Petey has joined our family and he is 2 mos. old- Florida White/Sable mix. We love him and although we have researched a little, this board seems to know more than books! 1. We have a wire cage with the pullout tray underneath. What will he most likely want to lay on to sleep? We have a cardboard tunnel, but he doesn\'t sleep in there. 2). We have a 17 year old cat who wants to sniff the bunny. Can these two animals cohabitat? 3) Is scraps of newspaper better or pine bedding for bottom of tray? 4) Should we cover his cage up at night to help him understand it is bed time or isn\'t it necessary? 5) When we run our fingers on the floor in front of him, he sometimes seems to \"charge\" us. Is that playing or signs of aggression? Tx so much. We\'re glad we found this website. Looking forward to responses
My rabbits like to sleep in hay. They also use litter boxes. I put news paper on the bottom of the box, then aspen bedding, then I cover it with a layer of hay. I like to use Aspen because I use it as mulch around my flowers outside. The paper on the bottom helps to keep the litter dryer. This time of year, I also cut untreated grass for hay. If you want Petey to use a littler box, make sure you put hay on top.
Rabbits are territorial and that could be why Petey charges at you. Also, rabbits often get more aggressive when they reach maturity. My female would bite me but all that stopped once she was spayed.
Cats and rabbits do get along, but I don\'t know how to socialize them. My rabbits are outside so I don\'t know much about house rabbits.
Congratulations on your new family member and good luck.
Thanks for your info. One other ?? for you, if you don\'t mind. Petey has been \"tapping\" the cage through the night and since he is indoors, it makes a lot of noise!! It is just one tap about every 10 seconds. Is he bored, or what the heck is he doing? Tx
Maybe he is bored and has learned how to get your attention. Give him lots of hay to chew on and some twigs. Unsprayed apple twigs or maple or lilac but no pine or cedar. That might keep him busy for awhile.
Hi and Congratulations on the newest member of your family.
I have 7 house bunnies and they all like different things to sleep on. I have one that loves to lay in her hay. Another sleeps on a large piece of cardboard. The biggest one loves the bare wire. You can also use untreated grass mats. You can order them online, most craft stores carry them and I even found them at Walmart where they were being sold as place plates.
I have had cats and bunnies. You can try and have someone hold Petey while the cat sniffs him. That way you judge how the cat\'s reaction to Petey. My cats were afraid of the rabbits and left them alone. If they seem ok sniffing each other you can move on to letting them out together in a small room. Have some one with you so if the cat see\'s Petey as a snack you can both quickly separate them.
I use a product called Woody Pet in all my litter trays. It\'s $6 for 30 pounds a good deal. It looks like pellets. When it gets wet it absorbs the urine and turns into a powder almost but it\'s not dusty. I can\'t describe it as well as I\'d like but it works awesome.
You don\'t have to cover his cage at night. Rabbits are creatures of habit. Try and put him in his cage at the same time every night and he\'ll soon learn it\'s bedtime.
When he charges at you when playing with him, is he growling, trying to bite? It sounds to me like he\'s playing. Apollo my big baby does that same lunge thing when we drag a piece of string on the floor.
It might be that he is thumping and that\'s the tapping you heard. Rabbits thump when they are scared , uneasy or just plain want attention. It can be very loud and unnerving. I\'m sure he will stop.
Tina
Petey\'s friend Wrote:Petey has joined our family and he is 2 mos. old- Florida White/Sable mix. We love him and although we have researched a little, this board seems to know more than books! 1. We have a wire cage with the pullout tray underneath. What will he most likely want to lay on to sleep? We have a cardboard tunnel, but he doesn\'t sleep in there. 2). We have a 17 year old cat who wants to sniff the bunny. Can these two animals cohabitat? 3) Is scraps of newspaper better or pine bedding for bottom of tray? 4) Should we cover his cage up at night to help him understand it is bed time or isn\'t it necessary? 5) When we run our fingers on the floor in front of him, he sometimes seems to \"charge\" us. Is that playing or signs of aggression? Tx so much. We\'re glad we found this website. Looking forward to responses
Sounds like hes going through his teenage stage. If he doesnt come out of it soon, let us know. Because I have a humane trick i use to break bunnies of the charging and biting. I raise floridas. Sometimes the bucks can get a little grumpier then the does when they hit the teenage months. Has something to do with the genetic breeding on them. Though they are alot better temperment wise then most other breeds. I don\'t think its necessary to cover his cage. Rabbits are nocturnal. So he\'ll be up in the night hours. Pine is ok. Ive found wood pellets to be much cleaner, and more odor obsorvent. Playing is not a sign of agression. Lunging, growling, and biting in rabbit launguage means he doesn\'t want you touching things in his cage. Its actually the beginning of cage agression right along with the teenage stage, and is not really a good thing. Cage agression, if its allowed to continue can be dangerous for both you and the bun. Especailly if he decides to take a chunk out of you one day.
That cage sounds just fine btw. If you want to give hiim something to lay on to get off the wire get him an e-z mat. You can purchase those real cheap off ebay.
I have also used Superior Hardwood Fuel Pellets for litter. Around here it is sold at a store called \"Mills Fleet Farm,\" but it is a seasonal product that can be bought only during the winter months. It cost around $4.00 for a 40 lb bag and works great.