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Akuma the rabbit - 5/27/2009 8:34:45 AM   
VampiresLair


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I have posted before, Fox and I have a new rabbit. Akuma (means Demon) has been with us for about a week now, and she is doing great. She very cuddly, doesnt mind being held as long as shes supported, eats well, and loves people.

We are planing to leash train her, and are working on litter training her (though at the moment she thinks her litter box is the greatest bed ever)

So, I am curious, all you bunny owners out there, did you manage to litter train your rabbits? Akuma is only 7 or 8 weeks so far, so I know its too young to see any real results. But shes a New Zealand Giant rabbit, so she is going to get really big. We would prefer to have her trained so she doesnt have to be in the cage when we are home.

Also, food ideas? We know cabbage and light colored leafy stuff is bad.Everything else is sort of blurry. Some sites say some fods are must haves, others say they will cause problems. So, I think asking those who have had rabbits before is a better way to go than a bunch of opinions online from people I have never talked to.

Right now, she has spinach, turnip greens and celery and carrots. Shes happy, but I know she will need a better variety as she gets older. Her pellet diest can only take her just so far. Fine while shes a baby but I know as an older rabbit shell need more real food, less compressed food.

Thanks for any insight!

DV


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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/27/2009 10:23:34 AM   
aravain


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~FR~

Waaaay back in middle school we took care of a rabbit as part of the 'bio-lab' (I was the rat specialist, but in a class of 14 people you get around :P) and they fed the rabbit mostly pellets made specifically for older rabbits, with the occasional carrot as a treat. It was OLD too, and was a rescue, but it was fine on that diet *shrug*

Wish I could be more help.

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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/27/2009 10:32:11 AM   
subtlebutterfly


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My cousins recently got their rabbits, yes they managed to potty train them....at least when it comes to the places they take a dump...they learnt where to take a dump in pretty much no time
They also never peed unless in one place but few days ago one figured that it really is fun peeing wherever she likes so they're in the procedure of preventing that evolution....I can't imagine it being much different from training them where to take a dump so...yup..

when it comes to food...one doesn't like carrots..another loves it...they're picky little bastards.
What they are being fed are those salad packs you can buy in the grocery store with all kinds of fresh salad n stuff..they pick out what they like n what they don't like though...


< Message edited by subtlebutterfly -- 5/27/2009 10:37:44 AM >


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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/27/2009 10:32:24 AM   
PyrotheClown


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A demon rabbit eh?Fetch me my holy hand grenade....

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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/27/2009 11:20:18 AM   
Vendaval


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Hello DV,
 
Congratulations on your new furry companion.  It has been years since my brother was raising rabbits and they mostly were given the pellet diet.  Are there any breeders in your area?  They would likely have the best practical advice.


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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/27/2009 4:21:54 PM   
angelikaJ


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I had an English Angora rabbit once.

Per the breeder, I gave him a high quality pellet diet which was supplemented with timothy hay, occasional bird seed  and papaya enzyme tablets (both bird seed and papaya were to prevent wool block due to his long fluffy hair).

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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/27/2009 4:55:04 PM   
DarkSteven


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Here ya go: http://www.rabbit.org/

The biggest problem is keeping them from gnawing stuff, especially electrical wires.


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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/27/2009 9:35:16 PM   
winterlight


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make sure they don't chew the wood near your floors..

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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/27/2009 9:40:31 PM   
DiurnalVampire


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The breeder we got her from didnt know much by way of care for indoor rabbits. Akuma was bred to be food, not companion. We are finding the same problem with a lot of the breeders around here, they are very knowledgable about how to raise it to be a fit dinner entree, but not so much for a pet.

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VampiresLair

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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/27/2009 10:51:51 PM   
YoursMistress


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I know someone on here who rescues rabbits and such and is extremely knowledgeable on the subject.  I'll drop a note to her.  

yours


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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/27/2009 11:09:30 PM   
GreedyTop


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quote:

ORIGINAL: PyrotheClown

A demon rabbit eh?Fetch me my holy hand grenade....


*runs to plug in DVD*


DV..wish I could help... I know squat about rabbits....


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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/28/2009 12:16:08 AM   
MissLaura1973


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Congratulations on your adoption of Akuma! House rabbits are wonderful companion animals (I share my life with seven permanent resident bunnies and constantly have fosters coming and going). You're likely going to be having lots of questions; check-out the national house rabbit society website at: http://www.rabbit.org/ - also, if you'd like to PM me your location I can see about hooking you up with a local rescue group that will be able to provide supplies, vet referrals, support, etc.

Litter Training: Buy a LARGE litter box (several times Akuma's body size ... and you'll have to upgrade/size up as she grows), line it with newspapers or carefresh litter, and then add in several inches of fresh alfalfa/hay. Rabbits tend to urinate and defecate where they eat, so if the bunny is in the box eating hay (which is where she should be a lot of the time), she'll relieve herself there ... and over time that will be where she chooses to go to the bathroom. Some rabbits do better than others, and they're all prone to accidents, but they will use the hay box. (When Akuma hits puberty, though, be prepared for urine spraying and other delightful things ... you can [and really should] spay/neuter at about six months for a female, earlier [as soon as the testicles drop] for a male.)

Food: Right now, at her age, Akuma's primary food should be lots and lots of good quality alfalfa - she needs the calcium to build her skeletal structure and gradually gain weight. The alfalfa will also help prompte healthy digestion (essential, because rabbits are prone to GI issues - and GI stasis can easily become fatal). A good quality timothy hay pellet should also be offered (OxBow is one of the best - you want a pellet that's just pellets, not mixed with other crap). Greens should be offered in small amounts - lettuces are good, as are dark green leafy herbs. (Mine get: romaine, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, escarole, mustard greens, dandelion greens, cilantro, Italian/flat parsley, and American/curly parsley.) There's an excellent list of good staple veggies at the website I noted.

Avoid human foods and any veggies/fruit that are high in sugars (such as carrots ... carrot greens are good, though) - the sugars can cause an over-production of cecals, leading to poopy butt issues, GI upset, and other nasty things. The sugars also promote tooth overgrowth, leading to a need for regular tooth-trimming on some rabbits.

I'd suggest nixing the celery (not a lot of nutrients and the strings can cause trouble), as well as the spinach (unless given in small amounts).

You may be in for a surprise when Azuma hits puberty - it's a real challenge to sex rabbits before four months or so ... the immature penis and immature clitoris look pretty darn identical.

There's a lot of not great information regarding rabbit care floating around ... much of it is aimed at rabbits that will be eaten or used for fur, where it's not too important that the animal live for a long time. However, if you're planning on having Azuma as a long-term companion (and I trust that you are), you're going to need to start early getting her body off to a good start.

Do you have a local vet who's used to treating house rabbits?

Oh, one more thing: I'd really advise against keeping Azuma in a cage - please look at setting her up in a x-pen (or multiple x-pen) arrangement - a corner of a room where the people often are is an excellent location, so she can be socialized and allowed out for supervised roaming, and yet you'll still have a large enclosure where she can retreat to rest and where you can secure her when you have company, etc.

Btw, my rabbits positively adore the Cottontail Cottages that are available on-line - please consider ordering one from a rabbit rescue group

Give me a hollar if you've any more questions ....

Laura, Proud Caretaker of: Annie, Toby, Opal, Wee Willie, Pidge, Brown Bunny, and Tan Bunny


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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/28/2009 5:17:04 AM   
VampiresLair


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She has a very large cage which, as soon as she is trained, will remain open so she has run of the house. We do not have space to get an enclosure, but even now when we open the door to let her roam (which she gets to do a lot of the time we are home right now, as long as we can watch her like a hawk) she can get in and out on her own.

I will have to try the hay in the litter, right now she still thinks its a bed, but when I cleaned her cage yesterday I did notice she had used it a few times. Shes young, though, and so she has several spots in the cage that she has used. It's all a matter of patience I suppose.

We do not have a vet around here I have found that knows rabbits, but we do know of one in the next town, and we are going to ask him for a referral to someone local when we catch him in next. Fox's sister raises rabbits as well, but hers are outdoors, so their diet and habitats are very different.

Thank you for the information, and when I have the time to write (I am off to work) I will PM you for some other info.

DV


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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/28/2009 12:34:16 PM   
aravain


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quote:

ORIGINAL: MissLaura1973

Avoid human foods and any veggies/fruit that are high in sugars (such as carrots ... carrot greens are good, though) - the sugars can cause an over-production of cecals, leading to poopy butt issues, GI upset, and other nasty things. The sugars also promote tooth overgrowth, leading to a need for regular tooth-trimming on some rabbits.



This explains a heck of a lot.

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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/28/2009 4:47:22 PM   
Joseff


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rabbits are trainable? In my experiance, rabbits are about as interactive as mobile houseplants. Maybe I've just met some really dumb rabbits.

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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/29/2009 3:41:11 PM   
VampiresLair


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You must have. Mine is learning about her litter box (finally... they hay trick did it)
She also knows which bowl to wait in front of at which time of day, pellets in the morning, veggies after work.
Granted shes only 2 months old, so there sint much more yet, but Rabbits are extremely trainable if you bother putting thw ork into training them.


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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/29/2009 4:06:52 PM   
PyrotheClown


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Joseff

rabbits are trainable? In my experiance, rabbits are about as interactive as mobile houseplants. Maybe I've just met some really dumb rabbits.


Even chickens can be trained... and their brain is more akin to an old amiga commodore then what most of us would consider an independent mind.

kind just there for novelty, involved with some minor bodily functions,but not really all that essential....



so yeah, you can train rabbits.
at least they're a some what sociable mammal, many specialty breeds having traits that endear them to humans.


*edited for some bad spelling, my amiga isn't what it used to be 8)

< Message edited by PyrotheClown -- 5/29/2009 4:09:40 PM >

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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/29/2009 4:08:16 PM   
PyrotheClown


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glad somebody got that joke...

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RE: Akuma the rabbit - 5/29/2009 5:23:42 PM   
ladynlord


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DV & Fox,

I am a hobby rabbit breeder of show rabbits.  A lot of the information you have been given so far has been fairly accurate.  I would like to stress a few points though that you an either consider or ignore, your choice.  I certainly don't want to put myself out there as an expert, but I have picked up a great deal of information from some of the most knowledgeable and wise breeders all over the country.

Diet is essential to your rabbit's health, obviously.  And diet does NOT depend on whether or not the animal is an inside rabbit, outside rabbit, pet or show animal.  They are just like small children.  Give them too many treats and they get a tummy ache.  Give them food lacking in proper nutrition, and they fail to thrive.   I feed a quality pellet feed, clean water, and timothy hay on a daily basis.  Please, please limit those greens!  The rabbit digestive system is more delicate than you might think.  NEVER give lettuce, especially your regular ice berg lettuce.  It will give them diarrhea in no time, which, if not caught in time, can be fatal.  Also, go to Petsmart, Petco, or Walmart and pick up a package of yogart and/or papaya chips.  These have the proper enzymes to keep their gut in proper working order.  When rabbits molt (or shed) they will get a hair ball (referred to as fur block/wool block), if you will, just like a cat.  But they lack the ability to regurgitate and therefore the blockage only has one avenue in which to escape.  Other treats such as carrots, black oil sunflower seeds, rolled oats (not instant), bananas, and sliced apples (without the seeds) can be given as a TREAT.  And by treat I mean every once in awhile.  Again, their system can be very tricky. 

Potty training is done just like you would a cat.  Keep emphasizing the proper area, and eventually it will stick with her.  There will be an accident from time to time, just reinforce her training. 

Free roaming around the house is great especially if you like having all your electrical cords chewed in half!  Always keep an eye on a roaming rabbit.  They will chew on anything they can get their teeth on.  Also, like rodents, their teeth do not stop growing.  If she accidently pulls her teeth out of alignment, that will cause maloclusion (sp?), also referred to as "wolf teeth".  If that happens, her teeth will have to be trimmed.  You can do it yourself, but it would be better if you had someone more experienced with that type of thing like a vet. 

Most veternarians consider a rabbit an exotic.  Why they do that is beyond me.  Look in your local yellow pages for vets that treat exotics.  Otherwise, going to the one you mentioned in another town might be your only option for emergency treatment.  Rabbits do not need vaccinations like cats and dogs.  Unless they have been exposed to another animal that is a carrier of some sort of disease, you'll likely never have to worry about that.  Fleas and ticks are tough too if they are exposed to animals with them.  If she should get them, use kitten tick/flea products.  

Also, when your bunny reaches about 5 months old, you might want to consider having her neutered.  Does aren't as bad as bucks are as far as "marking their territory", but they will do it and it's not pleasant.  You may even find her more aggressive and protective of her "territory" and she may lunge and "buzz" at you.  This is just her way of saying, "Hey, this is my spot." 

Gosh, there's just soooo much more to tell you, but I was just reminded by my beloved that no one really reads posts this long!  lol  Anyway, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have in the future.   Good luck!

Karly



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