What do house buns need?

As some of you already know, if all goes to plan, I will be getting a wonderful new bunny - George - on Sunday who is going to be a house bunny.

I have never had a house bunny as such before. My foster bunny did live inside towards the end of his life but that was because he was poorly.

I did post this thread on another forum and got some ideas - but I have fresh brains here to pick, so to speak, and want to make sure I don't forget anything important.

I am not wealthy so want to get everything that is essential and some treats, but will get other stuff gradually.

He is eating Science Selective food at the moment. I went to PAH to get some this evening and they didn't seem to sell it. Does anyone know where else I can try please? I bought a ball which slowly lets treats out as I don't want him to get bored. What treats are best? I used to put milk and yoghurt drops in Justin's ball (which was buried with him) but I knew he had a tumour and his life expectancy was very short so giving him unhealthy treats wasn't an issue. I don't want to do this with George.

I know bunnies like cardboard so am saving boxes for him. I read on another thread bunnies like willow balls so I will be buying one of those. My outdoor buns have each other for company but George will be on his own and eventually will have the cats so want to give him things to keep him occupied and amused when I am out. Would it be a good idea to keep a radio on for him? They used to have one on all the time when I helped out at rescue.

Initially, he will be in a type of playpen in my lounge but once he has settled in he will be free range in my kitchen and hallway.

What else do I need to think of/buy? Will find out what sort of litter tray and litter he is used to.

Am very excited about my new furbaby.

I am so glad George is coming to you

I don't use SS but I have seen it in my local pet shop so you could try there. It can also be bought over t'internet - I use

www.thehayexperts.co.uk and www.pamperedpiggies.co.uk

Loads of ideas also on them for toys

Cardboard boxes are always a popular game with all our bunnies, especially if you have the space and are creative enough to form a multi-level cardboard box warren! I sometimes stuff our boxes with shredded paper. All of our buns also like the cardboard middle from toilet rolls stuffed with hay.

None of ours take any interest whatsoever in bought wooden chews, rattles, hanging things or loofah toys. They even ignored apple tree branches that I obtained for them. They do however like willow balls and rings but they get dismantled so quickly that they don't get these every day!

Am looking forward to seeing the piccies of George

I think he will need somewhere to hide when he feels scared. Daisy has catbasket but cardboard box would be fine i think.

I guess wood litter for litter tray (or paper) I use smartcat cat litter which is made from 100% recycled paper and doesnt clump or expand when eaten.

Daisy just has ordinary cat litter tray but it did take him a while to get the hang of it. A lot of patience required!!

Daisy ignores most toys too - but does love the willow balls. He also has a little ball with a bell in and he has a little wooden ring which he throws about all the time.

hope this helps...... K x x

oh Ive just had a thought. why dont you pop over at some point and see daisy's set up?? I also have some toys he has turned his nose up at that George might like - We have had some "lessons learned" shall we call them....that might help?

Kx x

Going by other threads on this, they need a nice carpet to eat, lots of wires, especially ones with live current and any bits of land rover that you have lying around, the more expensive the better.

I think that the thing that he will need most is some peace and quiet and time to call his place home. He's a lucky bun.

I need to go to bed - when I read the bit about needing carpet to eat I was panicking as he is going to be mainly downstairs - a completely carpet free zone!!! With eight cats that come and go all day carpet is a definite no-no.

Angie is now going to get George onto Excel pellets before he comes here which is what I feed my other buns so I needn't panic about buying SS.

I love the idea of cardboard with hay stuffed inside - cheap and easily replaceable. Am glad I didn't spend a fortune I don't have on toys in PAH. I know my outdoor buns don't really play with toys much, although they like their tubes to crawl in and things to climb on.

I did think he would need somewhere to go to hide, especially to start with and was wondering about getting him an igloo type thing like my cats have but thought he may use it as a litter tray. I think I will use one of my cat carriers initially and make it nice and cosy for him, like a little den, or burrow.

Katie, I would absolutely love to come over and see your set-up and meet Daisy. I can ask him what he thinks George would like - I am sure he would have loads of really good ideas! Will PM you and see if we can sort out a time. If Daisy is happy to donate George some unwanted toys that would be lovely too. 'Lessons learned' sound interesting too!! I am more than happy to learn from others' experiences, being so new to house bunnies.

Thank you everyone. I am touched at how supportive forum members have been. I really love it here and will bore you all with details of George's progress. I am so lucky to be having such a gorgeous bunny coming to live with me and am sure we will have great fun learning about house bunnies together as it will be new to George too.

xxxx

Congratulations! I am so pleased for you and George!

First things first, do not waste your money on pathetic little rabbit toys. They are so over priced and generally ignored. (They might sniff them a few times, but that is about it!).

I think the biggest thing you need to be concerned with is bunny proofing. Did you see the new youtube video made by Jay? It has some really good tips! Once you've gotten rid/bunny proofed any obvious bunny hazards like cords you will just have to supervise him for the first while. He will undoubtedly show you other things that will need to be bunny proofed! Bunny proofing doesn't need to be expensive either. Definitely let us know if you have any specific questions, need ideas, or get some ideas of your own to share!

So back to the toys; it's all about trial and error. My rabbits wont bother with chewing cardboard boxes unless I cut a hole that is too small for them to go through. At which point they will spend hours shredding the box .

A lot of the time my rabbits find something to amuse themselves by accident. For example, one time a piece of newspaper fell onto Tori's cat bed. Next thing I knew Brynn was jumping on it, going under it, shredding it. She wouldn't touch newspaper anywhere else, but if I put a piece on the cat bed she goes crazy. Similarly, I had some large storage containers out one day and the bunnies went crazy jumping on top of them and jumping around them. Talk about cheap!

The best advice I can give is to just have fun!! Your creativity is the best toy you can give him!

What great news for you both
I'm putting the videos about bunnyproofing back up later today, so look out for those.
You need to make sure that the space George will have access to is safe, and interesting. I create little hideyholes, just putting a bit of wood lean to against an unused bit of wall, or an upturned cardboard box with a hole in the front in a corner. Also, it's not every bun that likes bare floors. It's not generally good for them if they can't get a grip, it can cause their legs to splay and potential spinal problems. If you can afford carpet runners, the thin lengths of carpet, George will probably feel safer on those.
His cage needs to be somewhere where he can get some peace & quiet when he wants it, but still feel included. while he's settling in, keep his roam space small, and increase it as he gets more comfortable. Eventually you ought to consider letting him in your lounge, when you have the furniture, wires and corners protected. They are social creatures, and he'll more than likely want to be involved and included
You'll need to see where he pees etc. when he's free roaming, and put a tray there. Berts has 3 dottted around in different rooms. The triangular corner ones are good for indoors, take up less space, and stop corner digging.

One of the most important things he'll need is company and stimulation. Bored housebuns tend to get destructive. A treat ball is one good way to keep them occupied, you put his pellets in that and let him tackle getting them (you can see bertie with his here). Willow sticks to chew, hold them while he gnaws, telephone directories, etc.

As others have said, different buns like different toys, so it's trial and error. I tend to put boxes together and link then to make a carboard burrow, that kinda thing!

I wouldn't be too concerned about treats etc. One of the probs for housebunnies is that they don't get as much exercise as they should, so they are prone to getting bigger than they should. I just give Bertie his pellets as a treat.
I made a website of Bert's first few weeks here, it needs updating, but it may help Clicky
Also the House rabbit soc. website may help, it's American so there's a couple of cultural differences on care, but generally is a good read! There's also a brilliant book 'House Rabbit Handbook: How to Live with an Urban Rabbit' (again from USA) that's worth investing in (see book review) you can get it on Amazon for £4.98

I think the best thing is just to ask as you go along, each bun is different, and will want different things, but there's a wealth of experience here!

I'm looking forward to seeing him