thinking of getting a bunny or guinea pig

Well for a while now I've been thinking about getting a bunny or a guinea pig. I use to have guinea pigs as a kid and i loved them. And I have always wanted a bunny. Im leaning more towards a bunny cause they grow to be bigger then the guinea pigs and that would probley be best since I have the dogs and cats. I know the dogs and cats would be good with the bunny or guinea pig once they stopped the sniffing the new creature phase.

It has been a while since I have had a small animal like this. What kind of things should I make sure I have before I get one? I know a cage, waterer,bowl,litter,food. Anything else?

And I konw all animals like to have a companion but if I got a bunny would he not be happy by himself? I would rather just get one, cause then I could let it run around the house and not worry about two bunnys hopping all over the place.

Im also trying to decide if I should get one of those rabbit hutches you can put outside? I found one on craigslist for $65. Its not a huge one which is good, its a smaller one, probley could fit two good sized bunnies. I could also put this hutch inside since it isnt big. Or should I just stick with a standard cage?

Thanks for any help or info you can give me on bunnys and guinea pigs!

 

you could do both a cage and the hutch, that way the bunny can have outside time, and be inside during the night or inclement weather.

You need a rabbit proofed room, as they can chew through most anything, and probably will.

It depends on the temperment of your individual animals, but dogs and cats can be natural enemies of rabbits, so you need to be careful of that.

As for other supplies, you need a brush, nail cliippers, dust bath or regular shampoo, vitamin drops would probably be good, and at least a 200 dollar savings for just in case bun gets sick.

That's it, I suppose.

 

I think the cage and hutch together is a good idea.

As far as getting one or two. I have a single buck and I think as long as your rabbit gets enough time out of his cage it should be fine.

Rabbits, dogs and cats can get along fine with each other but just remember to slowly introduce them. My rabbit Jack loves to play with Rocky.

Also, I have 2 word for you... Litter Box!

Jack's just recently picked up on using his litter box and its a lot easier than cleaning the whole cage everyday. I just clean the litter box daily and about every 3 days do a thorough cage cleaning. Also if you're going to give your bunny a room to roam around in (I wouldn't recommend the whole house, too many dangers) it'll be a lot cleaner if it's litter box trained.

 

Thank you! How do I litterbox train a bunny? What I was going to do was line the bottom of the cage with newspaper and then put the shavings over the newspaper, and I was going to change the papers &shavings everyday by rolling up the papers, my mom use to do that for my guinea pig when i was little. What kind of litter do you use?

Is it hard to litterbox train them?

We just got our bunny today, we named him or her LuckyFoot, andhe is4 weeks old. I asked the woman at the pet store if he would need any extra care being so young and she said no, but i find it hard to believe. Is it true?

Also do rabbits like toys and if so what kind.

And my last question, what kind of veggies can you give them, i know carrots and lettuce are ok, anything else? Thanks so much!

 

This is the website I use to determine what to give my rabbit:

http://www.adoptarabbit.com/articles/packet/abcvegi.html

Litter training isn't really hard, you just have to figure out their habits. I've only had Jack for about 2 weeks (wasn't really expected, he showed up on my front lawn) and he's just recently (in the last few days) picked up on it.

Jack has a double food dish so I used to put timothy hay in one part and pellets in the other. He would always pee in the side with the timothy hay so I covered the litter in his box with timothy hay and he started using it.

There are a few methods you could use.

First start with a litter box in the cage. If he uses another corner move the litter box there until he figues out that he's supposed to use the box.

Another method to use is getting pills from another rabbit and put it in the litter box. Your rabbit will then mark his territory out and use the box. Rabbits are pretty clean animals and like to keep one corner of their cage as their bathroom.

Another trick is to put some hay near the litter box. Don't know why but some rabbits like to munch while they use the bathroom.

You're rabbit will probably still pill around the box but that's naturlal, he's just staking out his territory and it lets him know that the cage is his.

Generally it's easier to train an older rabbit than a younger one because young rabbits don't have full contol of their bladders.

As far as litter goes, I use Yesterday's News. They make different types for cats, rabbits, small animals and ferrets. I use the one for cats because it's usually cheaper (Thanks for that tip, Sakura!) and it does a pretty good job of keeping the odor down.

For toys there are lots of items you can use like cardboard boxes (cut holes for doors and you're rabbit will have fun exploring it), tubes from toilet paper and paper towls rolls, PVC pipes, kitty condos, straw balls, and shredded paper (no ink).

 

Congrats with the new bunny I've gotten a lot of useful information from the newsletter on this site: www.rabbitsecrets.com

 

i used to havea bunny..i had to give him away cuz we moved, but make sure all ur cords are moved away! mine used to bite right through the cords, and eat the bottoms of the couches....but he was so cute, that it was worth it!

 

Lettuce is not OK to feed rabbits. I can give them a serious case of diarrhea, and really contributes nothing, nutritionally. A bit of kale or spinach is a better option.

You can contact your county extension service if you live in the U.S. and ask about 4-H rabbit clubs in your area. Those kids can give you a world of advice on rabbit care and feeding. And they have tons of printed material available.

 

oh...i fed my bunny lettuce...but only a little...if its bad for them then dont...i had no clue??

 

With lettuce you'll want to avoid iceberg lettuce as its very watery, has no nutritional value and can cause diarrhea.

I don't normally feed lettuce but if you do you want the darker leafier varities like Romain.

 

i know thats what i fed mine...iceberg is very unhealthy for htem