Buying a pair of babies...2 boys or 2 girls or 1 of each?

[loulouembers]

Hi

As you know from my other posts I have a rex who had 10 babies. Now I am re-homing them and have been asked which is best to have:
2 girls
2 boys
or 1 boy, 1 girl ????

They are going to be pets so will be spayed/neutered at the appropriate age. I believe both can be done at 6 months old.

Please give me any advice to pass onto the new owners and to add to the handbook I send with each rabbit.

Many thanx
:bunny: :bunny: :bunny:

 

[Phill]

Either option is fine! The easiest pairing for new bunny owners is a boy and a girl (neutered obviously) Boys can be done as soon as there testicles drop and girls at 6 months XX

 

[janice]

The most reliable pairing is a boy / girl or 2 girls. The boy needs to be neutered as soon as his testicles descend, this could be as early as 12 weeks or could be 4 or 5 weeks later. If both are left until 6 months to neuter it is more than likely they will end up with a number far greater than the 2 they started with.

Janice

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Hiya. If they are Standard Rexes then the boys 'bits' tend to drop at about 5 months of age. With litter mates any combination, M+M, M+F,F+F, should work out ok. Will you be checking the homes they go to?? Will you supply a care advice package (ie diet,when to neuter,vaccinate etc) with the babies. Also the additional advice re the need for Rexes to have extra thick bedding and adequate exercise to avoid pododermatitis (sore hocks). Hope the babies find good forever homes. Jane and Buns xx

 

[bunnymadhouse]

male female pairs are always best . 2 females are ok if never split . we never recomend 2 boys together although it does some times work.

 

[touie]

I've got a pair of litter mate boys, a pair of litter mate girls, and an unrelated boy/girl pair and they all get on great!

 

[loulouembers]

Thanks to all so far, just to let you know I have a 3 page care sheet and rely on a Fanciers Guide to Rex by John Hodgkiss, Rabbitlopaedia and 'Rabbits, Health, Husbandry and Diseases' by Virginia Richardson. How far would you go to be sure the babies are going to good homes?

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Thanks to all so far, just to let you know I have a 3 page care sheet and rely on a Fanciers Guide to Rex by John Hodgkiss, Rabbitlopaedia and 'Rabbits, Health, Husbandry and Diseases' by Virginia Richardson. How far would you go to be sure the babies are going to good homes?

the moon and back....a million times Jane and Buns xx

 

[taylor v 109]

Buck and doe , two femals, i dont recomend two boys it may work sometimes but not always so best avoided. val

 

[Tamsin]

Although male + male pairs can work, they are the pairs most likely to cause problems as they mature. It's very rare for a male + female pair to fight where as male + male is much more common.

I wouldn't advise deliberately getting a male + male pair if you have another option or unless you are able to cope if they need to be perminantly split.

Tam

 

[Aspen'n'company]

How old are the kits? You might want to start seperating them from mum once they are weaned. My boys got into a terrible fight at jsut 9 weeks. I was in the process of rehoming some of the kits from my litter and their kicking and biting drew blood.

Good luck with the rehoming!

 

[loulouembers]

The are now 6.5 weeks old. I was going to seperate at 7.5-8weeks. Mum is doing fine with them and gets a break every day in the garden. She is always quite happy to come back to them so I dont think she is tired of them yet. Because there are 10 I thought best to be with Mum a bit longer?
:bunny: :bunny: :bunny:

 

[Aspen'n'company]

Once they are weaned they need to be away from mum. Some mothers will start attacking their kits once they are tired of them. 8 weeks sounds like a good time to seperate them.
good luck!