So I have a rabbit now....

[Dakota Sunrise]

Well... I am now a rabbit owner as of yesterday afternoon.:innocent: I had no plans of purchasing a rabbit, but I now have one. Life is funny that way, huh?:innocent: But some things just can't be forseen or avoided... at least that is what I'm going to tell my dad when he finds I have a fluffy white rabbit in the barn.:o

To make a really long story as short as possible, here is how I wound up with Buck:

I was in town helping my mom run a garage sale Friday and Saturday. A little ways up the street this guy had Buck sitting on a table on the sidewalk in a small wire cage (with no bedding whatsoever) in the hot (it was high 80's to 90 degrees both days) sun with no food all day long, for two days in a row, trying to sell him for $25. :mad: (Sorry about the run-on sentence, but you get the point). It was the talk of the town, everyone felt so bad for this rabbit and one lady said he looked dead because he was just laying there and looked so hot (he's healthy though- he was just way too hot). It was driving me insane and finally I couldn't take it anymore so I started working on my mom (which wasn't *that* hard since she felt really bad for him too).
So that's how Operation Save the Rabbit got started. I finally went up the street for a closer invesitgation and discovered two things: one being that the poor guy looked absolutely misserable and very hot; and the second thing being that the moment he hopped over and sniffed my fingers and twitched his little nose at me, I knew it was all over and somehow this poor bunny was coming home with me.
So I talked the guy down to $15 (which didn't include the cage:rolleyes:), convinced my mom that we couldn't leave this poor guy behind (all I had to do was remind her of all the goats, dogs, cats, chickens, and Beauty that we have rescued over the years- we're big on animals in need;)), grabbed my money, and came back carrying Buck in a cardboard box.:innocent:

So I have rabbit pellet food, and I know how much he eats and where to buy it so that is not the problem. I need to figure out what size of a pen he needs and how to build one for him- that's the big thing. He at the moment is in my barn in the smallest (freshly cleaned) goat pen we have with straw, food and water, and a cardboard box (also with straw in it- he seems quite attatched to it) with the window open for air (but wire over it so nothing can get him).
The poor guy is really scared, I doubt he has been handled much at all and this new environment has to be freaking him out. If I make any big or sudden movements he freaks out and starts running all over the pen in a panic.:( I am able to hold him (I was able to pick him up when he was hiding in the cardboard box) and as long as he had his face burried in my arm he's fairly ok, but I feel so bad that he's scared of me!:( I don't know how to comfort a rabbit and get him to settle down, so I've been going down with my mp3 player and just hanging out and sitting with him so he can get used to seeing me and hearing my voice. I don't know if that's the right thing to do or not, but I don't have any other ideas so...

So... any advice for me?:o Any suggestions for a size/syle of pen? Are there any treats or toys that rabbits like that I should get for him? Will he ever get used to me? I really don't know anything about rabbits but I'm usually good with animals and I'm willing to do whatever I can to help this poor little guy out. He's really cute, but I hate seeing him so scared!

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc148/dakota_92_2007/buck003.jpg

[Gypsy Rose]

Good for you for rescuing the poor little guy! He's a cutie! It's been many years since I've had rabbits, so I'm not much help.

I'm amazed the little guy survived the heat- rabbits are not heat tolerant at all. He must be a tough little guy!

[Dakota Sunrise]

I'm amazed the little guy survived the heat- rabbits are not heat tolerant at all. He must be a tough little guy!


I know! And get this- when I was walking away carrying Buck in the box, his old owner told me "oh, and by the way, they stand the cold much better than they stand the heat so keep him in the shade.":rolleyes: Unbelivable!:mad: I just can't understand how people can be so cruel to animals. He said Buck was the runt of the litter (he's about a year old now I think) so nobody ever wanted him because he wouldn't make a good breeding rabbit.:mad:

[PoniesRock101]

agreed with gypsy! good for you! Our bunnies will absolutley kill you if you have a carrot with the stems.. lol but they'll eat anything. Stay away from grapes, bunnies can get addicted and they won't eat anything else.... so no grapes! mine get timothy hay(not alfalfa :doh: ) in the morning and fruits & veggies at night.


for a cage, my 2 bunnies live in a large dog pen :D with a run and table cloth under it. lol. I'll try to get you a picture of the setup, I just re-did the whole thing the other night.

and he will probably get used to you, give it time! let him settle in a little more so you don't stress him out too much. We have a rescue bunny, and a feeder bunny(yes some people choose to feed sweet bunnies :mad: ) I know our rescue bunny used to only want to be around you wehn he was scared. Buck sticking his head in your arm is making him feel safe. so jsut give him time. I'll go get a pic of the cage :D

Good luck dakota! so glad you rescued the little bunny. poor little one.

[PoniesRock101]

here is they're old cage setup: (they're new one is similar, just things aranged differently! lol and 2 litter boxes ;)

IF your building the pen, make sure it's high enough, if the igloo is in the right spot, Moe Moe (sister named him ;) ) can scale out of the 3 foot high pen!

[Gypsy Rose]

Neat pen, Ponies! For outside in the barn, Dakota, you might want to have some sort of cover on the pen, so predators can't get to them.

[HeartofSteel]

Good for you for saving the poor little guy. As far as cage styles go we always would be build our own. We we do one side in wire framed in wood and then an enclosed wood side with a hole going into the wire side. That way they can go in the covered part if there scared or the weathers bad. Treats and toys should be carefully given. Alot of rabbits like toilet paper tubes to play with and chew on. Empty tuna fish cans as long as the edges are smoothed down. Treats are good but only in very small amounts. You shouldn't feed them lettuce or cabage which is actually a surprise to alot of people but its not good for them. Small slices of apple, carrots and banana's are good for them in small amounts. A slice of dried wheat bread is always a favorite with my rabbits. Make sure it's wheat bread though, white isn't good for them.

[Remali]

Oh wow I'm so glad that story has a happy ending! Good for you!! A dog pen like Ponies suggested is great, I have my rabbit in one of those too (my rabbit is indoors). One thing to avoid is the smelly shavings, esp. cedar, and pine too....get those shavings that are made out of recycled paper products if you can. And, definitely keep the bun out of the sun, they will die in the sun. But I imagine you already knew that. :)

Hay is very important, good grass hay or timothy hay (alfalfa is a bit too fattening for an adult bun), hay helps prevent hairballs and aids with digestion. Good pellets also, I buy Purina rabbit chow, and of course a bowl of water (and sometimes I also offer a water bottle so they have both in case one runs out or spills).

Check out this site for a ton of great info about rabbits..... www.rabbit.org

They like veggies and fruit too, I'll have to go get my book to see which ones you may need to avoid. But lettuce is bad for rabbits, it can cause fatal diarrhea.

So glad you saved him, he is adorable!!!

ETA: OK, I was looking in my rabbit book, it does say that "grains, seeds and other additives containing a high level of grain should not make up more than one-quarter of the toatl daily diet. Rabbits have a digestive system that is not designed to digest high levels of starch...."
Actually, I give my bun unlimited timothy or grass hay, and all the pellets he wants to eat.

They also need a white salt spool. Oh, and they must have some safe type of wood to chew on, this will help trim their teeth, the rabbit's teeth continually grow, and the wood helps them to not get too long. I also found a list of plants you should not feed, and I was surprised to see that sweet clover was on it, so don't feed that. Also, the book says corn is hard for them to digest. And no cabbage either, that is bad.

Anyway, that Rabbit.org site has most of that info on there too, it's a great website.

He'll get used to you in time, poor guy sounds as if he had a very rough life. Just quietly sit next to him on the ground and let him get used to you, and pet him and hold him on your lap.....it will take time but I bet he will come around with patience and time.

[Remali]

Wanted to also add.... This place has a lot of terrific rabbit items, and are very reasonably priced compared to other places.

http://clover.forest.net/kwcages/index.html

[PoniesRock101]

on edit! I meant timothy... to many things are going through my head right now. lol as Remali said Alfafa is too fattening.

[elevenelevenxo]

Like Remali pointed out, grass hays (Timothy, Wheat, Orchard, Brome) are preferable for adult bunnies over legume hay (Alfalfa) due to the protein/calcium content.

I've never heard grapes are addicting.....in moderation, grapes are an ok treat. The thing you have to watch though is that grapes are very high in sugar. :) So one or two here and there is going to be just fine. Mine over the years have always loved grapes and craisins!

Cabbage and iceberg lettuce are no good. Cabbage tends to make bunnies gassy and they can actually develop a condition called GI Stasis....similar to colic in horses. Iceberg lettuce is too watery and can cause diarrhea. But Romaine lettucs, Endive, esacrole, etc...is just fine. Be sure though to introduce fresh veggies and fruits slowly, as too much too fast can cause diarrhea as well.

To get him comfortable with you, I'd set up a space that's rabbit proofed (no small spaces he can squeeze to that you can't get him out of, no cords for him to chew on, etc...) and let him roam the floor while you read a book or watch a movie or something. His curiosity will get the best of him and he'll eventually come up to investigate you when he sees you're not going to hurt him. Resist the urge to pick him up a lot....bunnies do not like being held generally. After doing this for a while, he'll get more and more comfortable with you. :)

[Mountain Creek]

Aw poor guy I'm glad you saved him!

Remali pretty much covered everything. Not sure if you know about how old he is but like Remali said alfalfa hay is not good for rabbits over 6 months of age. Unlimited grass hay is what they need.

My rabbits (mini lops which weigh about 6 pounds) use to get fed an all vegetable and hay diet but now they do get some pellets. I feed them Oxbow's Bunny Basic T which is a timothy based pellet and they get no more than a half a cup a day. Some people give the salt blocks I don't its totally your preference.

My girls are housed inside, in dog crates (I believe they are either 36" or the 42" long). It gives them plenty of room to stand up and stretch out like they sometimes like to do when they are relaxing. Even though they have big cages they still get plenty of out time. They use to be out together all the time but than Toby decided not to like Guin so now they get at least 4+ hours a day each. If you don't give them rabbit safe stuff to chew on they will find things to destroy. They like to chew wires so wire protectors are a must. Rabbit proofing is so much fun! :p

There are a couple of books that would be good reads but I have to take my mom shopping right now. Be back later!

[Dakota Sunrise]

Thanks so much for all the advice, guys! I really appriciate it.:)


Well, I think he may be getting used to me a tiny, tiny bit. I just came back from sitting with him and he didn't freak out *quite* as much as before. He's still scared, but he only ran around like a nutcase twice, when I came and when I left. That's progress. I sat with him for a while and just listened to my mp3 player (and sang along now and then so he'll get used to my voice, lol.:p) and he sat in the corner and watched me. After a while I approached him slowly and he didn't run so I picked him up and sat with him in my lap for a while. I let him go after a few minutes when he tried to get away, but he didn't go far. He hopped around and sniffed at me before going back to the far corner, so that's a start I guess.

I put a little bit of hay in with him and he has his pellets too. I don't know exactly when I'll be able to get him a pen- I'll have to see if I can get someone to go to Tractor Supply with me tomorrow to get some fencing, etc. I'd like to get him a water bottle (he keeps spilling the bowl) and some toys or something. I wish I could bring him in the house but my parents would never let me, so I'm thinking I'll put his new cage/pen in my tackroom. So should it be like 3 x 3 or something? smaller? bigger? I can't afford to spend a ton of money on an amazing cage, but I want him to have a happy home.

[SedonaThunder]

Yay Dakota! I'm so glad you saved him - bunnies are awesome, I just adore mine. When Magic first got here he was skittish too but now nothing seems to scare the little guy... just time and patience.:)

[elevenelevenxo]

Dakota, about how big is he? He looks like a New Zealand or Florida White to me....of course he could be a mix too... New Zealands are usually around 12lbs and Florida Whites are about 8lbs.

Anyway....the bigger you can make it, the better. But I would go no smaller than 24"x36". :)

[cheval]

I spent over 7 years with my little Bunzilla! so I've got lots of advice for you!

1. Use straight hay/alfalfa mix pellets. NO extra goodies in the pellets like the colored kernals and nuts and dried fruits. It's really bad for them.

2. Do NOT buy any of the fruity yogurt drops and other treats at the pet store either. I have no idea why they sell that crap but it's also bad for them.

3. NO celery. Buns like parsley and carrots but these must given in small doses. Too many carrots gives them excess sugars. Do not feed lettuce. It gives most buns runny poops. Bunzill! got a parsley carrot salad a couple times a week and it was like Christmas to her.

4. Free choice/good quality hay. Lots of water.

5. Salt block. I got the wheel shaped ones you don't have to attach it to the cage.

6. Toys: they love chewing on wood. You can get the colored wood toys from the pet store but the dye can give them the poopies. It's best to give them wood branches - but be careful of the type of tree you use.

Bunzilla!'s most favorite toy was toilet paper rolls and towel rolls. She got the towel rolls taken away from her when I got Rommie (the piggie) because Bunzilla! got it in her mind she was Jedi bunny and smacked the piggie around with the paper towel roll.

You can stuff hay in the toilet paper roll. They love to throw them around. Bunzilla! also like socks. She stole them from the dirty clothes pile and hid them. Stuffed animals too. She had a stuffed bunny she loved.

7.Bunzilla! was a free roam bunny inside so I'm not sure about cage type and style for outdoors. I'll give you some links that will be really helpful.

8. Keep an eye on the teeth and claws. If they have enough fun chewy stuff the teeth will take care of themselves but you will need to clip them. If the bun has dark claws it'll make it hard to see how much to clip and you might need a vet to do it.

House Rabbit - this is the ULTIMATE bunny site. Make yourself familiar with bun bun health stuff so you will know what to look for.

http://www.rabbit.org/


Rabbit Care - Humane Socieity Page

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/rabbit_horse_and_other_pet_care/how_to_care_for_rabbits.html


Rabbit care and health - informative site:

http://www.barbibrownsbunnies.com/

House Rabbit Care - good info even for an outdoor buns

http://www.myhouserabbit.com/care.php


Hope some of this helps!

[JackieB]

So that's how Operation Save the Rabbit got started.....and as long as he had his face burried in my arm he's fairly ok

Awwww, you're my hero for the day, Dakota! Bless you for saving this poor bunny.

[Gliderider]

Aww what a cute bunny..I am so glad you saved him..

My son had a dwarf bunny for years. He loved carrots and apples. Oh and alfalfa cubes given only once in awhile as a treat.

[Remali]

Sounds like you are making great progress, slowly but surely and you will win him over.

Lots of good advice out there from everyone on here. Have fun with him, rabbits are the sweetest and most affectionate pets ever! My bun Ebony roams my apartment when I'm home, and he stays out at night too... I have all the cords up or unplugged or in places he can't get to, he sleeps next to my bed or underneath my bed at night, and when I'm gone he has a 4 foot X 4 foot pen he goes into in the room next to my bathroom.

[cheval]

Buns are the best pets. I'm going to be getting another piggie in July. I just can't yet bear the thought of having another bun right now. There's just now way there could ever be another Bunzilla! and I miss her every single day. I figure a piggie will help ease the loneliness of not having a little buddy.

But yeah, there just are not better pets than rabbits. They have tons of personality and when they bond to you, they really get to know you. When I'd get a migraine, Bunzilla! would jump up on the bed and just lay next to me. It was so calmning. But she also lived up to her name! She was very demanding and ruled this apartment with an iron paw!

Ebony sounds like a lot of fun!

[Remali]

Ooohhhh I love piggies!! I had a few piglets many years ago, they're adorable and so sweet.

Ebony is such a stinker, he rules the place here too......if the dogs get in his way he grunts at them, sticks his nose out and pops his lop ears out to the side, and then chases the dogs....it's hilarious.

Another pet I've always thought would be nice to have is a chinchilla....but I'll admit I know nothing about them and I'm not sure if they can be quite as affectionate as rabbits.....but they sure are cute tho.

I know what you mean, once my Ebony is gone (hope that time is a long long ways away....I hate to think....), I doubt I will get another rabbit, it would be too heart-breaking, I am so close to my little Ebony, he is my entire world and I love him so much.

[elevenelevenxo]

Another pet I've always thought would be nice to have is a chinchilla....but I'll admit I know nothing about them and I'm not sure if they can be quite as affectionate as rabbits.....but they sure are cute tho.


I've had a couple chins, but rabbits are much better pets, IMO. You can't really cuddle with a chinchilla....only a few tolerate being pet. They're MESSY (they can fling poo from their cage clear across the room....lol) and they're very sensative to temps, moreso than rabbits even.

They sure are DARN cute though.....and soft. And it's really fun to watch them give themselves dust baths!! ROTFLOL.

[elevenelevenxo]

5. Salt block. I got the wheel shaped ones you don't have to attach it to the cage.


8. Keep an eye on the teeth and claws. If they have enough fun chewy stuff the teeth will take care of themselves but you will need to clip them. If the bun has dark claws it'll make it hard to see how much to clip and you might need a vet to do it.


If you're feeding a good quality pellet (Oxbow, Purina, Manna Pro, Blue Seal are a few good names out there), you don't really need a salt block. They'll get the right amount of salt from the pellets.

And teeth most likely won't be an issue unless your bunny is maloccluded, which means the teeth overlap each other. An easy way to check is to hold your rabbit on its back very quietly (you may need to cradle him in your arms at first), stroke his face/head and kind of coax him backwards. That'll put him in a trance of sorts...kind of cool actually. But then you can very quietly and gently check his teeth. Rabbits have teeth kind of like horses - there's a space on each side of the incisors where there are no teeth, which makes it a bit easier to check. :) If you're afraid of being bitten or scratched, have your mom or someone else help you out.

[Arrow]

Can't wait to hear more progress reports!:)

[cheval]

Yes, you should have an extra salt block. They will eat what they want, and when they need too. My vet and our local Rabbit Advocate group recommended the extra salt block. Teeth continue to grow and can become a problem if they don't have enough to chew on. So it is something to be aware of.

[Remali]

Looking forward to updates and maybe more pics of the cute little bunny! :)

Oh those chins and their dust baths......aren't they adorable when they do that?! And rabbits when they wash lick their paws and wash their ears....so cute!

[valleyrider]

Good for you Dakota for saving that poor little bunny. You got some great advice on caring for him.. But I wasn't sure if anyone posted about his eyes and the sun.. If he is an albino(has pink eyes) make sure ha has lots of shade. Protect his eyes from direct sun. I have a dwarf bunny (his name is Chooch)that has pink eyes and keep a heavy plastic table cloth over his cage to protect him for the sun and the rain.. Good luck with him and take more pictures for us to see. Did you name him yet???

[oursarge]

He's so cute! I'm really glad you saved him. Bunnies hate heat, Roger does better in the cold. Roger is in a cage in the house, I need to get a playpen for him, once he gets running I can't get him back, he doesn't come when called but he needs more room to run. He loves to be held, he buries his head under my arm and lays there, he's not scare though he just does that so maybe your baby is just enjoying the attention. Remali helped me when I brought Roger home so just go by what she says! Roger loves hay, he has a little hay rack I fill every day and he comes running for his carrot pieces twice a day. He also gets limited bunny treats and pellets. Good luck with your new baby!

[elevenelevenxo]

Yes, you should have an extra salt block. They will eat what they want, and when they need too. My vet and our local Rabbit Advocate group recommended the extra salt block. Teeth continue to grow and can become a problem if they don't have enough to chew on. So it is something to be aware of.

I've had rabbits for 10 years and have always heard that they are not necessary if you are feeding a proper diet of quality pellets and veggies. Never had any issues. And I've also worked with several rabbit rescues, including a couple different branches of the HRS - all have offered the same advice.

And teeth will be a problem only if they are maloccluded, like I said before. They wear down on their own with a good diet. Nothing wrong with giving them toys to chew on or apple branches to chew on....but I'm just telling you - unless the rabbit is maloccluded, you won't have an issue.

http://www.mybunny.org/info/dental_care.htm

[Aina]

Aww! He looks just like my rabbit, Ronnie! (Who is currently begging me to let him out of his cage)
You have already got a lot of good advice from the people here. As for a cage, I just built my own. However, it is not sturdy enough if he is going to be outside. rabbitsonline.net is a great site and on photo philes it has a thread that is dedicated to pictures of cages, so that can give you some information on them.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/Astievia/100_2255.jpg

Here is my cage. The cardboard box is filled with hay. Any hay that is good for horses is ok for rabbits too. Just avoid hays like peanut hay or alfalfa. I actually get mine from the barn I ride at and it is a mix. My bunnies are litter trained so they have those litter boxes. However, the litter can not be clay. I use wood pellets that I get from TSC called Equine Pine. They love playing with cardboard things. I think Ronnie's favorite toy is a toilet roll. The cage is made of organize-it cubes I got from target held together by zip ties and the flooring is made of plywood covered with stick on tiles. The shelves are made of pegboard. I have two larger bunnies (6 lbs and 10 lbs) so they have a rather large cage. Generally there are more toys in there too. They love newspaper.
Oh yeah, cubes cost about $20 a box, pegboard cost $5, plywood cost $7, tiles cost 35 cents a piece, and zip ties cost $1, if you are wondering about price.

Ronnie was also rather skiddish when I found him. Well, actually, my brother brought him home, he had been running around the neighborhood and no one claimed him, so they caught him. I spent a lot of time just laying on the floor letting him explore and get to know that I was safe. And I also spent a lot of time hand feeding him, since he is a very food motivated bunny. Generally I would feed him by hand about half of every meal. But if he is not comfortable coming up to you and taking food from your hand, then just sit as close as he is comfortable with while he is eating. He is still not my friendliest bunny, but he does run up for food and will let me pet him if he is on the ground. Skyler (the other bunny) is a hoot and will let me do anything with her. She isn't even afraid of the great dane we have at our house right now.

[GrungeEquestrian]

Awww so cute. I have had rabbits my entire life and they aren't hard animals to care for, you already got some good advice from Remali.

Your new guy looks like my guy, Silver he is also an albino
http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=546&pictureid=6181

[cheval]

Awww... look at that fluffy bun! Very cute!

[Remali]

Awww Silver is really beautiful!

[cheval]

She's squishy looking. Makes you want to pick her up and just snuggle. :)

[Dakota Sunrise]

Hey guys! Sorry I didn't get back to this thread sooner, blame my high school.:doh: I have a ton of homework tonight (as if studying for finals isn't enough to keep us busy:rolleyes:), but I wanted to give you guys a rabbit update.:)


Thanks so much for all the advice.:) I know very little about rabbits (although I've been online a lot since Saturay, doing all kinds of rabbit-reading, lol:p), so I need all the help I can get!
I got Buck (I named him that prior to knowing that male rabbits are called bucks.:innocent: But I'm kind of used to calling him that now and he looks like a Buck, so I think he's stuck with it:rolleyes:. My bad:innocent:) his new digs yesterday.:cool: I think it looks pretty homey, but you guys can be the judge of that. Let me know if it's not suitable or if there's anything missing. I want him to have a happy home, so if I need to improve on it just say so.:)

My mom and I went to Tractor Supply and had sooo much fun with all the rabbit stuff!:p "Grandma" (my mom, lol;)) even surprised me by paying for a few of the toys I picked out for him.:) I bought him a 30" x 36" wire cage (the biggest one they had-- does that size sound ok? Once he calms down some more I plan to build him an outside play pen too so he can go out and run around for a little bit on nice days.), a water bottle (I saw him drink out of it for the first time tonight and was entirely too excited about it! LOL! :p), a mineral/salt wheel thingy (it hooks to his cage), bedding, etc. The cage is set up in my tack room and sitting on top of a few cement blocks because I thought it would get damp and yucky sitting on the floor. I lined the bottom of his cage with newspaper, then put down some straw, and put his bedding (the shavings made especially for rabbits and gerbils, etc) on top, so I *think* that should be plenty of cushioning (sp?) so the wire bottom won't hurt his hocks/feet.
I hooked the water bottle, salt, and one of his toys to his cage and he has his other toys (I saw him chewing on one of them tonight- it made me happy. LOL, I'm a moron :p) inside with him too. :)
Does that sound about right? Does he need anything else? I took a few pics last night so you guys could see his new house and tell me if it looks ok.:)

(These were taken last night so he still looks pretty nervous in the pics. Sorry they are a little blurry, my camera was being weird. I'll get better ones soon.)

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc148/dakota_92_2007/buck001.jpg

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc148/dakota_92_2007/buck005.jpg

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc148/dakota_92_2007/buck004.jpg


http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc148/dakota_92_2007/buck009.jpg

He is doing so much better tonight. I gave him a handful of grass and put it in his cage. He actually came out of his corner a little bit so I held out a blade of clover to him and he ate it out of my hand! :banana:After that he kept coming closer and closer and taking blades of grass from my hand now and then. I opened the cage door and just sat right in front of it with my hand resting by his little grass pile and food dish. He came over after a while and ate right next to me and kept sniffing my hand and wiggling his cute little nose.:p He'd jump back a little if I petted him but he kept coming back over to me and the food, eating and sniffing. I gave him a stick to chew on (a very healthy stick- I was afraid I'd give him the wrong kind of wood or something if I just picked up a random stick, so I bought some specially-made ones at TSC.:innocent:) and he gnawed on it a little and drank out of his water bottle and sniffed his soft toy.:) We just kind of hung out for a little bit- how cool is that?:greengrin: I think he's starting to settle in a lot now and his figuring out that I'm not such a bad person after all.:)


Oh yeah, one more thing. I found out Monday that he is a New Zealand mixed with a tiny bit of some other breed and he is approximately five months old. He's an albino, with the pinkest eyes you've ever seen. He's such a cutie!:D hehe

[cheval]

Very nice set up!!

[Remali]

Oh wow he has a very nice cage, you did a great job! That was a good idea to put the cage up off the floor too, when it gets warm he will have more air flow then too. And as long as he doesn't have to sit on the wire bottom that is good, it looks super! Just make sure dogs cannot get at the cage or into the tack room when no one is there....a friend of mine had her rabbit in its cage out in her barn, and the neighbor's dog literally tore the cage apart and got her bunny....don't want to scare you, just wanted to mention it because I was surprised when it happened.

But yeah, that looks so nice, and he looks so happy too! A play pen for a run is really nice idea too. It sounds like he is looking forward to your visits now, and he likes you more, I love it when the wiggle their noses! lol.

Buck is a lucky bunny!

[cheval]

It's a bun-bun condo!

[GrungeEquestrian]

O I have that same cage for my guy and he loves it. Nice and roomy looks great. Looks like Buck is settling nicely.

Awww Silver is really beautiful!
Thanks he was a pet store rescue, poor little guy was so frightened when we brought him home. He has a lot of energy but since he is older, now 6, he has calmed down and likes to snuggle with you which is nice. Plus he is a rex so he is super soft. He keeps himself so clean, and at the 4-h shows I've been asked about a dozen times if I would breed him with their females, never have though.

[elevenelevenxo]

Looks like a nice set up. :)

Did you know you can littertrain rabbits like you can cats? It'll cut down on how much you spend on bedding as well as make his cage neater. :) Once he's trained to use his litterbox, you can put down some marble slabs or pieces of carpet for him to rest his little feet on from the wire floor. Marble or stone during the summer has the added perk of staying cold to provide some relief from the heat.

[WashingtonBay]

Just make sure dogs cannot get at the cage or into the tack room when no one is there....a friend of mine had her rabbit in its cage out in her barn, and the neighbor's dog literally tore the cage apart and got her bunny....don't want to scare you, just wanted to mention it because I was surprised when it happened.

OK I might get decked with a fish... but I have to tell this 'bar story' joke I heard.

There were two neighbors, Jack and Maude, and Maude had a beautiful white pet rabbit that she adored.

Well one day Jack looked out in the yard, and was horrified to see his own dog mauling that rabbit. He ran out, but the rabbit was dead. He was mortified. He did not want to face the neighbor with what his dog had done.

So he brought the rabbit back in, shampooed it, dried it and fluffed it up with the blow dryer, made it look pretty good! There weren't even any marks on it. Proud of himself, he snuck the rabbit back over and put it in the cage, looking nice and peaceful, like it had died of natural causes in it's sleep.

Phew. Disaster averted! He thought.

Well, that night Maude came to the door in hysterics.

"What happened?" he asked, acting as concerned and surprised as could be.

"My rabbit is DEAD!" she said.

"Oh - I'm so sorry! I know you loved that rabbit".

"THAT'S NOT THE WORST PART!" She shrieked.

"Oh?"

"No! The rabbit died three days ago. I buried it. Someone DUG IT UP AND PUT IT BACK IN THE CAGE!"

[Dakota Sunrise]

Thanks, everyone.:) I'll have more pics soon.

[Arrow]

You know how we love pics!:)

[Remali]

Looking forward to more pics Dakota, your new rabbit is adorable!

WB.....lmao..... I can find the humor in that even tho I'm a rabbit lover.....lol.

[WashingtonBay]

Heh.... glad someone liked the joke :D

[Dakota Sunrise]

Heh.... glad someone liked the joke :D

lol, I saw the humor in it too, but since I am now a rabbit owner/lover, I didn't think Buck would appriciate me laughing at the joke.;) (lol, jk.:p)

[Dakota Sunrise]

You know how we love pics!:)\

more pics are on the way! I'll try to post them when I get home from school.:)

[Remali]

Cool! we love your pics!! :)

[Dakota Sunrise]

Cool! we love your pics!! :)


awe, thanks!:D Here's one more for ya:

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc148/dakota_92_2007/morebuck007.jpg

[prissy18]

aww i want a bunny

[Miracle Whip]

My dad made me a bunny hutch out of chicken wire, it could sit on the ground and the bunny ate grass. We could move the hutch when needed. On the end was a wooden floor, a top, and a box to sleep in.

Bunnies do need salt.

After our bunny had her babies they all went in a corn crib, the wire type. They dug a tunnel but since it started in the center they never made it to the edge. The babies were never as friendly as mom was.

[allie0]

Oh my gosh! You can do Bunny Showjumping with it xD!
Thats thee only reason I want a rabbit =)

YouTube - BunnyJumping

Good luck! Sure is a cutie ;)

[easter's witch]

try this link: http://www.rabbit.org/