Pipkin's owner didn't know about the "special gourmet poop" that rabbits eat. Pipkin started eating his out of his butt too and she ran into the house screaming. He probably learned it from Leo. LOL! Pipkin is so dumb! Leo is discrete and won't do it in front of humans, though after 9 years I've caught him at it. LOL! Pipkins owner said that she did notice him hiding shiney poo in a corner and he didn't like her taking it. Finally he learned to just eat it out of his butt fast so not to lose it.

Anyway, I find they automatically will go in a litter pan. Put it opposite their food and sitting area and drop a few poopies in it. Good luck.

nakedmolerat
Sep 16, 2012

Twisted tails...

Drei posted:

We live in an apartment which is about 850 square feet, hardwood in the living
Based on our situation, does it sound like we can provide a happy home for a bun or two? The last thing I want to do is put an animal in a distressing situation just because I want something soft and fuzzy to pet. If we're good to go, there's a big pet adoption fair happening Oct 13 we were planning to check out so what should I get done between now and the fair, and what should we wait to do till we actually know what we're getting?

I suggest you call the SPCA and ask if you can try to be "foster parents" first. They do have "foster parents" for dogs and cats so maybe have them for rabbits. Then you can see if it works for you. Also, GET A DWARF! Rabbits are massive fertilizer factories. The smaller the rabbit the less poop. They produce an astonishing amount of poop & you need a system in place to easily clean their litter pan almost daily.

IMO they need daily exercise but also are destructive. If you can close off the kitchen or a large bathroom with a baby gate and put a litter pan down that would work. Not a cat litter pan. Something like a 10"x11" cake pan. The sides don't have to be real high. Read all the house rabbit pages on the internet too.

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender

Drei posted:

My boyfriend and I have been talking about getting a pet for a while now and since our landlord won't allow cats or dogs we've been thinking a bunny or two might suit us.

If you get a rabbit as a substitute for a cat or dog, you're gonna be disappointed. They are nothing alike. They tend to be looking at rather than playing with type pets. You may very well end up with an animal which causes massive amounts of housework and refuses to be touched. So if you want a pet you can interact with, don't get a rabbit.

LilaLovecraft posted:

Also, GET A DWARF! Rabbits are massive fertilizer factories. The smaller the rabbit the less poop.

I would never recommend a dwarf for a first time rabbit owner. The smaller the rabbit, the more concentrated the stream of anger, hate, and destructiveness that comes out. I would look for a large breed, like New Zealands or Californians. They tend to be much more laid back and less standoffish.


LilaLovecraft posted:

I suggest you call the SPCA and ask if you can try to be "foster parents" first.

Definitely this. If you try fostering for a week or two you should know pretty well whether the personalities of the rabbits you've selected match your goals as pets, and whether you're going to love or hate having them.

Instead of the SPCA, check on Petfinder for rabbit specialty rescues. They tend to be better about placing first time owners with friendlier rabbits. Don't do any prep between now and the adoption fair other than reading every page on rabbit.org.

Also here are some of my rescue's adopter handouts which have some summaries of the HRS info:

http://www.allcreaturesrescue.org/documents/BasicRabbitSetup.pdf
http://www.allcreaturesrescue.org/documents/NC_Shopping_List-Rabbits.pdf
http://www.allcreaturesrescue.org/documents/MMC/MythFlyer2003.pdf

DS at Night
Jun 1, 2004

About the noise concerns: it's near impossible to tell what will upset a rabbit, it tends to vary a lot. What I do know is they don't usually care about loud music or movies. What does matter is what kind of sound they're hearing. Really sudden and loud noises are of course not their favourite sounds but that goes for humans as well. Some rabbits will absolutely hate high-pitched whirring noises or anything with a low bass in it. Some will even get freaked out just by hearing somebody with a low booming voice talk. In the case of parties the problem for them is mostly going to be having a lot of people over that they don't or barely know. I have on occasion moved a rabbit upstairs before a party (keep a smaller more portable cage around for such a purpose) and while they don't like it that's tough titties for them. It gives them and me a little peace of mind.

Oh and I usually blare death metal while I clean the cage and both of my rabbits will just about immediately fall asleep. I don't know what's up with that.


By the way don't get rabbits if you're not prepared to let them out of their cage. You can protect or hide away your wires. They absolutely need their (supervised) playtime.

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okiecompy
Jul 13, 2007

Speaking of rabbits being weird about some noises, SAMe doesn't give a poo poo about the vacuum. She'll come right up and sniff it and demand pets! The only thing she really hates is jingly key noises, she stomps like crazy if you're getting your keys out of the basket or shaking some change in your pocket.

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