I got a bunny... and many questions about this bunny!?

Question

It is 2 or 3 months it has a cage how do I potty train it? When can I stop feeding it pellets? Can I wash it or do I need to wait till it's older, how old? I put the bunny outside in a cage! How do I make it run it doesn't run unless my neighbor(2 almost 3 years old) chases it? should I bring it in for a couple of minutes/hours...but I can't it isn't potty trained! Why does it shed fur? why does it pee OUTSIDE the cage? When can I tell if it's a boy or girl? It can't go in the yard because our houses yard has fake grass! What toys can I give it? What toys will it like? What does it mean by fix? How do I know if it's sick? Is it natural for it to potty train? Does it know or do you need to...??? What sound do bunnies make?

Answer 1

Here's a good page on litter training: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litte...

You never stop feeding it pellets.  Look here for information about what your rabbit should be eating and how much, throughout its life: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet....

You NEVER bath a rabbit unless medically necessary and advised by the vet.  They can go into shock and even die when bathed in water.  They clean themselves like cats do and should not need a bath.  

Do not make your poor rabbit run!  They are prey animals.  Being chased to them is like a predator hunting them down!  Bad idea!  Let him be when he's out, and if he doesn't want to run, that's ok.  

Rabbits really do best when kept exclusively indoors.  The average lifespan of an indoor rabbit is over 10 years, outdoors it's 5-6 years.  http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/outdo...  If you can't keep it indoors all the time, then yes, it would be good to let it in with you whenever you can, they like to be around their people as long as you treat them gently.  

All rabbits shed a lot!  A rabbit was a poor choice for a pet if you didn't want a pet that sheds.  Daily brushing with a good brush can minimize it.  I recommend a soft rubber brush for cats called the "Zoom Groom".  Rabbits usually like being brushed with it, and it does a better job at removing loose fur than anything else I have found.  

It pees outside the cage because It's not litter trained yet.  Is it able to get back in its cage to pee when it's out?  If not, that's a factor as well.  If it's peeing outside the cage from inside the cage, that's because you don't have a good high-sided litter box to contain it, they pee at a backwards angle.  

You or your vet can tell if it's a boy or girl now, if you pay close attention to detail.  There's not a huge difference between girl and boy rabbits until they are adults, but there is a difference.  This page will help: http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/se...

Toys sites: http://www.funnybunnytoyco.com/page/page... http://www.pet-rabbit-toys.com/ http://www.leithpetwerks.com/indexpage.c... http://www.bunnybytes.com/cgi-bin/start....  For homemade toys, plain brown toilet paper and paper towel tubes stuffed with hay, or plain brown paper bags and plain brown cardboard boxes are good options *nothing bleached white or with ink, it can harm your rabbit.  I have yet to meet a rabbit that did not appreciate a set of plastic baby keys to throw around.  

To fix a rabbit means to have it neutered or spayed.  Your rabbit will make a better companion if spayed or neutered, it will help with litter training, urine spraying, and also will usually make them friendlier and more affectionate.  With females, due to a very high rate of reproductive cancer, spaying doubles their lifespan, on average.

The #1 signs of illness in a rabbit are lack of appetite or change in their stool (p**p).  If your bunny stops eating or has diarrhea, it's an emergency.  Also watch for behavior changes, discharge from the eyes or nose, grinding of teeth (means pain), or sneezing.  Rabbits need prompt vet attention when ill, they are delicate and once they show signs of being ill, they're really very sick and need help to get better.  

You need to litter train your bunny in most cases, though a few pick it up by themselves and it's usually not hard.  

They make very few sounds.  Sometimes a soft snuffling, a sound lots of people will refer to as a purr (a soft tooth crunching), they thump their feet to warn of danger, they will grunt when angry, and when they are in extreme pain, they scream.  I hope that is a sound you will never have to hear, it's horrible.  Here's a neat little page with these sounds and also body language of rabbits: http://www.rabbit.org/behavior/body-lang...

Answer 2

Wow, got a bunny and dont know how to care for it. Thats sad.

Answer 3

To potty train a rabbit, you have to buy a litter box. Now, buy some good litter. (Yesterday's News, CareFresh...NO Cat litter or shavings..) When he poops/pees put him in the litter box. It may take a while, but it will work. Don't be afraid to clean up p**p or pee! Also, I would put the litter box in the cage to start out with.

Rabbits always need to eat pellets. 1/4-1/3 cup a day.

It's not necessary to wash a rabbit. It is very stressful for them. They keep themselves clean, like cats do.

If your bunny is going to live outside, it needs a hutch. A hutch is a two room house, that is for outside living. If possible, bring your bunny inside to live.

Tell your neighbor not to chase your rabbit. He will get real scared and if you start out chasing him, then you always will have to.

He sheds fur because he needs a new coat for winter.

You can tell if he is a boy or a girl by looking at it's private parts. You will need to get him/her neutured/spayed, so it won't have babies.

If it can't play in the yard, bring him into the house to play. Litter train him/her in the house!

You can buy toys made especially for rabbits at a pet store. Or...

-Stuff a toilet paper roll full of hay

-Cut an opening on a carboard box

Rabbits love to explore, dig, and chew!!

I would also buy an untreated apple tree branch to wear it's teeth on.

Answer 4

Potty training- you need to find out the spot in your rabbits cage where it does most of it's pooping/peeing and place the litter box there. Training a bunny isn't as easy as a cat or dog. Put any poops it makes outside it's tray into the tray and soak pee up with a tissue and put that in too, it helps show it where to go,

You can never stop feeding it pellets they are important so your bunny is getting all it's nutritional needs. Your bunny should have a good handful of pellets day and night, also a cup of veg in the middle of the day and a bowl of grass. Also it ALWAYS should have hay in it's cage as it is 95% of their diet.

Rabbits should not be washed as they clean themselves. The only time they should be washed is if they are sick and can't do it themselves or become covered in something bad.

If it has a good large area it will run around other then that it won't and will be bored. My bunnies have their own enclosure and they run around in it like crazy!

You should bring it in for some indoors time. They usually don't pee p**p that much when in a strange place and anyway it's easy to clen up.

It's best to bring it to the vet to see if it is a boy or girl as it can be hard to tell sometimes.

Bunnies only ever make a squeak when in terrible pain or terrified. They grunt when they attack you too or when they want to hump

Answer 5

You should start to potty train ASAP. The younger the easier.

You should never feed a rabbit pellets!! Feed them hay. Like horse hay. All pellets are, are condenced hay, and will expand in their stomach (nnot good) And hay is soooo much better for them.

You Can wash it, but make sure you use cat shampoo. Human shampoo is too hash on thier skin.

he is probly scared. Over time he will explre and run around.

shedding is normal. it hot, and bunnys get dehydrated VERY fast!

idk why it does not pee in its cage.

if you send me a picture of it "down there" i can tell if its a bot or girl for you.

toys? wood blocks. (they eat them and it grinds down their teeth. Its good for them)

fix, is to nuter him.

potty training is not normal, bt it can be done.

Bunnies do not make a sound. But they can growl.

Answer 6

Read over http://rabbit.org/ It would answer all your questions  

Answer 7

Potty train- Okay, put a litter box in the corner he goes to the bathroom

the most. If he goes outside the litter box, pick up his little poos and put them in the litter box, he'll soon catch on.

Washing it- You really don't need to wash your rabbit period. Unless you have to, you can get special rabbit shampoo at a pet store. If you'd prefer a cheaper kind, shampoo that have conditioners or moisturizers that are made for cats or dogs work perfectly, they should be non-medicated too.

Make it run- Don't make him run. Just let him do as he pleases. You can get special rabbit harnesses and leashes for them. So you could take him for a walk.

Should I bring it in?- It might be a good thing to bring him in for an hour or so a day. You know how to potty train him now, so you can just put an extra litter box in one area, I would just keep him in one room and close the door. Make sure he doesn't get into anything like electrical cords or anything.

Shedding- Depending on what you mean by shedding, he could have mange, or this could be normal. Rabbits shed about every three months. They need to be brush two or three minutes a week so the excess fur doesn't build up.

Peeing outside the cage- Try looking at this link for information about it.

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litte...

He might have a bladder  infection. Is he neutered? If not, you might want to do that. It will probably help a great deal.

Girl or boy?- Maybe when he's a few more months older. Try to keep checking. Just look under him and see if there's nothing, that means it's a girl. And if there's something more than a falt area, it's a boy! (The reason why I've been calling it a he is because it's easier to say that than it. And I'm not trying to be sexest, and sorry if anyone has hurt feeling about that.)

Toys- Rabbits love toys! And guess what? You don't have to spend lots of money on toys for your rabbit, you can use household items as toys! Heres a list of toys for your rabbit.

Pinecones

Paper bags

Phones books, but they will tear it up, so use an old one

Baby plastic keys

Cat toys, the ones with bells inside little plastic balls

Golf balls

toilet paper rolls

Stuffed animal, they'll groom it

The cap off a milk container

You can buy a wicker basket from walmart and cut a large hole in it (it must be untreated though)

Anything that makes nosie is good

Just don't leave plastic toys out, he can chew them and get sick

Toys he'll like- It just depends on your rabbit. He might not like some toys, and they're like kids, they'll get bored in a few weeks, just reintroduce toys.

Fixing- I think you're talking about being altered (spayed or neutered) but that might not be what you are talking about.

Sick- There are many different kinds of illnesses. If anything seems out of the ordinary might be a sign of illness. In the winter, or if it's cold, put extra hay, because he'll be warmer that way. And if it's over 85 degrees F, Freeze a water bottle and put it in his hutch to cool him down.

Natural for potty training- Again, I'm not quite sure what you mean, but I'll do my best. Most people do potty train their rabbits. They'll catch on to it, it just takes time.

Sounds- Rabbits can pur (well what I hear.) They can scream if they are hurt or anything like that. They can grunt and make a few other nosies.

I hope this helps you out!  

Answer 8

1. You can NEVER stop feeding it pellets. All rabbits need pellets as a DAILY meal, NO substitutions. They can't live off of lettuce and other snacks, or hay.

2. You don't need to wash them. If you want to, you can wash they bottom by wetting it with the hose and washing it with some shampoo. You can wash him anytime.

3. If he doesn't want to run, he doesn't have to. He is still a baby. Just let him do what he wants.

4. You can bring it in the house on a towel, and just watch it. Don't let him off.

5. They shed because they have fur. All rabbits shed. Every 6 months, he will go through a molt. He will eventually shed his whole coat.

6. Flip the rabbit on its back gently and hold it in your arms like a baby with the head in your elbow. Then with the other hand, spread apart the vent near the tail. One is the butt hole, the other is the vent. It is the one closest to the belly. Spread it apart. If it looks like a slit or a V it is a girl. If it looks like a tube, it is a boy. If that is too hard look for bare patches on the side of the vent. If there are bare patches it is a boy. At this point, you may also see the testicles developing.

7. They all like cardboard and paper. Just give it a paper towel roll or some newspaper. They also like wood and jingle balls.

8. Fix means to spay or neuter it, prevent them from reproducing.

9. If it is sick, you will hear it sneeze and you will see white discharge coming from the nose. Their daily behavior will change too.

10. No, potty training isn't natural. They like to mark their territory especially if they aren't fixed.

11. Bunnies don't usually make a sound. Sometimes they will grunt when unhappy, or squeal when in pain or in danger.

If you didn't know that much about rabbits, you probably shouldn't have gotten one. With your situation, the bunny won't be happy. You should have asked these questions before you got the rabbit.