This page will be dedicated to recently asked questions that were emailed to bunnymama.
QUESTION: Is it normal for my bunny to "chin" everything in sight.
ANSWER: Yes, bunnies have scent glands under their chin and they will rub their chin on objects to mark or claim them. Bunnies are territorial so they mark objects to show ownership. It's the highest compliment to be chinned by your bunny.
QUESTION: Is it normal for my young male bunny to throw or fling his poop?
ANSWER: No, I've never heard that before. It's funny tho. I had assumed the the young bun's instincts had kicked in to eat his poop (ceco poops) and since he was young he was having fun with it. I assume the bun will grow out of it once his fascination with flinging the poop wears off. The bunny parent had later realized the bun had never really seen his own poop before since prior to her adopting him, he was kept in a hutch with a wire floor where all of his poop fell through a grate. Now that the cage had a floor he was poop flinging bun! That is funny. I should ask for a video.
QUESTION: I just fed my bunnies clover, spinach and basil. Is that okay?
ANSWER: First check the list of approved foods by doing some research on proper foods for you bun. Please don't feed them something new and then wonder if it's okay. If the food is approved, give it in very limited small quantities once. Watch their poop and behavior before giving some again in a few days. Rabbits have sensitive stomachs and digestion and you don't want to give them an upset tummy.
QUESTION: I have a male and female bonded pair that are young - about 6 months old. I just got the male fixed and he and the female are not getting along. The male circles and mounts the female and she seems afraid. What do I do?
ANSWER: This was not a simple answer. Because they were bonded, you don't really want to separate them. The owner felt the male was being aggressive and the female was afraid of the male.She worried they might hurt each other. After males get fixed, it can take 4 - 6 weeks for their hormones to calm down. I suspected the male needed to calm down for sure. So I suggested that she house the buns in separate hutches right next to each other for 4 -6 weeks allowing them run and play time out together until he calms down and is not aggressive any more. Housing the next to each other where they can see and smell each other will not break their bond.
QUESTION: I think one of my bunnies has fleas. Small dark oval shaped bug. What do I do? How do I treat them?
ANSWER: This is something I'd never thought about. My bunnies are house kept and never let out. Fleas normally come from some other fur animal that are brought into your house. So I googled picture of fleas. They are tiny, very tiny. Blackish brown and oval. They are smaller then the tip of tweezers - tiny little creepy things. Having an issue uploading a pic right now. So I looked online and found these a good webpage with information with treating fleas for bunnies. As I know that you can't just use any old over the counter flea product. SINCE RABBITS ARE CONSTANTLY CLEANING THEMSELVES YOU SHOULD NOT JUST SPRAY THEM WITH A TREATMENT.
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/groom.html
House Rabbit suggests Revolution. I recently visited my vet and posed the question to her. She said "Revloution is the best because it's absorbed into the skin and does not pose a risk of sickening or poisoning the rabbit. Vets use it for any bug that you might find on your rabbit, not just for fleas." A vet must prescribe Revolution - it cannot be bought in a pet store. Since rabbits lick themselves and other rabbits you must be very careful about the treatment you use.
More to come later......visit again soon please. Got a funny question or even a serious one, just email me at info@bunnymama.com and I will do my best to give you good, solid bunny parenting advice.
Bunny Mama