First time Holland Lop Owner - Feeling Clueless and Nervous

[albrst]

As of last night at about 7 pm, we adopted an 11 week old Holland Lop Buck who we named Lego. I feel so lost, clueless and worried we will kill him. Everything I read has contradicting information. Here is what we have and have done. I would love advice.

We have a 24x24 wire cage that we plan to use when not at home and night. In the cage we have a litter box, towel, food dish, hanging hay feeder above the litter box, water bottle and resting area. Really very little of the wire floor is showing, maybe 1/8-1/4 of it. He has not clue about the litter thing yet but I am sure he will learn. He uses the bathroom all over the place right now. I have read that young rabbits don't train easily so I am not too worried. I know some say the towel would be bad but I can't find a bed for him anywhere around here. In the litter box I have Carefree Ultra litter which he nibbles on.

We also have a large play yard with a tarp under it and today he spent most of the day in there hopping around and playing (I moved his things to it during the day).

The breeder I bought him from gave me some of her food and I mixed it with half of my food but he hasn't touched it. He is eating hay like crazy but not touching the pellets. He sniffs them but isn't eating them. He is drinking, eating and pooping fine (well as far as I know this is as much as he should.).

So my worries right now are - is it normal that he is not eating pellets? He went from a home in a barn with other rabbits to a home with 4 kids and being an indoor rabbit. I am also worried about the eating the carefree litter. I am not sure how much he actually ingests. I tried covering it with hay and he eats hay and litter then. So we are trying the hanging hay feeder above the litter box. He sits in the litter box above and eats the hay. I just did that tonight so I am hoping that will stop him from eating the litter.

He has a toilet paper roll to chew on but doesn't seem to like it too much. I saw some colored wood blocks at Tractor Supply for chew toys but was worried that might not be safe. I think I am more worried about this little guy than my kids when they were babies. I knew what to do with human babies. Any advice?

Kristy

 

[ladysown]

oh yeah! You entered the wonderful world of bunnies!

first...relax.

second.. he's eating! that's good.

I find the first week or so.. as long as a new rabbit is eating something all is right in the world.
I would actually remove the litter box for now and just let him pick a corner to go in. It shouldn't take too long. Does the wire cage have a catch pan? If so, you may not even need a litter box, though you may need to add urine guards to the side of the cage.

Wire is not bad for their feet.. it actually is the easiest way to keep bunnies clean and healthy, and let's you know immediately if they are pooping and peeing.

I would not have mixed the old food with the new just yet. generally you want to transition them a bit more slowly then that. BUT he's eating, this is good. Rabbits tend to transition well to new pellets.

things you want to watch for.
1. eating
2. drinking (no drinking, no eating)
3. pooping normal round dry poops.
4. peeing.

If bunny is doing all those things, then the rest is window dressing.
House rabbit society folks tend to make things black and white... do it this way OR you are doing it wrong. There are so many ways to raise rabbits as there are rabbit owners. The thing to focus on is... is your bunny doing the important four things? If so... life is good.

it's when things go wrong that you are given the opportunity to examine what you are doing, and how you might correct it.

but for now...bunny is eating. The pellets will come with time, and if they don't you can cut back on the amount of hay given (I generally only give a smallish handful at a time) but others feed unlimited hay. My reasoning is pellets are a balanced meal...I don't want to throw that balance off too badly, but as long as the bunny is thriving, life is good, and it's all window dressing.

Enjoy your bunny.
Handle him lots.
Get him well used to you and you'll have a wonderful companion animal.

 

[Dood]

Welcome to RabbitTalk

Kyle Ladysown has provided a lot of good information.

I would just add that if the play yard has grass he may be filling up on fresh juicy greens and eating the hay to add fibre to his diet.

Another possibility is if the hay is alfalfa then it has plenty of protein for him as pellets are mostly alfalfa anyway. A timothy or grass hay would have less protein and may encourage him to eat his pellets if you're worried.

 

[Bad Habit]

Welcome to RabbitTalk

Kyle has provided a lot of good information.

I would just add that if the play yard has grass he may be filling up on fresh juicy greens and eating the hay to add fibre to his diet.

Another possibility is if the hay is alfalfa then it has plenty of protein for him as pellets are mostly alfalfa anyway. A timothy or grass hay would have less protein and may encourage him to eat his pellets if you're worried.

You mean Ladysown, lol

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Welcome to the forum!!!!!!

Now take some deep breaths. He's a bunny, not a bottle of nitroglycerin. He won't detonate.

First...congratulations!!! Hollands usually have excellent and sociable temperaments. Plus they're adorable.

We have a 24x24 wire cage that we plan to use when not at home and night.

Sounds reasonable!

In the cage we have a litter box, towel, food dish, hanging hay feeder above the litter box, water bottle and resting area.

I have to ask. What is the towel for?

Really very little of the wire floor is showing, maybe 1/8-1/4 of it.

I don't know what is taking up the majority of the floorspace but I'd take some stuff out then. Happy "jumps for joy" (some people call them "binkies") don't happen if there's no room. Plus he may feel crowded if he isn't used to all the "furniture."

I know some say the towel would be bad but I can't find a bed for him anywhere around here.

The towel is a bed? :shock: I'd be a little worried about him possibly chewing and eating it. Granted, I've been known to stick a washcloth in the bottom of a nest if the kits were having issues staying warm, but...it's a temporary solution at best.

If he has a resting mat (and I think you said he did) he doesn't need a towel. It will just take up space and leave him less room to play and be a bunny.

In the litter box I have Carefree Ultra litter which he nibbles on.

I don't use it personally but I know someone who does, her rabbit used to nibble it too and he "outgrew" that, and anyways it never hurt him any.

We also have a large play yard with a tarp under it and today he spent most of the day in there hopping around and playing (I moved his things to it during the day).

Too cute!!!

The breeder I bought him from gave me some of her food and I mixed it with half of my food but he hasn't touched it. He is eating hay like crazy but not touching the pellets. He sniffs them but isn't eating them. He is drinking, eating and pooping fine (well as far as I know this is as much as he should.).

I wouldn't worry too much. The breeder may not have fed hay, so he may think it's just the Coolest New Thing Ever. He may also be eating some of the pellets and just not enough to show, if that makes sense. How much are you offering him?

And if he's pooping, he's probably fine.

If you are really concerned, check his condition. Run your hands down his back...you should be able to feel his spine...but it shouldn't stick way out. If you feel for them, you should feel the point of each hip bone...but they shouldn't jut out. If he's holding weight I would say he's just fine!

So my worries right now are - is it normal that he is not eating pellets?

Probably. He's a kid in a candy store...who wants that boring stuff when there's awesome new things to snack on?! Plus if he was outside and on grass, he probably did a fair bit of grazing.

I don't feed hay any more, I feed alfalfa cubes...not too long ago I brought home a new doe, and I can only assume she'd never seen one before, and she was crazy for her daily cube!!! Ignored her pellets for days. Finally the cubes seemed less exciting and now she tucks into pellets first, then eats her alfalfa.

I am also worried about the eating the carefree litter. I am not sure how much he actually ingests. I tried covering it with hay and he eats hay and litter then. So we are trying the hanging hay feeder above the litter box. He sits in the litter box above and eats the hay. I just did that tonight so I am hoping that will stop him from eating the litter.

Good idea!!! While I don't think eating some of the litter will hurt him, it's not exactly the breakfast of champions. Also, hanging the hay where he has to sit in the litter box will start to teach him where to do his buisness...rabbits often poop when they eat. Soon his "snack corner" will also be his "potty corner" and he'll go there to potty!

He has a toilet paper roll to chew on but doesn't seem to like it too much.

Some of mine love cardboard tubes. A few do not like toys of any kind. He may be picky. That or the tube isn't exciting...I have some five-week-old kits who are driving their mom nuts with playtime...so I've been giving them "stuffed tubes." I cram a bunch of hay left over from the nest-material bale I had in one end and block up the other end with some leaves from my crabapple tree. Sometimes I stick a pinch of oats or a little slice of apple in the center. They go bonkers for the stuffed tubes...they know there's a prize inside!!! Inevitably the next morning, the shredded remains of the tube are floating in their water dish...for some reason they always give the cardboard a "burial at sea." :lol: :roll: I have weird kits.

A friend has a bunny who loves to toss around plastic keys. Like the human toddler toy, you know? A keyring with big plastic keys? She gets them at Goodwill stores because after a few months he's thoroughly destroyed them.

Some of mine like to push around golf balls, too. They haven't managed to chew them up either.

I saw some colored wood blocks at Tractor Supply for chew toys but was worried that might not be safe.

I got a bunch on clearance once...my rabbits either loved them or hated them.

If you have an apple or pear tree, he'd probably love to chew on a branch. I have been "treating" my doe with kits still in the nest box with crabapple leaves...she LOVES them. One leaf is "payment" enough for me to be able to check over her kits and make sure they're all good.

I think I am more worried about this little guy than my kids when they were babies. I knew what to do with human babies. Any advice?

If you managed to raise children past the age of two, I'm pretty sure you are more than qualified to care for this wee bunny. Deep breaths, you are doing great so far!!!!!!!!

And of course, we must have pictures of your cute new baby.

LOL, Bad Habit? I think Dood psychically knew I was typing a comment. Alas I cannot claim credit for Ladysown's awesome post!!!

 

[albrst]

Thank you all so much. I feel better. So, does the rabbit not need a soft something to lay on/sleep on? What do your rabbits sleep on? It's okay if all he has is a resting mat, food, water and the hay feeder and some toy of some kind. I don't have the bottom of the cage filled with bedding or hay or anything. I was using the towel as a bed till I could find something but he is trying to chew on it. Last night he stretched out on the plastic resting mat and went to sleep.

So last night he attacked the cardboard tube and ate it, not chewed and spit out or anything but ate it. I sat and watched him for a while to see what he was doing with it. So I took it away. I need to find something today that is safe for him to chew on. He is trying to chew on the towel if he can get to an edge. He chews on our clothes now when we hold him. He chews on the cage, lol.

I took out the litter box temporarily till I figure out where he is going. And another reason to remove the towel is because that is where he seems to pee. No matter where the towel is if he can get to it, he pees there. He poops everywhere right now.

The hay we got him is Timothy hay and he ate all of it last night so I am not giving him anymore today to see if he will eat some pellets later.

So the wire really won't hurt his feet? I read so much about sore hocks that I thought it might be better if most was covered but I can also see that he has no room in there either.

I really appreciate any and all advice.

Kristy
PS I should mention this is our first pet in 15 years besides a gold fish. Years ago we had dogs and some hedgehogs.

 

[ladysown]

he pees on the towel? well... now that's excellent to know. You can use that as a start to getting him litter trained. Put the towel in his litter box under the hay and you'll be well on your way to getting him litter trained.

 

[Peach]

Thank you all so much. I feel better. So, does the rabbit not need a soft something to lay on/sleep on? What do your rabbits sleep on? It's okay if all he has is a resting mat, food, water and the hay feeder and some toy of some kind. I don't have the bottom of the cage filled with bedding or hay or anything. I was using the towel as a bed till I could find something but he is trying to chew on it. Last night he stretched out on the plastic resting mat and went to sleep.

So last night he attacked the cardboard tube and ate it, not chewed and spit out or anything but ate it. I sat and watched him for a while to see what he was doing with it. So I took it away. I need to find something today that is safe for him to chew on. He is trying to chew on the towel if he can get to an edge. He chews on our clothes now when we hold him. He chews on the cage, lol.

I took out the litter box temporarily till I figure out where he is going. And another reason to remove the towel is because that is where he seems to pee. No matter where the towel is if he can get to it, he pees there. He poops everywhere right now.

So the wire really won't hurt his feet? I read so much about sore hocks that I thought it might be better if most was covered but I can also see that he has no room in there either.

I really appreciate any and all advice.

Kristy
PS I should mention this is our first pet in 15 years besides a gold fish. Years ago we had dogs and some hedgehogs.

Welcome to RT


So many people are actually VERY misinformed about sore hocks. I actually had to talk that nonsense out of pet buyers this weekend as I had to explain the reasons why rabbits get sore hocks, as rescues have very little knowlege apparently that breeders CAN and DO breed that out of their lines (at least they should anyways). Genetics and size will determine if your rabbit will get sore hocks. There are large breeds that do require resting mats just because breeds like flemish giants are SO big when pushing 15 lbs .If your breed are wide, and thick feet, like with Minis and Hollands, you shouldn't have issues with sore hocks.

There are actually rabbits that get sore hocks from SOLID flooring! Imagine that! Here's a recent discussion on sore hocks
sore-hocks-advise-please-t16641.html

I would probably get rid of the towel because he's probably going to chew that up and strings caught up in his gut.

Do worry that he's eating the cardboard tube. He can ingest it and be fine

Some rabbits will never get potty trained. The one pet rabbit I keep in the house learns that his/her cage is the potty place, and I just open the door when I'm home and let them run around my room. Eventually when he needs to go to the bathroom, he hops back in to do his business,eat,and drink. At first I do have to put them back in their cage in intervals. Eventually they get better and remember the their cage is the place to go back to when they need the bathroom. They need to have peed and pooped in there for it to work. Rabbits are generally really clean and will pick one place as their designated potty place.

 

[albrst]

Thank you all for explaining the bunny binkies. We thought he was going crazy. He loves to hop all over our living room, however, he avoids the hardwood floor and keeps to the carpet or other surfaced areas. He was doing those jumps like crazy.

Kristy

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Thank you all so much. I feel better.

Good, because it sounds like this lucky little rabbit has a GREAT home.

So, does the rabbit not need a soft something to lay on/sleep on? What do your rabbits sleep on? It's okay if all he has is a resting mat, food, water and the hay feeder and some toy of some kind. I don't have the bottom of the cage filled with bedding or hay or anything. I was using the towel as a bed till I could find something but he is trying to chew on it. Last night he stretched out on the plastic resting mat and went to sleep.

Mine have either a resting board or a slab of marble in their cage (summer heat can be a killer, the marble conducts heat away from the body, helping them stay cool)...they either sleep on that or just sleep in the wire itself. The wire isn't sharp or painful, and most rabbits have a nice thick pelt between their skin and the wire anyways...it's like a built-in cushion.

So last night he attacked the cardboard tube and ate it, not chewed and spit out or anything but ate it. I sat and watched him for a while to see what he was doing with it. So I took it away. I need to find something today that is safe for him to chew on. He is trying to chew on the towel if he can get to an edge. He chews on our clothes now when we hold him. He chews on the cage, lol.

LOL yup, he's a baby. Everything goes in the mouth. :lol: Mine eat some of the cardboard toys, it's basically harmless unless it has dyes or glue all over it.

So the wire really won't hurt his feet? I read so much about sore hocks that I thought it might be better if most was covered but I can also see that he has no room in there either.

I'm gonna be blunt...a lot of the "information" out there about pet rabbits is basically propaganda from groups like the House Rabbit Society. They are REALLY down on wire floors. However their claims that it causes sore hocks is...well, a lie. Some rabbits ARE prone to it. Most are not. If he has nice, thick, broad feet (for even weight distribution) and densely furred feet (which is ideal) he's fine. I keep Mini Rex, and due to the nature of a rex coat, Mini and Standard Rex are more prone to sore hocks than most other breeds. Mine live on wire prettymuch 24/7. Nobody I own has sore hocks. Never have. A well-bred rabbit should never have a problem with their feet.

Honestly, most of the cases of sore hocks I've seen or heard about? Are rabbits on SOLID bottomed cages. They pee, sit in pee, and the pee will damage their feet.

I have a tiny little runt, nicknamed Runt, who just got out of the nest box for the first time the other day. I thought for sure the wee thing would struggle because it's little feet are smaller than my pinkie fingernail; surely it's little feetsies would fall through the wire!!! To my amazement, it was as if the dear soul knew exactly where to put it's little feet, and I got the privilege of watching Runt do it's first little "binky" on wire. It popped in the air and kicked mid-air, like a Lipizzaner!!! It was so cute I could have just keeled over then and there.

PS I should mention this is our first pet in 15 years besides a gold fish. Years ago we had dogs and some hedgehogs.

Rabbits are pretty awesome.

he pees on the towel? well... now that's excellent to know. You can use that as a start to getting him litter trained. Put the towel in his litter box under the hay and you'll be well on your way to getting him litter trained.

That's a good idea.

So many people are actually VERY misinformed about sore hocks. I actually had to talk that nonsense out of pet buyers this weekend as I had to explain the reasons why rabbits get sore hocks, as rescues have very little knowlege apparently that breeders CAN and DO breed that out of their lines (at least they should anyways). Genetics and size will determine if your rabbit will get sore hocks. There are large breeds that do require resting mats just because breeds like flemish giants are SO big when pushing 15 lbs .If your breed are wide, and thick feet, like with Minis and Hollands, you shouldn't have issues with sore hocks.

There are actually rabbits that get sore hocks from SOLID flooring! Imagine that! Here's a recent discussion on sore hocks
sore-hocks-advise-please-t16641.html

So much this.

pooped in there for it to work. Rabbits are generally really clean and will pick one place as their designated potty place.

Even mine, who don't have litter boxes, always poop in one corner of their cage. It's just the way they're wired.

Thank you all for explaining the bunny binkies. We thought he was going crazy. He loves to hop all over our living room, however, he avoids the hardwood floor and keeps to the carpet or other surfaced areas. He was doing those jumps like crazy.

Good, that means he is happy! He might not like the hardwood because it's slippery and lacks good traction.

 

[Dood]

There are many trees that are safe for rabbits to gnaw on.

My guys love willow, apple, and pear.

They can also eat rose and raspberry or black berry canes.

Just be sure they havent been sprayed with pesticides or other chemicals

 

[Marinea]

Welcome to RT! I can see you've gotten some great advice, so I just wanted to add this:

Thank you. Thank you for being open to the idea that the House Rabbit people are not necessarily the be-all and end-all to rabbit ownership. There IS more than one way to have happy healthy bunnies. There IS more than one way to do most anything.

If you take a look at the Gallery photos here, you will see a wide range of ways to raise rabbits. If you stroll through the posts here, you will see a wide range of ways to feed them. The one thing you will see in common is healthy rabbits.

Again, welcome. And I hope you stick around. Oh...and we LOVE pictures of buns here.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Welcome to RT! I can see you've gotten some great advice, so I just wanted to add this:

Thank you. Thank you for being open to the idea that the House Rabbit people are not necessarily the be-all and end-all to rabbit ownership. There IS more than one way to have happy healthy bunnies. There IS more than one way to do most anything.

If you take a look at the Gallery photos here, you will see a wide range of ways to raise rabbits. If you stroll through the posts here, you will see a wide range of ways to feed them. The one thing you will see in common is healthy rabbits.

Again, welcome. And I hope you stick around. Oh...and we LOVE pictures of buns here.

:yeahthat: :goodpost: