i have a rabbit and i need some help?

Question

i need to know how to clean it and feed and how much to feed it and how much water and how much playtime and i dont have a cage i only have a box for now

Answer 1

If you keep a bunny indoors with you, he'll really become attached to you, and you'll have a much more rewarding relationship with him. He'll also live much longer if you keep him inside. I've written an article on this too -
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyhouserabbits.html
Not enough people know that rabbits can become really affectionate with their humans, if we just give our time and patience. Just remember that rabbits are very sensitive and feel vulnerable, and as a result want to be very aware of their surroundings. Just lay on the ground for a minute and look at the world from their eyes, and you'll understand better why they're so sensitive and a little insecure - everything looks so big from their viewpoint!

The very best way to get closer to your rabbits is to sit on the floor/ground while you let them explore, and they'll eventually come and explore you - and have some food with you, so that when they approach you, you can show them that you're a friend with this food - a little slice of carrot, or apple, or banana. But don't try to force them, wait until they approach you. Another thing you can try is laying on your stomach ... when we do this, our bunn comes right up to my face and sits on the floor in front of me. But this will only happen when they've had plenty of hours and days to explore first! The longer you have them in your company, the more they will become familiar with your room, and then will settle down, sit down and relax, and then you can pet them. Another tip, keep things the same around your room, so that they don't have to begin their explorations from scratch every time. Bunnies need their areas to be the same every day ... this is how they feel safest and become calmest and more interested in you.

Generally, before six months, bunnies' main diet should be hay, water, and lucerne pellets. But because you haven't adopted your bunny yet, you now know - you should ask the breeder/person what these baby bunnies are already eating, and what their mother was eating when whe was weaning them too - the breeder should be able to offer you suggestions on continuing the same types of food. Some say you can begin introducing vegetables at four months, some say not until six months of age. Most importantly, when you begin to introduce vegies, you must do it VERY slowly and gradually - begin with just one slice or one very small piece of your chosen vegie or fruit, and make sure it doesn't give her diarrhoea over the next 24 hours before giving any more. Please see my own website, where I've written articles on this, at
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyfood.html
Here's another explanation of what to feed at different ages -
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html
Don't forget, ALL bunnies, whatever their age, should have access to hay 24 hours a day, and water 24 hours a day!

Also, NEVER give lettuce and NEVER give cabbage to rabbits - lettuce and cabbage are both very bad for rabbits, can cause diarrhoea and bloat which can kill them -
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyfood.html#lettuce

And please check out my site at
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyfood.html#safe&poisonous
for lists of safe and dangerous foods for bunnies older than six months of age, reproduced from the excellent "Rabbitlopaedia" by Meg Brown and Virginia Richardson.

Also, here's a few excellent articles on rabbit care, behaviour and communication -
http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html - this one is SO good - how to translate bunny behaviour and language.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AmVwuwYeeKDZ58Zd.L169SLsy6IX?qid=20060725170557AAUOWsu
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/rabbits/a/?once=true&
http://www.tagyerit.com/hopline/cold.htm
http://www.rabbit.org/
http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyhouserabbits.html - this is my site - please have a browse and enjoy!

Answer 2

Hi...My wife and I had a rabbit that I found and wound up keeping him for 10 years until he died of a tumor.....We too learned by experience. First I read some of the responses that were written and I disagree that the rabbit wont "love you", rabbits have a uniuqe personality and are nocturnal as well....they are much more reponsive in the evening hours and do have an affectinate side!

However, if you really want to do this right you will have to invest in a good size cage. The rabbit will eventually eat through a box and will then start on your furniture..they love to gnaw! Thats what they do, so you should know that up front...you cant get mad at the rabbit, he doesnt know any better. If you get a decent size cage, he will be very comfortable...you should let him out for exercise, we exercised our rabitt when we cleaned his cage and during his water and food change.

His water should be given through a water bottle that affixes to the side of his cage,,,he drinks when he wants and there is no mess or spilled cups etc....

he should eat a mix of kibble "the pellets", and romaine lettuce and carrots and either timothy or alphalpha(hay)

the bottom of the cage shoulb be straw and cedar shavings

NEVER USE NEWSPAPER IN THE CAGE,,,THE PRINT CAN HARM THE RABITT

All of this stuff u can get at any pet store.......

the rabitt will clean himself...just clean his "room"

dont exercise him with any other animals around-they are very skittish and have sharp claws they will scratch u with when they get excited.....

otherwise they are pretty cool animals but dont say much...however, when they are happy you will hear them make a purring sound...good luck i hoped this helped...Scott

Answer 3

Whatever you feed the little critter, REPLACE IT DAILY!!!! Rabbits do not eat stale food.

We used to feed it collard greens. They are cheap, and our fuzzball loved it.

You will need an enclosure about 3 fet by 3 feet by about a foot high. Chicken wire works well. Rabbit poop is easy to clean, but urine is not. Be sure to cover the bottom of whatever enclosure you get/build with newspaper and replace that at least once a week. Provide a sleeping area with comfortable sleeping material. Rabbits know better than to poop where they sleep.

You will also need a water bottle. You can get that at a pet store. Again, change the water frequently, or it will start growing algae.

LET ME SAY THIS AGAIN! A rabbit will not eat stale greens. Ours died while we were on vacation because the lady who was taking care of it never changed its food.

As far as playtime, a few hours of running around ought to be enough. If you have an enclosed back yard this will be ideal, but if not, indoors where there is no carpet works well.

When you go to catch it, do not grab it by the ears. Grab it by the scruff of its neck, like the way cats carry kittens.

Have fun!

Answer 4

They should get about 2 hours playtime each day but bunny proof first. That means covering baseboards, spraying furniture and walls with bitter apple and putting split loom cable over wires. I would limit the room it has access to. Rabbits don't need baths. They should have their litter boxes cleaned at least once a week. Fill the litter box with wood stove pellets or carefresh, never cedar shavings or cat litter. Please spay or neuter it. The rabbit will be much healthier and happier. Here are some good sites. Yahoo has a group called EtherBun that is really good.

Answer 5

~There is no way to clean a rabbit. If you try, you CAN NOT get water in it's ears, or it will die. Rabbit's naturally groom themselves and it keeps them quite clean.
~You should feed it rabbit pellets. You should give them about 1/4 of a cup every day. Oh, you can also feed your rabbit carrots, but u shouldn't feed them a lot because it gives them tummy-aches.
~You should get a certain type of water bottle for animals to hook on to the cage at your local pet store, and fill it up to the top.
~You should give your rabbit about 1-2 hours of playtime every day! GOOD LUCK!

Answer 6

Hmmm.... being the positive person I am... I'm going to assume you rescued this little guy and that's why you're so unprepared. :)

Check out www.rabbit.org. It's a GREAT bunny site that has info on EVERYTHING. You shouldn't need to clean your bunny, but you might need to brush him once in awhile. They sell bunny brushes at the store, but I've noticed they look EXACTLY like baby brushes (or even baby DOLL brushes... the ones with real soft bristles). I use a cat brush on mine.

The bunny cages at the stores honestly suck, unless you want to spend a lot of money. I took a vari-kennel (dog kennel) I had laying around and added a second floor in it (so it's two stories and about 3ftx4ft). Even so... he's only in there when I'm at work or sleeping... the rest of the time he's got free run of my kitchen. Most cages out there are just SOOOO small to expect a bunny to live in.

As far as food, the most important thing is HAY. He should have fresh hay available at all times. Cheapest place I've seen it (in small bags anyway) is at Walmart, but all your pet stores and feed stores also sell it. Timothy is best unless the rabbit is a baby, in which case alfalfa is good (it makes adults fat tho). He'll also need fresh veggies daily... but there's a lot of BAD veggies... so check out the list on the website I gave you. There's a bigger list out there somewhere, but I can't remember where. You'll also need pellets (although they only need around 1/4c. per day of those). Get just plain pellets. Rabbits shouldn't have nuts & seeds, which are so common in the "deluxe" foods - which is really just a marketing gimmick because it's more appealing to the human eye. Anyway... everything I learned about rabbits, I pretty much learned from that site, and a few others.

Rabbits make great pets... but they take as much love and committment as a dog or cat (except for the slightly shorter lifespan). Good luck with your bun! Oh... and toys are a plus too. Old phone books, cardboard boxes, untreated wicker baskets, apple branches, hard plastic baby teethers, etc. Some rabbits like to throw toys, others like to roll them, etc... so it just depends on your rabbit's personality. :) Have fun!

Oops... one more thing. GET IT FIXED! They make MUCH better pets when they're spayed/neutered. Males will spray and become aggressive if they are unaltered and females are extremely prone to cancer when not fixed. My male was fixed at about 4mo (he's 1 now) and he's been a perfect pet... uses his litter box 100% & shows NO aggression towards anyone or anything.

Answer 7

It would have been a lot more sensible to ask BEFORE you got the rabbit! Get a cage. Put sawdust in the bottom and straw in the sleeping compartment. Put a small bowl of water in the main cage area. Change the water every day and wash the dish. Put rabbit pellets in a bowl and let the rabbit eat what it wants. Give some fresh food every day, remove it the next day. they eat greens, carrot and dandelions. Clean out every 3 or 4 days (change the sawdust, bediing and wash inside of cage). Handle the rabbit as often as you can, twice day or more and it will become easier to handle.
AND.....Get a good book and rabbit keeping!!!!

Answer 8

Ho hum, why you feel the need to keep an animal that won't love you back like a rodent or reptile is beyond me...but anyhoo, rabbits need constant food and water, they are grazers, they need to keep nibbling because thier teeth constantly grow. Rabbit pellets in a bowl and a water bottle filled with DAILY fresh water will keep it happy. Give carrots and wood toys found at a pet store to help grind the teeth. Its a good idea to change the bedding often because rodent urine STINKS!

Answer 9

I LOL at George. lots. i do no longer element nonetheless, reason it particularly is impolite. thumper is beautiful..the rabbit from alice in wonderland is creepier than the rabbit from donnie darko sick bypass with thumper :)