My mini Lop, Usagi

Ive had a rabit for the last year and a half. My father got me her off of a farm who just had babies, and couldn't keep them all. She was only 12 weeks old when I got her, and has been such a wonderful pet. I named her Usagi, which means rabit in japanese.

I've tried to get the best knowledge I can on rabits since I have never dealt with them before, but everytime I call a petco or pet center to ask for any information.... nobody seems to know anything.

She is now just about 2 years old, and there are things I have questions about.

How would I go about correctly potty training her? I have tried this several times, by using wooden chips, a cotton, and kitty litter in basically a little kitty box, but she never seems to want to use it, and hops around and goes as she hops or she goes back to her cage to potty in a specific area. Any tips or pointers here would be appreciated....


- Diet... I don't ever want to give my bunny something she cannot eat. But Ive heard different things. Like alfalfa being bad for bunnies? Her fav. foods are apples, watermelon anything that contains a lot of water and is a bit sweet. ( heheh my bunny has a sweet tooth ~-^) Although she doesn't exactly like carrots too much. So what can they eat? nuts? etc?

- Nails. Her nails seem to grow very long, and she is still not ok with me cutting them, she gets very upset, so I need my husband to help me hold her down. It is very difficult to do this, is there another way?

- Do rabbits hate bathing? I have bathed her since she was a baby, trying to get her used to the idea. I started in the sink, but she would always jump out into my arms to get me drenched lol. So about a year ago I had to move to using the tub, which makes it that much harder for her to get out. I fill it a bit with water, and use a no more tears version of rabbit shampoo. Then a cup to get the water off, but im always afraid of going near her face with any water or soap.

- I have moved several times in the past 2 years, at least 4 times. I always make sure to get an extra bedroom just for her, so she can have a place of her own, with toys and to play whenever she wants, but she always migrates into her cage, which makes me very sad. Is she afraid to go play? Ive tried several toys, like a phone book which I heard they love to scratch on, and boxes to play with, with wholes cut out of it. Ive tried hanging things from her cage that have bells on it, and wood for her to chew. But she never plays with any of these things, just runs around for a big, sniffs and then goes back into her cage. Where I am living now, her bedroom is upstairs as well as mine. I dont think she has ever seen stairs before, but I would love for her to just roam around the house, like a normal pet. so when I open her door, i try to get her to come downstairs, but its almost like she ignores the stairs.

Sorry for the long post, I just have many questions and want to make sure I can be the best parent for my rabbit that I can be. I just want her to be happy :)

Hi, i dont Know anything about bunnies but i just wanted to welcome you to pt;) ;) ;) ;)

hehee thanks, nice to meet you as well ~_^

Wow, thank you so much for this information, there was so much I didn't know. Im going to look to get her neutered and vaccinated. I had no idea. Geez I wish I had know earlier. lol Thank you so much!