i have a little cottontail i could use some opinions on.

i've spoken with a local vet, but she seems to contradict most of what i read from google. although google itself is a bit contradicting in some areas.

1: kale
a lot of sites mention not feeding much, in some cases any, kale due to high anti-oxidants.
then a good number of sites mention it's safe to feed as a daily green serving. some of these sites have also mentioned excessive mis-statements and over exaggeration of kale's superior quality, in an effort to push sale of the plant.
thoughts on kale as a daily green? i've been giving 2 small helpings, once in the morning and once at night. her poop gets a little softer after these helpings, but not excessively so. i assume it's just due to the water content of it.

2: nail trimming
i've had this rabbit about 2 months now, and i thought it needed a trim when i got it. the nails haven't really seemed to grow any longer in this period though.
the vet said most people don't trim their nails and she didn't think it was something i should worry about. many sites make it seem it requires immediate attention.
when it's warmer i can have her running around on a mix of grass and concrete to help ware nails down, but that's still a couple months out.
thoughts?

Okay
I’ve never fed kale
Always a lettuce or leafy green like spinach
Anything that’s the freshest

Regarding the nails
Don’t be clipping them
You never know how far the root of the nail is and your likely to make them bleed
Have a well versed friend hold your bunny upside down and use the sanding dremel tool instead, just trim down a 1/4th of an inch or just round them off so they aren’t pointy

holding her is a bit of an issue. it would have to be forced the whole way through to put it lightly.
i've made a play-place type thing out of cardboard boxes. one of these boxes is a very long box that i cut slits in the bottom of and placed on an angle to a higher box.
it's like a small slanting ladder, that she does use. do you think it's possible to line the "steps" of this box with sand-paper and get positive results?

if i can't figure out a simulated natural solution, i can use other means if necessary to trim those nails. it would just be forced.

kale is a type of lettuce, it's dark like spinach

I know what kale is silly
I’ve never fed it to my rabbit

Also
If holding your bunny is an issue I’d say she or he isn’t handled enough and spading or neutering will help
When it comes to feeding it’s good to associate you with good food
Then holding becomes less of an issue
At times you do have to force your animal against their will

They don’t naturally scratch at things like cats do at posts
If you introduced sandpaper it would need to be in a way it didn’t cause abrasion to the pads of their feet

i'm hoping it comes around to being held as it's been building it's trust in me. i'm trying to go in baby steps now though. the thing freaks out and hides whenever i grab a towel now. (which is the only successful way of me being able to hold it)

i was worried about the pads of her feet as well, which is why i haven't gone through with this idea yet. it's not something i can easily google the results of, so i figured it best to start on if i even needed to do this heh.

i may just have to force it this winter and try leaning to natural solutions over the year.

Cool thread

Ever grab a kitten by the back of their neck? Your not hurting them much like when you grab a bunny by the base of their neck , not the ears too.
If you could look up this one YouTube video about how to handle your rabbit
I think I’ll try and find it and pm you with it
But have you held her* and hand fed her?
Kinda should do that with EVERY feeding so she associates you with non harm and food
I don’t think you’ve gotten this rabbit as a baby but maybe it was a year old before you got it?





Nice input maybe just stay out of it

closer to 2 years of age. she comes from a friend that has multiple rabbits. this particular rabbit is the only 1 with a holding issue.

i have not held her and fed her. the only time i used the towel was to move the rabbit from a room to another while i was renovating our living quarters.
that's something i'll try adding in to the steps for the future, it makes sense to me.

I mean
This is coming from a guy who caught a wild baby hare
I had it adopted when I moved cause no pet rule but at least she was very tame when I did.
I managed by being that difference

And not shit in your buddy but she might have been abused or struck when people were scared of being bit

If you hold food in front of her face and she won’t approach that a problem.
It will be hard to gain the trust but it’s manageable over some time

Also with a towel she knows you are scared to handle her which tells me she wasn’t handled right as a youngling


This post was edited by hunter_1 on Jan 9 2019 08:34pm

this post is making a lot of assumptions and leaving me little choice but to get a bit defensive over it.

i know the people personally. they did not hit the rabbit, the rabbit was not mistreated.

she does approach me when i offer food. she approaches me throughout the day without food as well.
she also picked her spot to sleep, right next to my bed where i can reach her for a quick petting.

all your assumptions are claims of mishandling. which is far from the truth. i can understand your pride in taking good care of animals, but i will not tolerate your claims that mine is not.