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About a week ago, I was doing one of our bunny snuggle routines and Gil decided to try to take Bear's head off. He got me instead, which hurt a LOT, but better me than my little guy. I put them both in their pens and didn't allow any out of the pen contact until today. The pens are actually one pen split into two with a dog gate, so they have plenty of contact, but can't touch each other aside from their noses. Gil has been calm, and will poke his nose through the cage without nipping, so I gave it another shot. Bunny snuggling went great today. I only did it for about 10 minutes, but they sat on my lap together and munched on treats. Gil is definitely getting better. Before, he would mostly ignore Bear, and had only tried to bite him when Bear went to sniff his face. This time, Gil actively sniffed Bear but didn't act aggressively at all. Mind you, I had a tight hold on his collar the entire time. He also ate his treats much more gently than normal. Usually when Bear is around, he'll take food more aggressively, and sometimes grabs my fingers. He was very easy tonight, though.  I'm still very concerned though about eventually leaving them together alone. I know that the inevitable brawl will eventually occur, and it scares me to think of the possible injuries. Bear is a pussy, and I did find a bad looking scab on him a few days after a fight that I thought didn't break the skin. I can't imagine what might happen if I weren't there to break it up, and I have horrible images in my head of one day coming home to a cage filled with fur and blood and dead bunnies.  Is this a possibility or am I worrying too much?Also, I wanted to ask a question and throw in some tips I've come across as a new bun owner. 1. I've been using CareFresh, and it works well enough, but this poo poo is expensive. I'm willing to spend the money if there are no other options, but is there any cheaper alternative? I need something that can control the smell. We sell this at my job, where I'd get a discount. Is it any good or should I just stick with my CareFresh? 2. I was purchasing dried fruit treats at the pet store for my little guys, as it's their most favorite treat in the world. It was about $2.99 for 2 oz, which isn't terrible, but I found that Whole Foods sells the same stuff, for much cheaper and a lot more variety. I got well over a pound of banana, pineapple, papaya, and mango for under $5.00. I just had to chop it up for them. They love it, it's cheap, and it doesn't have lovely food coloring or anything like the stuff I find specifically for rabbits. Also, they offer a lot of low/no sugar dried fruits. They love all of it. 3. I picked up a few jars of babyfood and have been putting a teaspoon on their dinner every night. They absolutely love it, and I'm only getting the dessert varieties (blueberries, pears, etc). Is this okay to do? They go nuts over the stuff, and I assumed it would be okay, but if not I'll stop. I can also pick up some organic babyfood if that would be a better option for them. Thanks everyone. This thread has been super helpful. I'm glad I decided to adopt my buns, as I'm absolutely in love with my boys. 
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Oct 14, 2009 02:36
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There are some airlines that will fly buns, you just have to type it in to Google and figure it out. Last time I checked it was going to run me about 125 bucks 1 way. Continental posted:Continental allows domesticated cats, dogs, pet rabbits and household birds to be carried in the aircraft cabin on most U.S. flights within the U.S. An in-cabin pet may be carried in lieu of a carry-on bag and is subject to a $125.00 service charge each way ($250.00 for round trip travel).
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Oct 14, 2009 02:36
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Megalodon posted:1. I've been using CareFresh, and it works well enough, but this poo poo is expensive. I'm willing to spend the money if there are no other options, but is there any cheaper alternative? I need something that can control the smell. We sell this at my job, where I'd get a discount. Is it any good or should I just stick with my CareFresh? I've used it and it seemed to work as well as CareFresh. The only thing I noticed was that Godewyn liked to root around and eat the petals.
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Oct 14, 2009 03:14
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Megalodon posted:About a week ago, I was doing one of our bunny snuggle routines and Gil decided to try to take Bear's head off. He got me instead, which hurt a LOT, but better me than my little guy. I put them both in their pens and didn't allow any out of the pen contact until today. The pens are actually one pen split into two with a dog gate, so they have plenty of contact, but can't touch each other aside from their noses. Gil has been calm, and will poke his nose through the cage without nipping, so I gave it another shot. 1. Take it slow with the bonding. It's going to be awhile, just keep up what you're doing and go on car rides. 2. Dried fruit isn't a good treat I don't give mine treats; if they beg I give them a small piece of lettuce or something like that. The only fruit I ever give mine are strawberry tops. The issue with fruit in any form is the sugar content. alucinor knows the most about this but basically it can be very harmful for their digestive tracks and lead to health problems. The house rabbit society rule of thumb is no more than a piece of fruit the size of your thumb a day. I don't even give that much. Just out of curiosity, why do you feel the need to give them treats?3. Use wood stove pellets for bedding. OSH has them and they're 6.99 or something for a 40lb bag.
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Oct 14, 2009 04:31
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Bunway Airlines posted:3. Use wood stove pellets for bedding. OSH has them and they're 6.99 or something for a 40lb bag. When I used the pellets, they smelled way nastier than using carefresh. When I had rats though, I used woody pet and it was pretty good.
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Oct 14, 2009 04:41
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Bunway Airlines posted:2. Dried fruit isn't a good treat Because how can you say no to their snuggly little face? In any case, definitely agree that fruit can be a bad thing and should be used sparingly. I totally understand the need to give them something tasty that makes 'em happy, but only do it in either small amounts, or once in a while (and even then not more than a thin slice of apple or so). A teaspoon of baby food doesn't sound that bad. I don't think dried fruit is a good idea, simply because a lot of the time they add poo poo like HFCS and other sugars. Even if it was "pure" the sugars are concentrated into a smaller package. Save 'em for your cereal, not for your buns. Anyways, in my experience some fruity treats can certainly help with bonding. I basically bribed my aunt's bunny into loving me with blueberries, no more than two or three at once. Buns loooove that stuff.
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Oct 14, 2009 05:23
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ShadowCatboy posted:Anyways, in my experience some fruity treats can certainly help with bonding. This is the main reason I've been giving them treats. I like to give it to them when they're snuggling to encourage it. Sucks that it's so bad for them. I'll cut it down, as I probably am feeding them too much of it. I can't say no to them. Fortunately, the boyfriend loves the stuff just as much, so he can have the rest.I'll give that other litter a shot and see how it goes. It's on sale now so I may as well. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't dangerous at all. Thanks again.
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Oct 14, 2009 06:21
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Megalodon posted:I like to give it to them when they're snuggling to encourage it. Sucks that it's so bad for them. It's hard to say no! Alucinor once gave great advice about how to handle their begging... whenever they start pawing at you and pleading for treats just toss them anything at hand... a pencil, a piece of wadded-up paper, etc. Eventually they'll get the idea that begging will garner them stuff, but it'll generally be boring. Just don't give them any treats at all in response to begging if you want to use this strategy. Even a small incidence of success will foster psychological reinforcement of the idea that begging works.
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Oct 14, 2009 06:44
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PumpkinPirate posted:When I used the pellets, they smelled way nastier than using carefresh. When I had rats though, I used woody pet and it was pretty good. Really? I've experienced exactly the opposite. I can't stand carefresh unless I change out the boxes every single day. I can go three or four nights without experiencing any smell when using the stove pellets. Did you buy Feline Pine, or was it the stuff from the hardware store?
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Oct 14, 2009 06:54
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Bunway Airlines posted:Just out of curiosity, why do you feel the need to give them treats? I see you and I have very different rabbits. Mine will sit and stare at me for HOURS if I don't give him a treat. It's highly unnerving.
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Oct 14, 2009 08:26
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Megalodon posted:This is the main reason I've been giving them treats. I like to give it to them when they're snuggling to encourage it. Sucks that it's so bad for them. It's funny how different rabbits will be. The reward for my two cuddling is some combined petting for about 15-20 minutes straight. If I give them a craisin (their favorite treat), they just end up fighting over it and trying to steal them away from each other, ending up in a bad fight. Still, I only give them a single craisin each maybe 2-3 times a week at most.
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Oct 14, 2009 16:33
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I've never had an issue with giving my rabbits treats of fresh and dried fruit. Not daily, but they enjoy a craisin now and then and fresh grapes, blueberries and strawberry quarters when I feel like sharing. Rabbits are sometimes like children in that everyone knows how to raise them better than you do  But, what works for one owner isn't necessarily what works for another. Is it ideal to let my buns eat dried banana chips? Certainly not. But that is the one item that works on Murphy when I really need his attention. He understands that it's the reward of rewards. I'm not saying that Bunway Airlines is wrong and I am right, rabbits certainly do have fragile systems. I've had my share of e-vet visits. But since they were both small, I've tried out certain foods on both of my rabbits to see what they liked, disliked and their reactions following feeding. For dried fruit and baby food(and everything really) just read the label. If it's not 100% fruit or vegetable, don't buy it. I borrow a dehydrator and make my own fruit chips. That way I know for sure that there is nothing extra in them.
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Oct 14, 2009 16:43
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Yeah, I probably was too extreme with what I said. You can give them fruits in very small amounts. One strawberry probably isn't going to kill them but I understand that healthier buns handle different fruits better. It's like the whole kale debate, many people don't feed kale frequently because it has something in it that over time can lead to kidney problems (I think, can't remember exactly). I give mine kale because they go nuts over it and neither one has ever had bladder or urination issues. I've been told very different things by different reliable sources. In the end, I guess moderation in everything is best. And on the issue of treats, mine know who's boss  It is pretty hard to resist them, but mine beg for many 3 min and then run off again. When they beg I go snuggle them which is what they're usually asking for anyway.
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Oct 14, 2009 17:20
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I know a few people have suggested Oxbow's papaya tablets ( http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products/type/detail?object=1702 ) which I've been using to train my bunny (to sit in my lap while cuddling since the floor is super uncomfortable). It took him about a week to decide he liked them, but now if I shake the bottle he'll come flying into my lap. Megalodon, since your bunnies liked papaya, this might be a good way to go about getting them treats. They seemed somewhat expensive to me at first, but they last a while, and they're good for bunnies in small amounts (though fruit in small amounts can be okay as well, depending on the bunny).
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Oct 14, 2009 18:30
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Bunway Airlines posted:It's like the whole kale debate, many people don't feed kale frequently because it has something in it that over time can lead to kidney problems (I think, can't remember exactly). I give mine kale because they go nuts over it and neither one has ever had bladder or urination issues. I've been told very different things by different reliable sources. In the end, I guess moderation in everything is best. I joined a CSA last spring and we got a shitload of kale over the summer, so I was giving my rabbit a lot of it, then remembered "oh poo poo, I should cut down on the ammount" so I went and got mustard greens instead, and then promptly found out that some people say mustard greens have the same kind of problems as kale  But yeah, the information wasn't consistent. Some places said mustard greens were fine, others said only in small amounts, etc. Kind of frustrating
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Oct 14, 2009 18:34
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The best way is try a lot of greens and space them out. For instance, this is what the buns get each day: AM: Romaine Lettuce Dandelion Greens Parsley Cilantro Endive Kale PM: Romaine Lettuce Dandelion Greens Parsley Cilantro Endive Radish Tops Sprout used to hate cilantro but dodger eats it out of the same dish first, since they both eat together now. They both eat everything else, but this way they get 7 kinds of veggies a day, with kale slightly limited. I might limit dandelion greens here and there too because some places say to not go overboard on that either.
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Oct 14, 2009 20:32
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Windy posted:Really? I've experienced exactly the opposite. I can't stand carefresh unless I change out the boxes every single day. I can go three or four nights without experiencing any smell when using the stove pellets. Did you buy Feline Pine, or was it the stuff from the hardware store? I bought it from Tracktor supply. I don't know what brand it was. I might try it again though because I'm almost out of carefresh. I bought the big bulk bag which is pretty expensive compared to the pellets I had last time.
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Oct 14, 2009 22:16
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Fenarisk posted:The best way is try a lot of greens and space them out. For instance, this is what the buns get each day: Wow, your feeding system is way more complicated than mine is, I think. I go to my green market on sundays and get 5 or 6 different veggies (usually a selection between carrots, kale, dandelion, bok choy, celery, romaine, parsley, cilantro, dill, arugula, etc), chop them all up sunday evening and tupperware them with paper towels to stay fresh for the week. I guess I can't be bothered making new salads every day. :/
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Oct 14, 2009 23:45
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PumpkinPirate posted:I bought it from Tracktor supply. I don't know what brand it was. I might try it again though because I'm almost out of carefresh. I bought the big bulk bag which is pretty expensive compared to the pellets I had last time. Yeah. I think the last large bag of CareFresh cost me nearly $20 which lasted forever for a hamster. For a rabbit, it maybe lasts 2 weeks at most. I can get 2-3 months with a $4 bag of stove pellets so it was pretty much "use it or else" for my rabbits. Luckily it just worked out for the best for both humans and bunnies.
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Oct 15, 2009 01:56
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Where do you buy radish tops from? I can only find whole radishes, with most of the tops cut off. Can the even eat whole radishes?
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Oct 15, 2009 02:01
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Megalodon posted:Where do you buy radish tops from? I can only find whole radishes, with most of the tops cut off. Can the even eat whole radishes? I'm just lucky that there is a grocery store 15 minutes from where I live that has a good selection of greens. It's good too because nothing else within an hour has anything more than romaine lettuce. I buy the whole radishes as a bunch because they come with the tops. We tried to feed them radishes once and they would have none of it, so now I just eat the radish itself. Also, we just use two of the fridge drawers under the bottom shelf as the bunny food area. It only takes 5 minutes to dig in, rip apart everything you need from the 5-6 veggies, and toss them in the bowl, it really takes no time at all.
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Oct 15, 2009 07:26
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Windy posted:Yeah. I think the last large bag of CareFresh cost me nearly $20 which lasted forever for a hamster. For a rabbit, it maybe lasts 2 weeks at most. I can get 2-3 months with a $4 bag of stove pellets so it was pretty much "use it or else" for my rabbits. Luckily it just worked out for the best for both humans and bunnies. Seriously? A small bag of Carefresh (like 6 euro or something) lasts me about 4 weeks. What do you do with it? I just use it to fill the bottom of their litterbox.
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Oct 15, 2009 10:06
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DS at Night posted:Seriously? A small bag of Carefresh (like 6 euro or something) lasts me about 4 weeks. What do you do with it? I just use it to fill the bottom of their litterbox. I was going to say, it lasted me a couple of months and I also have a hamster I use it for. Would the stove pellets be good to use for the ham-ham as well?
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Oct 15, 2009 13:00
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This morning I find out Sprout's been peeing on the towel we have laid down in their pen, with three large yellow spots in the center around the hay and near her corner. I fear she's too used to doing whatever she wants since when she had an actual cage part of the floor was open as a grate so she went wherever. She seemed to be getting better with the litterbox but now this I'm worried about it soaking through into the carpeting of our apartment. Anything I can do to reinforce her litter training? Now I'm worried that she's going to pee elsewhere in the living room as well and with a dark carpet the only clue might he smells.
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Oct 15, 2009 17:03
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 :3 I love how adorable he is when he flops.
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Oct 16, 2009 00:55
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So it turns out that the two medium-sized heads of romaine lettuce I bought don't go far when divided between 23 rabbits. They got really excited though, kind of like "OH HOLY poo poo IT IS A VEGETABLE". Makes me want to adopt one and feed it properly. But I have predators, and the only rabbit in this apartment comes in a can.
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Oct 16, 2009 02:17
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maplecheese, do you live anywhere near a Korean grocery store? I've found that their produce departments tend to be really cheap and they always have huge amounts of everything. That might be a convenient and inexpensive way to pick up enough veggies for all the buns
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Oct 17, 2009 17:19
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RazorBunny posted:maplecheese, do you live anywhere near a Korean grocery store? I've found that their produce departments tend to be really cheap and they always have huge amounts of everything. That might be a convenient and inexpensive way to pick up enough veggies for all the buns I'm already shopping at the broke-rear end immigrant stores, since I am a broke-rear end immigrant. They're definitely cheaper than the regular stores, which helps, but I don't have a work permit right now. (stupid Citizenship and Immigration Canada, GO FASTER.) So I really can't justify spending more than $1 or so a week on animals that aren't mine. The regular grocery store near my house is having a big sale on cauliflower, and they have a great big bin so people can remove and throw out the leaves of the cauliflower they want. Alucinor, I know you said I'd be better off not giving veggies from this family since we really really want to avoid digestive upsets in these buns, but is there an amount that would be safe? Even if it's just like a quarter of a leaf per rabbit, it'd at least be a nice thing for them.
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Oct 18, 2009 00:21
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Alaan posted:
Can I ask, where did you find that tube? We've been looking for something just like that for a while, since our bunny is big but he loooves climbing into things. It looks perfect!
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Oct 18, 2009 03:39
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StrangersInTheNight posted:Can I ask, where did you find that tube? We've been looking for something just like that for a while, since our bunny is big but he loooves climbing into things. It looks perfect! I had one for my rats' smaller cage. They're called Chubes and I know you can pick them up at Petco.
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Oct 18, 2009 03:52
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StrangersInTheNight posted:Can I ask, where did you find that tube? We've been looking for something just like that for a while, since our bunny is big but he loooves climbing into things. It looks perfect! We have a wicker tunnel that our bunnies love. I can't remember where ours came from. I tried linking to a website that carries the willow tunnels, but I guess I can't link directly to the item. They have them at The Busy Bunny, for example. There are other companies that carry them too. The cardboard tubes are also available online and are cheaper, but ours love the texture of the willow. justFaye fucked around with this message at 05:06 on Oct 18, 2009 |
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Oct 18, 2009 05:02
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I need some bunny ER help, the local vet doesnt do rabbits and all of my rabbit friends are asleep.. please IM me goldenmismark if you might be able to help
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Oct 18, 2009 05:25
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SteveVizsla posted:I need some bunny ER help, the local vet doesnt do rabbits and all of my rabbit friends are asleep.. please IM me goldenmismark if you might be able to help Still need help? 
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Oct 18, 2009 15:05
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maplecheese posted:Alucinor, I know you said I'd be better off not giving veggies from this family since we really really want to avoid digestive upsets in these buns, but is there an amount that would be safe? Even if it's just like a quarter of a leaf per rabbit, it'd at least be a nice thing for them. Yeah, small amounts like that should be fine unless someone's already sick and hiding it. So just watch for GI upset and if you see it, discontinue in that individual rabbit.
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Oct 19, 2009 15:02
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alucinor posted:Yeah, small amounts like that should be fine unless someone's already sick and hiding it. So just watch for GI upset and if you see it, discontinue in that individual rabbit. I am now picturing a bun like an 8 year old who is feeling sick but trying to look healthy for his favorite dessert.
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Oct 19, 2009 15:48
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so! Paterson went into GI Stasis again. I caught it way earlier this time "Paterson looks so sweet when he takes naps. Wait a minute." we went to the vet and I was like told them that I couldn't afford to admit him or even to get x-rays done (which was really lovely because if it's a kidney stone or something then this is really horrible). They gave me a lot of meds and gave him kisses and well wishes. he seems to be doing okay. He's moving around and going into the litterbox (not a huge amount of action but hey, I'll take anything.) He seems to be doing OKAY but I don't really want to leave him alone at all. I think it must have just been a hairball caused by FUR because unlike last time, I can't find anything that he could have chewed on that could have caused this.
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Oct 20, 2009 16:04
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Bumping this because there's no reason the meat rabbit thread should be more popular. In response to the CareFresh comments, I tend to go through it really quickly. I can maybe go two days without completely changing it, but even that's pushing it. I'm going to be getting Gil a much bigger litterbox as well because he's been peeing on the floor lately. That being said, I found out that Pet Supermarket charges less for CareFresh Ultra than Petsmart, where I had been getting it. It's not a huge difference but it helps. Also, because it's so compacted, it ends up being cheaper than most of the other stuff that looks cheaper but isn't packed in as much. I'm just gonna stick with my CareFresh.
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Oct 21, 2009 00:25
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I'm glad that you guys don't think that I'm crazy for running to the litterbox and trying to find fresh poop after Paterson comes out of it. also, I think that Bitsy might be depressed. She keeps on flopping on the ground and sleeping outside of the cage and stuff. Normally she doesn't nap flopped near me. I think that Paterson being sick and not wanting to play yet really is what's happening. Am I crazy?
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Oct 21, 2009 00:49
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luscious posted:I'm glad that you guys don't think that I'm crazy for running to the litterbox and trying to find fresh poop after Paterson comes out of it. Mine started flopping more once they got more relaxed around me. Maybe that's it?
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Oct 21, 2009 01:28
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luscious posted:I'm glad that you guys don't think that I'm crazy for running to the litterbox and trying to find fresh poop after Paterson comes out of it. The one time Sprout was flopping down a lot, she was doing it on both sides, and flopped over every 5 minutes or so. She had GI statis and was trying to settle her upset tummy and relieve the pains. Just an FYI. If you mean she just flops down more often than maybe she just wants a good pet and a cuddle.
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Oct 21, 2009 16:03
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