My first question would how do you guys keep your bunnies feet from turning different colors or do you just leave it alone? Also is it okay to let my bunny out from around 7-8am till 10-11pm when I go to sleep cause he tends to be destructive when I am asleep and decides to not use the litter box for some reason(only poop never pee usually). And lastly I have gotten this boy, rattles,stacking cups,made a dig box, he has tunnels, hides, chew toys everywhere like everywhere from all different safe materials, in his cage he has a tie up all natural chew mat and he uses NONE of them but he loves to just dig at everything but in the dig box I made for him and wants to do anything but use his stuff I think the most used item is the hide/bed I hooked to my bed so he could sleep next to me but everything else is just not interesting to him. AND LASTLY do bunnies always sleep with their eyes open he rarely ever has his eyes fully shut when sleeping he has been doing it way more but his little beady eyes are always open when he appears to be asleep
by THISISDIAA
4 Comments
It’s perfectly fine to leave your bunny out that long provided he has access to his needs. Some bunnies sleep with their eyes closed. A very deep state of relaxation and feeling completely safe.
To the outside question, I do the exact same. For years now, the cage is open from 7 in the morning till 10 in the evening. Bunnies love freedom and want to run around.
If you use absorbent pelleted wood (not shavings) as litter and a have a layer of hay on top, his feet won’t turn nearly as easily, if at all. You likely can’t get all of the yellowing out, but his fur will look normal again once it is all replaced in his next molt. It won’t hurt him either way though.
Keeping him in a smaller area in his pen over free roaming while litter box training will help with litterbox habits until you can get him neutered. Neutering will actually help all of these behaviors tremendously.
You can leave him out as long as the area is fully bunny proofed and he cannot easily escape.
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You may already know some of this, but here’s a few quick first time bunny owner tips, in case you need it. 🙂
Hay is the most important aspect of their diet (80%) and they need unlimited access to it 24/7.
This not only allows them the fiber their gut continuously needs, but the constant chewing and breaking down of the hay also keeps their teeth healthy and in check, as their teeth grow constantly throughout their lives. 👍
Rabbits only need about 1/8 cup of pellets per day, or up to 1/4 cup for larger rabbits. Feeding more than this may make them overweight and may cause them to not be eating enough hay.
Oxbow, Sherwood Forest, and Science Selective are good quality pellets.
They are very fragile. Much more so than a cat or a dog.
They need space to play. A small cage and no playtime outside of it will make them miserable.
Be aware that most bunnies actually don’t like being picked up. They are a prey animal so to them, being picked up means something “bad” is happening so they instinctively fear this..
Obviously sometimes you still have to, but when you can, it’s better to lure them onto the couch or back to their pens or whatever (snacks or pellets help).
We feed ours dinner in their pen after playtime, so we just open up their area and they are usually excited to go back home.
Don’t take advice from pet stores. They are NOT knowledgeable on rabbits, and many things they sell are actually NOT suitable for them either, such as any “cage,” or treats/food containing seeds or corn.
A dog exercise pen (xpen) from Amazon is a much more suitable and cheaper housing option. (around $35, often cheaper)
Get him a regular size cat litter box and use Tractor Supply “Equine Pelleted Bedding” for litter ($6.50 for 40lbs). Dust from regular clay cat litter is bad for their respiratory systems and can cause blockage if they eat it. Put a layer of hay over the litter and a big pile of hay (or a hay rack or bag) in the far end of it so he has to be in it to eat it. They like to munch while they poo, so this will help him pick up his litterbox habits.
Find a rabbit savvy vet now so you know where to take him if you need to. Not all vets are rabbit savvy. Just because one is willing to see a rabbit, doesn’t necessarily make them knowledgeable on them. They are usually classified as “exotic” vets in the US.
If they ever stop eating and/or pooing, it is a rabbit emergency and they need to see a vet immediately, even in the middle of the night. They go downhill quickly and waiting to see how they are in the morning can often be too late. 😥
If they refuse their favorite treat and don’t want to get up, this is a bad sign.
We keep pain meds (meloxicam) on hand for emergencies. It can help in situations where your vet may be unavailable, and is helpful for GI stasis. It is definitely something worth discussing with your vet. Ordering a 10ml vial from Chewy ($14) is significantly cheaper than buying direct from your vet, and Chewy will reach out to your vet after ordering, making the authorization process very easy. Just be sure to discuss with your vet first. 👍
At some point you will need to get them spayed/neutered as this keeps behaviors such as litter box use, being territorial, and being able to bond them with a buddy, in check. This is also NECESSARY because unfixed rabbits have a very high cancer development rate. 🙁
Rabbit.org or HouseRabbit.org are the House Rabbit Society websites and are good sites for general bunny info including bunny safe foods and treats.
“My first question would how do you guys keep your bunnies feet from turning different colors or do you just leave it alone? ”
Typically a bunnies paws will be yellowish due to sitting in their pee. Make sure to clean their litterbox daily…that and a bunny’s natural cleanliness will clean it up. We see yellow or dirty feet on abandoned buns, but it clears up once they’re rescued.
“Also is it okay to let my bunny out from around 7-8am till 10-11pm when I go to sleep cause he tends to be destructive when I am asleep and decides to not use the litter box for some reason(only poop never pee usually). ”
Yes, that is perfectly fine. I would make sure the pen you keep him in is larger, as this will give them enough room to do binkies and zoomies. Also, you can invest in some pet panels (amazon) to block areas and walls from bunstruction.
“And lastly I have gotten this boy, rattles,stacking cups,made a dig box, he has tunnels, hides, chew toys everywhere like everywhere from all different safe materials, in his cage he has a tie up all natural chew mat and he uses NONE of them but he loves to just dig at everything but in the dig box I made for him and wants to do anything but use his stuff I think the most used item is the hide/bed I hooked to my bed so he could sleep next to me but everything else is just not interesting to him. ”
This is normal…Some rabbits just don’t like toys. We have some fosters that love stacking cups and some that ignore them. For the dig box, make sure to sprinkle some pellets in there to gain his interest. You could also get a rabbit safe dried herbs and such and sprinkle that in. Check the Binky Bunny store for treats.
“AND LASTLY do bunnies always sleep with their eyes open he rarely ever has his eyes fully shut when sleeping he has been doing it way more but his little beady eyes are always open when he appears to be asleep”
Yes, as prey animals rabbits will 90% of the time sleep with their eyes open. It can be shocking to see your rabbit flopped on their side with eyes open…but this is a security feature for them and allows them to ‘see’ and react to predators faster. Bunnies will do several things when they are very comfortable with you and your home. One is flopping and the other is sleeping with their eyes closed. And lots of times they do both at the same time.