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Question about my two boys

Sarah1991

Sarah1991

Warren Veteran
Hi,

I have a question about my two boys, I have only had them a couple of days and they are 6 weeks old. Milo (Cream) and Finn (Grey).

They are settling well and eating and drinking fine, the only things is I find that Milo is very active and plays and hops around a LOT more than Finn does. Finn seems to play a for a short while when it suits him and then retire to the corner for a chill or even a nap. :roll: He is hunkered down in the corner for a good portion of the day, although when he does play he looks curious and bright eyed.

Is this all fine? The only reason I ask is the breeder said that if they were sleeping a lot it could be a sign of illness. However, Finn is eating and drinking fine.
I just wanted a little confidence in that this is just his personality and there is nothing to worry about?

Ive attached a small video for you to see for yourself.
http://s277.photobucket.com/user/GENE5I5_/media/10255159_10152121656636799_1325654573_n.mp4.html

Also I would just like to point out that this is not their actual home. It is a cage that I bought to put the rabbits in for an hour or so on an evening so that they can get used to being with us. They live in a double hutch with plenty of toys and things to chew.

Thanks.
 
To be honest it's hard to tell from the vid as he could just be tired!

Is he eating and pooping as he should? How much hay do they eat (it should be about 85% of their diet)

However I am very very surprised that the breeder has sold you 2 such young rabbits :( no rabbit should be removed from its mother until at least 8 weeks old.
 
My two are quieter during the day. I believe rabbits are most active at dusk, and dawn. It might be that Finn will take longer to settle in. I've had mine for 4 weeks, and Daisy is a lot quieter, and calmer than Maizie, ans much more wary of me still

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They are on a mainly hay diet yes. They get a very small bowl of rabbit food each day and this is all they get besides hay. The breeder also said they could have some small pieces of dry toast and carrot once in a while.

In all honesty I wasn't aware they they had to be 8 weeks. The breeder I got them from said that they were weaned and eating fine and therefore were fine to be separated from mum (I did ask the question) she even went as far as to say she thought mum was getting sick of them.

I mean with regards to Finn (Grey) He is currently hopping around the cage right now having a good explore and eating and drinking well. Its just that he seems much more quiet and reserved than Milo (Cream) I just wanted a little advice. I also was thinking that I have only had them a couple of days so the quietness could be to do with just being in a new environment?
 
There are some really good threads in the diet section on here about what they can and can't eat besides pellets and hay.

A lot of his behaviour could be because he's getting used to it, he may just be generally quieter and calmer than Milo anyway. If he is exploring, eating and drinking, then I would have thought it is a case of settling in

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Rabbits do wean from about 4 weeks, but they should still stay with mum until at least 8. Even pets at home don't sell them till they are 8 weeks! (mostly, if you ignore the whole VIP buns debacle!)

In the long run it shouldn't harm your babies though, they are lovely :love:

If you are worried though it might be worth popping them along to the vets for a quick check. It's always good to have them already registered and 'known' at a vets in case anything comes up later, plus they can have their vaccinations if everything is fine with Finn :p
 
I've just watched the video, and its very much like my two have been since day 1 :lol:

As Hele said, if you are worried, a trio to a rabbit savvy vet should put your mind at ease :)

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Rabbits have different personalities so he might just be a quieter type of bunny compared with his friend :) if he's eating and pooing well then it's probably nothing to worry about, but maybe something to keep your eye on.
6 weeks is a bit too young in my opinion to leave mum, and I definitely wouldn't give them any dry toast! It might be worth taking them to be checked with a vet just as they are that bit younger :)
Good luck with your buns - they are beautiful!
 
Thanks all,

Its nice to know a few people who have a good idea of whats right and wrong. I'm going to get them registered with a vet very soon so that should put my mind at rest. I'm sure that Finn is fine as he is doing everything a rabbit should do, he just seems quieter. I'm going to check in regularly and see if his behaviour changes as he is with me longer.

They are lovely, giving me so much joy already, I recently moved from my parents house where we had all kinds of animals. Rabbits, parrots, lizards, fish and dogs, all well loved and cared for, so when I moved, my house felt a bit lost. So I convinced my boyfriend to let me have these two, and I'm sure hes secretly loving them too, he keeps checking on them and talking to them. :lol:

Im already in love with my boys haha.

Ill keep you guys posted and ask If I have any questions, you will help me out a lot :D
 
Oh and a little thing to add!

They are living together and the breeder sexed them for me when I got them. He said they were both boys. Now we have had rabbits in the past which have been sexed and the breeder was wrong, meaning lots of bouncing baby bunnies.

These two are not brothers. I am hoping that it was a sensible choice in that if for whatever reason the breeder was wrong and I end up with babies, there wont be any problems with siblings breeding. :roll: They seem to be getting on well and have been grooming each other, so I hope I wont have problems later on and that they can be company for each other for a long time. Part of the reason I was thinking about neutering? Is this seen as a good idea to get done when the boys are old enough?
 
You'll need to get them neutered as soon as their plums drop otherwise its pretty likely they will fight and if its a bad fight it may reduce your chances of keeping them together long term.
 
I am going to get them neutered when they are old enough. I was just a little worried as i'd heard horror stories about rabbits not surviving being put under anesthetic and neutered. And my boys are so small :(

Also I would just like to report that Finn (my shy grey rabbit) was hopping around his indoor cage after I put him there last night like a nutter! He hasn't stopped all night so I don't think I have any worries about him being shy any more haha. :thumb:
 
Is he shut in a cage at night? If so you may want to add a puppy pen for extra space as night time is when they like to be most active.
 
No they aren't in the cage all the time, my boys have a large hutch with plenty of space to hope around at night. I did my research on space for them before I got them so no worries there.
They are only put into the indoor cage for a couple of hours in the evening so they can spend time with us. They are also let out to run around the front room during this time. :lol:
 
I hope you don't mind me clarifying a few things but it is only in the wild that baby buns wean at 4 weeks, the reason being, that the doe will usually already be pregnant with her next litter. It is VERY important that they stay with mum until 8 weeks, because they do not have the intestinal bacteria needed in proper amounts to keep their gut healthy until that time.

My accidental kit, who was originally sexed as a girl at 6 weeks, at 10 weeks was discovered to actually be a boy. Plutarch Heavensbee (yes really :roll:) was still having the occasional feed from mum at 10 weeks, and because he was the only surviving kit out of 4, has been having greens, because he will not be being taken away or rehomed, and has been born into his forever home :thumb:

Personally, for your 2, I really hope that everything does go well for them, but I really would get them registered with a rabbit savvy vet asap, because there is also a very good chance, that it doesn't. Plutarch has had his vaccinations at 10 weeks by the way, as this was the earliest my vet said he could have it, and I certainly wouldn't be wanting to stress your boys out unnecessarily, for any reason whatsoever, as this is often when these little ones die very suddenly if they have been taken from mum too early.

I also would not be introducing any greens, veg whatsoever until 6 months, again because of them having been taken so early, or rather too early from mum, to acquire all the protection they need. That may well be me being too cautious, but as I understand it, if any greens or veg upset their very delicate tummies, and they develop diarrhoea, then there is a very real possibility of you loosing them.

I have to be honest and say that I think the breeder sounds absolutely dreadful and very clueless about bunnies :evil: She must be, as who in their right mind would suggest feeding them dry bread and carrot at such a young age.

I really do hope that they are ok.
 
RogerRabbit999 said:
I hope you don't mind me clarifying a few things but it is only in the wild that baby buns wean at 4 weeks, the reason being, that the doe will usually already be pregnant with her next litter. It is VERY important that they stay with mum until 8 weeks, because they do not have the intestinal bacteria needed in proper amounts to keep their gut healthy until that time.

My accidental kit, who was originally sexed as a girl at 6 weeks, at 10 weeks was discovered to actually be a boy. Plutarch Heavensbee (yes really :roll:) was still having the occasional feed from mum at 10 weeks, and because he was the only surviving kit out of 4, has been having greens, because he will not be being taken away or rehomed, and has been born into his forever home :thumb:

Personally, for your 2, I really hope that everything does go well for them, but I really would get them registered with a rabbit savvy vet asap, because there is also a very good chance, that it doesn't. Plutarch has had his vaccinations at 10 weeks by the way, as this was the earliest my vet said he could have it, and I certainly wouldn't be wanting to stress your boys out unnecessarily, for any reason whatsoever, as this is often when these little ones die very suddenly if they have been taken from mum too early.

I also would not be introducing any greens, veg whatsoever until 6 months, again because of them having been taken so early, or rather too early from mum, to acquire all the protection they need. That may well be me being too cautious, but as I understand it, if any greens or veg upset their very delicate tummies, and they develop diarrhoea, then there is a very real possibility of you loosing them.

I have to be honest and say that I think the breeder sounds absolutely dreadful and very clueless about bunnies :evil: She must be, as who in their right mind would suggest feeding them dry bread and carrot at such a young age.

I really do hope that they are ok.
Click to expand...

*sigh* I really don't know what to say. This breeder had been breeding the rabbits for years and had told us she had never had any issues with any of her babies. I suppose all I can do now is to provide what is right for them at the moment.

In all honesty they seem very healthy, running around now and constantly looking for things to do. They are only being fed hay at the moment, they were getting a little of the museli type mix but I was told this is bad so they are now on Excel pellet. (very small amount morning and night)

I am going to call my vets Friday and get them registered. As well as finding out about vaccinations and the like. I do hope that I will not be judged for taking the rabbits at 6 weeks. I obviously wouldn't have done this if I was aware, I was recommended this breeder and therefore I suppose could not have known that she would come across so badly to you guys.

I can't help but feel a little upset and disheartened to hear that it could affect my boys so much.

:cry:
 
Sarah1991 said:
*sigh* I really don't know what to say. This breeder had been breeding the rabbits for years and had told us she had never had any issues with any of her babies. I suppose all I can do now is to provide what is right for them at the moment.

In all honesty they seem very healthy, running around now and constantly looking for things to do. They are only being fed hay at the moment, they were getting a little of the museli type mix but I was told this is bad so they are now on Excel pellet. (very small amount morning and night)

I am going to call my vets Friday and get them registered. As well as finding out about vaccinations and the like. I do hope that I will not be judged for taking the rabbits at 6 weeks. I obviously wouldn't have done this if I was aware, I was recommended this breeder and therefore I suppose could not have known that she would come across so badly to you guys.

I can't help but feel a little upset and disheartened to hear that it could affect my boys so much.

:cry:
Click to expand...

I really hope that it doesn't Sarah, and please don't be upset about my post. I honestly just wanted to give you all the information I had been given myself, so that they have the very best chance possible. I didn't want you to stress them out by taking them for vacs when they are too young, when the stress of that may have been their undoing, if that makes sense. My vet and his wife are both rabbit specialists and have a rabbit care clinic in Northampton, and so they really do know their stuff, and Simon said to me 10 weeks, and so for me 10 weeks it is.

Your boys with someone such as yourself for such a lovely, caring owner, may well do really well, with no problems at all, but I really would err on the side of caution with regards their diet and anything else that may potentially cause them problems or any stress, which is why I myself would take no chances with anything until the 6 months. A good vet, and if you have any rescues close to you, may also advise you on what is the best way of managing your boys. I personally just see them as needing extra special care shall we say, because of their young age.

I have 8 'special needs' bunnies with varying degrees of disabilities, and to be honest they are all very, very different in their personalities, likes and dislikes, times of activities etc, and so I wouldn't see your quieter baby as necessarily being poorly, when he may well just be a quieter natured bunny. However, because of his very young age, I would certainly keep a very close eye on him.

I seem to remember something about a 'probiotic' that could be given to kits, that would do the same job in providing the protection to their gut that mum would have done, and so, I personally would look into that. Because Plutarch was such a shock arrival, and there was a very great risk of his mum rejecting him after delivering 3 dead kits, I had to very quickly take advice from Tracy RGPW, who was an absolute lifeline to me, and I know Tracy would talk to you on the phone about any concerns you may have.

I'm afraid that for myself to sleep soundly at night, I have to have absolutely any eventuality covered, and so do tend to always prepare for the worst case scenario, which maybe does make me seem like a worrier, but I'm happier knowing that I am prepared for anything to go wrong.
 
Don't be disheartened or upset hun, I'm sure RogerRabbit didn't mean for you to take offence.
No matter how it may come across, people on this forum only ever have your, and the buns best interest at heart. A lot of people are very experienced owners and between them all they have seen just about everything.
Its not your fault that the boys were sold to you too young, and maybe the breeder needs to be educated on what is best for the rabbits.
I have 2 young ones myself, and I'm always worrying if they seem quieter than usual, but to date, they've proven my worrying to be in vain as they're back to their normal selves within hours, or by the next day.
I'm not sure how moving them from outdoors, to indoors so much will affect them. I've read that the change in temperature isn't good, so while the weather is nice it's not too bad, but when the weather's bad you may need to decide one way or another?
Don't feel like you can't ask questions or talk to people on here, without this forum I would be completely lost with my two, despite all the research I did. Even if you think your question sounds stupid, ask it anyway. If you are concerned then go to a vet.

I do think that a lot about the behaviour of yours is simply them settling in, but as has been said, keep an eye on them. One of mine still isn't completely confident with me or my flat, and I've had her for 4/5 weeks, but her sister is as ballsy as they come :lol:
Its obvious how much you care for them, and love them already, and based on that, we all know that you will do your absolute best by them :love:

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I've just seen something else you wrote that concerned me a little, and that being that they are only having hay. Tracy told me that Plutarch needed to have ad-lib pellets available to him, in order for him to grow and develop properly, and it will only be at 4-6 months of age, that he would then be on mainly hay with just a small amount of pellets daily.

He currently eats a whole bowl a day, but at 8-11 weeks, was eating 2 bowls a day, nibbling on hay, and eating some of mums greens. I don't actually think hay has any nutritional value other than the fibre for their gut, and to keep their teeth in good condition. Maybe your quieter bun, on a hay only diet, simply doesn't have the necessary energy your other bun has.

I think it is important to remember that growing baby buns are not the same as adult buns, and do need far more food because of all the growing they have got to do, and so the mainly hay and small amount of pellets is not applicable in their case.

Plutarch will be 13 weeks on Monday, and is bigger than his mum now :shock:
 
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