Bringing Home a New Bunny
Nothing quite rivals a baby bunny for cuteness. They are pretty hard to resist! That’s how I found myself giving in to my kids requests for a pet. So we brought home three of the cutest little rabbits known to man.
I had no idea how much I was going learn!
*The following is based on my experience and opinions. I am not a Veterinarian.
Edit: Many people have expressed concern over the rabbit pictured in one of my pins being in a wire cage. I would like to note that there are pro’s and con’s to wire cages. Having a wire bottom where the poop can fall through will keep your rabbit cleaner than a solid floor. However rabbits can get sore hocks so you should always provide something for them to sit on besides the wire. You can purchase a cage mat that is made specifically for this purpose or use a piece of wood.
Rabbits can make wonderful pets with a little bit of understanding and patience.
The first few days:
Basics:
A baby rabbit will be pretty stressed out by going to a new home. Stress can affect their digestive system causing diarrhea. If diarrhea is left untreated it can lead to death. My recommendation is to make sure your bunny has access to Timothy Hay. Eating hay helps their digestive system stay in good shape.
Make sure to find out what kind of food they are used to eating from the seller. You should feed the same kind of food or transition slowly over the course of a week. Again, bunnies have sensitive tummies.
Please don’t feed your bunny treats until they are six months of age. When you are ready to give them treats make sure you know what kinds of treats are safe for them.
Find out if they are used to drinking out of a crock or a bottle. We prefer bottles because the water stays cleaner. However, we have had several rabbits that refuse to drink out of bottle and will only use a crock.
*This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase something from one of the links on this page I will make a percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.
Handling Your New Bunny:
We like to let a rabbit (especially a baby) get used to their new home before we handle it a lot. Feel free to talk to your new bunny and to pet it, just keep picking it up to a minimum.
One thing that helped me understand rabbit behavior is realizing that they are a prey animal. Mama Rabbits don’t carry their young around like cats and dogs do. This means that the only time a rabbit gets picked up in the wild is when it is being carried off to be dinner. I wouldn’t be too fond of being picked up either if I was going to be eaten.
A good rule of thumb that I use at our house is if the baby is coming to the front of the cage to greet you then it is okay to pick them up. How long that takes depends on the rabbit.
The first few months:
Once your bunny has settled in make sure you interact with it a lot! Rabbits are smart. Most rabbits are friendly unless they have a reason not to be. Also, interacting with them gives you the opportunity to observe their behavior. If your bunny is acting unusual it might mean it is sick or injured.
A few things to keep in mind when playing with your bunny:
1. Baby bunnies, like human babies, get tired easily.
If they start to dig, scratch or get squirmy it is their way of letting you know they are done being held. Sometimes it can mean they need to pee! With a young rabbit we just put it back at this point and get it out for snuggles at a later time.
2. If you over handle your rabbit they can get a little grumpy.
If a rabbit is grunting or lunging at you it is not a good time to pick it up. You are likely to get bit.
When we first brought our rabbits home we over handled them. One in particular, Mr. Mustache, got very grumpy and shy and wouldn’t let anyone pick him up. At this point we changed tactics. We decided we needed to build trust with this baby bunny. My son would reach in the cage and pet Mr. Mustache without picking him up.
You can pet them and run your hand under their belly and over their rump to let them get used to being touched. Often the only time anyone their belly gets touched is when they are being picked up. So this can be a trigger for them. It probably won’t take more than a few days of petting without picking up before your bunny is ready to play again.
3. If your bunny doesn’t settle down and seems aggressive don’t give up hope!
I read somewhere that aggressive bunnies are sometimes scared bunnies. They need a safe place like a hidey hole that they can relax in. You can build one yourself, just remember to use materials that don’t have paint, stain or glue on them.
Our first version of a hidey hole was just a box with holes cut into two sides. Mr. Mustache would run in there and hide by putting his face in the corner. His little ears would stick out of the two holes on the sides of the corner. I wish I had a picture, it was the cutest thing. Now Mr. Mustache is always at the front of his cage begging for attention.
Four months and older:
Hopefully by four months you have been enjoying your rabbit awhile. At four to six months rabbits hit their sexual maturity. This is a time when they start to act like teenagers. They can be very moody!
For Does this can mean they get territorial and don’t want you sticking your hand in their cage. If they are grunting and lunging you will want to be careful! These are warning signs!
The first time I got bit it hurt my feelings a little bit. My daughter had to work herself up to reach her hand back in the cage after she was bit the first time (now she’s an expert and has no fear). This is where patience will come into play. Just like teenagers they will come out of if. By not pushing at this point we have found they get it over it fairly quickly.
Feeding and Weighing Your Rabbit:
If you’ve been free feeding your rabbit you should weigh them. Some rabbits love to gobble their food and they end up fat. In the rabbit world we call this “well loved”.
Rabbits should be eating 1 ounce per pound of body weight.
Not what they weigh now but what the breed standard says they should weigh. We have had a few rabbits that had big frames so were a little skinny at the standard weight. We just keep an eye on them.
A trick for telling if a rabbit is fat or not is to run your finger down their spine.
If you cannot feel the knobs your rabbit needs to go on a diet!
If you can feel the knobs and run your fingers down both sides of the spine they are a too skinny. You can up their food at this point.
Treats
You can start giving your rabbit some treats! Rabbits love treats.
A few treats we feed at our house are :
Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
1 inch piece of banana
Baby carrot
1 slice of apple
1 inch piece of dried papaya (no sugar added)
Well, I hope that gives you an idea of what to expect. Rabbits can make great pets! If handled correctly most of them become super friendly. Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Pinnable Images:
