Meet Dakota. She is new to us here at Bend Bunny Lops and is 3 months old. I figured this would be a great opportunity for me to show you, through pictures, how to care for your new buns when you bring them home. Join me as I go over the basics, as we begin the bonding process, as we transition her in to her new environment and as we fall in love with this sweet baby girl.
Traveling for any rabbit can be stressful. It is important that they have a safe place to ride home in in your car. We brought a plastic bin to pick up Dakota. We filled it with a thin layer of pine pellets, a pile of hay and a bowl for some fresh water. My daughter sat wit Dakota on her lap as we drove home. This set up kept her safe and didn’t leave me worrying over any accidents she might have as we drove home.
When we arrived home, my entire family were so excited to meet Dakota. We put Dakota on the floor and told the kids to lay down and allow Dakota to come to them. No one grabbed her, held her or chased after her as she was introduced to her new environment. We got to meet her on her terms and it helped to make the transition super easy.
This is Dakota’s temporary setup. We have chosen to keep her in our living room for the next few weeks to establish a really sweet bond with this one. The more time we spend with her, the more used to us she will become. After arriving home, we played with Dakota for about 30 minutes and then we immediately placed her in her new cage. We wanted to give her the space she needs to adjust to her new setup … the new smells, the new sounds and the new space. We put the litter box in her cage and added some fresh hay to her box. We gave her some fresh water and sweet hideaway box that my daughter made just for her. Because she will be coming out of her cage often, we do not have a xpen hooked up to this space but it would be something we would do if we planned on not bringing her out every day multiple times throughout the day.
When we first brought home Dakota, we offered her LOTS of fresh hay and fresh water for the first 24 hours. We do not give pellets to new buns for the first day simply because we want our babies to have plenty of hay. Hay keeps their digestive track healthy and will help your baby transition well. It is important to note, that you must ensure there is access to unlimited hay if pellets have been pulled. Do not let the hay run low or out during that time. After that first day of simply offering unlimited hay, we then gave her some of her original feed the breeder before me had her on. I also add some probiotics to her food (see link in my favorite things tab for a link to get this great probiotic). Starting on day 2, we slowly start the transition process of transitioning our bunny to their new feed.
The slower the transition, the better. Do not rush this process as it could really hurt your bunny. Begin with 10% new food and 90% old food, mix it up well so that they are getting some of the new food / old food with every bite. Every day that follows, increase the percentage of new food slightly until your rabbit is eating 100% new food. This process should take 7-10 days. When increasing the percentage of new food to old food, be sure to do it slow.
Here is Dakota meeting our dog Jax. We allowed them to sniff each other out first as she was safely in her cage. Once she seemed ready, we brought her out of her cage and allowed our boy Jax & her to meet. We made sure Jax did not run after her, lick her or bark at her and we ensured the time they spent together was not stressful for Dakota.
And after a few short hours of being super intentional with their interactions, we have two best buds sharing the same space together.
One of my most favorite things to do with a new bunny is to hand feed them! We even do this with each of our babies born and raised here as they begin the weaning process from mama. This is a great way to earn the trust of your bunny. Let them sniff you, let them come to you. They will hop around and come back to you when they are ready!
Want your buns to be able go places with you? Well the key to traveling with your buns is to start them young! We homeschool with a charter and so my kids go to a class once a week so I am taking this opportunity to introduce Dakota to short car rides! She goes with me to pickup my kiddos & then my kids get to introduce her to some new faces! Remember, bunnies are super fun animals and all kids LOVE bunnies! My kids have been taught that none of their friends get to hold the bunny and when petting them, they have to pet one at a time with two finger, soft touch. Don’t overwhelm the bunny by allowing everyone to hold them or startle them, you are the one keeping the peace for your bunny. Also remember, keep it cool in the car (don’t overheat your bun) and provide them a safe place to feel secure in (the basket on the seat is how we choose to travel with our buns & babies).
When we got our very first rabbit, I was super nervous about cutting the nails of my buns. Over the years, I have learned that with a little help from someone in my family, nail cutting does not need to be stressful at all! This is how we do nail clippings. One of my kiddos holds our buns while I clip their nails. It is simple and not stressful for our buns and I find it rather easy to do it when someone is helping me by keeping the rabbit still. Remember, doing your bun’s nails often in the beginning will help them get used to being in this position moving forward. I suggest you clip your bun’s nails once every other week for the first few months of life to get them used to it and then once they hit 6 months, you can go a little longer in-between nail clippings. We tend to clip our bun’s nails once a month but might do it sooner if needed.