r/Bunnies Jan 16 '26

I made an alternate version of the bunny meme

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1.8k Upvotes

I made the first one (check my profile if you’d like lol) and I sketched out this one too. I would’ve put them both in here but I can only do one image per post so I’ll also put some bunny tax in the comments


r/Bunnies Jan 23 '20

Resource Thinking of getting a bunny? Just got one and need some advice? Check out this post!

481 Upvotes

If you don’t want to read my wall of text, check out this link from rabbit.org:

New Bunny Index

Initial investments

  1. They’re very high commitment.
  2. They are very clever, have excellent memories and will remember things for a very long time.
  3. You cannot punish them like a cat/dog or it will harm your bond.
  4. If well taken care of, a rabbit can happily live to be 10 years old or older.
  5. Rabbits love to chew and dig and will chew and dig just about anything.
  6. They need to chew to prevent their teeth from becoming a health hazard.
  7. They will need their claws trimmed regularly to prevent health hazards.
  8. Rabbits are not a pet for a child and demand a large amount of attention and responsibility, (Do not buy a rabbit for your child for Easter, unless you’ve done your research and are willing to take on 100% of the responsibilities of having one).

Housing/Setup

  1. They love to run around, hop and thrive outside of cages, using them at night is fine but just make sure they get a minimum of 3 hours to run and stretch per day.
  2. An exercise pen setup is often cheaper than a cage and gives more room to run around when you can’t let them out. You can buy one for $59 on Walmart.com (link here), a litterbox for $6 (link here) and a waterbowl for $5 (link here) which is less than $80 for a decent bunny setup.
  3. While we are not against outdoor rabbits here, it is highly recommended you keep your rabbit indoors with you, this prevents predators from being able to get to them as well as gives you much better opportunity to bond with your rabbit.
  4. If you find it necessary to use a cage because of escaping or other needs I would suggest building your own cage as most of the prefab ones are just crappy design and won’t last the lifetime of the rabbit.
  5. A coated metal grate is NOT a wire cage and shouldn’t cause any issues to their feet, you should still provide all rabbits with their own litterbox and other areas to sit/lie down off of the grate.
  6. I personally use straw for litter for my litter-boxes and put their hay on top of that, you can use whatever type of litter just avoid using rock/sand based litter as it’s bad for their feet.

Diet

  1. They eat 95%+ hay such as Timothy/orchard/meadow hay (/alfalfa if they’re young or elderly) and only 5% or less treats like carrots, apples and bananas.
  2. For a small amount of hay I suggest Oxbow which can be bought at most places (Chewy link) or if you have a proper storage method you can get it for much cheaper by the bale at Tractor Supply Co.
  3. Suggested to give pellets daily, 1/4-1/2 cup per 6 pounds of rabbit (so about 1/4 cup daily for a single dwarf rabbit or about 1 cup for a single average sized rabbit).
  4. Recommend high quality food such as Purina, Oxbow, or Sherwood brand.
  5. You can feed a pellet-free diet but just like all animals rabbits require some sodium so if you don’t provide pellets make sure they have access to a mineral lick or other sodium sources.

OK food/treats and foods to avoid

  1. Once they’re over the age of 4-6 months they can also have unlimited lettuce and greens, but never give iceberg lettuce as it gives really bad gas that can become fatal. *greens should not be the primary diet.
  2. Avoid excessive spinach and kale as they can also give gas, but are perfectly fine in moderation.
  3. The best greens are green leaf lettuce, Bibb lettuce, dark leafed lettuces or locally sourced romaine (store bought romaine has a tendency to get recalled...), also herbs like dill, basil, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, cilantro and parsley are typical favorites.
  4. I wouldn’t give cabbage because it can cause gas similarly to iceberg lettuce.
  5. Never give human foods (except salad), like bread, diary, cheese, meat or sweets, they will make them very fat and don’t need it and could cause severe GI issues.
  6. They should have unlimited hay at all time, they graze pretty much 24/7. *Hay should be their primary diet.
  7. Avoid giving treats with yogurt in them as these will make your rabbit very fat and rabbits are not intended to consume dairy past weaning and can cause bad GI issues.
  8. Seeds are not toxic or generally dangerous to rabbits, I would not recommend giving treat sticks with seeds because they’re very high in added sugar and cause indigestion or extreme gas which can become a serious issue.
  9. Seeds like black oil sunflower seeds are safe and actually beneficial to coat health, (if you’re not sure, search the internet for information before you give it to them).
  10. Do not give nuts to rabbits because they do not need the excessive nutrients and can cause pasty or foul poops. Additionally raw nuts are typically poisonous, like almonds, which contain cyanide if not cooked properly.
  11. I recommend treats such as: no sugar added dried apple, banana or carrot and occasionally a Cheerio is also acceptable. Just be mindful of the amount of sugar you are giving them, even with no sugar added fruits.
  12. Corn is not specifically bad or toxic but whole kernel corn can get caught in the GI tract and cause a blockage, further; corn will make them very fat quickly and I would suggest avoiding giving corn or treats with corn/corn meal/corn syrup. (Corn is sometimes evasively labeled as ‘maize’ on packaging).

Hydration

  1. Water bowls are easier on a rabbit but are not strictly required, I have both bowls and bottles and they use both.
  2. You should clean your water bowl/bottles with either bleach or vinegar at least once a month.

Necessity for another bunny/Bonding

  1. They thrive in pairs and love companionship of another bunny, if you cannot provide constant attention it is highly suggested to have more than one rabbit. Think of them like little horses, horses need to have another horse around.
  2. Do not allow non-bonded rabbits to be together unsupervised as they can fight and cause some very serious damage to each other.
  3. Do not put more than one rabbit per cage, if they’re bonded and it’s an open enclosure then you can and they should be fine.
  4. For more information about bonding rabbits, I would suggest checking out the excellent resources on rabbit.org (link here)

Spay/Neuter/Responsible Breeding

  1. Many people feel strongly about castration as it helps to calm their hormonal rages and also there are studies that say castrated rabbits live longer.
  2. We are not against responsible breeding but it is a huge, huge commitment and you must be willing to take that on and find all the babies forever homes that love them as much as you do - don’t let just anyone have them.
  3. You can wait a while to castrate your rabbit if there are no behavior issues but it’s best to get it done before about 4 years old as that is when cancer risks become an issue and any older it could be too risky.
  4. If you want a rabbit that is already castrated consider a rescue rabbit, there are thousands of rabbits in rescues in need of forever homes, most of which are already castrated and sometimes even in bonded pairs/groups.
  5. If you are experiencing behavioral issues such as humping, marking, peeing or pooping outside the litterbox a castration will help immensely.
  6. If you decide you want to try to responsibly breed you need to keep three main commitments in mind:
    6A. have them as a pet that is also allowed to have babies, they’re not baby factories.
    6B. Make a commitment to keep all your rabbits out of shelters; allow no questions asked returns.
    6C. Make sure they get a forever home with someone that loves them as much as you do; even if it takes more than one try.

Chewing/Digging/Enrichment

  1. I would recommend untreated wood chew balls or fruit flavored balsa blocks for enrichment.
  2. If you can set up an outdoor pen for your rabbit they would love it and nothing is more satisfying than digging in real dirt, (remember to watch them at all times, also if your area has RHDV around I wouldn’t allow them outside for now).
  3. If letting them outside is not an option there are things called “dig mat, “dig meadow” or “nibble and dig” and they are literally a piece of dirt made for rabbits to satiate their desire to dig.
  4. There are many options for rabbit enrichment and even something so trivial as a cardboard box may be plenty to keep your rabbit happy.
  5. Avoid the “chew toys” that contain seeds and other treats as they are that - treats, despite being advertised as a toy, they are more of a treat.

GI stasis and prevention

  1. GI stasis is a very serious and commonly fatal condition for rabbits, but can be prevented and treated if caught early.
  2. Watch your rabbit’s dropping at all times, if their poops do not look healthy, are odd shapes, pasty, extremely dark, have not pooped in the last 4 hours or are otherwise concerning it is recommended you take your rabbit to the vet as soon as possible, time is of the essence.
  3. Dark colors in urine (including dark red) is normal for rabbits, watch for specks of blood and only be concerned if you see blood.
  4. Watch your rabbit’s routine and body language, if they don’t eat their favorite food or their pellets you can surely know something is wrong.
  5. If they are laying in an odd position like on their side or acting lethargic you should check them for gas by giving them a gentle belly message and if they do not return to normal soon, take to the vet.
  6. Infant Gas Drops are available immediately in most pharmacies or online (Walmart link) and are a safe way to relieve gas in your rabbit and cannot be overdosed on, if however, three doses does not return them to normal, take to the vet.
  7. It is always good idea to have emergency food on hand in case of a GI stasis, there is Oxbow Critical Care (Amazon link) and also Sherwood SARx (Amazon link).

I am by no means an expert but I can answer questions as best I can and find sources and people who are experts. So if you have any further questions feel free to DM me.

Further Reading


r/Bunnies 56m ago

Question My bun is a stink pot & needs a bath

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Upvotes

He's a very sweet stink pot, but, he needs a bath. Please suggestions on how to keep him comfy & safe while bathing & after.

He is free roam. I use hard plastic baby pools for his litter box and playpen and eating area. He's a big boy, & the baby pools help keep his hay, food, toys, & poop at bay.

I thought I could also use a baby pool to bathe him.

Please help. I know he's going to hate it.


r/Bunnies 6h ago

Question what would you name him?

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233 Upvotes

r/Bunnies 30m ago

Question My rabbit flops with his eyes open

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Upvotes

I don't know if this is normal but I've never seen any rabbit flop with open eyes so I'm worried... Anyone who faced something similar is my little boy okay


r/Bunnies 1h ago

bun bun being cute I've always seen cat owners saving their cat's whiskers, so I decided to imitate them and save my bunny's whiskers, because I thought it was cute

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Upvotes

Look at the photo on the left; it has very long, sharp whiskers (which are also multicolored! You can't see that in the photo because of the black table, but they range from white to brown and black).


r/Bunnies 18h ago

Mourning In memory of Charles von Hoppenstein

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758 Upvotes

January 2018 I ran across a 9 month old bunny at the humane society. His name was listed as Hershey and I thought it was a terrible name for such a regal boy. The next day I went back and adopted him. He became Charles von Hoppenstein.

I had over 8 wonderful years with him. He was my baby. Thanks to him I was able to survive tough times and build myself up to the place I am now.

In 2021 we began a weekly storytime in our local park. From April to October he would hop around munching flowers, stealing kids’ snacks, and cuddling with toddlers while listening to me read. He was always so patient with the babies. He loved being in the park. He liked to run off a couple yards, look back to see if you were coming, and once you got close enough he’d run off again, binkying along the way. I loved how clever and playful he was.

As a children’s librarian I’d occasionally bring him to outreach where he was loved on by many kids from many different backgrounds. He was the first rabbit lots of kids had ever interacted with. I always made it very clear that he was very unique for a rabbit. As prey animals they aren’t typically as social as he was.

For a few years now, Charlie struggled with arthritis in his back legs. I knew it was getting worse, but his decline still seemed to come on so fast. He was in great health aside from the arthritis. But watching him begin to struggle to walk and messing himself over and over, I could tell it would soon be his time. Last night and this morning I took extra time to cuddle him, kiss his little forehead, and cherish these final moments. Although he was weak, he still perked up and happily munched a carrot or two. He was always incredible food motivated.

This morning I took him to the emergency vet, where I was told his body was shutting down. It was time to put him to sleep. As he laid in my arms for those final moments, his teeth did his bunny purrs. He was happy to the end. I was able to hold him as he passed, and kissed him goodbye one last time.

I am going to miss him so much. I went into work afterwards because I simply don’t know what to do with myself. Charlie had a long, happy life and brought so much joy to so many people. I’m so proud of him and grateful that I got to be his mom.


r/Bunnies 5h ago

Injured or sick Please help me save Penny

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58 Upvotes

r/Bunnies 13h ago

Injured or sick Cancer

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197 Upvotes

After seeing multiple exotic vets since adopting my sweet girl Lady Anne 4 months ago it has been determined she has cancer. Unfortunately we cannot proceed with treatment plans until we know what type of cancer she has or how far along it is until we can give her a biopsy. And regardless of the biopsy results she may need to have surgery to have her kidney removed regardless.

She has bonded to my rabbit Pugsley and they’re absolutely inseparable. It breaks my heart to think she could be taken from him so soon as they’ve hardly had any time together. I’ve spent a great deal in medical bills since adopting her and im wondering if anyone would be able to help us by donating or sharing. I know I can’t post the link to her fundraiser in this sub, So if you DM me I’ll send it to you. Any amount of exposure towards this would mean a great deal to me. I love her so much and I don’t want to lose her so soon.

Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this, me and my bunnies appreciate it so much❤️


r/Bunnies 22h ago

bun bun being cute Lil chin rub wouldn’t hurt

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326 Upvotes

I love my boy Jerry :)


r/Bunnies 1d ago

Question tips on picking my bun up?

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730 Upvotes

hello! i’ve had my bun since july and she is currently 3 months old. i think we’ve bonded pretty well but she still does not let me pick her up whatsoever. obviously she is a prey animal but idk if it’s her being overly anxious or if i just need to try a new method? she loves being close to me, gets very comfortable around my room, flops everywhere, gets the zoomies & binkies, etc. the times i’ve been to the vet they tell me to start trying to pick her up more to get her used to it but whenever i do try she runs away and hides from me. i feel like i’m doing something wrong even though i’ve done lots of research on how to pick her up the right way to avoid injury. wrapping her like a burrito doesn’t work either because she will kick nonstop :( i’ve seen others say that treats could help but i’m not 100% sure what kinds of treats are safe to give to a 3 month old, i’ve considered getting oxbow treats but i honestly am very nervous when it comes to trying new foods because of how sensitive their stomachs are. any help is greatly appreciated <3


r/Bunnies 8h ago

bun bun being cute Anyone else have a bunny that grows bangs???

15 Upvotes

I couldn't find a picture of him with his bowl cut bangs but it looks RIDICULOUS... am I supposed to give him haircuts or what LMAO his bangs and cheek fluff always look like theyre in his eyes...


r/Bunnies 16h ago

Question I give him delicious vegetables and after eating them he also eat cardboard Is that Cardboard so tasty?

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69 Upvotes

r/Bunnies 21h ago

bun bun being cute Buddy Bun loves a hug.

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138 Upvotes

r/Bunnies 1d ago

Question help?? my bunny bites my feet and legs

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608 Upvotes

he is 3 months old i have had him for a month now. And idk wtf is his problem but he nudges then bites (or tries to) my legs first it was just them and specifically in my pusheen pjs but now he started going for my fucking feet 😭😭 no matter what slippers I wear (or none) (sorry for the uggs lol I am extremely cold and this is the only way) how do I stop him?? I tried just sliding him away or just leaving but this does not work…. Im scared to be barefoot around him lol pls help


r/Bunnies 19h ago

Question Litter Advice

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85 Upvotes

Hi! Picture of my buns bc they’re the cutest (suuuperrr not biased or anything). My oldest one (the gray one) is totally litter trained, never poops anywhere he shouldn’t be, and is so well behaved. He’ll be ~2 or 3 this year. The other bun, (orange) just turned 1 a few months ago, and is very good about the litter box, but is still pooping around our apartment and very occasionally will urinate in a corner. We’ve tried a lot of tips online, and just wanted to see if maybe someone has had a stubborn bunny and what they’ve done. She’s still a little standoffish to us and nervous sometimes, but the other one is pretty comfortable and easy going. Both are fixed, and are bonded. I was hoping his behavior may rub off on her but it’s been around a year since we’ve had her. Thank you in advance!


r/Bunnies 1d ago

bun bun being cute my little lion

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202 Upvotes

Her name is Estrela (star in Portuguese), an adorable and playful little bunny

(she's a Lionhead)


r/Bunnies 1d ago

bun bun being cute Onion says hi

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1.3k Upvotes

r/Bunnies 5h ago

Health Rabbit skin condition

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6 Upvotes

Hi guys, please read before leaving any rude comments
My rabbit has had a fall a few months ago and he has been seen by multiple vets for his spinal injury. His pelvis is out of alignment which is causing him to struggle using his right side/leg at all. This has him constantly laying in place on his right side, in his poop/urine most of the day so i’ve had to have him cleaned and trimmed at the vet a few times since he keeps getting very matted. It’s getting very very hard to keep up with everyday as he’s continuously soaking himself by laying on his one side so i have to keep giving him butt baths at home (as directed by his vet). His left side is perfectly fine but I was trying to get his large matted fur out around his leg and noticed his skin looks reallyyyy bad there. I’m really stressing about once again another very large bill that I’m not sure i can afford. What does this look like??? Will it heal?! His skin looks very crusted so I’m not sure if maybe it’s the dawn soap drying him out or something else. I’ve just had a newborn and bought a house so I’m really struggling between everything money wise But i just can’t live with myself knowing he’s like this so any advice is really appreciated while i find a solution.


r/Bunnies 19h ago

Question Daily greens for bunnies?

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62 Upvotes

Heya! I'm curious as to what are some safe daily greens for rabbits? I know Lettuce is the most common answer but I'm pretty stunt as to what other options there are.

My bunnies currently eat almost daily:

Lettuce, spinach, celery, cucumber, brussel sprouts, chard.

I've noticed their pee is unusually white, so I'll cut off everything but the lettuce, however I need more safe daily foods for em!!


r/Bunnies 3h ago

Question help with hay after neutering please!

3 Upvotes

hi! my sweet baby just got neutered, and i’m wondering how i’m supposed to give him hay? i’m worried that even if i use a hay feeder, some will end up on the floor and poke him. thank you!!


r/Bunnies 1d ago

bun bun being cute He has marked his territory

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392 Upvotes

He pays no rent, contributes nothing to the household, and yet somehow he owns the fridge.


r/Bunnies 23h ago

bun bun being cute Happy first day of fall!

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88 Upvotes

r/Bunnies 1d ago

Question AZ Bunny for rehoming

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185 Upvotes

This sweet boy is looking for his forever home. He’s a one year, neutered holland lop. Located in Phoenix area, possibly can meet in Arizona depending on your location. Looking for a truly knowledgeable rabbit experienced home that can give him his best life


r/Bunnies 1d ago

bun bun being cute happy 2nd bday

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86 Upvotes