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    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

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First time rabbit keeper!

Vicki

Alpha Buck
Hello,
A friends lop eared rabbit is currently pregnant, and when she has the babies i can have the pick of the liter! I first thought of getting a male however after reading on here it sounds best to have two rabbits for each others company! Im now soooo confused at what to do! Would it be possible to have two males which would be living together from birth in the same hutch? If not two males then would two females be ok in the same hutch together? I am planing on having them neuterd or spayed!
I would just like some advise on what to do! I have loads of free time and will be in every day due to an illness! So if i was to get just one on its own i would be there to keep him company!
Thank you for reading this confusing question!
Vicki
 
Two males from the same litter should be okay (however there are never any guarantees with these things) - however they may start getting rather territorial and may fight once their hormones start to kick in so you would definitely need to get them neutered :D

Again two girls would be fine but as with the boys they may fall out too - girlie buns should also be spayed as it helps reduce their risk of getting uterine cancers :D

A lot of people go for the boy/girl combination but you have to be very careful not to keep them together when they reach their sexual maturity otherwise you could find yourself with loads of bunnies :shock:

Over the time I have had all three combinations and I have to say may favourite was my two boys Pie & Mash who just loved each other to bits - mind you so did the two girlies Kim and Aggie :roll: Sorry this is really no help to you at all is it????

I would just go for two bunnies that you like - however you could also bear in mind that a lot of people only have one bunny and that bunny is always very happy and gets loads of attention. If you have not much experience then maybe the one bun would be a good place to start :D

Good luck :D

lol Pam, Aggie, Mash & Twinkle
 
hi

Your rabbit won't be old enough to leave its mum till it's 8 weeks old, so you've got plenty of time to plan it all :)

I had a pair of neutered brothers from a rescue, and they were very happy together till Pepsi died last month from a blockage...The important thing is to take them to the vets to be neutered or spayed together, then the bond won't be broken - and also take them before they start to fight at teenage stage (around 4 or 5 months for boys, 6 or 7 for girls, as they have good memories and aren't very forgiving!

When Pepsi died Benny was still living outside, and he got very scared on his own - he didn't eat much and looked very miserable - I got my 5 girls to keep him company but in the event they didn't get along at all - So I had to put Benny in a cage in my kitchen...I never believed in keeping rabbits singly, but now he's in the house Benny really seems very very happy on his own, although he would get more exercise with a companion to chase...I don't think he'd have been happy alone outside though - it depends how confident your rabbit is.

The other point to consider is the cost - about £8 a week for one rabbit when you count hay, more hay (!) litter, food, veg (not for a baby but once it's older) and toys - plus vets on top of that, and maybe pet insurance too.

One more point is that sexing young rabbits is difficult - you may find that you have a boy and a girl rather than same sex pair, so get a vet to confirm their sex once they get a bit older.

Good luck :)
 
Hi and thank you for the replys!
It was just a thought on whether my bunny would prefer the company of one of his or her brothers or sisters! I only have room for one hutch, although the one i have is about 3 1/2ft long and two storeys, would this be engouh room for two together? I will obviously be getting them out every day but they will have to have a run as the garden is safe for them to rome around! I dont really mind whether i have boys or girls so long as they would live happy together?! However i still might get just one! the decisions! :?
Any more coments on this confusing situation for me would be much appreaciated! :D
Thanks
 
You need a much bigger hutch for even one bun i would say. ...unless you have a large attached run? Buns cant be caged all day as its in their nature to have space. Have a wee look for hutch ideas on this site, Lots of people convert sheds!! Good luck :D
 
Bearluck.gif


Welcome to you Vicki...you can see the good advice you are getting here already and you will enjoy the banter as well :lol: :lol:
 
hi

Yes I'd say that hutch was for guinea pigs really - even though it's a double decker it's still only about 10sq feet - same as a 5'x2' hutch (I'm guessing it's only 18" deep?) - with the stairs as well as the bedroom compartment it's very cramped for a rabbit - they like to stretch out and stretch up high too - It'd be fine for tiny babies but an small adult rabbit needs at least 4'x2'x2' - and about 2 hours morning and 2 hours evening out in a running space - exercise keeps them healthy :)
 
Hi thank you for the replys!
I will search for another hutch then! I really want to get it right first time! I would feel terrible having a hutch too small! I will have a look around and let you no what i find!
Once again thanks for your great help!
Vicki
 
Hello all!
Ive been rearranging in my garden and have worked out i will have a 10ft gap! I have also found someone who makes rabbit hutchs to my specifications! So now i am wondering whether to have two 5ft long hutchs or one 10ft hutch? I have decided on keeping two brothers, so if you were in my situation, what would u do?! :?

Thanks for the help!
Vicki
 
hi

sounds like luxury :D
I'd buy a huge shed and fill it with rabbits :wink:

But a 10' x2' hutch would be great - if the boys need separating later you could easily put a divider in the middle of the hutch, so long as there was a 'bedroom' door at each end, with a mesh door in the middle section - like this one, only yours is bigger maybe:
http://www.gardenpine.co.uk/view_product.php?product=5ftlog

But then again, a 4'x6' shed, with a 6' run on the side would take up 10 foot - that would be better than a hutch as they could have things to climb on in the shed - mine have a patio chair and a wooden cat box thingy - they are less likely to fight if they have plenty of room.
 
Hiya peeps!
Im still undecided on whether to get two brothers, two sisters or brother and sister! Obviously i will be getting them neutred once they come of age! I still dont know whether to have one big hutch, or two seperate ones for them! They will both be sharing a run. Oh im soo confused and need help!
Thank you for taking time to read this!
Vicki
 
A shed is often cheaper in the long run than buying hutches, it is also more adaptable and would be nicer for the rabbits in the winter than a hutch and a lot easier for you to spend time with them in wet / cold weather. There are many people on this site who have posted wonderful things they have done to a shed to make their buns a beautiful home.

If you have a choice of rabbits it is often easier to go for a male / female pair than single sexed pairs which can be more tempremental than one of each, although I do have to add that there are many happy single sexed pairs about.

Janice
 
Hi
I have a 10ft long gap but can only really come out maximum of 3ft! So i dont think i would be able to fit in a shed!
 
Vicki said:
Hiya peeps!
Im still undecided on whether to get two brothers, two sisters or brother and sister! Obviously i will be getting them neutred once they come of age! I still dont know whether to have one big hutch, or two seperate ones for them!
Vicki

If you never raise a rabbit before, you should stick w/ raising just one female. There is a lot of knowledge and experience that you need, in which you lack, and it takes years to gain those knowledge and experience. If you don't have much experience, and raise two rabbits instead of one, your lack of experience of not knowing such and such can indirectly affect the rabbit's health.

Another consideration is medical costs. It can get very expensive if they need to see a vet for certain medical issue, or more serious case, need x-ray, blood test, urine test etc., which will be very expensive. You have to make sure you have the finance to back up the medical responsibility of the bunnies.
 
Re: hi

elve said:
and about 2 hours morning and 2 hours evening out in a running space - exercise keeps them healthy :)

Can they just run around inside a house? What if it is cold in the winter, would you let them out? If so, what's a comfortable temperature that they are happy with outside?

And do they really need 2 + 2 hr? I notice in the old days when my rabbit hops outside, he is just nosing around with a moderate degree of running. Most of the time, he is snuffing the grass and walking around, then after 15 - 20 min., he just find a spot to lay down. After about a total of 30 min., he wants to come back inside by waiting at the door step.
 
hi

Vicki I didn't realise it was such a small gap - hutches it is then I guess!

As for how many to adopt...When Pepsi died, Benny was very afraid outside on his own - he's really happy now he's in the kitchen so I would agree with HH about one rabbit being good for a beginner if it's going to be a house rabbit - but outside is very scary for a rabbit - cats coming and scratching at the hutch, or worse dogs and foxes - all the loud noises, aeroplanes etc - even the wind on a windy day makes noises that seemed to scare Benny witless on his own...2 rabbits give each other comfort and confidence, which is why it's best to have a pair outside.

As it's difficult to sex baby rabbits correctly, even for a vet, it's easy to accidentally get a boy/girl and find new babies in a few months if you don't recheck the sex of the bunnies...Females don't mature till about 4 months old though, so you would be fine for a couple of months if you got 8wk old babies...4 months old is the time they may start fighting with each other too if they object to being mounted...

I'm new to rabbits too (5 months keeper) - I would take the easy option if I were you and adopt a bonded, neutered pair from a rescue - baby rabbits are so fragile I'd worry myself sick over them :lol:

However, if you want to help out your friend by giving homes to her baby rabbits then you could always adopt one baby, raise it (preferably in the house if that's possible) get it neutered when it's grown up and then adopt a partner for it from a rescue before putting the 2 bunnies in their outside home? Bonding takes time though, so I would advise you to have 2 hutches if you want to go down this route - you can't just throw rabbits together and expect them to love each other, although rarely this does happen :)

Decisions never stop once you have bunnies - you keep having to decide whether or not to get MORE :lol:
 
HH - my single rabbit doesn't run around either for his 2 hours - I usually bring him back into his cage after an hour - but he seems to enjoy just smelling the air...

By 2 hours 'out' I meant outside of the cage or hutch you have for your rabbit, whether indoors or out - of course a lot of house rabbits have the run of the house all day, not just for 4 hours morning and evening - but that's not possible for my house rabbit - the kitchen leads onto my patio, so he goes outside for a 'run' - unless it's pouring with rain of course. :)

I find that when he's outside he'll do nothing for 20 mins then suddenly have a mad run around the patio - then do nothing for another 20 mins...Whereas the girls are constantly moving as they investigate what each other is doing - although they do lie down and have major grooming sessions to chill out - they definitely use their 2 hours to the full, although Benny seem to enjoy running and jumping around more than they do (lazy girls!) He gets more 'exercise' in his hour than they do in 2 :)

Normally if a house rabbit was going outside in winter for exercise, the temperature change would be bad for it - but my kitchen won't be heated much this winter - and I usually have the door open when I cook as Benny seems to freak out at the smell of cooking.
 
Hello
Thankyou once again for your replys, i wouldnt be able to keep it as a house rabbit as we have 3 dogs! However they are all really old now and so docile they wouldnt cause any harm to the rabbit. Also i would never leave the rabbit alone whilst its in his run (the whole garden isnt escape proof)! I will always be around to be with the rabbit as i have been very ill in the past two years which has left me disabled! However i am still able to move about and do everything necessary to look after the rabbit. :)

I will be having the hutch made for me to my dimensions, so i think i will be going for something between 6-8ft i length and 3 ft in depth also a 2 storey.

I have soooo much free time on my hands that the rabbit will be my life! I just want to make sure i get this right first time round, and im sure with all your careful guidance i will :)

Vicki
 
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