A pretty general question - we are picking up a 6.5 wk old holland lop (buck) as a pet for my son. He has picked it out, the breeder has been quite helpful, but wanted to get some other opinions. What all do I need to get / need to know. We are hoping to have the bunny indoors. We were given a plastic bottom cage (like new) and we will be litter training. Want to make sure we have everything we need, what do we need to do as the bunny gets older (ie. neuter), bigger cage, different diet, etc. WHats best for feed, litter box and what to put inside litter box, bedding??, food dish, hay rack??
new bunny for my son
- Thread starter cad
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When are you getting the bunny. I'm sure your son is thrilled, but all the homework should be done before you bring the bunny home.
Be sure to ask for a small supply of the feed the bunny has been getting because sudden changes in diet, particularly for young bunnies, can easily upset their systems. This goes double when the bunny is already stressed from going to a new home. Get the name of the feed and buy a bag of the same kind, even if you intend to make changes later. All changes should be a gradual transition. I can't stress this enough. Rabbits are very subject to stess and it usually shows itself as a digestive problem. These problems can be fatal.
You need a good general book on raising a pet rabbit. Reading everything you can on the forums is also a good idea. You don't say how old your son is, but it is important that he understands that the rabbit at 6.5 weeks is a baby and cannot play for long periods of time. It needs peace and quiet at first, then gentle petting and as it becomes friendly it will enjoy your son's company and look forward to their times together.
Your bunny needs his basic feed, clean water and something safe to chew on to keep his teeth worn down. A branch of a safe tree is good for this: apple, willow, elm, aspen/poplar or maple are all good. Make sure they have not been sprayed. A piece off an untreated 2x4 also works. If at all possible get some timothy or grass hay for the rabbit. There is nothing more healthy as a dietary supplement than good grass or timothy hay. It helps ward off many problems.
The cage will be fine for starters, but since you don't give its size it is hard to know whether it will be okay when the bunny is full grown. The litter box is likely best filled with those pine pellets or with a product like Yesterday's News. Do not use a clay litter.
Be careful when the bunny is out roaming around. They will chew on things... including furniture and electric cords. Not good! Warn your son to be careful not to step on the rabbit. This is a more common accident than one would think and it makes a person feel terrible if it happens. (I stepped on a baby chick once and still feel awful about it, even though the chick survived.)
Well, that's a start for you. Hope your son enjoys his pet rabbit. The House Rabbit website may be good for you to check out. I do not agree with everything there but it will give you information to condsider.
http://www.rabbit.org/
here is another useful site for understanding a rabbit's body language so you can communicate with it better:
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
Good luck with the new bunny! :clover:
Be sure to ask for a small supply of the feed the bunny has been getting because sudden changes in diet, particularly for young bunnies, can easily upset their systems. This goes double when the bunny is already stressed from going to a new home. Get the name of the feed and buy a bag of the same kind, even if you intend to make changes later. All changes should be a gradual transition. I can't stress this enough. Rabbits are very subject to stess and it usually shows itself as a digestive problem. These problems can be fatal.
You need a good general book on raising a pet rabbit. Reading everything you can on the forums is also a good idea. You don't say how old your son is, but it is important that he understands that the rabbit at 6.5 weeks is a baby and cannot play for long periods of time. It needs peace and quiet at first, then gentle petting and as it becomes friendly it will enjoy your son's company and look forward to their times together.
Your bunny needs his basic feed, clean water and something safe to chew on to keep his teeth worn down. A branch of a safe tree is good for this: apple, willow, elm, aspen/poplar or maple are all good. Make sure they have not been sprayed. A piece off an untreated 2x4 also works. If at all possible get some timothy or grass hay for the rabbit. There is nothing more healthy as a dietary supplement than good grass or timothy hay. It helps ward off many problems.
The cage will be fine for starters, but since you don't give its size it is hard to know whether it will be okay when the bunny is full grown. The litter box is likely best filled with those pine pellets or with a product like Yesterday's News. Do not use a clay litter.
Be careful when the bunny is out roaming around. They will chew on things... including furniture and electric cords. Not good! Warn your son to be careful not to step on the rabbit. This is a more common accident than one would think and it makes a person feel terrible if it happens. (I stepped on a baby chick once and still feel awful about it, even though the chick survived.)
Well, that's a start for you. Hope your son enjoys his pet rabbit. The House Rabbit website may be good for you to check out. I do not agree with everything there but it will give you information to condsider.
http://www.rabbit.org/
here is another useful site for understanding a rabbit's body language so you can communicate with it better:
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
Good luck with the new bunny! :clover:
Thanks for your help. My son is 7 and we are talking alot about how to treat the bunny and how he can't be crazy and loud around it when we first get it. Just holding and petting properly for now. The cage is 2' x 3' and we plan to attach some sort of ex-pen as the bunny gets older so it has more space to hop around.
There are 2 things that I am themost concerned about:
-that this bunny ends up as a pet - ie. that we care for it and do the proper things with it so my son can play with it / hold it / take it outside to play / etc. as it gets older. I don't want to have to worry about the bunny nipping or being unfriendly
-that we are able to litter train it - I really want to keep it indoors, so litter training is fairly important - if we start having a lot of mess or smell I will not be very keen to have it inside.
There are 2 things that I am themost concerned about:
-that this bunny ends up as a pet - ie. that we care for it and do the proper things with it so my son can play with it / hold it / take it outside to play / etc. as it gets older. I don't want to have to worry about the bunny nipping or being unfriendly
-that we are able to litter train it - I really want to keep it indoors, so litter training is fairly important - if we start having a lot of mess or smell I will not be very keen to have it inside.
Your concerns are valid. If the rabbit has a nice nature to start with (most do) then frequent gentle petting and handling, with vigilance to see when bunny has had enough, will help keep him tame and playful. At seven, your son will require considerable supervision at first, but you know that. Be sure to visit the Language of Lagomorphs site above so you and your son can learn to read your bunny's body language. It's fascinating and it will give you some tools for disciplining bunny's behaviour. Unless your yard is very secure and safe, I suggest getting a cat harness and long leash for outdoor time. I've done this with rabbits and it works fine if you start them fairly young. Only put the harness on when it is going outside.
Litter training requires a bit of effort, but rabbits are clean by nature and they like to have one potty spot. If you put a bit of its urine (soak up that first mistake with a bit of paper towel) in the litter pan, it will help give him the idea of where that should be. The House Rabbit Society website has info on litter box training, I believe. The first winter I had my rabbits, I kept them in the front porch and gave them plastic dishpans with pine shavings for litter pans. Most of them used them most of the time, without any effort on my part.
You may not have noticed, but we have a special forum for Rabbits for Children. You may want to post some questions there... I think it would help members notice them more than lumped in with all the rabbit care questions. But it's up to you.
Litter training requires a bit of effort, but rabbits are clean by nature and they like to have one potty spot. If you put a bit of its urine (soak up that first mistake with a bit of paper towel) in the litter pan, it will help give him the idea of where that should be. The House Rabbit Society website has info on litter box training, I believe. The first winter I had my rabbits, I kept them in the front porch and gave them plastic dishpans with pine shavings for litter pans. Most of them used them most of the time, without any effort on my part.
You may not have noticed, but we have a special forum for Rabbits for Children. You may want to post some questions there... I think it would help members notice them more than lumped in with all the rabbit care questions. But it's up to you.
ottersatin
Well-known member
Cad,
just my twenty-five cents on the subject.
Not to rain on the parade but, six and one half weeks old
is really too young for the kit to be sent off packing.
Ag annd marketing laws state that a rabbit must be
eight weeks [two months] old before it is sold.
I really think [JMPO] that the seller/breeder should
hold the kitten just a few more weeks before it is sent off.
I too suggest that you browse your local library and seek out
a few good books on the subject.
A book both you and your son will find very helpful is:
"A child's guide to Raising and Showing Rabbits" By Nancy Searle
It is well written and easily understandable for youth and Adults alike.
I found it very interesting and I have a copy in my home Rabbit Library.
Dennis, C.V.R.
just my twenty-five cents on the subject.
Not to rain on the parade but, six and one half weeks old
is really too young for the kit to be sent off packing.
Ag annd marketing laws state that a rabbit must be
eight weeks [two months] old before it is sold.
I really think [JMPO] that the seller/breeder should
hold the kitten just a few more weeks before it is sent off.
I too suggest that you browse your local library and seek out
a few good books on the subject.
A book both you and your son will find very helpful is:
"A child's guide to Raising and Showing Rabbits" By Nancy Searle
It is well written and easily understandable for youth and Adults alike.
I found it very interesting and I have a copy in my home Rabbit Library.
Dennis, C.V.R.
A valid point about the Bunny's age and good advice from Ottersatin. :goodjob:
