Why do I have to take my bunny to the vet for teeth trimming?  Why are my bunnies poops so small?  Why has my bunny stopped pooping?  Why is my bunny overweight?

The answer to all of these questions may very well be in the diet.  Hay is important to bunnies for MANY reasons.

An unlimited supply of hay will help to keep your bunnies teeth trimmed, thereby saving you a trip to the vet and money on trimmings every two or three months.  It will also save you money on food because hay bought in bulk is way cheaper than pellets, and if you keep it coming, along with a fresh green salad every day, then you won’t ever need to give your buns pellets at all.

Hay (along with regular exercise) also helps to keep your buns digestive system in check, which is extremely important for rabbits.  If things don’t keep moving regularly, then your bun can get a blockage, and a blockage can cause death within a matter of days if not treated immediately and aggressively (most times with the help of a vet for subcutaneous fluids) if not caught quickly enough.  The first sign of a blockage is smaller poops.  A (most often) definite sign of a blockage  is no pooping at all, and this is when you’ll need the help of a vet.

Bunnies can also become overweight if not given hay regularly, and of course we all know that this can lead to other health problems.

So, if you want a happy, healthy bun, your first clue is in the diet, and unlimited hay, along with some fresh greens every day is the way to start.

Everybody knows that bunnies are vegetarians (if you didn’t, than you do now).  Think about the things that buns eat in the wild…grass, dandelions, even tree bark…and they will of course raid your garden if given the opportunity.  Our indoor buns need some of that same stuff!  Unfortunately, most people who don’t do their research think that buns can live on pellets.  This could be a dangerous assumption…think about it…pellets are not found in the wild.  Most pelleted foods are made mostly of indigestible fillers with some hay for fiber.  They’re packed very tightly, and require a lot of moisture to dissolve into something that your bunny can digest comfortably.  If your bun eats only pellets, and doesn’t drink PLENTY of water and get LOTS of greens, then those pellets WILL block him up and cause health problems that can lead to a painful death if not treated as an emergency. Pellets should be given sparingly…considered to be a treat, and not the main staple of your buns diet…in fact, if you give your bun hay and greens every day, then you NEVER need to give him pellets.

Bunnies need a constant supply of hay, and a fresh salad every night with a variety of greens is good for health, digestion, and a happy bunny who will look forward to seeing you!

If you got your bun from a breeder who told you to feed only a certain pellet, remember this: your breeder probably gets a good deal on that food from the company that makes it, and is told that they MUST promote it to get that deal!  If you do insist on giving your bun pellets, there are only two kinds that I would recommend.  The best is Oxbow, and second to the best is Sweet Meadow (in the purple bag only-with timothy and alfalfa hay being the first two ingredients). Never feed a bun food with nuts and raisins and other goodies floating around in it, and never feed your bun anything made by Kaytee if you want to avoid dangerous preservatives.

Here you can get some great bunny green tips!  http://www.youtube.com/user/FastUpOnRabbitCare

Bunnies need entertainment or they will either attempt to entertain themselves by ruining your stuff, or if they’re caged, they’ll be very sad, and possibly destructive to everything in their cage.  Bun toys are sometimes a challenge, but who doesn’t like a challenge?  Lisa (one of our foster moms) has succeeded in not only finding enough toys for her one bunny, but used almost every idea humanly possible to create an inexpensive play land that keeps him entertained when she is not home to play with him.  Here are some of the items in his pen:

laundry detergent caps, cardboard tubes, boxes, blankets to dig in, and thick plastic jugs with things rattling inside.

One thing that I’ve found one of my bunnies loves is metal shower curtain hooks.  He likes to pick them up and move them from one place to another, but he only seems to do this on a hard floor…the carpet is no fun because they don’t make enough noise I guess!

Some other great toys if you want to spend some money are wood blocks, woven willow toys, woven grass and hay toys,  and, of the best toys that I’ve found is the Maze Haven.  Ironically, it’s also one of the cheapest, which helps in making it one of the best.  This thing is great, and makes bunny happy for lots of reasons.  First, it serves a dual purpose…it’s a place to hide and nap, and it’s also a place to play and exercise.   I have to say it’s by far one of the best investments that I’ve made for my my buns.  I’ll have videos of the maze in action as well as assembly videos and a link to where you can buy them VERY SOON (within the next few days).

Hunny is a little sweetie who needs a little love.   She recently lost her mate, and has been depressed and a little withdrawn, but there is definitely hope for this little girl…all she needs is someone to love her and give her patience and lots of goodies.  If you’re interested in fostering hunny to help her come out of her funk and learn to be a cuddler, you would probably not have far to go.  If you’re interested in adopting hunny and giving her a forever home and the love that she needs right now, then you’d be getting a little girl that I’m sure you’ll fall in love with in no time.  Her litter box habits are wonderful, but she likes to have the box in the spot of her choosing, and will move it there for you, or you may want to have two boxes for her till she has a comfortable routine.