KJB Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I just brought home two baby bunnies. I saved them from their fate as rabbit stew! Can anyone tell me how to take care of them? Where I live (Turkey) I can't get "rabbit food" in a box very easily. We've given them a little water, a little lettuce, and a couple baby carrots. I don't want to overfeed them. I put a bit of water in a bowl. I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on special unnecessary equipment. Advice is very appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bensmom Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 (edited) I don't have much advice, but remember from our bunny owning days that too much lettuce will give them lose stools...so if they don't have the normal dry, pellet poo then reduce their lettuce intake. Carrots are supposed to be like bunny candy. It makes a great treat, but also shouldn't be the bulk of their diet. Never give your bunnies cabbage. Offer them little wood blocks or twigs to chew on regularly. Their teeth keep growing and the gnawing keeps the teeth the proper length. I'm sorry I don't know what to do if you do not have access to dry bunny food. The WTM is always a great place for advice though, so I'm sure some of the ladies will be able to offer more useful advice. Enjoy your new furry family members:001_smile: You didn't mention where you are keeping them. You will need to buy or fashion a cage for them....even tiny bunnies can hop out of tall boxes. Free roaming bunnies like to chew on everything, and still need their own "nest" to call home. If your cage has a solid bottom then having woodchips in it is nice for bedding and to absorb their urine (their urine can smell pretty strong... if you haven't noticed yet) You can also make a hutch with a wire bottom (must be small holes) and a tray underneath for catching waste. If you have a wire bottom hutch, you may want to make a small area with a solid surface for bunnies to sleep; this could be accomplished with towels or whatever you have on hand. (our hutch had an old cutting board as the solid surface area) You may be able to find plans for building rabbit hutches online. Years ago when we built ours, my dad had a plan book....It was a great family project building our bunnies home and I still have wonderful memories of that time together. Have fun. Edited December 3, 2011 by Bensmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 You may try searching with the terms 'raw food diet' plus 'veterinarian' plus 'rabbit' and see if you can get a hit or two about using raw foods to support them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicAnn Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 You can feed them without a commercial rabbit food. There is a lot of info online about that. Variety of vegetables is key. Lettuce has very little nutritional value, so try and give that occasionally. Darker greens- parsley, kale, beet greens and carrot greens are great. Dandelion greens and flowers are a favorite of all rabbits, and free! I'm not sure what kind of resources you would have in Turkey, so you will probably have to assemble a hutch of your own. It isn't too difficult, and there is a lot of info online about that too. How old are the rabbits? They will start to reproduce very early, and often, so if you aren't sure of the sex, keep them separate until you can get them fixed. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyLady Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Oh goodness...... Rabbits are a lot of work so good luck! You've already been given some great advice. Definitely do some online research! You definitely have to give them lots to chew on and bunny proof anything you don't want chewed. My first bun bit right through an electrical cord (I thought I had them ALL bunny proofed) and it curled his little whiskers! It also left a nice burn mark on my rug...... Then I had 2 buns and despite all of their chew toys they chewed the molding along the floor in their bedroom (they were free range and had their own room). Buns can be potty trained, but make sure to use the right type of litter. You'll have to get their teeth and nails checked because both will most likely have to be ground down/cut. If your bun's teeth get overgrown they'll stop eating. They also need Timothy hay if you can get it. Try not to use a wire bottom cage. It can cause them to get sore hock, which isn't fun. I could honestly go on and on so please, please, do more research online! One last thing, if your bun doesn't want to be held, please don't try and force it! They can struggle and break their backs! I wish you the best of luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJB Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 Thanks to everyone so far! I am wondering how healthy they are and if they'll live. Animals here tend to have short life spans. They are young. One is very tiny and one is bigger. They both will eat vegetables so I am assuming they are capable of living without their mother. I will look more into what to feed them. I think I can find hay locally and I'm assuming they'll eat that. It's great to know that they are chewers. I have them in a big laundry basket right now. I guess I'll cover it with a wire baking rack to keep them contained overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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