What to expect...

I have stated that i am new to this furry little world and have a general concern, i think. Since I have to buns under 2 months (age cannot be confirmed its just the best guest I can get from the sexing pics i have seen) what should I expect in the upcoming future as far as them acting and the types of medical conditions that are a concern in the summer months.

First of all you need to get your bunnies sexed by a vet. If they are the same sex, they will start fighting as soon as their hormones kick in. If they are male and female, you will end up with babies. The best thing to do is to get them both neutered as soon as possible. (I think that the males can be castrated when they are 3 months old and the females when they are 6 months old).
Bunnies have to be vaccinated in this country against VHD and myxomatosis, but I am not sure if the same goes for Japan - you will need to ask a vet. As summer is coming, there is always the danger of flystrike, so you need to daily check your bunnies' bums for maggots. I am sure I have not covered everything, so the best advice I can give you is take your bunnies to see a vet for a check up and sexing.

Do you know how much the vaccines run? I realize that there may be a price gap. I am worried about flies as it does get very humid during the summers here and there are alot of bugs. I need to call my vet tomorrow and get an appointment for them to get fixed. Do you know any questions i should ask the vet?

As far as the flies are concerned, make sure that the bums of your bunnies are clean with no poo stuck on the fur. There is a product in the market here, called 'Rearguard' that prevents flystrike but I have never used it and don't know if it has side effects. Ask the vet to sex your bunnies, also to let you know of their age. Make sure that the vet checks their teeth and ears. Ask about neutering: has he perfomed this operation before and what is his success rate? (Don't forget that a castrated male will still be fertile for about six weeks after the operation. Unspayed females are at risk of uterine cancer.) Ask about vaccinations; which ones have to be administered to rabbits in Japan? Also, ask if he knows of any reputable insurance companies for rabbits. (Insurance can save you a fortune in vets fees.) Ask about E-cunniculi - a disease very common in the UK - is worming treatment (panacur) available in Japan?

I hope you know about the nutritional requirements of a bunny. I don't want to sound patronising but if there is anything you are not sure about please don't hesitate to ask.

you will not be able to get them fixed until they are probably 4 months. This will be too late if they are boy/girl and you will have to separate. Also some vets will not vaccinate until they are 12 weeks. HOWEVER.....

Bunnys should not be taken away from their mums until they are at least 2 months old so I would recomend taking them to the vet anyway for a general check over. get yourself a good rabbit book as well to help you with diet etc.

They will need to have 2 types of vaccination. Mixi twice a year & VHD once a year. You should also worm your bunnies 2-3 times a year using a product called panacur. In the summer flies can be a problem. To reduce the possibility of a nasty condition called fly strike you should

- Feed a high quality pelleted rabbit food with lots of fibre & low protein. This will keep your bunnies fit so they can clean themselves properly & also stop sticky poos which can attract flies if they get stuck in the fur.
- Use a product like rearguard which stops fly eggs developing
- Cover the hutch & run with a fly netting during the summer or bring them indoors.

Bunnies diet should be made up mainly with unlimited hay, also a high fibre pelleted food can be given in moderation & vegetables as well. Any change to diet must be made very slowly especially with young bunnies. Tummy problems can be very serious for rabbits & can be lethal! Their poos shou'd be golden in colour & as large as possible. Soft poo or grape like poo is a sign that they are having too much protein and not enough fibre. They do eat their grape like poos & if they are not eating them then they are getting too much nutrition.

To keep your bun in top form they need to have lots of space to excersise & run around. If confined to a hutch/run this should be a 6ft by 2ft by 2ft hutch plus a permenantly attached run. If you keep them indoors then they either need a small room to themselves or an indoor cage with an attached run that they have access to 24 hours a day. Bunnies chew like mad so you need to provide lots of chew toys like willow balls & block off any wires!

They are very good at hiding illness & I would seek vet attention if you think there is anything at all wrong with your bunny. The lists of problems you can have fill books but almost all of them require a vets attention.

Not in Japan so I can't say how much things would cost...but I would want to know from my vet.

(1) What vaccines they recomend & how often
(2) how many bunnies they neuter a month
(3) What aged/weight do they neuter
(4) Do they recomend neutering for all sexes (the answer should be yes)
(5) should you feed your bunny before the operation (again yes)
(6) Do they give pain relief & a gut stimulant after the op (again yes)

I dont know how savvy the vets are but they do do bunny surgeries and have done neuturings. I do not know about the success rate but they are very open and have told me that things have gone wrong, yet they were able to fix the problem. Usually it was a bunny that was sick that the owner did not know about. The bunnys are indoors all the time, although i do not know the fly situation here. I have heard that they are pretty bad. Is that pancura available online? There food that i get them is in Japanese but it seems to be good, they really like it. When I find someone that can translate i will find out what is in it.

I am in the process of giving them more room, kinda hard with 2 kids taking over my house but i am trying. I added a cage to the cage effectively tripling its size. tomorrow i am calling the vet to get an appointment to get them checked. Right now they are eating hay like crazy. I have a metal ball that hangs on the side (about the size of a softball) and i fill it up every other day or so. I dont really see them eat their poop like my guinea pigs used too. They poop little dark balls that look like cocoa puffs. Is that good?

Thanks for the info it has really helped.

Panacur is available online in the UK but I am not sure if it is in Japan, as I also do not know how widespread E cunniculi is there; you will have to ask the vet. Also, take some rabbit poo samples to show the vet and ask him if they are all right. Rabbit poo should not be very small really. I am quite sure that your rabbits eat their poo. The reason why you haven't noticed is because they pick it up straight from their bum. Always make sure that the bunnies have unlimited amounts of hay available; you can place it in their litter tray as well as their hay rack (which you are already doing). As far as the neutering operations are concerned, as Ecud said, make sure that you keep feeding the bunnies before their operations. (If your vet tells you not to do so, change vet.)
Good luck with the bunnies; you seem to love them and care about them very much.

I did see them eat some poo earlier, so i think they are alright. They are very active and are learning when I am going to bring them food. As far as changing vets, that is a real slim possiblity due to a language barrier, i am on a military base that has a vet for us to use. That makes it easier for us to get things done but still they usually get cats and dogs, I am going there tomorrow and will ask some of these questions, and get an appointment for them, if nothing else to get them a check up. A neutering here has about a month wait.

Is it normal for rabbits to jump of high things (i.e. couch, top of cage.)?

Yes, it is normal for rabbits to jump on the sofa etc. I am sorry you don't have a wide choice of vets. As your vet has performed neutering operations before, he must be rabbit savvy (hopefully). I am sorry that you have to wait for a whole month for a neutering operation. Ask your vet if you have to keep the bunnies separately until then. (You may have to if they start fighting or they are boy/girl.)
Good luck with your appointment. I hope they are both healthy.

Do you have any pics?

Mixi & VHD originated in australia & think are common throughout most of the world except for the US where their rabbits are actually a different species so I'd imagine they have it in Japan but the vet can tell you more.

panacur can be bought from online, I think amazon even sell it so you could buy & get it shipped to you. Even if EC is not present in Japan much I'd use it anyway for other bunny worms & as a just in case.

I was thinking about using it just in case. Id rather be safe then sorry.

Your bunnies are gorgeous. Good luck with the vets. I hope they both get a clean bill of health.