Below you will see an example of how you can keep your new bunny inside the house. This is one of our dog pens that we ordered and a couple of old thick blanket kept for flooring. On top of it we like to spread several smaller blankets for the bunny to play hide and seek under and to crawl in at night if he or she feels like it. This may not work for all bunnies though. We also love using hutches that have removable trays for easier clean up.
You can buy the blankets at Goodwill for just a few bucks.
There is an old nestingbox that the bunnies like to use as a potty box.
More on how to potty train your bunny further down this page.
Click on Bunnies at their new homes to see many more examples in regards to creating a comfortable new home for you bunny
Bunnies at their new homes
Our Bunnybarn
Not all the way finished yet on the outside, this is our new home for all of our bunnies and we can tell that they absolutely love it. Am going to tell you a little bit about what we did with it inside in case you ever want to build one of your own :)
Since it's not a big barn we had to be a bit more creative in order to make the best out of the space we have (see below pics). To the left side we mounted a hutch on the wall and underneath another pen for our studs. On the right side we built a folding table on which we keep their pellets, water and a little heater, as well as a camera/baby monitor that will also tell us the temperature of the barn. This way we can keep an eye on things when being inside our house. Since the barn is fully insulated it will warm up very fast in the winter months. For the summer we installed a window unit for cold air on the left side of the wall. Underneath the table we keep the straw and hay. We put up stone tiles throughout the entire flooring of the barn. We always have a thick layer of straw for the girls and a few nesting boxes as well as some hayracks. They can now dig to their hearts content. To make it easier we bought a chicken feeder for the pellets. Now we only need to refill it like once a month and they can have pellets as much as they want. If you happen to have your bunny in a cage where it can't move around much you may want to restrict the amount of pellets per day otherwise they could get obese. Always large amounts of hay though. We mounted a couple of large cages on the right side of the wall for when they are pregnant and for nursing their babies. Once a week we rake up the old dirty straw and dispose of it either on the fields, burn it or give it to owners of worm farms who love making good use of it.
What we like to feed our bunnies
First of all, rabbits should have a constant supply of clean, fresh water.
This is necessary for the well being and health of your rabbit.
A rabbit cannot thrive without clean water.
Our rabbits do not drink out of waterbottles. There are waterbottles for sale that do have that little ball at the end which usually end up leaking after some usage or the bunny has a hard time getting enough water out of it and end up jerking the bottles around and make a good amount of noise.
Then there are leak free bottles but alot of bunnies don't know how to use it. And since I know how much water they need I either use heavy bowls that aren't easy to push around or below dogcratebowl for medium to large dog breeds that have proven to work very well. You can order these at Walmart, think they are $10 plus shipping.
But they will last forever and will stay mess free of any hay, droppings or pine shavings.
Those are the two kinds of hay we like to feed our rabbits. The first bag is Timothy hay that all bunnies will get in unlimited amounts at all life stages. You can either order it or get it at Walmart, Tractor Supply, Petsmart etc. On the right side you will see an image of Alfalfa hay which can be ordered at Chewy and usually will have it delivered in two or three business days. This kind of hay you can feed your baby bunny until it is 6 months of age. Just feed it less of the Alfalfa and more of the Timothy hay.
After 6 months of age you should only feed it the Timothy hay since the Alfalfa hay is too high in calcium and protein.
About 85% of your rabbit's diet should be hay because fiber is neccessary for your rabbit's diet.
Love those Hay/Pellet Racks. You can purchase them
at Walmart for $8
This is the kind of pellets we like to feed. You can purchase a 25lbs bag for $13 at Walmart. We usually give our bunnies unlimited amounths of it. We will provide you with a small bag of this kind of pellet when you pick up your bunny. I would recommend just feeding those pellets for a couple of days and then start mixing in any other brand of pellets you may have and keep increasing the amount over the period of one week while decreasing the amount of pellets we provide you with in order to prevent any stomach upset.
Nail Clippers
Every two or three months it is time to clip your rabbits nails. They can get quite long and if this is not done your bunny is more likely to get stuck and potentially rip out her entire nail. Before we even owned any rabbits every once in a while after having used a certain nail clipper for our dogs for a while I would spend a good amount of time trying to find the right nail clippers that wouldn't end up just crushing the nail instead of cutting it off. There are a great amount of bad quality nail clippers out there. Thankfully we won't have to search ever again for the right clipper, the answer is
"Millers Forge Nail Clippers."
They are:
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High quality German stainless steel blades
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Hand finished by Italian craftsman
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Heavy duty
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Long lasting
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Plier style
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6.5″ Long
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Contoured handles
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Made in Italy
Treats
Oats is to bunnies as Catnip is to cats, they are addicted to it. Bunnies remind me of horses when it comes to their food. I used to have Horses for several decades. They love Oats and need their hay, same with bunnies. I would recommend about a half teaspoon for the baby bunnies and about a teaspoon for the older ones every other day.
Came across this yummy and healthy treat at Walmart one day. It smells really good and the bunnies love it as well.
Veggies can be introduced to the diet
when your bunny is 6 months old.
Please be careful with any kind of new food you wanna give your bunny. Start out with just a small piece and see if he or she likes it and then slowly increase the amount over the period of a week.
Holland Lops are a delicate species and commonly have digestive issues. Keeping your rabbit at a steady, usual diet is the best thing to do to keep your rabbit healthy. If you keep that in mind he or she will most likely have no stomach issues, we own 10 Holland Lops and haven't had any issues so far after several years of owning them.
Good For Bunnies:
Apples and Apple branches,
Artichoke,
Asparagus,
Banana (no skin),
Basil,
Beet greens,
Blackberry leaves,
Black oil sunflower seeds,
Carrots and Carrot tops,
Cauliflower,
Celery,
Cheerios (not many),
Clover,
Coriander (Cilantro),
Dandelion greens and flowers,
Eggplant,
Grass,
Kale,
Mint,
Mustard greens,
Oats,
Parsley,
Peaches,
Peppermint leaves,
Peppers (sweet),
Pineapple,
Pine Cones,
Plums,
Pumpkin and leaves,
Radishes and leaves,
Shredded Wheat (plain),
Spinach,
Strawberries and leaves,
Summer squash,
Bad For Bunnies:
Apple seeds,
Baby carrots,
Banana peel,
Broccoli,
Cabbage,
Candy,
Carpet,
Cherries and leaves,
Citrus peels,
Corn,
Dried fruit,
Lettuce,
Nuts,
Pear seeds.
How to potty train your bunny
Holland Lop rabbits are very smart and like all rabbits are very clean animals that like to groom themselves alot. I have trained our two bucks but have used some old nesting boxes in their cages with pine shavings in it instead of a litter box which can get a bit more messy. Then I moved them from the cage to their excercise pens once they had started using the nestingbox. One of them started digging around in it after using it leaving some mess outside the box and I moved him to a litterbox that was hidden under a little wooden house that we build and it worked out great. The other stud is still using the nestingbox and never digs around in it.
The other day I asked a very nice lady who had just picked up one of of our babies in regards to potty training since she had told me that it really doesn't take long and she's had lots of success this way.
This is what she told me:
"So I start with a smaller crate/cage when unsupervised just like you would a puppy. They like corners so I make sure to block them off one with water and food bowl on one side and then the other two corners with litter boxes. Once I see them starting to use it I eliminate a litter box and move up in space...as of about an hour ago in her large pen she went inside the hutch and used her box. I also take any fabric they have peed on and all the poop I can gather and dump it between the boxes so they know what's going on. Growing up we just had the crate wired and they were outside but they always went on the wired corner. I also use plexus glass along all corners to help with a mess."
If you plan on potty training I can provide you with a bag of pine shavings that has some of their droppings and urine in it to place inside the litter box.
Holland Lops are a great starter bunny. They are very sweet and smart rabbits making them easy to train. The Holland Lops range in weight from 2-4 lbs which makes a perfect size to have inside the home. The breed comes in many different colors, making them very unique. Once you hold a Holland Lop you will see how they have become American's favorite bunny.
Bringing home a new bunny
Be aware that changing homes can be stressful to any animal. Take things slowly and don’t overwhelm them. For the first few nights and days try to keep the bunny in a calm and quite place. Loud noises and activities such as small children playing and other pets can scare a bunny. Just like humans bunnies can have heart attacks. For the first few days limit the time the bunny spends outside of their cage. Their cage is their safe spot and they will feel more comfortable in there. It is normal for the bunny to eat and/or drink very little for the first few days when they moving to a new home. Give them time and they should adjust to your schedule.
Wherever you plan to keep your bunny make sure the bunny’s safety is number one. Keep your bunny safe by keeping larger animals away. Predator animals (even sweet dogs and cats) are very smart and will find ways to reach your bunny. The bunny will feel more comfortable when they are not worried about getting eaten. Make sure your bunny won’t dig underneath, jump over and/or chew through their cage.To keep your bunny safe, only let him/her loose in areas where you have bunny proofed. Electric cords should be out of reach, small objects removed,and baby gates used to keep the bunny in or out of areas. Spacing for the bunny will depend on how much activity he/s he gets. An active bunny that gets time outside of their cage to run and play will not need as much room to live as one that does not.
A Holland Lop rabbit should have at least 2 feet long by 2 feet wide and 2 feet tall living area. If you plan to place a litter box in the cage more space is needed. Litter box-bunnies are clean animals and enjoy staying clean. Rabbits can learn to use a litter box much like a cats. The litter box should be large enough so that a fully grown rabbit can lay down in the box. The litter box can be lined with newspaper and then fill with rabbit litter that can be found at most pet stores. The best place for a litter box is in a corner. To keep your bunny happy, make sure you clean their litter box frequently.
Loving, loyal, healthy and intelligent family dogs
& silky soft, colorful Holland Lop Rabbits
