New Rabbit Owner Prep

[Lalo Rolon]

I will be bringing home a breeding trio of NZ Whites this Wednesday, and I wanted to know what all I should have ready at home when the bunnies come home with me. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[promiseacres]

Cages, feeders, bowls
feed
nail trimmers.

 

[Lalo Rolon]

I have the first four. Nail clippers similar to dog nail clippers? Hay or anything of that nature?

 

[promiseacres]

I prefer a smaller version of dog nail trimmers, more cat size.
Grass hay is great too.
If you have trays under your cages a cat box scoop works well to scrape when cleaning.

 

[Lalo Rolon]

Appreciate the help. I have a small shopping list to take care of before Wednesday.

 

[Bunnylady]

I like this type of claw clipper. The jaws are nice and small, which lets you see what you are doing without really mauling the foot to get things into position.

 

[Pastor Dave]

Depending on whether your droppings fall directly to the ground, floor, or catch pans/trays, will depend on whether you use materials in your pans to absorb and catch waste. Some set cages or hutches right over night crawler beds, but I do not and line my pans with pulverized barn lime and processed pine bedding pellets. The 40# bags are commonly for livestick stalls, but work good for urine. The waste pellets are good for gardens and fertilization with no time needed to age or let "cool down". They can go from animal straight to plants without burning them.

Lots of things to consider depending on temperature zones and seasons. I use fans in summer and 2Liter bottles filled with water and frozen for high temps to let bunnies lie by and stay cool.

I use straw in winter when it gets around 20degs F or lower to help bunnies burrow in to get off cold mesh floors.

Good to have buckets of varying sizes, push broom, scoop shovels, and look into a "potato cultivator". It looks like a small pitch fork with a little more curve to the tines and not as wide.

Get a carrying cage or two.

My rabbits like eating a tsp. of Black Oil Sunflower Seeds "BOSS" each day. You probably want a 50# sack of alfalfa based processed rabbit feed. I use rolled oats if bunnies get diarrhea. A board or they make a plastic one for tbem to sit on and get their feet off the mesh, is a good thing per cage. I also use old soup or veggie cans with label off to chew on. Their teeth continuously grow and need ground down.

A good wire brush for hair and pellets that get crammed into the mesh floor. A hand propane torch works good too for cleaning cages or thawing waterers.

So much of this stuff you will acquire as you realize you need it, but don't hesitate to ask questions.