New Bunny addition!

[shandrel]

SO this is our new Bunny....
his name is Right Turn Clyde, or Clyde. and this is his set up so far.
Now we are just competing a custom rat condo, so it will be a month or so before we COULD make a rabbit condo.
His former owner is bringing over hey (alfalfa) and food for him, but left him with us here overnight until he coudl bring it all.

Now, does he need anything else to be a happy happy bunny?





there are bunny toys, and a BRAND new water bottle ( the guy who sold it to our friend said the bunny "didn't know how to drink out of a water bottle" ..... yes he does... first thing he did after we gave it to him was DRINK >.< ) right now there is a few rattie pellets in there, and carrots, he got a bunch of fresh broccoli today too i know that you can't exactly mix their diets....

But i want to know if this cage is big enough for him? do we need anything else? i have noticed his poop sticks to his ... butt fur, he is long furred, how can we help that,


My last bunny was short haired and smaller, and we were a lot younger, and made some mistakes with him... i want to be sure this bunny is 100 % happy

Also, living in Hawaii we have a higher temperature than most places, even now, tips on keeping him cool and happy?

[Die Fledermaus]

I had a friend from Puerto Rico who kept complaining one New York Summer about the heat. I was amazed, and said, "You are from the tropics! You should be used to this!". She said, "But the difference is sea breezes, and no big city trapping the heat". I was wondering if Hawaii is sort of like that - warm but not HOT, the way much of California is right now - 90 degrees F in April!

Last Summer here was awful, and that includes electric bills for the a/c.

Freezing ceramic tiles and adding that to the bottom of a cage can help cool things. Rotate many of them, freezer to cage.

BTW, the temps are in the 40's right now in NYC, and damp. I hate the heat, but this is a bit cool for me. It started being cold in mid-November!

Hay is different from alfalfa, of course. LOTS of the former; only a little now and then of alfalfa.

You have a hanging wooden toy thing in there. Good. I should add more for my Poppy.

In a smallish cage that size there is no room for a heavy ceramic water bowl - preferred by some to a bottle and spout. They supposedly drink more from the bowl - easier. To my surprise when I first started using them, the rabbit does not flip therm over! Personally, I don't think it makes much difference, but this is what the knowledgeable techy said at the vet's office when I brought Poppy in for the operation (see other thread in this forum). She preferred a water bowl. My Poppy does not kick bedding in it either; that also surprised me. *shrugs* Right now I am using a bowl; the cage is large enough.

Way too many carrots in there. What are those things next to the carrots? They look like hot dogs! ;D Oh, rat pellets? Like lab blocks? I have no idea if the rabbit will eat them; I would not feed them long term - rat needs differ from rabbit needs, especially in terms of protein. No more than a quarter cup of rabbit pellets should be served daily, and I serve them at a different time from veggies. The pellets will not be eaten if there are veggies there.

Sometimes they eat green bell peppers. Maybe a sliced grape, or sliced apple or plum or pear. Little pieces.

You are getting a bigger habitat, I hope. That looks like a holding cage. Adding a litter pan (which makes cleaning easier for you) to keep the bunny happier in a neat place will result in even less room.

Chicory, greenleaf, watercress, parsley (not too much); carrot tops, radishes and radish tops, and bananas are very good. The banana and carrot pieces should be about the length of your thumb. And lots of hay daily - this is vital to avoid possible GI statis (a stoppage of food movement in the GI tract).

Rabbits definitely need and use a litter pan. They are not happy in a cage with messy bedding to lie in. Mine needed no training.

Poops should not be soft and sticky (typical of guinea pig poops). Check the diet. If the poops are normal, more round and hard, trim the fur down there carefully.

I can't think of anything else.

Congratulations, and good luck. And keep us posted!

[Hamsters82]

Aw, he's cute! Clyde is a funny name for him, to me the cage looks small but that's probably the size of what the rabbits where I work live in, it just looks different. One way we keep the bunnies cool is to put a frozen water bottle in with them, so they can lie next to it. They seem to like it and are fine.

What are those things next to the carrots?
^They look like rodent blocks, but since rabbits aren't rodents I could be wrong.

The pellets will not be eaten if there are veggies there.
^Not necessarily. The bunnies at Paws do go through their pellets, not all, but I have seen a difference of what I give them in the morning to what I see the next day.

[Die Fledermaus]

Oh yea, A frozen waterbottle can be good. I am not sure if glass or plastic is best, but I guess I'd go with glass. Of course freezing a liquid in glass can cause breakage issues.

[Hamsters82]

We never use glass, but plastic. And if you hold them right, they won't break.

[shandrel]

The blocks ARE rat blocks, the bunny was here for two days without his regular food, and i wanted to be sure he ate SOMETHING, he has receives more broccoli ( some of which i froze becuase of the heat and he seemed to LOVE IT ) and carrots, than rat blocks, the only things we really have vegie wise right now. I am concerned about his poops they are ... a medium consistency, and i am pretty sure h was not getting the correct hey, will i be bale to buy this at a pet store? we might be able to find a place around that sells to horses. He is drinking water. Could someone direct me to a proper size bunny cage for him? I was told by my parents ( i bragged ) that they can get up to 8 pounds. and i KNOW that cage will not be okay for him when he is that big. It was also suggested he wasn't eating a lot becuase it was hot here,
so i moved him up to a cooler room in the house, ( and it DOES get HOT here... even on the beach it gets HOT)
We bring him out, setting him on the couch with us, and we have a "rattie proof area" that seems to be okay for him, to hop around in. so he doesn't spend too much time in his cage.

thank you for the advice, we were nto expecting him so soon!

[Die Fledermaus]

I have always wondered about the availability - and cost - of veggies in Hawaii. I would think they are more expensive. Right now chicory in NYC is about $1.39 a pound and broccoli $1.79. That is above average.

A rabbit cage/habitat of 4'x2'x2' is spacious and great. You might have to settle for 40"x18"x20", which is a commonly available cage size. Greater still are some habitats made by a member here, Andrea. Look for her threads in Rabbits and Habitats for many rabbit info ideas on food and habitats.

Good, healthy, normal poop should be round and firm. You should be able to squash them easily.

www.rabbitmatch.org/sources/info/RabbitPoops.pdf

[shandrel]

Good news, his poops are normal again! i think it may have been stress that caused his problems, ALSO, he no longer shakes when we pick him up and pt him!
So hopefully hubby will be comgn home with bunny food and hey... also i made a litter pan out of a box... he is currently sitting in IT, i amabotu to clean his cage.

[shandrel]

Some changes to his cage, i hope this is good


there is a small litter box, a extra block of wood from the rattie condo building, and some new "blankets" he can chew/play/sleep whatever on !

[Die Fledermaus]

Yep!

And when you pick him up never let the back feet kick or dangle. That can cause major back problems! Always support the back feet!

If he does not poop in the pan clean thoroughly the entire cage when it is time to do so, but put some soiled bedding and poops in a cleaned pan. I keep cat litter on the bottom with aspen on top. I also have aspen, a little under the pan.

Yea, I forgot to mention wooden chew things, which I attach with a wire and hand: they reach the bedding but cannot get lost in it.

What are the prices of veggies in Hawaii compared to NYC?

I am gone all day tomorrow, so any more responses may be delayed. I suppose right now it is mid-afternoon in Hawaii. It is dark and 8:31 PM here, and cold and raining hard. Winter's last gasp!

I should add that some really big bunny habitats include a ramp leading to a second level where there is a rabbit hideaway box. That most be super cool for them.

Regards to Clyde.

[shandrel]

Vegies are about 3.00 to 5 dollars. it also depends on what they are, and thanks for the tips we will probity do the C&C cages

[Die Fledermaus]

Yikes!!! That is worse than I expected, about the veggies.

[shandrel]

yeah it is rough.... but i am sure i can find some cheaper at a local market.