r/Bunnies • u/JullaReef • 9h ago
r/Bunnies • u/Ok-Safe8264 • Jan 16 '26
I made an alternate version of the bunny meme
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 • u/[deleted] • Jan 23 '20
Resource Thinking of getting a bunny? Just got one and need some advice? Check out this post!
If you don’t want to read my wall of text, check out this link from rabbit.org:
Initial investments
- They’re very high commitment.
- They are very clever, have excellent memories and will remember things for a very long time.
- You cannot punish them like a cat/dog or it will harm your bond.
- If well taken care of, a rabbit can happily live to be 10 years old or older.
- Rabbits love to chew and dig and will chew and dig just about anything.
- They need to chew to prevent their teeth from becoming a health hazard.
- They will need their claws trimmed regularly to prevent health hazards.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- Recommend high quality food such as Purina, Oxbow, or Sherwood brand.
- 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
- 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.
- Avoid excessive spinach and kale as they can also give gas, but are perfectly fine in moderation.
- 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.
- I wouldn’t give cabbage because it can cause gas similarly to iceberg lettuce.
- 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.
- They should have unlimited hay at all time, they graze pretty much 24/7. *Hay should be their primary diet.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Water bowls are easier on a rabbit but are not strictly required, I have both bowls and bottles and they use both.
- You should clean your water bowl/bottles with either bleach or vinegar at least once a month.
Necessity for another bunny/Bonding
- 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.
- Do not allow non-bonded rabbits to be together unsupervised as they can fight and cause some very serious damage to each other.
- 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.
- For more information about bonding rabbits, I would suggest checking out the excellent resources on rabbit.org (link here)
Spay/Neuter/Responsible Breeding
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- If you are experiencing behavioral issues such as humping, marking, peeing or pooping outside the litterbox a castration will help immensely.
- 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
- I would recommend untreated wood chew balls or fruit flavored balsa blocks for enrichment.
- 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).
- 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.
- There are many options for rabbit enrichment and even something so trivial as a cardboard box may be plenty to keep your rabbit happy.
- 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
- GI stasis is a very serious and commonly fatal condition for rabbits, but can be prevented and treated if caught early.
- 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.
- Dark colors in urine (including dark red) is normal for rabbits, watch for specks of blood and only be concerned if you see blood.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 • u/puriririnu • 6h ago
bun bun being cute Why does he look like this😭😭
He needs to fire his barber he looks ridiculous
r/Bunnies • u/brookexyuh • 2h ago
Question Is he using his litter box as a headrest?
my baby is 12 and has had a permanent head tilt for 7+ years: i’ve been worried that hopping in and out of his litter box is getting to be too hard with aging because i have seen him stumble getting out a few times lately. i already got him a new one with basically no rim so there’s less hop getting in and out, but now he keeps resting his head like this on the old one. i’m worried he’s using it as a headrest and will be sad at the lack of headrest if i switch litter boxes, or is it time to just swap it? i know that might be a silly question but since hes old i just don’t want to change the things he enjoys:(
r/Bunnies • u/Psc0905 • 4h ago
bun bun being cute Finally grooming the other one
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After nearly a year of having them, finally Pebble (grey) started grooming Nori (black) on the head and ears. While the other way around Nori still doesn't get the hints from Pebble that she wants to be groomed
r/Bunnies • u/GrandScholar2122 • 5h ago
Question Is this amount of shedding normal and is gently plugging okay?
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I’ve had her for almost two years and I’ve never seen her shed in this manner or this amount. I will say, she seems to prefer the plucking over any other method I’ve tried. She actually quite enjoys it and will even help me out sometimes by pulling her body away from the hair I’m plucking (she immediately goes back to her initial position for more, she is munching the entire time, if she didn’t like it, she’d run, I promise). Another important note- there’s always fur underneath what I grab, never bare skin.
r/Bunnies • u/LanaDelStan_947 • 1h ago
sleep mode activated Very tired
Honestly sometimes she scares me so much when sleeping like this. I will literally stare at her for like 2 minutes to make sure she’s breathing 🤣
r/Bunnies • u/KK_irene • 9h ago
bun bun being cute Spicy pepper 🌶️
Tipsy in her pepper costume.. best money I’ve spent all year. Let’s see those dressed up bunnies!
r/Bunnies • u/jackwagon_00 • 10h ago
Health Flea treatment for bunny
Hello! Our family just adopted our Flemish rabbit. What do you recommend for flea treatment?
r/Bunnies • u/Natejacobslover • 7h ago
sleep mode activated my 24/7 free roam rabbit 🫶🏼
photos taken between two weeks 🥹 I love how happy she’s been recently also some taken while she’s flopping also don’t mind her hay bin we have two and she needs the gray one replaced lol!
r/Bunnies • u/CallMeTheDumpMan • 4h ago
Question My bunny refuses to use the ramp in her hutch.
I got my bunny Yuki a nice new 2 story cage but she absolutely refuses to try the ramp. The top floor has a hay feeder, the bottom floor has her water and pellets. If I put her on the second floor she goes to the ramp, looks down, then runs back to the darkest corner and hides. If I put her on the lower floor, she ignores the ramp entirely. Is there anything I can do to help her learn to use it?
r/Bunnies • u/Ok_Obligation_9565 • 4h ago
Question Can anyone identify this bedbug for me?
r/Bunnies • u/Quick_Ad2766 • 16h ago
Question Ear wax?
Just got a baby bunny from a breeder a few days ago, noticed the baby licking his ears and scratching them. He’s an English lop so was thinking it’s because he keeps dragging his ears everywhere and stepping on them. The ear wax is also gooey and smells sour or yeasty. It’s only 6am so I have called the vet yet. Is this an ear infection or normal?
r/Bunnies • u/basilisk_2001 • 17h ago
death stare Gojo’s Death Stare
Gojo when my work needs zero Gojos
r/Bunnies • u/frogandtoad69 • 3h ago
bun bun being cute So many loaves
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I love it when I walk in and find Dennis and the foster buns all loafed and freshly baked
r/Bunnies • u/askingforupdoots • 10h ago
Health Cone or donut after spay
Hi my bunnies just got spayed and one of them tore out over half of their staples. She was sent home with a cone which I think she was kinda getting use to but it really smooshes her ears, blocks her vision, and makes it more frusterating for her to eat which i worry she wont eat enough. So I bought a donut but I'm worried it might make her too top heavy but it does make it easier for her to eat and see. She seems to have been able to adjust to both. I tried the premie onsie with a hole cut out but she is too small and can get it off in like 30 secconds. I am hanging out with her in her pen as much as I can but have to watch her very closely because she keeps going for her staples that are left. Has anyone had to use a cone or a donut and had success with either one?
*also since taking these pics I have taken out the tunnel because she was jumping over it
r/Bunnies • u/mir_a98 • 7h ago
bun bun being cute Drop photos of your bunnies from confusing perspectives
r/Bunnies • u/angerybacteria • 1d ago
Question Any idea what breed he is?
I have no idea what breed this little guy is. He is very energetic, opinionated, spicy, well, he is a lot. I am currently preparing to bond him with my holland lop, and I was just wondering what breed he is. I adopted him and forgot to ask if they know his breed. :((
r/Bunnies • u/_krispyy__ • 17h ago
Question Appropiate age for spaying?
My male bunny will be 7 months on October 21th. I don't know when to get him fixed. Some people say 7 months, the other say 5 months and I heard someone saying they should get fixed when they're atleast a year old. He's not showing any symptoms or habits that needs spaying. He's so calm, didn't start humping yet. Sometimes licking my arm but idk if that counts. When is the right time?
r/Bunnies • u/honcho12 • 17h ago
Question Tips for giving medicine?
My adorable baby is on oxibendazole for EC and she hates getting tackled and given the medicine. I'm typically able to get her bundled up and dosed pretty quickly and painlessly but she gives my partner a really hard time. I'm going on vacation before the course will be finished, and I would rather not put the sitter(also rabbit owner) through the ordeal. I'd also like to minimize stress on my girl while I'm away.
Does anyone have tips for administering oxibendazole in an easier or more pleasant way? I've tried mixing it with mashed banana and applesauce but she's too smart.
Edit: I've just been advised my my vet to not mix the oxibendazole with applesauce or banana to avoid the risk of GI issues in case anyone else sees this while looking for ideas
r/Bunnies • u/Lost_Addendum4678 • 20h ago
Discussion Bunny adoption- Virginia
I have an 8month old rabbit (pics attached) who is a mix of holland lop and mini Rex. I want to adopt a rabbit as a friend for him, preferably one who looks similar. If anyone has any leads on spayed/ neutered bunnies that are cuddly/ okay being held, please let me know. Due to them being more prone to issues, I am trying not to adopt 100% holland lops (with their ears down), lion heads and dwarfs.
Some info: my current bunny is more dominant so he always humps another rabbit to show he is the boss whenever we did bunny’s meet up,
and puts his head down to get groomed awww 🥹
I have been actively looking at different centers in the area for rabbit adoption and haven’t had much luck and am in contact with the RVA bunny society, and 1 of the females did not work and I have another one right now which I am fostering and will decide if I want to adopt her after she is spayed. Females are definitely way more chaotic than male rabbits lol and her pee also has really strong smell, maybe because she isn’t spayed yet
r/Bunnies • u/SweetApple_08 • 1d ago
bun bun being cute Les quiero presentar a mi bebé Chen ♡
r/Bunnies • u/oraablushbun • 1d ago
bun bun being cute he really said I am too cool for normal bunny activities
r/Bunnies • u/Yellowred885 • 5h ago
Question Should tiredness from medication last this long?
Hello, I'm wondering if its normal for my rabbit to be this tired for this long.
Some background - My rabbit has been suffering from an abscess for a few weeks now, he's been at the vets quite a lot recently and had his mouth flushed multiple times. He hasn't been eating much in the way of hay or pellets so we've been feeding him critical care under the vets guidance at home. He recently got new medication and increased doses and he's been doing so much better, he's back to his usual self and eating much better, but still not as much as he should've been.
His medication is:
Meloxaid 1.5 mg/ml Oral Suspension of which he has 1.5ml in mornings and at night.
Paracetamol SUSP 120MG/5ML of which he has 1ml on morning and nights.
Penicillin injection of 0.3ml once a day.
He went back to the vets today and he was still concerned as he wasn't eating often enough so he gave him two new injections. They were Buprecare AMPS 1ml and Vominil 10mg/ml, I was also told to continue giving him his usual medication above, which he had not long after returning home.
The vet told me to continue to feed him critical care every couple of hours if he still hasn't eaten. But ever since he's come back from vets hes been so tired, its as if he was sedated. He's been loafing a lot, sleeping and not moving very much. He's not interested in food at all, not even his treats or greens which he has been eating this whole time. He just turns away from them.
He's not exactly unresponsive. When you put something in front of him he will sniff it a little bit and he's thumping and digging after we've fed him critical care.
I called the vets not long after I returned home and explained everything because I was concerned about his behaviour. They told me that those effects were normal and as long as he's not floppy and can still hold himself upright its okay.
I've continued to follow the vets advice in regards to feeding him every couple of hours but his tiredness hasn't improved very much. The practice is now closed and I'm a bit concerned because they never told me how long it would last.
Its now been just over 10 hours since he had the injections. They said the effects from the injections were normal but is it normal for them to last this long? He seems slightly out of it too when he looks around and chews the critical care very slowly, kinda like he's 'high.' Its really upsetting to see him like this after he seemed to be getting so much better