Baby bunnies... One of the cutest creatures on Earth. Their tiny fluffy bodies are just too cute to resist!
I got my rabbit, Cinnamon Bun, when she was still 6 weeks old and I learned a lot of things about taking care of a baby rabbit. If I were to get another rabbit in future, I would adopt an adult rabbit from a shelter.
They won't stay tiny furballs forever, and they might not be what you believe
It's obvious but babies don't stay babies
Just like human babies, or any animal for that matter, baby bunnies grow in size. Depending on the breed, they can grow up to be 20-pound rabbits (if you get a Flemish Giant). Of course small breeds like Netherland Dwarf rabbits are much smaller than giant breeds, but they still become larger in size.
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| Fully grown Cinnamon Bun (she weighs about 5 pounds) |
They might grow up to be different than you expected
I found my Cinnamon Bun on Craigslist (I know it wasn't the best idea...) and I was told by the breeder that Cinnamon was a male Dwarf Holland Lop rabbit. I didn't know much about rabbits back then and I just assumed that Cinnamon's ears would eventually become floppy like Holland Lops. Well, they didn't... She's now an adult and it's obvious that she's not dwarf nor Holland Lop (maybe Holland Lop mix). On top of that, it turned out that she's not a boy! It doesn't really matter to me but it was shocking when I found out that she was actually a girl!
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| A tiara for the princess |
Getting them fixed
It is generally recommended to spay or neuter your rabbit friend. I know that there are different opinions on this, like anything else, but I believe that pet rabbits should be spayed or neutered. This article from the HOUSE RABBIT SOCIETY provides helpful information about spaying and neutering rabbits.
Depending on the clinic, spay/neuter surgery can be expensive. Cinnamon Bun had her spay surgery when she was about 6 months old. The cost of her surgery was about $150, including pain medication for 3 days.
Aftercare can be stressful both to you and your bunny. It was painful to watch Cinnamon Bun being lethargic and confined in a small space (I was advised to limit her exercise). I was so worried and I couldn't sleep so I ended up sleeping on the floor next to her pen... After few days, she wanted to get out of the pen but I was supposed to keep her in a smaller area for at least a week. It was hard not to let myself free her and I had to remind myself that it was important for her recovery.
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| Cinnamon Bun in a small enclosure after her spay surgery |
They might drive you crazy
Marking behavior increases your laundry load as well as stress
Rabbits can be litter trained just like cats. However, rabbits are extremely territorial and young rabbits (especially rabbits that are not spayed/neutered) mark everything they want to make their own, including you!
When Cinnamon Bun was a baby, her favorite marking target was my clothes, couch, and pillows. She peed on the couch several times a day, and I had to wipe everything with vinegar water or wash the covers every time she peed! She really drove me crazy! It's probably better than changing diapers of human babies, but it was so frustrating when I found her pee just a few minutes after I had cleaned! Poops are easier to clean than pee but it's annoying when they're scattered everywhere...
Cinnamon Bun is still very territorial even though she's a spayed adult rabbit. She almost never pees outside of her litter box anymore, and when she does it's usually an accident. Read more about how I handled her marking behavior: How My Rabbit Became Free-roam
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| Baby Cinnamon Bun taking over the couch |
They destroy things
Rabbits are chewers and diggers, which means that they might chew something or dig somewhere you don't want them too. This fact applies to adult rabbits too, however, I feel that Cinnamon Bun was more destructive when she was younger. She chewed my clothes, couch, phone charger, pillows, curtains, etc., and there's a hole in everything now. I get upset when I find my things destroyed but I can't really get mad at her because it's her instinct to chew things and dig. I provide her a wide variety of chew toys and a digging box, but she prefers to chew things like curtains and bed sheets...
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| Cinnamon Bun digging on my pillow |
My advice to people considering getting a rabbit
Get an adult rabbit that's already spayed/neutered
There are a lot of rabbits at shelters that are available for adoption and they're usually already spayed or neutered. This is what I should have done... I had gone to two rabbit adoption events held at a small second hand shop before I found Cinnamon Bun on Craigslist, but the atmosphere of the adoption events and the people there weren't very inviting and I gave up adopting a rabbit. But I shouldn't have...
Rabbit Shelters
After I got Cinnamon Bun, one of my husband's friends told us about Tranquility Trail in Scottsdale, Arizona. They're absolutely amazing and I would have adopted one from there had I known about it. They trim bunny nails for free and their shop has a great selection of rabbit care products! We used to go there every month for nail trim and bunny food when we lived in Phoenix. Fresh 10-pound bags of Timothy hay are only $12 and everything you need for your bunny can be found there! They have many bunnies and they seem very well cared for and friendly. If I ever get another rabbit, I would adopt one or a bonded pair from them. I highly recommend this rabbit shelter for people who are interested in getting a rabbit in the area. The House Rabbit Society has a list of rabbit rescues in the U.S. that might be helpful in finding a rabbit shelter in your area.
Thank you so much for reading my blog. For more house rabbit contents, please read my other posts.
Check out Cinnamon Bun's YouTube channel and an Instagram account. 🐰
Liked your blog-learned alot
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it! Thank you for your comment.
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