Binky&Bellamy
New Kit
Hi all, new to rabbits and learning so much about proper rabbit husbandry here. I've been reading through numerous posts and I saw a lot of questions about over feeding and diet issues. The two youngsters I'm looking after until they can find homes are 4 months old, a male and a female, both not sterilised yet. The only reason I have them instead of my own bunny, is because they were apparently abandoned and I hand reared them on kitten formula. I am busy building an outdoor enclosure for my bunny, which will hopefully be finished on Saturday YIPPEEE!!!!! The two young buns are in a large indoor cage and are both very slim. I have dewormed them. They eat a lot of hay, Timothy and mixed dried grasses, maybe 300g twice a day, and their bedding is also edible hay. They get about 20g each of normal bunny pellets in the morning with a handful of mulberry leaves and the branches to strip. At night they get another 20g each of Versela Lager(?) junior pellets and half a cup of mixed veg cabbage, carrot, parsley, petunias, violas, herbs and more hay. I think they are mini Rex, probably inbred. What should they weigh? Am I under feeding them? They are incredibly active when they are in the outdoor enclosure (which is not yet fully bunny proofed so I can't leave them out) and graze on whatever weeds and grass they find. They do zoomies and binky's. My own pet bunny is currently being fostered, until I get the outdoor enclosure secured. She has gotten fat because her current diet is more fruit and muesli than anything else. She has but fat. I can't wait to get her back. If what I am feeding the two youngsters is enough, then there shouldn't be a problem getting her weight down with a similar diet, just more food, right?
After all the horror stories about bonding that I've read I don't have the courage to try bonding a trio. The two youngsters are bonded, for now, but my older girl (about 8) is not sterilised, neither are the two youngsters yet. My bunny has been an outdoor bun her whole life and will now have to adapt to a much smaller space 5m x 3m oudoor enclosure. She'll ahve enough stress adapting to captivity without going through bonding. She had a bond mate, an unsterilised female, for about a year at her foster home, but that bun was killed by a dog.
Sorry for such a long post, just lots of uncertainty and I really want to do what is best for them.
After all the horror stories about bonding that I've read I don't have the courage to try bonding a trio. The two youngsters are bonded, for now, but my older girl (about 8) is not sterilised, neither are the two youngsters yet. My bunny has been an outdoor bun her whole life and will now have to adapt to a much smaller space 5m x 3m oudoor enclosure. She'll ahve enough stress adapting to captivity without going through bonding. She had a bond mate, an unsterilised female, for about a year at her foster home, but that bun was killed by a dog.
Sorry for such a long post, just lots of uncertainty and I really want to do what is best for them.