Adopting a bunny....looking for advice

[Fly4free]

I am looking to adopt a small bunny. We have always had guinea pigs and still have one. The kids and I would like to adopt a small rabbit that would hopefully get along with our piggie. I would not house them together, but keep their cages side by side and let them roam around together out of their cages sometimes.

Does anyone have any experience intoducing guinea pigs and rabbits? I am also interested in advice on bunny friendly litter. We will be checking out local shelters soon. I have read that males tend to be more affectionate. Don't know how true that is. Anyone have reccomendation for cages or pens ? Any info is appreciated.

 

[Honeibee]

Hello! Good for you for adopting instead of buying! The House Rabbit Society is THE best place for bunny advice.

http://www.rabbit.org/

I don't have any GP/bunny experience. We have two big bunnies that were bonded when we got them and are housed together. Then we have one little Dwarf bun that was "unwanted". They can be side by side as long as a fence is between them but the big girl bun and the tiny one are agressive toward each other. We may some day let the big male and little girl play together but we'll see. She's so tiny (3.4 pounds) and he's so big (9 pounds), I worry.

The HRS has recommendations on litter, housing, feed. But I'll give you my two cents....

For litter we use Feline Pine. Works great, smells great, they took to it right away.

I don't know about males being more affectionate. I really think it's the individual bunny's personality more than the sex or breed.

A bunny needs room! Please please please don't put him/her in one of those small wire bottom pens. Our guys have raised hutches with ramps down to the floor and they are surrounded by paddocks. Drs Foster and Smith have great bunny homes in all price ranges.

Also, OxBow bunny pellets are the best! And make sure they always have hay at all times.

One more very important thing....Please teach the children how to handle the bun. Remember that bunnies have spent the last million years being everybody's dinner and they react as prey animals would. Even the calmest bunny is always on alert and will react if frightened. Gentle, gentle, gentle. And be sure to learn the proper way to lift and hold.

Also, find a HRS recommended vet. Regular cat and dog vets may not be trained in bunny care. Your shelter probably can recommend someone nearby.

Ok sorry to go on and on. We love our bunnies and their care is most important so we have really educated ourselves on proper bunny care.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

add a lot a carrots and onions...some garlic salt is good if you like that...



oh wait...

"ADOPTING"!!!


....nevermind.

 

[Honeibee]

Oh you had to know THAT was going to happen.

Fly4free, we can take this off-line if you'd like to PM me.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Oh you had to know THAT was going to happen.

Fly4free, we can take this off-line if you'd like to PM me.

don't have to do that..

I'll just order the steak!

 

[Friendly Frog]

Prepair for lots of poop. But they do train easily to the litter box.

It has been a long time but I remember that we were told to give ours that hairball removal stuff on a regular basis.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I have 4 bunnies but have never tried to introduce one to a guinea pig. When you try to bond bunnies, it's important to have the bunny pick his/her own friend. We just did this with my sister's bunny a few weeks ago. We took her to a shelter and they put one bunny at a time in the pen with her. She beat the crud out of one poor male, was indifferent to others and finally seemed to tolerate two sweet little boys.

You should probably contact the shelter before going in to meet bunnies. They may advise that you bring your guinea pig with you so he/she can have a say in who you bring home.

As for bunny temperament, males and females can be equally sweet. The key to getting a well-behaved boy is to get him neutered as soon as he's 3 pounds or around 5 months old. Intact males can be very bratty and will spray pee everywhere. Spaying females is absolutely necessary for their health. Somewhere around 80 - 85% of intact female bunnies will get reproductive cancer before they turn 5. Spaying reduces the risk to 0%. The best way to find a sweet bunny is to spend time with them at a shelter. As another poster said, see if your area has a chapter of the House Rabbit Society. They rescue bunnies who are on euthanasia lists at shelters so their bunnies are truly being given a 2nd or even 3rd chance. The people there will be very knowledgeable about bunnies and can probably help with your guinea pig bonding.

The best type of litter is pelleted litter that is labeled safe for rabbits. I use Critter Country and sometimes Yesterday's News. Never use clay cat litter for a bunny because it can cause an obstruction if they eat it.

Bunnies main dietary staple should be hay. They can have alfalfa hay until they're 6 months old and then should be switched to Timothy hay. Alfalfa has a high calcium content which is good for young bunnies but can cause kidney stones in adults. Likewise with their food - alfalfa pellets until 6 months and then Timothy pellets after that. I only feed my bunnies Oxbow pellets. I've been told it's the Cadillac of rabbit food! It's not OK to change your bunnies' pellet brand. They are very picky eaters and will stop eating if their food suddenly tastes or smells different. Certain fruits and veggies are OK. Check the House Rabbit Society site to see which ones are OK and which ones to avoid.

A sturdy cage with a solid bottom is best. As soon as you figure out which corner bunny likes to use for his business, put a litterbox there. He will start using it since bunnies are very neat and clean and like to use only one corner.

Bunnies should have daily exercise. We let ours loose in our family room and keep a litterbox in the corner that they use. You need to bunny-proof their play area by covering or hiding electrical cords. You need to supervise bunnies play time since they tend to chew on everything. We've trained our bunnies to stop chewing when we clap our hands once. The reason they chew is that their teeth are constantly growing and they need to file them down. It's good to provide plenty of chew sticks and wooden bunny-approved toys. Their hay will also help them file their teeth. You will need to cut bunnies' nails at least once a month. It's not difficult unless you have a opinionated bunny (like one of mine) who politely but insistently takes his foot back and tucks it underneath him. I just show him who's boss and he gets with the program. You can get some powder called Quick Stop that will coagulate the blood if you accidently cut too low. It's good to have that on hand and read the directions before cutting nails. They bleed a lot if you cut too low but the Quick Stop takes care of it fast.

That's my quick primer on bunnies! I love them and enjoy spoiling them! Let me know if you have additional questions. Happy to help.

 

[SandrA9810]

We had guinea pigs and they're very social little creatures. So it's a good idea to have a buddy with them, and I'm sure with the bunnies too. I want to say I've heard of friends housing the two together with no problems, or at least letting them play with no issues.

When we had guinea pigs, I would go to the local farm feed store, and they had fill your own bag of all kinds of critter food. I would buy a bag of pellet food, and then a bag of dried fruits and veggies and ohh man did they love it. Probably a bit more than a bag from the store, but way better. And I could buy the hay there for very cheap.

I want to say the two eat different kinds of hay, and as well since you have to feed guinea pigs lots of vitamin c, you probably shouldn't house the two together so they eat their own food and get the proper amount of nutrition.

Well that's my two cents on the subject. I don't think it'll be an issue to let them be friends. And post pics when you do get the bunny.

 

[Honeibee]

Luv Bunnies - You gave some excellent advice there! You mentioned things I forgot. I think I told you this before but the bun in your avatar looks like my girl.

 

[pumba]

we grew up with bunnies in the house. They do train so easy to the litter box, just like kittens do. BUT they sure do enjoy chewing on things....Like the material from the couches, or the wires behind the tv sets....watch out for that..

 

[kirbsam]

mmmm. hossenfeffer...

 

[Fly4free]

Thanks for all the good advice. The HRS has some great info. There is not one close to me, but I do have 2 other rabbit rescues in my county. The first one I contacted about a bunny said, the one my kids fell for, isn't recommended for small kids. I told them my youngest is 9.
I put in an application with another rescue that has more, and I'm waiting to hear back. One question on the application was "How would you discipline your rabbit?" I wasn't sure how to answer that one.

My son has definate ideas about what he thinks is cute, but it's good advice to go and see the bunny in person and check out their personality. The 2 local shelters use foster homes so this process may take a while. I know eventually we'll find the right little one.

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

I just want to say thanks for adopting your new baby. You are going to love having a bunny. They are alot of work sometimes but so much fun. We have two male Lionheads and just love them. Hold your bunny as much as he/she will allow you to and give your bunny lots of exercise too. I would like to reiterate - get your bunny spayed or neutered if the bunny hasn't already been altered.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Luv Bunnies - You gave some excellent advice there! You mentioned things I forgot. I think I told you this before but the bun in your avatar looks like my girl.

Thanks! I always enjoy talking about bunnies. My avatar bunny is named Ralphie. We got him at a shelter almost 6 years ago. He was found hopping around a not-so-nice part of town all by himself. Some nice person caught him and took him to the shelter. I developed a crush on him through his picture on their website. When I met him in person (or in bunny, as we like to say), I was totally in love! He's a little nervous and quirky but that makes him even more endearing. Right now, he's ripping up a cardboard box. What fun!

OP: Thank you for adopting a homeless bunny. I hope you have as much fun with your bunny as I have with my four!

 

[Fly4free]

Good news, I got my bunny!!! I found him through a friend. The animal hospital she takes her dog to has a vet tech there that takes in many animals that need rehoming. She had 4 rabbits, which she is very allergic to. She is not able to handle the rabbits much due to allergies so I was worried my bunny might be very skittish. He is the sweetest little guy. Mostly white with some black around his eyes and black ears. He looks to be a dwarf mix. How someone could just drop off their pets is beyond me.

The only bad thing is he isn't neutered yet. The vet said I could bring him back to be neutered. I wanted to take him home and make sure he was good with the kids before I adopted him permanently. We were not even 1/2 way home when we already knew he was a keeper. He is (of course) shy, but enjoys being held. Very very sweet. He is using the litter box, not 100% but the cage was dry, so I'm pleased.

We let him run around in a penned area today and he loved it. I'm not turning him loose in the house until he is fixed though. I'm worried about him spraying:-( I think tomorrow we'll let him see the guinea pig, through the cage. I didn't want to overwhelm him.....the kids are touching him all day. I want him to adjust to his new life gradually.

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

Congratulations! Have fun with your new baby!! What are you naming him? Let us know how he and the guinea pig get along.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Awww! I love hearing about homeless bunnies finding wonderful new homes! He sounds like a sweetie!

 

[Fly4free]

We named our new bunny Rocket. It is very appropriate for him since he really can launch! He looks a lot like Luv Bunnies pet Ralphie, even has the back spot next to his nose, except instead of all the spots on the back he has one "racing stripe". My son thinks he's the greatest. Rocket has already claimed him by chinning him. DS is also getting bunny kisses.

The guinea pig, Cookie, is very interested in Rocket. He is still skittish, because Rocket is very fast and bigger than he is. I put Rocket in an excercise pen with a thick blanket underneath and Cookie, who is cage trained (he returns to cage to do his business) is allowed to roam free. Cookie spends a lot of time cleaning (eating) up the hay around their cages and stealing uneaten treats that are on the edge of Bunny's cage. When he is done that he roams around Rocket's pen trying to get his attention. After Rocket comes over and sticks his nose through, they rub noses, and then Cookie will wash himself.

They are so cute together. I will have to post pictures soon. Rocket is more interested in people than the piggie, but he does not mind him at all. He's definately a people bunny. He is always watching us and excited for attention. Thurs. is the dreaded neutering appt. I'll update everyone after......Thanx for listening to my bunny tails....oops I mean tales

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I always love hearing a great bunny adoption story. I only have 1 bunny now, I had to have 2 of mine put to sleep last year. That is my Mabelline (Mable for short) in the picture below, she is about 5 years old and was adopted form the North GA House Rabbits Society last fall. Shehsa a few black spots down her back.

We built her this huge cage out of those wire cubes and it has a laminate flooring(no wire floors, please, it will ruin their feet) and she loves it, it is her castle. It is 2ft by 6ft and hsa a shelf she likes to climb on and lots and lots of toys. She has one big hay box for her hay and one smaller one for her litter (she choose which was for what) at one end and a carpet at the other and her blankie. She is hilarious with her blankie, she will pick a corner up with her teeth, then launch herself forward with it until she gets it just right, then in a few days she will ball it up and move it again. Her favorite toy right now is one of those small unfinished wicker baskets from Walmart, the best $3 I ever spent.

 

[Fly4free]

Check out Rocket's "hidden bunny" on his face. His bunny face has a bunny face. The only way I could post his picture was by making him my avatar.

Rocket had his surgery a week ago Thurs. and is back to bouncing around like normal. He has calmed down some and is not territorial, nipping at us while he is in his cage like he did before. He loves to be petted and if you are holding him and stop petting for a moment he goes nuts. He starts digging us and then follows up with a sharp nip. If you are lucky he only gets your clothes. Hopefully he will figure out soon that people do not appreciate this behavior. Little guy has not had much socialization, so he still has a lot to learn

The kids enjoyed Easter with their Easter bunny. We even took him to my parents. Everyone is just crazy about him. Even the guinea pig is happy although still very cautious around him. He walks around Rocket's pen waiting to be noticed. Then he get's scared when the rabbit comes over to him. He will frequently just freeze. I'm glad he's getting more exercise now instead of just moping around in his cage. I've even spotted piggie popcorning (jumping for joy) again.