I've been answering questions for a full week. I've enjoyed this and I hope you have, too! If I have helped even one person to live a safer, happier life with their rabbit, I will have achieved my goal!

Question 7: OOOPS! I thought I had two bucks/does! Now what?

Answer: Unless you've had your rabbit sexed by an experienced professional, always keep rabbits separated and NEVER put two bucks together when they're more than four months old! They will likely fight, resulting in injuries, especially to the ears. In this scenario, however, there is an even BIGGER problem, possibly eight or nine bigger problems that need to be dealt with as soon as possible! Really, the answer is that you need to wait eight weeks until they're weaned and find them homes of their own of some kind. Avoid sending them to the shelter, they have enough! Perhaps you can give them to a neighbor or a friend. Rabbit is also excellent meat, as I'm sure you know from reading my blog and, possibly, trying it for yourself. Don't feel too bad, everybody who's ever sexed a rabbit has missexed at least one! The important thing now is to find a home for the bunnies.

Question 6: My rabbit is acting aggressive/bit me! What is going on and how do I stop this?!

Answer:   Often aggression is hormonal. If you're not planning to breed your rabbit, you need to have him or her neutered or spayed immediately! Even with that, it still may take weeks or months for bunny to calm down. There's also the possibility that it's behavioral. Always speak gently around your rabbit, they hate loud noises, move slowly, and pet them gently. Never hit your rabbit or any other animal! Not only doesn't it work, but it can make the aggression worse, with good reason! Never pet them on the nose first because they cannot see your hand and that will frighten them. Remember we are dealing with a prey animal and they are designed to do anything they can to survive. When petting your rabbit, place your hand on the ears first, making sure he/she can see your hands, as his eyes are on the side of his/her face. If there is any sign of aggression, slowly remove your hand unless it is in immediate danger. Your safety comes first!
You rabbit could be frightened because there is a lot of activity in the area. First and foremost, you need to think like a rabbit! Activity can mean danger in a rabbit's mind. That's how they survive! Never chase your rabbit or allow children to chase it! Always find your rabbit when it is still and pet it slowly and gently. Chasing a rabbit will create a timid or aggressive rabbit!

It's been five days since I started answering your questions. I hope I have helped you to know a little more about rabbits. I admit I am not infallible. I make mistakes. If you find I have made a mistake and have proof, please let me know!


Question 3: I just saw my rabbit eating his poop! How do I stop this?

Answer:   A rabbit has a very specialized digestive system. The "poop" pellets you see are called cecotropes. They are partially digested matter which appears hours after your rabbit eats. They are full of healthy bacteria and are essential to your rabbit's very survival. They are also rarely seen, as they usually appear once a day, and then, only at night. If you were to stop your rabbit from eating them, it would soon die.

Question 4: Why do rabbits chew?

Answer: Rabbits need to chew because they need to file down their teeth or they will soon have teeth that will be so long they can no longer eat. Rabbits chew because, in nature, that is the only way for them to eat! Their natural diet consists of mostly roughage, which files their teeth, so they must constantly grow. Be sure, if you keep your rabbit inside, to wrap all wires and keep them out of reach. You're better off keeping the wires and cables well out of rabbit reach!
House plants can be dangerous to a rabbit. Treat them like your wires, as far away from bunny as possible, unless you're sure it's something bunny can eat. Remember, your rabbit will chew anything it can, so always watch it if it is out of it's cage. We recommend always having a cage for your rabbit when you cannot watch it. This is not cruel. If it doesn't have a cage, it will likely burrow and try to find a "safe" place, which might not be as safe as bunny thinks, and may chew something which will cause a fire or the death of your rabbit.

Day three of answering your rabbit questions. If you have a question you want answered here, please submit it in the comments section. All comments are anonymous.


Question 3: Will my cat/dog kill my rabbit?

Answer: That depends on the size of your cat or dog compared to the size of your rabbit, the aggressiveness of your cat or dog and their individual personality. At our rabbitry, we have several cats who never bother the rabbits, except to play with them. This is not always the case, however, and interaction should always be monitored between pets. If your cat, dog, or even your rabbit, show any signs of aggression, they should be immediately separated. It is always best to assume your cat or dog will attack your rabbit until you are certain they will not, particularly if they have never before encountered a prey animal.

I'm trying to answer a question a day on this blog, so please submit your questions! They can be submitted anonymously, without even an email address or name, so there really is no catch! Hope to read your questions soon!


Question 2: Can I feed my rabbit lettuce?

Answer: Although there is little risk in feeding lettuce, there is a risk. It is much like feeding your dog chocolate. Some rabbits die within hours, others live their entire lives without a symptom. Either way, it is not healthy for them and should be avoided at all costs, regardless of the type.

It's been a month and a half since I've been here, I know and I do apologize! It's been a difficult and busy month for me, as Pennsylvania has been, basically, frozen solid for weeks. I've been spending a lot of time giving rabbits water and making sure the don't freeze, especially the mini-lops, who are prone to having their ears become coated with ice. It's been crazy here! I also have had a difficult time, physically, as I have chronic pain in my back that is often debilitating.

I hope everyone has been warm! It's certainly cold here! If you have livestock, I'm certain you've been racing around, thawing water and protecting limbs and ears, while everybody else is staying nice and warm and even sleeping past sunrise! I hear you!

I've been researching rabbit feed, thinking of my meat rabbits. I plan to start feeding them the homemade feed first. If that works, I will start to feed the same thing to the purebreds. I want to stop using the pellets altogether.You wouldn't believe the rabbit questions I found! I hope to answer those questions and more in the next few days. It may even save your rabbit's life!

Question 1: Should you use a wire cage for a Flemish Giant rabbit?

Answer: Absolutely! Wire cages are the preferred cage for rabbits of all types! Just be sure they have a resting mat, such as a grass mat, on which to rest their feet as they are a very large breed rabbit (often 20+lbs!). Rabbits of other breeds will also appreciate a resting mat and it will prevent a condition known as "sore hocks," a sore or a wound that develops when a rabbit spends too much time on wire and is either too heavy or has too little padding on his feet.

I would like to address some myths about rabbit and rice. It seems there is a lot of misinformation online about the subject, so I thought I would talk about it here:

Myth #1: Rice will expand in a rabbit's stomach: this stems from a myth about birds when rice is thrown at a wedding. This myth became so common that throwing rice was outlawed in some areas because of it. It is a very believable one, I will admit. It is based upon the fact that, during cooking, rice expands to double or even triple it's size. However, much more heat than a bird or a rabbit produce is needed for that effect.

Myth #2: Rice is good for rabbits: wholegrain, cooked rice could be very good for rabbits, as it is full of fiber and protein. However, most people would likely give processed rice to their bunnies and that is NOT healthy. In fact it's downright....fattening! Yes, processed rice is simply a starch without much nutrition. It's simple energy without reason, much like giving candy to a child. It may cause them to race around for a bit, but after a time, your rabbit will start to become pudgy and not be able to be active.

Myth #3: Rice is poisonous to rabbits: yes, I've heard both! Processed rice is no more poisonous than it is nutritious.

I hope this entry helps you to make a decision on what to feed your rabbit. Rather than rice, my suggestion would be rolled oats. They are nutritious and rabbits love them. Don't worry, however, if your rabbit gobbles up some of the rice you had for lunch and spilled. Unless Thumper is sensitive to rice, it likely won't hurt it

In any case, watch for rice sensitivity. It is rare, but it does happen.

I would like to discuss, today, a very serious problem that has just come to my attention. Research, or, I should say, a lack of research. Too many breeders are doing what they've always done simply because that's what they've always done. It's as though they could never improve upon their methods, and that makes us all look bad.

One example of this is the "serious" breeder who uses cedar shavings as bedding. Most individuals who own pet rabbits will tell you that cedar is highly toxic to rabbits. There are other examples, as well, but my point is that this breeder hasn't done her research and is risking the health of her very lively hood because it's "the way it's always been done."

I also know of a breeder who, despite being trained in the medical field, continues to smoke cigarettes around her rabbits. Much information has been released about the relation of smoking and animals' health, if people would only take the time to read it!

Pet bedding, which also contains toxins, antibiotics for non-bacterial infections, gripping the rabbits solely by the ears and/or back skin, we've all done something that we found out later was detrimental to our rabbits, but if you wish to be in this business, you need to continue to improve. Stagnant thinking will only lead to stagnant results. Please don't sacrifice your herd to the past. If we are to succeed, we must push on to the future.

It's been some time since I was able to post. Unfortunately, I've been busy! In fact, as of this moment, I'm on my way to the doctor's office(don't worry, I'm not driving!) With Thanksgiving approaching(tomorrow) I've had so much more on my plate than just rabbits! As have every one of you, I'm sure. It's also a very busy time in regards to rabbits. We are trying to get all of our breeding does into hutches, but at the same time, out of the winter weather.

Have you visited the store lately? We now have a large selection of gifts for the rabbit lover in your life! Be sure to see our selection of fine jewelery, toys and many other rabbit themed gifts. Got your interest? Find us here;

http://astore.amazon.com/rabbito2-20

How do you wash out those clear plastic water bottles and get them clean? If your bottles are the wide necked variety, it's not difficult at all!
What you need is a long-handled bottle brush, the kind with a handle that's narrow enough to fit into your bottle, and also a wide-bristled bottle brush(the two brushes can be the same brush, but make sure it will reach EVERY PART of the bottle!). It also helps to use bleach(or vinegar, if you want a more natural route) and, of course water!
What to do: pour about an ounce of bleach(or 4 ounces of vinegar-less if you can find undiluted!) to a bottle. Swish around bleach(or vinegar solution) add about a cup of water and let the bottle sit for several minutes.
When the bottles have sat long enough, take the long brush and start scrubbing the bottom of the inside. Then take the wider brush and brush the top of the inside, the neck and the outside. Rinse well. If desired, soak lid in same solution, or clean with pipe-cleaner. We personally soak ours. Also be sure to rinse the lids well! With the narrow-necked bottles, there's not much more you can do than to fill them with the solution and let them soak, shake and rinse and HOPE you got everything! Another reason to use wide-necked bottles. Sanitation. The solution can be used again and again, but make sure it stays pretty clean or it won't do the job. Change it when necessary. There's no right or wrong way to clean bottles, as long as they stay sanitary and a safe vessel from which to drink.
I would love to hear what YOU do to clean water bottles. Please leave your descriptions in the comment section!

I was curious what I would find if I did a search for the term "rabbit for rent." This was one of the results:

http://dulwichdivorcee.blogspot.com/2008/05/rent-rabbit.html

I was more curious than anything. I read it and started laughing. This woman wants to rent out her destructive pet rabbit to parents of children who want a pet!
There are numerous ways she can solve her problem without pimping Dill out. She could put him in a real cage with a wire bottom and a door that actually keeps him in. She could put him outside in said cage or a hutch. She could supervise him when he's outside of the cage. Or she could put him in the stewpot, which is what I think I woud have done had he been my pet! I hope you got as much enjoyment from this as I did!

I wonder if anyone would want to rent one of my rabbits. Hmmm.....

OUR STORE is back and better than ever! Newly added, a section just for organic rabbit food! Try it now and tell us what you think!
Find us here at:
B.B.'s Rabbit Supply

it seems we no longer have a store...temporarily

it seems that amazon is having issues. we may need to build a whole new store. we will let you know when it is completed. sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Sorry, everyone. I haven't been on for a while. I'm having a difficult time getting into my account, so I'm sending this post via email. I understand, as I've been told, that the store link is temporarily down. That is a temporary situation, which will be fixed as soon as possible. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience.

________________________________________
PeoplePC Online
A better way to Internet
http://www.peoplepc.com

I sexed Cinders's bunnies today. You're not gonna believe it. I know I don't! Every one of them was a Doe! All seven! What are the chances!

Sapphire's litter will probably be sold. At least some of them might.  They are good-sized and will be sold as meat rabbits. They will be about ten dollars this time, to cover the cost of feed. We haven't figured out how to pasture them, yet. The price may go down significantly when we do because our costs will be down, although they still will probably receive pellets until they are separated from their mothers.

By the way, all of our new litters are half Silver Fox rabbit. They are good for meat and breeding, despite the problems with Ophilia's litter. In a first litter, it's common for a lot (or all) of them to die. I'm confident she'll do better next time.

If you're interested in buying a rabbit from us and breeding it, please feel free to ask for advice. We'll be happy to help!

Re:

We still have three silver fox bunnies. Amazing considering the rate of mortality they were suffering. We lost over half of the litter!
On the plus side, we do have seven meat rabbits for sale right now. We have four Bucks and three Does, two of the does being pure white. A perfect addition for your meat breeding flock! We also have seven more which will be ready in a couple of weeks. We do sell at four weeks like some other breeders do. We believe that to be cruel and unnecessesary. For the best development, bunnies should stay with their mother at least eight weeks. Give us a call if you're interested. To offset the price of feed, we are selling this litter for ten dollars, instead of five. We do not sell by the pound. Whatever rabbit you select is the one you get, no matter what the weight. Also,does are the same price as the bucks. We hope to see you soon.

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PeoplePC Online
A better way to Internet
http://www.peoplepc.com

We may lose the whole Silver Fox Rabbit litter. Since it's a first litter, it's not entirely unexpected. Sad, but not unexpected. Ophilia, the mother, is an aggressive rabbit. She was even before she had these kits. Now she's biting. She's always been treated gently, she's just always frightened.
The kits are not developed enough. They should have fur by now, but they don't. We can't help them, though, because of the doe's incredible amount of aggression. You wouldn't think a rabbit could be so violent! In fact, I have a giant bruise from the last bite (through my thick sweatshirt!)
I was hoping for the best for this litter, especially since Silver Foxes are so rare. I don't think she's producing enough milk. That or the cold is killing them off.  I'm just not sure. It's been chilly here at night, but the kits are also thinner than we care to see them. We can't feed the kits because we can't get to them without being bitten. I only hope one or two survive. We need to reestablish the breed.

Having a problem with the rabbit pasturing process. The bunnies are trampling the greens almost as fast as they're eating them and they won't eat the greens when they're flattened. I'm thinking of trying runners on the pens instead of the traditional cage bottom to keep the greens from being trampled. We're always improvising. We pretty much have to! Since we're pretty new to the pasturing process, it's mostly all a learning curve. I'll let you know when I have a solution. 

Give us a holler if you've solved this dilemma or have a great idea how. Please nothing that costs too much (most of us who raise and pasture rabbits aren't rich) or is too complicated. We'd love to hear your success stories!

Here are some tips for those who are considering breeding their rabbit. Always check with a rabbit expert or vet before breeding. These are just general tips. It's always best to get the advice of a knowledgeable expert you know personally.

-Always place the female in with the male-that way he doesn't feel the need to mark the female's cage instead of breeding.

-Watch your rabbits-it sounds perverted, I know, but it's the only way to avoid aggression. You're there to stop your rabbits from hurting each other. Never leave them alone together overnight.

-DO NOT USE the alternate marbling method to check if your doe's pregnant. That is to say, DO NOT put your doe back in with the buck to see if she refuses him when she's almost due. Rabbits can get pregnant again while still pregnant, which is usually fatal to the next litter of bunnies due to malnutrition.

-Death is always possible with any litter, especially your doe's first one. It's also possible to lose you doe. If your rabbit's a pet, you should definitely consider NOT breeding her!

-Make sure the new bunnies are plenty warm the first few nights. The newer they are, the more delicate they are. After the first week, the chances of fatalities decrease significantly.

Good Luck!