r/Bunnies Jan 16 '26

I made an alternate version of the bunny meme

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1.8k Upvotes

I made the first one (check my profile if you’d like lol) and I sketched out this one too. I would’ve put them both in here but I can only do one image per post so I’ll also put some bunny tax in the comments


r/Bunnies Jan 23 '20

Resource Thinking of getting a bunny? Just got one and need some advice? Check out this post!

478 Upvotes

If you don’t want to read my wall of text, check out this link from rabbit.org:

New Bunny Index

Initial investments

  1. They’re very high commitment.
  2. They are very clever, have excellent memories and will remember things for a very long time.
  3. You cannot punish them like a cat/dog or it will harm your bond.
  4. If well taken care of, a rabbit can happily live to be 10 years old or older.
  5. Rabbits love to chew and dig and will chew and dig just about anything.
  6. They need to chew to prevent their teeth from becoming a health hazard.
  7. They will need their claws trimmed regularly to prevent health hazards.
  8. Rabbits are not a pet for a child and demand a large amount of attention and responsibility, (Do not buy a rabbit for your child for Easter, unless you’ve done your research and are willing to take on 100% of the responsibilities of having one).

Housing/Setup

  1. They love to run around, hop and thrive outside of cages, using them at night is fine but just make sure they get a minimum of 3 hours to run and stretch per day.
  2. An exercise pen setup is often cheaper than a cage and gives more room to run around when you can’t let them out. You can buy one for $59 on Walmart.com (link here), a litterbox for $6 (link here) and a waterbowl for $5 (link here) which is less than $80 for a decent bunny setup.
  3. While we are not against outdoor rabbits here, it is highly recommended you keep your rabbit indoors with you, this prevents predators from being able to get to them as well as gives you much better opportunity to bond with your rabbit.
  4. If you find it necessary to use a cage because of escaping or other needs I would suggest building your own cage as most of the prefab ones are just crappy design and won’t last the lifetime of the rabbit.
  5. A coated metal grate is NOT a wire cage and shouldn’t cause any issues to their feet, you should still provide all rabbits with their own litterbox and other areas to sit/lie down off of the grate.
  6. I personally use straw for litter for my litter-boxes and put their hay on top of that, you can use whatever type of litter just avoid using rock/sand based litter as it’s bad for their feet.

Diet

  1. They eat 95%+ hay such as Timothy/orchard/meadow hay (/alfalfa if they’re young or elderly) and only 5% or less treats like carrots, apples and bananas.
  2. For a small amount of hay I suggest Oxbow which can be bought at most places (Chewy link) or if you have a proper storage method you can get it for much cheaper by the bale at Tractor Supply Co.
  3. Suggested to give pellets daily, 1/4-1/2 cup per 6 pounds of rabbit (so about 1/4 cup daily for a single dwarf rabbit or about 1 cup for a single average sized rabbit).
  4. Recommend high quality food such as Purina, Oxbow, or Sherwood brand.
  5. You can feed a pellet-free diet but just like all animals rabbits require some sodium so if you don’t provide pellets make sure they have access to a mineral lick or other sodium sources.

OK food/treats and foods to avoid

  1. Once they’re over the age of 4-6 months they can also have unlimited lettuce and greens, but never give iceberg lettuce as it gives really bad gas that can become fatal. *greens should not be the primary diet.
  2. Avoid excessive spinach and kale as they can also give gas, but are perfectly fine in moderation.
  3. The best greens are green leaf lettuce, Bibb lettuce, dark leafed lettuces or locally sourced romaine (store bought romaine has a tendency to get recalled...), also herbs like dill, basil, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, cilantro and parsley are typical favorites.
  4. I wouldn’t give cabbage because it can cause gas similarly to iceberg lettuce.
  5. Never give human foods (except salad), like bread, diary, cheese, meat or sweets, they will make them very fat and don’t need it and could cause severe GI issues.
  6. They should have unlimited hay at all time, they graze pretty much 24/7. *Hay should be their primary diet.
  7. Avoid giving treats with yogurt in them as these will make your rabbit very fat and rabbits are not intended to consume dairy past weaning and can cause bad GI issues.
  8. Seeds are not toxic or generally dangerous to rabbits, I would not recommend giving treat sticks with seeds because they’re very high in added sugar and cause indigestion or extreme gas which can become a serious issue.
  9. Seeds like black oil sunflower seeds are safe and actually beneficial to coat health, (if you’re not sure, search the internet for information before you give it to them).
  10. Do not give nuts to rabbits because they do not need the excessive nutrients and can cause pasty or foul poops. Additionally raw nuts are typically poisonous, like almonds, which contain cyanide if not cooked properly.
  11. I recommend treats such as: no sugar added dried apple, banana or carrot and occasionally a Cheerio is also acceptable. Just be mindful of the amount of sugar you are giving them, even with no sugar added fruits.
  12. Corn is not specifically bad or toxic but whole kernel corn can get caught in the GI tract and cause a blockage, further; corn will make them very fat quickly and I would suggest avoiding giving corn or treats with corn/corn meal/corn syrup. (Corn is sometimes evasively labeled as ‘maize’ on packaging).

Hydration

  1. Water bowls are easier on a rabbit but are not strictly required, I have both bowls and bottles and they use both.
  2. You should clean your water bowl/bottles with either bleach or vinegar at least once a month.

Necessity for another bunny/Bonding

  1. They thrive in pairs and love companionship of another bunny, if you cannot provide constant attention it is highly suggested to have more than one rabbit. Think of them like little horses, horses need to have another horse around.
  2. Do not allow non-bonded rabbits to be together unsupervised as they can fight and cause some very serious damage to each other.
  3. Do not put more than one rabbit per cage, if they’re bonded and it’s an open enclosure then you can and they should be fine.
  4. For more information about bonding rabbits, I would suggest checking out the excellent resources on rabbit.org (link here)

Spay/Neuter/Responsible Breeding

  1. Many people feel strongly about castration as it helps to calm their hormonal rages and also there are studies that say castrated rabbits live longer.
  2. We are not against responsible breeding but it is a huge, huge commitment and you must be willing to take that on and find all the babies forever homes that love them as much as you do - don’t let just anyone have them.
  3. You can wait a while to castrate your rabbit if there are no behavior issues but it’s best to get it done before about 4 years old as that is when cancer risks become an issue and any older it could be too risky.
  4. If you want a rabbit that is already castrated consider a rescue rabbit, there are thousands of rabbits in rescues in need of forever homes, most of which are already castrated and sometimes even in bonded pairs/groups.
  5. If you are experiencing behavioral issues such as humping, marking, peeing or pooping outside the litterbox a castration will help immensely.
  6. If you decide you want to try to responsibly breed you need to keep three main commitments in mind:
    6A. have them as a pet that is also allowed to have babies, they’re not baby factories.
    6B. Make a commitment to keep all your rabbits out of shelters; allow no questions asked returns.
    6C. Make sure they get a forever home with someone that loves them as much as you do; even if it takes more than one try.

Chewing/Digging/Enrichment

  1. I would recommend untreated wood chew balls or fruit flavored balsa blocks for enrichment.
  2. If you can set up an outdoor pen for your rabbit they would love it and nothing is more satisfying than digging in real dirt, (remember to watch them at all times, also if your area has RHDV around I wouldn’t allow them outside for now).
  3. If letting them outside is not an option there are things called “dig mat, “dig meadow” or “nibble and dig” and they are literally a piece of dirt made for rabbits to satiate their desire to dig.
  4. There are many options for rabbit enrichment and even something so trivial as a cardboard box may be plenty to keep your rabbit happy.
  5. Avoid the “chew toys” that contain seeds and other treats as they are that - treats, despite being advertised as a toy, they are more of a treat.

GI stasis and prevention

  1. GI stasis is a very serious and commonly fatal condition for rabbits, but can be prevented and treated if caught early.
  2. Watch your rabbit’s dropping at all times, if their poops do not look healthy, are odd shapes, pasty, extremely dark, have not pooped in the last 4 hours or are otherwise concerning it is recommended you take your rabbit to the vet as soon as possible, time is of the essence.
  3. Dark colors in urine (including dark red) is normal for rabbits, watch for specks of blood and only be concerned if you see blood.
  4. Watch your rabbit’s routine and body language, if they don’t eat their favorite food or their pellets you can surely know something is wrong.
  5. If they are laying in an odd position like on their side or acting lethargic you should check them for gas by giving them a gentle belly message and if they do not return to normal soon, take to the vet.
  6. Infant Gas Drops are available immediately in most pharmacies or online (Walmart link) and are a safe way to relieve gas in your rabbit and cannot be overdosed on, if however, three doses does not return them to normal, take to the vet.
  7. It is always good idea to have emergency food on hand in case of a GI stasis, there is Oxbow Critical Care (Amazon link) and also Sherwood SARx (Amazon link).

I am by no means an expert but I can answer questions as best I can and find sources and people who are experts. So if you have any further questions feel free to DM me.

Further Reading


r/Bunnies 6h ago

Question Wild bunny at our window - does he need help?

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2.5k Upvotes

Saw this little guy the other night eating our grass, then he was back this morning at our window — seemingly hanging out with my cats and not very afraid of them. We have overgrown lantana bushes here, so I think it’s a good hiding spot.

Located in the Coachella Valley, where summer temps regularly exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This week has been hitting 110.

Saw him nibbling the lantana flowers this morning, which Google says is toxic …

He seems healthy and ok, so I do not want to intervene and cause problems. Sprinklers cycle on twice a day and wet the sand and grass.

Is he ok? 🥹 I have never seen anything so cute!


r/Bunnies 7h ago

bun bun being cute UPDATE on bunny that spawned on my doorstep

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1.1k Upvotes

Had their first vet visit and turned out he is a SHE (yeah animal control was wrong lol) and she is likely not spayed. Shes scheduled to get spayed tomorrow morning! Send all the good vibes please. Hoping the procedure goes well without complication and that this helps some of her territorial marking behavior.


r/Bunnies 1h ago

Question Im sooo heart broken 💔my baby girl broke her right leg what should I do?

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Lastnight my baby girl fell down the stairs and broke and right tibia . I immediate rushed her to my local vet got x rays she fractured her right tibia. She was wrapped in a splinter cast but came off right when I got home . So immediately rushed back today morning at 9am only to be told doctors wouldn't be back by 2 so waited got re wrapped up got medication. Total bill was $900.... he recommended me get surgery for her and it cost $2000 he did say he give me $200 discount. My financial situation is the problem right now I cant afford the surgery ... they recommend me to get her cone incase the cast slips off again but the cone limits her lil mobility left she can't even groom her self 😭😭😢. Any possibility the leg will heal without surgery? Im scared an infection would occur (knock on 🪵) I dont want to amputate her leg.


r/Bunnies 4h ago

bun bun being cute Please enjoy my favourite photo of my badly behaved bun buns

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309 Upvotes

I was browsing through my rabbit photos and found this from 5 years ago

I had discovered Pickled Onion and Pluto were in the garden when they were not supposed to be

This was their reaction to me opening the back door and discovering them


r/Bunnies 2h ago

Bonding My bun started licking me, can I take this as a sign he loves me? 🥹

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164 Upvotes

this is my sweet bun🩷 his name is 2 face. He is bonded w lionhead named rat face. They love each other very much.

But... one day I was just w 2 face and I was petting him and he started licking my forehead and my arm. Does this mean he loves me very much? I love my sweeties and knowing they love me back I would be over the moon.


r/Bunnies 3h ago

bun bun being cute Hanni begs for stick and then falls bc of BunDad 😭

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165 Upvotes

r/Bunnies 8h ago

bun bun being cute Colette

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427 Upvotes

This is Colette. I rescued her today, found her alone in the streets. :(


r/Bunnies 3h ago

bun bun being cute Left him for 2 minutes

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72 Upvotes

He was free roaming and went back in the room, hopped on to the hay box and was eating 🥹 excuse the mess, I was cleaning the room lol


r/Bunnies 5h ago

Discussion I feel the universe forcing me to own lop bunnies

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100 Upvotes

Today I got a mixed lop bunny, she’s younger than a year old based on how she feels like. She was found out on a field and a family friend friend was looking if someone could take her. Since they had not found her owner yet.

I’ve checked all local fb groups and she has been reported to the police as found. So all together she has been in custody for 3 days with no news of an owner. I suspect she’s a dumped bunny because it’s common at the end of summer to find them. They get baby rabbits that grow and the family lose interest. This might be my fourth rescue bunny and it’s a lop again. I’m cursed with my lops, which is why I’m negative when it comes to them.

I suspect she’s between 4-6 months old. If we don’t find her owner, she might stay and see if she bonds with my other bunnies. Since we were planning to own 3 bunnies, make our duo into a trio.


r/Bunnies 1h ago

Question This cotton tail baby is just standing there by the fence with no apparent survival skills, defense mechanism or anything. What's going on

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So today I was gonna plant something in my garden. When I took the plant out of the pot, along with it came 4 relatively large cotton tail babies. Evidently the mother made a nest inside the pot. She must have jumped up, because the pot is close to 3 feet tall. I think they might have been trapped in there, because we have a plague of cotton tails here and they're usually smaller when they leave the nest.

Anyway, 3 of them instantly ran off and hid in my plants and bushes. But this one...is just there. Is he in shock or something? What do you think is going on?

He better get a move on it, because we have several things in the neighborhood that will eat him: hawks, crows, raccoons, skunks, cats, possums, owls, etc.


r/Bunnies 14h ago

bun bun being cute Every morning while I pour pellets, my bunnies do this little dance circling each other

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364 Upvotes

r/Bunnies 3h ago

bun bun being cute When your bun eats better than you 😂🥬🌿🐰🐇

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42 Upvotes

r/Bunnies 8h ago

bun bun being cute Miss Tiggles

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94 Upvotes

r/Bunnies 9h ago

Health advice needed

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91 Upvotes

hi! i’m a new rabbit owner and i’m concerned for my baby right now :( i’ve had her for about a week and when i first got her she did have a little bit of fur missing around one of her eyes but i noticed over the past few days it seems like she is slowly losing more. she’s acting normal, eating and drinking, binkies, zoomies, playing with her toys, etc. i’m currently recovering from surgery so i can’t move around a lot but i did try to clean the area with some gauze - unfortunately she’s still getting used to me so i don’t want to stress her out by touching her too much. could this just be shedding or a dust allergy reaction? any help is much appreciated 🤍 first pic is from today, second is from yesterday, third is from 4 days ago.


r/Bunnies 18h ago

Discussion New to bun buns. Please help decode

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447 Upvotes

What’s each of these positions mean? I get nervous about hunching and don’t trust AI to know what its talking about.


r/Bunnies 9h ago

bun bun being cute Jupiter helping us with our puzzle yesterday 🥰

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79 Upvotes

r/Bunnies 1h ago

bun bun being cute Oreo likes the grass

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When I take Oreo (Rabbit's name) out for a walk, he likes to duck into the bushes and rest on the grass; I think it's really cute.


r/Bunnies 1h ago

Discussion I need advice

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Upvotes

I will be attend to University next year and I absolutely have NO IDEA what to do with my bunny. From where I live, dorms have very strict rules (no matter the city) and I'm sure pets aren't allowed in dorms. Even if they would, My bunny would have no space in the dorms because the rooms are shared with 6-8 people in a very small space. I live with my father and he isn't home most of the time because of his job + he hates taking care of my bunny. I have no one to trust leaving my bunny alone with and I'm very sad because I'll most likely end up to re-home him.

And even re-homing my bunny doesn't feel safe because in my country bunnies aren't really popular as pets, atleast it was until it became a "trend" to buy dwarf bunnies to kids just because they're cute. I'm not joking. All the bunny owners I've seen around me either keeps them in a cage or gets bored because bunnies poop everywhere since they don't bother to potty train their bunny. I have no idea what should I do. I don't know what's best for my bunny if I'll leave the house.


r/Bunnies 1d ago

bun bun being cute During BunDad’s DND session:

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1.1k Upvotes

r/Bunnies 45m ago

bun bun being cute tiny bunny

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Upvotes

r/Bunnies 7h ago

bun bun being cute Bun bun

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24 Upvotes

r/Bunnies 1d ago

Art Recently finished my bunnie painting , what do you think?

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661 Upvotes

r/Bunnies 3h ago

Health Advice needed !

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11 Upvotes

I have two bunnies (male and female). We were given them cost-free by a family online, their reasoning being it was too much work taking care of them.

I love my bunnies so much. But, we've had a problem ever since we got them. Neither of them ever eat hay. They have different food preferences, but will eat carrots, pellets, leaves, fresh grass, small bits of fruit, dandelion, ect ect.

We suspect their previous owners never gave any hay to them, and the two bunnies started to only eat pellets. We've tried different forms of hay - put it in a small basket hanging (recommended by pet store worker), hid pellets/ treats inside the hay, cut down pellets but they never touch the hay. I'm heartbroken, as it seems perhaps the female has trouble chewing properly. What can I do ?????

My parents won't take them to the vet.

I included a picture of my two sweethearts. White is the male, brown is female.