New Mini Lop Help Required

Hello

I have bought a mini lop doe for my daughter (and myself) and we can pick her up in over 3 weeks. I have read quiet a bit over the last week and hopefully we will be fine during the transition period.

I really want to do whats best for her and have read about the vhd/mixa...... injections plus neuturing/worming etc. If you could give me any tips about what I should do in the first few months I would really appreciate it.

One last thing, she is going to live outside in a double decker hutch. Is it best for them to live in pairs (both neutered?), will she be OK on her own?

Thanks very much.

Welcome to the forum :wave:

The myxo/VHD has now been condensed in to one annual vaccine, I think it can be given from 10 weeks old, so that's a good starting point.
Once she gets to about 5/6 months old she can be spayed. Spaying eliminates the risk of reproductive cancers (common in unspayed does), really calms their temperament and makes them easier to litter train.
I'll leave worming to someone else as it's a slightly complicated issue. Personally I never have wormed and would only do so if a problem came up.

Rabbits really need an area of 48sq ft minimum, with 12sq ft of sheltered space (ie. 6x2 hutch) and 36sq ft of run space (ie, 6x6 run). If you have a look at the housing stickies you can get an idea of housing options. Sheds are great, especially when you have children as it's easy for them to sit and spend time with the rabbit(s) without the worry of the rabbit running off and escaping.

Lastly, if she's staying outside she'll really need a partner. Rabbits thrive with a friend. Once she's spayed you could look at neutered bucks in rescue. As well as helping out a rabbit in need, it will cost less to get a rabbit ready neutered and vaccinated than it will to get a baby and do it yourself.

Hope that helps a little

You will find a lot of useful information here, including info about vaccinations, neutering, the fact that Rabbits need company, housing etc

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/index.php?section=leaflets.html

Thanks I will read up on it.

The breeder had one of Flopsie's brothers left as well, would it be better to buy him now or wait?

If you keep flopsie and her brother together now you'll have lots of baby bunnies! You'd need to have them both spayed/neutered before they could live together.

I would recommend NOT buying her brother, purely because if you get them spayed/neutered and the bonding goes belly-up you're stuck with 2 single bunnies who BOTH need a partner (very expensive, believe me!) whereas if you go to a rescue for her partner and she doesn't take to one of the bunnies there that you try her with, they'll try her with another and another etc etc etc, until you find the one she likes and then you can take him home! Saves a lot of hassle as well, bonding is so stressful!

With regard to brother/sister relationships, I have several which are all working really well. I think it is because they are family, so if you bought a brother and sister you could keep them together until the boy is about 12 weeks old then you would have to separate them. The boy could be neutered around 16 weeks and then he should wait for his sister to be spayed at around 5/6 months. It sounds a long time but it flies by really and all mine have gone back together with no problem. That's if you want to do it that way. Doing it this way also means the little girl will have company upon leaving her Mother and siblings as I always feel for little girls who have to go out in the big wide world on their own.

Personally I'd wait until she's spayed and then find a neutered male in rescue. If you got her brother now then you'd need to get a whole other set of housing to keep him in until they are both fixed and can be bonded together.

There are thousands of rabbits in rescue so you should be able to find the kind of bunny that you want to bond flopsie with. It will save you a small fortune on neutering and vaccinating as well, and you'll be giving a rescue rabbit a much needed home

BattleKat said:

Personally I'd wait until she's spayed and then find a neutered male in rescue. If you got her brother now then you'd need to get a whole other set of housing to keep him in until they are both fixed and can be bonded together.

There are thousands of rabbits in rescue so you should be able to find the kind of bunny that you want to bond flopsie with. It will save you a small fortune on neutering and vaccinating as well, and you'll be giving a rescue rabbit a much needed home

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:thumb:

There will be lots of different views on this - in part because this forum supports the work of many rescues that are inundated with unwanted rabbits.

However I do feel that a baby bun who is taken suddenly away from all other siblings, mother etc is very very prone to emotional upset that can lead to physical issues. This is most especially the case if she is also to be housed outside where she will have to cope along with new experiences and temperature fluctuations.

Personally I would think of taking on a sibling (brother or sister). In the longer term there is a very slightly higher danger of two sisters not getting on than a boy and girl, but balanced against that is the risk that if you do not keep a very very careful eye on things there could be accidents.

If you have a boy and a girl the general pattern would be:

adopt at 8 weeks (NOT earlier)

Keep together until about 12 weeks - checking regularly (daily) for boy dropping testicles. Girl will not be fertile at this stage.

Make sure you go to vet in this time for full check up and myxo/VHD jabs (I would suggest a week after adoption)

Once boys testicles have dropped (usually c12 weeks) then seperate them immediately and go to vet again (ensuring rabbit savy very experienced vet) and arrange that the male is castrated.

IF this is done promptly (usually at about 14 weeks) and at the early age suggested you should then only have to separate (keep in same hutch but with a divider) for a short while until he is no longer fertile . .

Then they can live together again until she starts getting crabby and hormonal at about 5 months (Males are fertile before females) - when she can be neutered - in fact usually at 6 months. This is essential for prevention of womb cancer.

really the separation time is not that long and she gets all the comfort of a sibling.

If there is a sister available then it is slightly eaiser BUT you must act promptly if they start to fight when their hormones start to function at about 4 months - otherwise they will fight very seriously and you may not be able to rebond them.

PS How old is your daughter? I am sure you know that rabbits do not like being picked up or carried and can scratch and bite of nervous. they are also ver very fragile as babies so you will have to do all the handling and just let daughter stroke bun on floor etc unless daughter is quite old and vert trustworthy.

Well the last brother has been sold so that isn't an option.

The breeder did have another male of the same age, which I suppose would be company in the long term. But would require another hutch until they are bonded, it isnt a problem to get another one and a combined hutch would be a big area for them to live once the vet has done his business.

Do you think thats an option?

Flopsie said:

Well the last brother has been sold so that isn't an option.

The breeder did have another male of the same age, which I suppose would be company in the long term. But would require another hutch until they are bonded, it isnt a problem to get another one and a combined hutch would be a big area for them to live once the vet has done his business.

Do you think thats an option?

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I would wait until you have had your Doe spayed and then approach a Rescue to adopt an already neutered and vaccinated Rabbit to be her companion. The Rescue would probably assist you with bonding too and offer follow-up advice and support.

Personally I would now always adopt from a Rescue rather than buy from a Breeder

Good Luck

Jack's-Jane said:

I would wait until you have had your Doe spayed and then approach a Rescue to adopt an already neutered and vaccinated Rabbit to be her companion. The Rescue would probably assist you with bonding too and offer follow-up advice and support.

Personally I would now always adopt from a Rescue rather than buy from a Breeder

Good Luck

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I would agree with this. I got my 2 both as babies (2 females) and one of them became very hormonal and aggressive before I could get them spayed (most vets won't spay until around 6 months but my experience is that they get hormonal before this age). It got so bad that I had to separate them, and 9 months after being spayed I still haven't been able to re-bond them. Not only is this sad because they are both living alone, but it is also very costly having 2 separate houses, and the practicalities of letting them have free-range time one at a time, etc etc.

Of course, every bunny is different. But I would agree with Jane that it will be much easier to let your girl settle in, get her spayed when she's old enough, and then go about trying to find a neutered chap from a rescue. They will let you take your girl in so you can choose one that she gets along with. If I had known what I know now a year ago, that's exactly what I would have done.

Flopsie said:

Well the last brother has been sold so that isn't an option.

The breeder did have another male of the same age, which I suppose would be company in the long term. But would require another hutch until they are bonded, it isnt a problem to get another one and a combined hutch would be a big area for them to live once the vet has done his business.

Do you think thats an option?

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I would say in that case wait, give the new bunny lots of love and attention and then you can go searching for the perfect husbun when she's ready. Whereabouts are you? theres a few rescues on here that rescue uk wide or plenty all over so should be something close to you.

Thanks for all the advice. This is a fantastic place for help and information.:thumb:

We will look after her as good as we can and see what happens in the future.

Thanks again

Its also worth noting that if you really wanted one from the breeder because you want a baby, their are lots of babies in rescue generally as they often take in pragnant does x