How do I care for my new bunny friend?

So you just got a new little furry friend, or you are thinking about it but what do you need? Number one is a cage or hutch big enough for your bunny when it is full grown. Our bunnies will be between 9-14# so it is best to get 2 foot by 3 foot minimum size.

Plan on letting your bunny out daily for play and exercise. Be sure to clear the play area of all cords and anything you don't want chewed. You may want to give your bunny a day or 2 to settle into his or her new home before giving too much play time as they can be a bit nervous even tho they are well socialized, they are in a new place with new people. But do hold your bunny on your lap and stroke his ears slowly to help him bond with you and give him or her time to explore while supervised.

What should I feed my bunny friend: You will need a good quality hay. Hay should make up 75-80% of your bunnies diet. We prefer grass hay as it provides a wide variety of nutrients as well as fiber. you can also use timothy, Orchard or Alfalfa. Alfalfa being the least desirable as it can provide too much calcium to your rabbits and cause health issues. Next you will need rabbit pellets with a minimum of 16-18% protein as our rabbits are large to giant breeds. Follow the feeding directions on the package. Always keep fresh clean water available. If they don't have water they won't eat. You can add 1/2 tsp of apple cider vinegar to the water bottle as well to add nutrients and boost their immune systems. Be sure it is apple cider

vinegar and not apple flavored vinegar which is made from corn not apples.

Litter Training: Rabbits can be easily litter trained. We get reports back that our bunnies

are trained within a day or 2 after going to their furever home but may take longer.

It's all individual.

Be consistent in your training. You always want to use Pine bedding and never cedar.

Cedar will cause respiratory issues and death to your new friend. I would also avoid the

colored stuff because they will eat it and the dye is not good for them. Never use kitty litter.

Until your bunny is trained keep the litter pan inside the cage or hutch. Keep all bedding to

the litter pan only so she doesn't get confused where to go. Don't change the pan too often while

training. The scent tells her to go back there. Put any excess poops into the pan so she learns

that is where they go. Training can take up to 2 weeks. Some learn a lot quicker. Once trained

you can keep additional pine pans outside the hutch for use when on play time. be patient. Enjoy your new friend. :)

Should I get my bunny fixed? If you are keeping your bunny indoors as a pet you will probably want to get your bunny fixed. It helps maintain temperament once they reach sexual maturity as well as keeps them comfortable if you don't plan on breeding them. Do you have to do it? No. If your bunny is not having any behavioral problems once they reach breeding age and you dont want to have them fixed, then by all means it is not necessary.

You can use indoor or outdoor hutches. Both should have a place where the rabbit can sleep. Any droppings should be removed daily and the cage cleaned thoroughly once a week replacing your rabbit’s beddings.
Outdoor enclosures should be raised, waterproof, secure from predators and located under an open, airy area preferably in the shade and out of the wind.
Finally, clip their nails when they become long and let your bunnies spend a few hours outside their cages and interact with you. Rabbits require your time and attention. Do not just put them in their cages and forget about them.
Health concerns
Follow proper care and husbandry to ensure they are free of fur mites, ticks, and fleas.
Ensure they are not soiled especially on their bottoms to avoid flystrike. Spot clean them if necessary. Do not forget to monitor their weight and general health conditions.
Check them regularly to ensure they don’t have overgrown teeth. In the case of overgrown teeth, give them more hay, gnaw toys, and roughage to help wear down their ever-growing teeth as they can injure soft tissues inside their mouths if ignored.

Treats: Plant foods can be started around 4 to 5 months in small amounts.

What is ok and what is not. Here is an extensive list to help you along.

RABBIT SAFE VEGETABLES-

Alfalfa Sprouts, Artichoke Leaves, Arugula, Asparagus, Baby Sweet Corn cobs, Beet Greens, Beetroot, Bell Peppers (green, yellow, red, orange, purple), Bok Choy/Pak Choy, Carrot Greens (tops), Carrot (limited amount, due to high sugar content), Celeriac, Celery, Cucumber, Chard, Chicory Greens (aka Italian Dandelion, Clover, Collard Greens (be cautious, may cause bladder issues due to high calcium, Dandelion Greens (no pesticides), Eggplant (purple fruit only; leaves toxic), Endive, Escarole, Grass (if cut from your own chemical/fertilizer/poison free back yard-I spread it out and dry it), Kale, Lettuce (Dark Green/Red Leaf, Butter, Boston, Bibb, or Romaine – NO ICEBERG [no nutritional value, may cause diarrhea]), Mustard Spinach, Nappa/Chinese Cabbage, Okra Leaves, Pumpkin, Radicchio, Radish tops (Limited amounts: can cause bloat), Raspberry Leaves, Rhubarb (RED STALKS ONLY – POISONOUS LEAF), Squash: Yellow, Butternut, Pumpkin, Zucchini, Swiss Chard, Turnip Greens, Watercress, Wheat Grass, Zucchini,

SAFE IN MODERATION:

Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, Mustard Greens, Spinach

SAFE FOODS:
Agrimony, Alfalfa, Apple, Balm, Banana, Barley, Basil, Beetroot, Blackberry, Borage, Broccoli, Buckwheat, Burnet, Chamomile, Caraway, Carrot, Celery, Chicory, Chickweed, Chinese leaf, Cleavers, Clover, Coltsfoot, Comfrey-feed fresh young leaves and also dry for winter tonic, Coriander, Corn marigold, Cow Parsnip, Cucumber, Dandelion, Dead-Nettles, Dill, Dock BEFORE FLOWERING, Endive, Fat hen, Fennel, Goosefoot, Goosegrass, Goutweed BEFORE FLOWERING, Ground elder BEFORE FLOWERING, Hawkbit, Hawkweed, Heather, Hedge parsley, Horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, Knapweed, Knotgrass, Kohlrabi, Lavender, Lovage, Mallow, Marjoram, Mayweed, Maywort, Meadowsweet, Melon, Milk thistle, Mugwort, NipplewortOats, Oxeye daisy, Parsley, Parsnip, Peas, Pear, Peppermint, Pigweed, Plantain, Pumpkin, Purslane, Radish GREENS, Raspberry, Sage, Savory, Shepherd’s purse, Silverweed, Sow thistle, Soya, Strawberry, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes (fruit only leaves and stalks are toxic!), Trefoil,

Vetch, Vine leaves, Watercress, Watermelon, Wheat, Yarrow

SAFE TREE AND SHRUB LEAVES-Should always feed only fresh young leaves:
Acacia, Apple, Beech, Birch, Blackberry, Cherry, Hazel, Horse Chestnut,

Lime, Mountain Ash, Mulberry, Pear, Poplar (not black), Raspberry, Strawberry

SAFE TWIGS-
Apple, Birch, Blackberry, Fir, Hazel, Hawthorn, Maple, Pear, Raspberry, Spruce, Willow,

SAFE FLOWERS-

Aster, Daisy, Geranium, Geum, Helenium, Hollyhock, Honesty, Marguerite, Marigold, Michaelmas, daisy, Nasturtium, Rose, Stock, Sunflower,

SAFE HERBS-

Basil (Lemon, Globe, Thai, Mammoth, Sweet, Genevieve), Borage, Chamomile, Caraway, Clover, Chervil, Comfrey, Coriander/Cilantro, Dill (Fernleaf, Mammoth), Fennel, Garden Cress, Groundsel, Lavender (Not for pregnant does; can cause miscarriage), Lemon Balm, Lovage, Marjoram, Mint (Pineapple sage, pineapple mint, apple mint, orange mint, peppermint, lemon thyme, cinnamon basil, lime basil, lemon basil, sweet basil, licorice basil, “licorice mint” (anise hyssop), spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint, and basil mint.) Oregano, Parsley (Curly and Flat-Leaf), Rosemary, Sage (Pineapple is quite good), Salad Burnet /Small Burnet, Summer Savory, Tarragon, Thyme.

Be certain that if feeding from outdoors that you do not feed where weed killers or other chemicals have been sprayed as this will be fatal for your little friend.

Gnomish Giant Tank

Located near Lyle, MN

How do I care for my new bunny friend?

So you just got a new little furry friend, or you are thinking about it but what do you need? Number one is a cage or hutch big enough for your bunny when it is full grown. Our bunnies will be between 9-14# so it is best to get 2 foot by 3 foot minimum size.

vinegar and not apple flavored vinegar which is made from corn not apples.

Litter Training: Rabbits can be easily litter trained. We get reports back that our bunnies

are trained within a day or 2 after going to their furever home but may take longer.

It's all individual.

Be consistent in your training. You always want to use Pine bedding and never cedar.

Cedar will cause respiratory issues and death to your new friend. I would also avoid the

colored stuff because they will eat it and the dye is not good for them. Never use kitty litter.

Until your bunny is trained keep the litter pan inside the cage or hutch. Keep all bedding to

the litter pan only so she doesn't get confused where to go. Don't change the pan too often while

training. The scent tells her to go back there. Put any excess poops into the pan so she learns

that is where they go. Training can take up to 2 weeks. Some learn a lot quicker. Once trained

you can keep additional pine pans outside the hutch for use when on play time. be patient. Enjoy your new friend. :)

You can use indoor or outdoor hutches. Both should have a place where the rabbit can sleep. Any droppings should be removed daily and the cage cleaned thoroughly once a week replacing your rabbit’s beddings.

Outdoor enclosures should be raised, waterproof, secure from predators and located under an open, airy area preferably in the shade and out of the wind.

Finally, clip their nails when they become long and let your bunnies spend a few hours outside their cages and interact with you. Rabbits require your time and attention. Do not just put them in their cages and forget about them.

Health concerns

Follow proper care and husbandry to ensure they are free of fur mites, ticks, and fleas.

Ensure they are not soiled especially on their bottoms to avoid flystrike. Spot clean them if necessary. Do not forget to monitor their weight and general health conditions.

Check them regularly to ensure they don’t have overgrown teeth. In the case of overgrown teeth, give them more hay, gnaw toys, and roughage to help wear down their ever-growing teeth as they can injure soft tissues inside their mouths if ignored.

Treats: Plant foods can be started around 4 to 5 months in small amounts.

What is ok and what is not. Here is an extensive list to help you along.

RABBIT SAFE VEGETABLES-

How do I care for my new bunny friend?

So you just got a new little furry friend, or you are thinking about it but what do you need? Number one is a cage or hutch big enough for your bunny when it is full grown. Our bunnies will be between 9-14# so it is best to get 2 foot by 3 foot minimum size.

vinegar and not apple flavored vinegar which is made from corn not apples.

​

Litter Training: Rabbits can be easily litter trained. We get reports back that our bunnies

are trained within a day or 2 after going to their furever home but may take longer.

It's all individual.

Be consistent in your training. You always want to use Pine bedding and never cedar.

Cedar will cause respiratory issues and death to your new friend. I would also avoid the

colored stuff because they will eat it and the dye is not good for them. Never use kitty litter.

Until your bunny is trained keep the litter pan inside the cage or hutch. Keep all bedding to

the litter pan only so she doesn't get confused where to go. Don't change the pan too often while

training. The scent tells her to go back there. Put any excess poops into the pan so she learns

that is where they go. Training can take up to 2 weeks. Some learn a lot quicker. Once trained

you can keep additional pine pans outside the hutch for use when on play time. be patient. Enjoy your new friend. :)

​

​

You can use indoor or outdoor hutches. Both should have a place where the rabbit can sleep. Any droppings should be removed daily and the cage cleaned thoroughly once a week replacing your rabbit’s beddings.

Outdoor enclosures should be raised, waterproof, secure from predators and located under an open, airy area preferably in the shade and out of the wind.

Finally, clip their nails when they become long and let your bunnies spend a few hours outside their cages and interact with you. Rabbits require your time and attention. Do not just put them in their cages and forget about them.

Health concerns

Follow proper care and husbandry to ensure they are free of fur mites, ticks, and fleas.

Ensure they are not soiled especially on their bottoms to avoid flystrike. Spot clean them if necessary. Do not forget to monitor their weight and general health conditions.

Check them regularly to ensure they don’t have overgrown teeth. In the case of overgrown teeth, give them more hay, gnaw toys, and roughage to help wear down their ever-growing teeth as they can injure soft tissues inside their mouths if ignored.

​

Treats: Plant foods can be started around 4 to 5 months in small amounts.

What is ok and what is not. Here is an extensive list to help you along.

​

RABBIT SAFE VEGETABLES-