I have a new rabbit and have yet bought any supplies other than rabbit food, cage, and a water feeder. I'm wondering what supplies are essential for my rabbit, like minerals and suppliments, medicines. I know they need hairball medicine, but i've yet to buy any. I'm wondering what all i need to buy and what particular brands anyone has had the best results from.

azanerd

The reason I thought they needed hairball medicine is because when I first got the rabbit I went to websites that explained how to take care of them and they said that rabbits don't have the ability to couch up their hairballs like cats can, therefor it remains in their stomach and can make them sick, I've seen hair ball remedies for rabbits in online rabbit supplies stores, I haven't bought any yet, I tried to find some at a local pet store but they didn't keep medical supplies there. But now I'm confused because they say it's dangerous not to give the rabbit hair ball medicine and you all are saying it's dangerous to give it some. I think you know what you're talking about since you have rabbits, but since mine has been coughing lately which sounds the way cats do when they're coughing up hairballs, I think I'll need to speak to an actual rabbit vet about that.

Altenweg

Here is a great site about Rabbits and "hairballs" this will explain what you need to know. Also, don't trust pet stores when it comes to Rabbit tips, they don't know what they are talking about, most of these employees have little or no experience with rabbits and will give you the same advice they would for a cat. Rabbits are not cats, nor are they rodents, these little animals have a very uniques digestive system and very unique needs in order to stay healthy. Check out the link, it will help answer some of your questions.

Rabbit Hairballs: Fact or Ficition - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company!

Feel free to PM me if you have questions about you new bunny.

azanerd

Thank you so much for the link Altenweg, it helped a lot. I have another question. Once I get the hang of this, would it be best to get another rabbit? On one web site I read that they are social creatures and are happiest with another rabbit around. And if so, would two females get along better than a male and a female or does that not matter? Mine is female.

Altenweg

The sex of the rabbits isn't that important, whether or not they are fixed is. Firstly, an unaltered rabbit will be more aggressive, males and females alike, so putting two unaltered rabbits in a cage together can be troublesome, especially if they are of the opposite sex. The term "they breed like rabbits" is very accurate, and there are enough unwanted homeless rabbits already, in fact, there are studies that show that rabbits are the animal most given up to shelters, above dogs and cats.

Also, an unspayed female is more than likely to develop uterine cancer, most unaltered females die before they are 3 years of age, so that's another good reason to have your rabbits spayed or neutered, not to mention that unaltered rabbits will spray, it stinks and stains.

Two altered rabbits can live very happily together, and it is true, rabbits are social creatures and are much happier if they have a friend. You will have to buy another cage and introduce them slowly, if you're interested I can post or PM some info on how to socialize your rabbit with another rabbit.

And here's where I try and save a bunny, if you do decide to adopt another rabbit, please consider a shelter rabbit, most shelters charge a minimal fee (ours charges $25.00 for a spayed/neutered rabbit) and you would be saving a life. Many shelter rabbits are euthanized or returned over and over again (our Thumper was a two time resident in the shelter before he found his forever home with us).

I'm so happy that you are enjoying your rabbit and are thinking of adopting another. Rabbits are wonderful animals, if you know how to care for them. It takes a bit of patience, allot of love and time, but it's worth it in the end.

Would you be willing to post a picture of your bunny, I'd love to see her. Of course you know that my avatar is Cotton, my little lionhead dwarf, and the only pet store bunny I have. Here's a picture of my little trouble make Thumper.



He actually has huge brown eyes, but always looks like a demon bunny in a picture.

azanerd

Thumper is beautiful I know that it is better to get them from animal shelters, I would have gotten mine from one, but it was given to me by someone else who bought it from a breeder. My next one will definitely come from a shelter though and thank you, i'd appreciate it if you did post on how to socialize them with each other. and i'm sorry but i don't have any way to get a picture on my computer right now, but if i happen to have someone over with a cell phone, then i'll get one up for you to see

Altenweg

Before you introduce a new bunny to your present bunny, you should consider having a
few 'dates'. (Really, bring your bunny to a shelterand arrange some contact with potential bunnies).

Not all bunny dates are love at first sight, so it's important to have an idea of what to expect. First, you shouldn't be surprised if one bunny mounts the other bunny. This is
more of a sign of dominance than anything else. It's the bunny saying, “I want to be top dog.” So, don't be surprised if your little girl mounts the boy she's meeting; she's just
setting some ground rules for what she expects from him.

If the boy mounts the girl, and she doesn't react, that's a good sign that the bonding should go fairly smoothly. If she runs away when he tries to mount her, don't worry. The way to know you're going to have to take time and have patience with the bonding is if the girl turns around and tries to attack or becomes in any way aggressive when the boy
tries to mount her.

Another common reaction upon first introductions is one the chase. (One bunny chases the other). This is perfectly fine, if the chased bunny doesn't turn around and fight back.
If the chased bunny does fight back, separate the two bunnies and realize the bonding process is going to have to move more slowly than you had hoped for.

In fact, don't be surprised if there are fights during the bonding process. It's not the end. It just means you should be prepared to take things slow. There's bound to be some scrapes between bunnies, and this is normal. You can stop a fight by yelling “no” or by making a loud noise.

There's a LOT more to talk about to really understand bunny bonding ... but this will get you started.

I'll post more in the near future.

azanerd

Thank you

Altenweg

You are more than welcome. Here's a picture of my bunny Kilala;



She's my latest rescue bunny.

azanerd

She's so pretty and I love the name, I think it's from Inuyasha?
Someone in my family found a young wild rabbit, they might be giving it to me if they can't handle it, So if you know anything about taming them, that would be helpful I've already looked things up about it, but I've went to the wrong websites about these things before.

Altenweg

Wild rabbits are usually hares, although in the same family they are very different from domesticated rabbits and wild rabbits. For instance, rabbits burrow, they live underground, hares do not. First you should make sure that it's actually a rabbit, not a hare. Hares usually have bigger ears and feet, and grow bigger than rabbits.

If it is a wild rabbit then you shouldn't have much of a problem taming it, it depends on the age of the rabbit. The younger they are, the easier to tame. Just handle him/her allot, start potty training immediately, and make sure that he/she has the necessary supplies and a place to safely run around and play.

If it's a hare, I have no idea what to do. I would assume that it wouldn't differ too much, but I don't know if they need anything special in order to be healthy and happy.

Good luck.