First-time rabbit owner: What do I need before bringing my bunny home?

Oxbow has pellets and timothy hay in their product line. The majority of the diet should be timothy hay or similar grasses. Pellets should be limited to no more than a 1/2 cup daily. Alfalfa should not be offered after 7 months of age. Trim nails every 3-4 weeks if necessary. Your veterinarian can show you how initially. Teeth should be checked monthly. A yearly exam should include a dental exam and teeth trimming if indicated. Symptoms of overgrown teeth include decreased appetite, drooling, pawing at the mouth, swelling or discharge.

Glad to hear you have added a bunny to your family! They are definitely very rewarding pets to have and certainly have some of their own individual challenges. In terms of just general information, you'll want to make sure Nznz is getting an appropriate diet of leafy greens, timothy hay, occasional small amounts of alfalfa, and other fruits / vegetables. Rabbits have teeth that will continually grow throughout their life so they should ideally have something to chew on to keep them from growing inappropriately. Sometimes, they will require manual teeth trimming if they do not take care of this themselves. As far as when to keep him in and out of the cage, that will ultimately be a personal preference. If you intend to litterpan train him, I would wait until he is regularly using the litter box before allowing him to roam freely, just so he makes claim to a certain area. Rabbits are also very sensitive to stress, noise, and heat so make sure that she is in a cool, calm environment. Hope this helps!

Hello. There are just so many sites that can give you very good information on rabbit care. I would recommend a veterinary visit just to check your new friend over & make sure he/she is healthy, check the sex & make sure Licorice has been neutered. Rabbits need quite a bit of room to move around, a litter box that is cleaned daily, access to fresh water & good quality hay ( preferably Timothy ). Rabbit pellets should only make up 10-20% of her total diet, very limited fruits, but she should have daily access to fresh greens. Good luck with your new pet & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Rabbits should eat mainly timothy hay or similar grasses. This should make up the largest portion of the diet. A small amount of a commercial pelleted diet can be offered as can fresh greens and vegetables. If Cuddles is over 7 months of age, do not feed alfalfa. Provide a variety of chew toys to keep teeth trimmed. You should have Cuddles examined yearly, by a veterinarian experienced in treating rabbits, to confirm good health and to trim teeth when necessary. Do not attempt to trim teeth by yourself at home. Below, I have included some articles from the PetCoach Library regarding rabbit care. https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-you-need-to-know-before-you-bring-your-new-rabbit-home/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/choosing-a-rabbit-as-a-pet/ https://www.petcoach.co/question/?id=411310

You should put a large amount of regular hay on the bottom of the cage, this needs to be changed at least once a week. You also need a drinking bottle to hang on the inside of the cage and a couple of feeding bowls for the food.

Thanks for your question about your new pets! I would recommend finding out what they are being fed now so you don’t switch their food over too quickly. I recommend feeding young rabbits free choice alfalfa hay until 6-9 months old and then transitioning them to a grass based hay, such as Timothy. I also recommend 1-2 tablespoons of pellets per bunny per day until they are full grown. Again, alfalfa based until 6-9 months old and then transition to Timothy pellets. Once full grown, you can give 1 tablespoon per 5 lbs of rabbit. You can also offer greens on a daily basis, but start slowly so they don’t get diarrhea. Leaf lettuce, cilantro, radicchio, and parsley are good options. They don’t require any supplements but the non-fruit based Oxbow treats are a great choice. I don’t recommend feeding fruit to rabbits as it can upset their tummies. For decreasing stress, make sure they have a place to hide and that their environment is quiet for them while they are adjusting. I hope this helps, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach. He is pretty small but definitely not a newborn. He looks like a Dutch. They are usually weaned from the mother at 4 weeks of age and I think he looks close to that but honestly, it is hard for me to say for sure. That being said, at weaning, it is best to keep all the kits together for a few weeks to minimize stress. I don't think that happened here. I suggest you try bottle feeding some KMR kitten milk replacer and offer some alfalfa hay and some pellets. Once he is an adult you need to stop the alfalfa and use timothy hay or orchard grass hay. Offer all of this and let him choose and see what he eats. Hopefully he will eat something. If he is not interested in eating anything you will need to find a way to get him to the vet sooner. You can get the KMR and bottles at any large pet store (like Petco). Walmart may even have it. I suggest Oxbow hay and pellets. You can usually find them at Petco but you may have to order online. ( https://www.amazon.com/Oxbow-Alfalfa-Hay-15oz/dp/B007SYTRPA/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2I61EPMWJF68F&keywords=oxbow+alfalfa+hay+for+rabbits&qid=1571081976&s=pet-supplies&sprefix=oxbow+alfalfa%2Cpets%2C540&sr=1-2 ) ( https://www.amazon.com/Oxbow-Bunny-Basics-Rabbit-Alfalfa/dp/B001CQGMNA/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2FWQ4D9EUDP69&keywords=oxbow+rabbit+food&qid=1571081639&s=pet-supplies&sprefix=oxbow+rabbit%2Cpets%2C156&sr=1-3 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.