Information

[ncokely]

 
This is Flip Flip.  So far he has kept 95% of his pellets in his cage and litter box.  Chewing damage has been limited to one of my children's books!


My youngest wanted a 4-H pet project.  We do have an outside dog, but she is just that - outside.  So we talked about
a bunny.  We found one on craigslist.com for practically nothing.  He is 3-4 years old and litter-boxed trained!!!

I can't seem to let it roam my house - so far we have let him have run of my son's bedroom.  His name is Flip Flop.

My youngest wanted a 4-H pet project.  We do have an outside dog, but she is just that - outside.  So we talked about
a bunny.  We found one on craigslist.com for practically nothing.  He is 3-4 years old and litter-boxed trained!!!

I can't seem to let it roam my house - so far we have let him have run of my son's bedroom.  His name is Flip Flop.

Any bunny owners who can help with do's and don'ts . . . .

[bluejeans7]

 One thing, lop-eared rabbits are not supposed to have lettuce.

[Flapdoodle]

 Watch your electical cords!!!  Bunnies LOVE to chew them.

[SarahA]

 How fun! We had bunnies when I was little! I do know they like salt lick things, but that's about all I remember!

[Scraprat]

 We have raised dwarf and lop eared bunnies, guinea pigs and pet rats!  Our bunnies and guinea pigs lived to be 9 years old, which is old for them according to our vet.  Any rodent will chew everything!  Electrical cords are a danger to them.  Keep in ind that if you leave them loose, your house is fair game for them (woodwork, furniture, fabrics etc.)!!  My dh built large hutches for our pets hat had metal trays that slid under the floor to catch the droppings.  We lined the trays with newspaper and made them easier to clean out.  Our pets were kept indoors, but on nice days had play time oudoors. Cage floors should not have wire/mesh larger than 1/2"x1/2", or it can hurt their feet. We put a flat piece of wood (like luan), in the cage for the animals to be able to rest on if they wanted.  It gave them a break from the wire floor.  They can have fresh veggies, but only in small amounts and just occasionally.  Too much in the way of greens can give them diarrhea.  If they get this, they can lose weight quickly and die.  Pellet food is best.  Different rodents have different nutritional needs and the pellets are formulated for each species.  Have fun withyour lop! Ours followed my dh around like a puppy!!

Added:  If you need a nice cage, check out http://martinscages.com/products/cages.  We bought several rat cages from them and they are really well built.  If they give a choice, get powder-coated.  They're a little pricier, but well worth it!  They clean much easier and don't rust!  You can also email them and ask about "custom" cages.  Figure out what you want as far as dimensions, placement of doors, top or no top, flip-top etc and they will quote a price.  Very nice to work with and ship fast.  

[MOM2SNOX]

 You're brave! LOL! We had two bunnies for a weekend (DS got to bring them home from school) and that was enough for me! They like to leave pellets everywhere.. it was fun taking them outside and giving them free run of the yard but the cats tried to stalk them.

[NJTheresa]

 our Basil bunny is now just a part of our family. He loves to hop around the living room. Like most people said watch out for wires they love to chew. I was always told to avoid lettuce ( diarrhea) , I feed Basil apfalfa hay ( small amt. about twice a week as a treat) I got him a great cage at http://rabbitstop.com/ they have good prices and fast shipping.
what else do you want to know? I personally think rabbits are excellent pet for kids to learn how to take care of. Mine dd's (10 and 7) are now great at taking care of Basil and my 5yr old and 3 yr old are learning.

[ncokely]

 Thanks for the help ladies!!

[deerewife]

 We had ear mite issues with ours (of course that was when I was 8-9 ...just yesterday )

Never had any indoor, but they will chew anything and everything.  Good luck!

Jenna

[Northern Brat]

 I had a bunny a few years ago, not a lop-eared bunny though... that thing used to kick his feet up in the air when he peed, and sprayed all over.. well, once or twice of that, and that thing was living outside...They are cute, but I like watching them in the field after my experience.  Good luck with yours!

[Bunnee]

 Do a search on rabbit care! You'll get a ton of info! As earlier posters said...no lettuce (iceburg), it has lots of water & can cause diarhea & kill them quickly. You can give them romaine just fine. They also like parsley, cilantro, carrots (small amount), bananas, app;es, craisins...all in very small amounts & as treats ONLY! You can also look @ the HRS website & they have a list of good treats & bad treats for bunnies, & rabbit proofing instructions! You can give them the cup holders from any fast food place (NO styrofoam ones!), card board boxes, toilet paper, paper towels tubes, untreated willow balls, plastic baby keys, plastic balls (they can push them around with their noses!) a cat tower (ones that the cats can hide in). You can even use NIC cubes to make a pen for the bunnies! I've seen some multi-level ones!
I raise holland lop & mini lop rabbits & absolutely LOVE them! My kids say that I'm obsessed! Nothing wrong with that! LOL Bunnies are so much fun to watch! When they jump in the air & kick their feet, they're "binkying". They're showing how happy they are! They can "pur" when they're happy! They kinda grind they're teeth! When they're upset, they'll thump their back feet. I have several do that to me cuz I'm not feeding them fast enough! I even have one that grabs the hutch door with her teeth & rattles it until I feed her! She is a very impatient bunny! PM me if you have any other questions & I'll try to help you out!

[ncokely]

 btt

[beachlover]

 omg, HOW ADORABLE!  LOVE THE MARKINGS AND HIS NAME IS SO COOL!

[MOM2SNOX]

 Awwww... he's purty!

[Flapdoodle]

 Oh, so pretty!!!!  I wanna snuggle him!

[ArmyWife95]

 Angela is so so right about the lettuce thing.  I had one when I was about 10 or 11 and we fed it lettuce and carrots and it died within the week of feeding it that.  Sadly, I can't even remember that rabbits name.

[ArmyWife95]

 Angela is so so right about the lettuce thing.  I had one when I was about 10 or 11 and we fed it lettuce and carrots and it died within the week of feeding it that.  Sadly, I can't even remember that rabbits name.

[SBcrazee]

 Too cute.

FeedingCommercial rabbit pellets are sold by most pet stores and produce merchants. Half to three quarters of a cup of pellets should be given once a day only as unlimited access to pellets can lead to obesity. It is essential that fresh water is always available. Vegetables such as cauliflower, parsley, spinach, corn on the cob and carrots, (but no lettuce) can be offered weekly. Hay and straw should be provided daily. If possible, move the hutch around the lawn to provide fresh grass but avoid any grass which has been sprayed with herbicides.Found it at this link. http://www.zoo-zoom.com/Lop%20Eared%20Rabbit.htm

[Leeanna]

No advice, but he's a cutie!

[Gypsymonkey]

 We had lop ears as pets when I was a kid.  They were so sweet.