Rabbits in Malaysia

This post is to share specific little bits of bunny things and where we got them in Malaysia. No more googling for items and seeing everything quoted in US dollars. (Aw, I do feel a little like a left-out foreigner sometimes.) 

To the fellow Malaysians out there who also have beloved rabbit(s) as a part of the family: I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that, when it comes to rabbits, there is just so much lacking compared to other countries. For one, there aren't many good choices if you need a rabbit vet. Another, whenever the term "Adopt, don't shop" phrase pops up, you think: "I want to. But where? There are no organisations or anything rescuing rabbits here ... "

On a lighter note, you're usually the only one having a herbivorous furry among your relatives while the rest of them have dogs and cats. When your friends see photos of your rabbit, more often than not the reaction you get is: "Wah! You don't keep in cage meh? Just walk around the house like that ah?"

Oh, well.

But without further ado -

#Food

Over the years I have bought hay from different brands. Currently, I'm sticking with Gold Class Timothy hay from Beh & Yo. We used to buy Oxbow hay, but our rabbit, J, didn't like eating it much after a while. And with the exchange rate dropping ... *cough*

Anyhow, we're currently sticking with this Timothy hay, and we buy them from Global Pets (they have a lot of branches, especially in Johor). It's approximately RM30 per box.

It's possible to directly order hay from Beh & Yo. I'm actually from JB, and around this area jumbo value packs are rather hard to come by. There's the postage cost, but bulk-buying can help save a bit of costs over time. Contact them through this email: enquires@behyorabbitry.com

Hay is crucial in a rabbit's diet, so please DO NOT settle on buying cheap hay. Not to say that cheaper hay are all evil (EVILL, EVIIIIL), but when I bought Dr Bunny's Timothy hay (about RM15 per pack), J's fur began to shed in abnormally huge amounts. His fur thinned out considerably, and he looked so dishevelled. Quality hay is important when it comes to maintaining a rabbit's coat and health!

Vegetables and fruits are bought from mini markets along with us humans weekly groceries. Basil and mint are our own homegrown herbs. I'm now trying to grow Kangkong in the garden to meet J's demand. It's really rewarding to harvest a basketful of vegetables and not have to worry about chemical pesticides.

Ah, I must not forget about the hay ball. A similar hay ball is sold at Global Pets, but the metal seemed to be of lower quality ... The hay balls I have are bought from a pet shop in Singapore when I went on a trip there.

#Housing

Cage, puppy pens

The cage we bought wayyy back in 2011 costs about RM200. The puppy pens were RM20 per piece. These were bought from Global Pets.

The cage-cum-litter box J's using is a different one. A usual wired cage isn't suitable for his splayed leg, so with a bit of modifications to the bottom (to separate rabbit from litter, poop, etc), here's the result:

J: This is an embarrassing photo. There's hay on my head.

(Oh gosh, sorry!)

The litter box shown in Litter Training Your Bunny is actually a sort of basket bought from the RM5 shop, DAISO. The wide range of household items sold has quite a good quality, even though they're all indeed priced with a mere RM5. With a little imagination, a lot of them can be used by your rabbit!

I don't really know any crazy dedicated rabbit people in Malaysia yet, so if you're from around here and you have some rabbit tips to share, don't hesitate and drop a comment below!

Note: 嗯，马来西亚人嘛，留言用华语的也可以哦，嘿嘿。不过遗憾，马来文就不是很boleh了。