Soon to be Owner of First Bunny - What can I expect?

[Wiserabbit]

Morning all, I hope you can help!

My husband and I are experienced pet owners, having or having had chinchillas, gerbils, hamsters, rats and canaries ourselves and having had various cats and dog when we were younger. Neither of us has ever had rabbits, despite the fact that they have always been my favourite animals.

This is about to change!

Two days ago, my next door neighbour went to her hutch expecting to find two rabbits and found eight. :shock: Knowing I'm an animal lover and have quite a few rodents she came round to tell me. I'm not going to comment here on the obvious fact that she was very unwise to let her doe get access to a buck, which led to the unwanted litter. I'm fully aware this is a silly thing that she's let happen and just want to help her get sorted so it doesn't happen again. We loaned them the big carrier we use for the chinchillas and some bits and pieces to help them set up somewhere indoors for the new Mum, away from the buck.

She has decided to rehome both the doe and any female kittens. She has managed to find homes for four kittens so far with friends and family. So that she doesn't have to say goodbye to the doe, who she is very fond of, we have agreed to take the mum in, along with one of the female kittens. We are fully prepared to commit the time and effort to this, as we are both animal lovers, so that element is not an issue. Could you help me with these questions to make sure I do the right thing for her? (Sorry - some are health related too . . . .)

1. How can I make the move as stress-free as possible for mum?
2. Seeing as she is an adult bun, what's the best way to bond with her and help her settle quickly?
3. Seeing as we are considering making them both house bunnies eventually (they currently live in an outdoor hutch), am I able to "litter train" and older female?

and a couple of health ones . . . (sorry for the wrong forum).

4. I know that rats, chinchillas and gerbils all get "breed back" were the female is fertile immediately after birthing. Is this the same with rabbits? Seeing as the doe was housed with the buck at the time of birth (I know - again no need to comment that my neighbour has been silly), is there a chance that we could be taking on a pregnant female?
5. What vaccinations do rabbits need? Last time I looked at this it was VHF and myxi. Has that changed?

Thank you in advance! This is an odd situation and I want the best for both mum and baby!

 

[weeble]

1. How can I make the move as stress-free as possible for mum? When you have your hutch/set up ready ask if you can have some of her bedding so that it will smell like her. Once you move her leave her to settle in for a bit before trying to cuddle or spend time with her
2. Seeing as she is an adult bun, what's the best way to bond with her and help her settle quickly? Are you having her and a female baby too? I know its cold at the mo but just spending lots of time sitting with them maybe hand feeding them will help
3. Seeing as we are considering making them both house bunnies eventually (they currently live in an outdoor hutch), am I able to "litter train" and older female? Most (not all) rabbits will litter train easily. Most will choose a corner that they want to go in so putting a litter tray there will help. Again put some soiled litter in it so she gets the idea. Once she is recovered from being a mum it would be ideal to ger her spayed, this will help with bonding as hormones wont then get in the way, will protect against uterine cancer and can also help with litter training

and a couple of health ones . . . (sorry for the wrong forum).

4. I know that rats, chinchillas and gerbils all get "breed back" were the female is fertile immediately after birthing. Is this the same with rabbits? Seeing as the doe was housed with the buck at the time of birth (I know - again no need to comment that my neighbour has been silly), is there a chance that we could be taking on a pregnant female? It is possible yes they can get pregnant again straight away so keep an eye on her. If she ends up with a second litter she will need lots of tlc and extra food
5. What vaccinations do rabbits need? Last time I looked at this it was VHF and myxi. Has that changed? Mxy every 6 months and VHD once a year. There are mixed views on Panacuring rabbits so talk to your vet for advice on that one

Thank you in advance! This is an odd situation and I want the best for both mum and baby!

Good luck with them and make sure you post pics

 

[Wiserabbit]

Thanks Kath.

That gives me more questions but an answer first! I am going to be taking in the doe and one of her female kits.

What's "panacuring"?

There will most certainly be pictures!

 

[VickiP]

Good luck with them and make sure you post pics

Nothing to add as this seems spot on advice, Panacur is a worming paste. I would probably give them a good couple of weeks to settle and then see the vet for a healthcheck and they should cover all the medical side for you. Your gonna be great if you already have all those other animals. I think it's lovely what your doing, really good luck and lots of happy binkies to come

 

[ShazzaBunny]

Hiya

"Panacuring" is worming your rabbit with Panacur (available from vets and some pet shops). It is to try and prevent syptoms of encephalitozoon cuniculi (EC) which is caused by a nasty parasite. It can affect rabbits nervous system, use of hind legs, eyes, liver and many other body parts, its truly awful. As Kath said, there are mixed opinions on dosage. Personally i do a 9 day course 3 times a year, unless i think a bunny is showing signs, then a do a 28 day course.

One of my bunnies (Summer) lost an eye to EC (she came to me with eye problems due to EC and her eye could not be saved). And one of my boys Flynn lost the use of his hind legs due to EC. I managed to nurse him and get him back on his feet. Whether preventative courses do work or not, i still like to do it regularly.

 

[Wiserabbit]

Thank you all! I really appreciate all of this. We are going to stock up on books this afternoon, but I've found in the past (especially with my rats) that the books sometimes talk nonsense!

Erm . . .one more question . . . Vicki said "happy binkies". What's a "binkie"?????:?

Can't wait for my buns! The husband wants to name the kit, but we are thinking she might be called "Serendipity" or "Dippy" for short! It seems to suit her!

 

[ShazzaBunny]

Binkies are when a rabbit jumps/twists/flick feet in the air and generally goes mental :lol:. It is a sign of a happy playful bunny. Lovely to see, some buns jump really high, others just pelt about really fast.

 

[Mackers]

Deleted - question's already been answerd

 

[Wiserabbit]

Binkies are when a rabbit jumps/twists/flick feet in the air and generally goes mental :lol:. It .

COOL!

 

[Wiserabbit]

Deleted - question's already been answerd

Thanks all the same Mackers!

I will tell the current owner this though I can't really force her to spay until the gives me the doe! I'm hoping not, but if she is I trust I'll be able to find advice on doe tlc here!

If we are taking them in once the kitten is weaned (about 8 weeks?) if the doe is pregnant again, would she have already given birth by then? How long is rabbit gestation?

Sorry for so many questions here - but your knowledge is an amazing resource and I'd rather talk to an experienced owner than read a potentially out of date book.

 

[*lily*]

Gestation is 28-31 days so she will have already had the second litter when the first litter can be weaned.

 

[*lily*]

Just to add another thing if your neighbour has brought the mom and babies indoors, they will need to remain houserabbits until late Spring time when they can be moved back outside should you wish to keep them outdoors :wave:

 

[Wiserabbit]

Thanks Lily. We are planning to keep them as house rabbits as we have read it is better for them, and they will get more attention.

Good news! The doe is not pregnant again.We had another long chat with the owners and it looks like I misunderstood thinking that she was in with the buck - my bad. I've now been told that the doe and the buck managed to escape from their hutches and that is when the mating occured. I'm a bit dubious as they also told me that she had had a previous litter that the buck had killed so to be honest I'm a bit confused about what I'm being told here. It doesn't quite add up does it? I'll be glad when we are looking after her, though I feel quite guilty saying that.

The doe is about six months old - isn't that a bit young to have had two litters? Poor girl must be worn out. Also, I'm going to stop calling her "the doe". The current owner has named her, but it's quite a silly name, so we are planning to rename her. Seeing as she is a Mum and I'm a history/classics geek, we are going to call her Juno. Seems fitting, especially as we have the romans to thank for UK bunnies!

On the other hand, after taking a careful look at the babies and comparing them with photos of kits at different phases of development, they are about ten days old (their eyes are open and they are nibbling solids).

So mixed news!

 

[*lily*]

I love having a houserabbit

Good luck with them