our new bunnies

hi there, i didnt know where i should put this so i wrote it here, how is everyone? i had an account ages ago but couldnt remember the password so made a new one, im after a little advice and help, i just got 2 little black lop ear bunnies there 2months today and soo cute, i got them because my male rabbit was looking lonely and we were looking after our neighbours 2 little bunnies and he seemed too become so much more alert and happy and after seeing him look so good my mum decided to get him some friends, he has his own hutch and run outside, and the 2 new ones are in an indoor hutch in the shed and have a run attached to banjos so that they can all see and smell each other etc, i was just wondering how we should go about introducing them together and when would be the best time? would doing it in like the kitchen be a good place where we can easily get in and separate if problems? id obviously wait until there alot bigger as there tiny, our plan was to let them have babies but i dont want them doing it to young, and i know some people might disagree as theres rabbits in rescue centres etc but were doing it for the experiance not the money, i want in months to come all of them to be able to be together all the time, so im going to get banjo the snip , ive also heard rabbits are harder to operate on as they dont take to well to being put under, banjo is aboit 5 now would he be ok? im not sure on his exact age as i rescued him

i will have more to ask soon im sure but dont want to ask to much more at the one time,
thanks
alex

Hi Alex,

Welcome to HH, look forward to hearing all about your buns.

Its lovely that you are making your bun happy by finding him some friends.

You will find though, unfortunatately, that without being spayed your girls are likely to fight with each other when they reach maturity especially with a male around. They can do each other serious damage and once their bond is broken it is very difficult to re-bond them. It will not work simply to neuter Banjo, as the girls have hormones too.

My advice would be to have them all neutered and then introduce them - in neautral territory - for example your kitchen as suggested.

We are a site that supports our members and we always try to respect peoples views we always try to be helpful.

That said - did you know rescue centres are full to absolute bursting with about 55,000 bunnies in rescue and waiting lists estimated at a further 30,000 waiting to go in. The RSPCA estimate that around 1.6 million bunnies are kept in neglectful conditions.

While I understand that the idea of baby bunnies is very cute - are you able to guarantee that each of the babies would find a home that would provide lifelong care for them, fully vaccinated, neutered, with the space and attention they need? I ask this because even rescue centres have an extremely hard time doing this - and If you really love bunnies, which Im sure you do, would you really want to contribute to these massive problems?

I understand that this would be an amazing experience for you - but what about the experience for the buns?

There are risks with operating on bunnes - as there are with all animals, but your vet would be able to discuss this with you and make you make an informed decision.

Katie

Hwllo and welcome love.

Hugs

Jo xx

I completely agree with Katie and feel that you should approach this very carefully as regards breeding. It is a myth that animals should be allowed to have one litter before being neutered. Animals breed because of instinct not because they choose to so you are not depriving them of anything.

You have three rabbits now, but if both of your females have a litter, you could potentially have upwards of 10 rabbits. These animals all have to be fed and housed and with such a big group you would have to have them all neutered because mixing intact and neutered animals can cause problems.

When you neuter a rabbit you take away the hormonal urges to procreate but also, more importantly, you change their territorialism and ability to tolerate other rabbits. Neutered animals are more docile and will get on better.

I would suggest that you keep them apart and simply have them all altered once they are old enough. After they have got over the operation, you can introduce them to each other in a neutral environment and hopefully you will have a happy trio.

I would also suggest that you have the new rabbits insured before they have any illnesses so they are covered. This will keep your costs down as vet bills can be very expensive and rabbits can get ill with very little notice.

hi there

thanks for the advice, after reading that i think its maybe best for my bunnies that we get the neutered as that is why we got them so they could all live happily and if not getting them done would prevent this then there really wasnt any point in getting them so i think its best i get them all done, how old do they usually have to be before this is done and how much does it usually cost?
i understand the whole neutering thing and 1 litter etc as we have loads of animals and have always got them done asap to stop aggresion and bad behaviour etc
does it cost much to insure the rabbits? and do yous all get them the vacs? ive always had bunnies but dont think weve ever had them done i dont know y really as teh cats dogs horses all get there yearly ones, and also how do you worm them?

one quick question, what veg is good for them as i have heard so many and would rather have a good short list of things i can get weekly, and how often should they be offered it?

many thanks on the advice so far
alex

This may help in terms of veggies http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Food/feeding_en.pdf it's a good guide, says which ones can be given often and which ones should only be given occasionally...some things like carrots and fruit are sugary so are really only good as a small treat every now and then .

It's great you have decided to get them all neutered Girls can be spayed from about 6 months old, I think costs vary depending on your vets so maybe ring them and ask. It cost me 60 pounds at my old vets, but then my new vets is more expensive so I think it'd cost more there. I get both of mines vaccs done because I couldn't forgive myself if they got a disease which I could have prevented..especially as it's summer with all the horrible bugs and things :o).

Hi Alex,

That sounds like a really good plan.

There are two vaccinations that bunnies should have. The first is for Myxomatosis which is a really nasty very contagious and very common disease in buns. Buns that get this die very horribly and painfully. It should be given every six months.

The second is an equally horrible disease called VHD, this is also contagious and causes a very nasty death for buns. This is an annual vaccination.

Here are some links with more information

https://happyhoppers.forumotion.co.uk/t33-myxomatosis-the-importance-of-vaccination

https://happyhoppers.forumotion.co.uk/t34-viral-haemorrhagic-disease-vhd-vaccination


I think these are all between £15 and £20 per jab.

It is not often necessary to worm buns - but if it is needed specialist medicine should be got from the vet, as buns have very very delicate tummys.

There are a few veggi's that are good for them but they shouldn't really have much veg (if any) when they are little babies.

When they are little they should have unlimited hay and pellets (a good pellet is something like Science Selective or Burgess Excell Junior). Once they are older you can start to introduce very small amounts of veg. Something like spring greens or kale are good.

Carrots and fruit should be kept to a minimum and just as an occasional treat.

A grown bunny should be eating about 80% hay in his diet, 10% pellet and 10% veg.

Different owners give their buns food in different ways - my bun has a small cupsize amount in the morning and evening - he has a constantly filled hay basked and a small nugget breakfast in the morning and evening....about an eggcup full amount.

I will see if I can find you a list of the things buns can eat and post it.

Insuring buns can be from around £5 per month to about £14 per month depending on the policy.

Your girls will need to be about 6 months old before they can be spayed, and the cost of this depends on the vet - its worth having a phone around to find out how much. Its a good idea to get the girls done as early as they are allowed to stop them getting hormonal and falling out. They need plenty of TLC afterwards too.

Your lovely little lad is able to have his done now. I would recommend finding a really good vet who knows a lot about buns to do these ops. Again the cost can vary.

Its all a lot to take in I know - so if you have any questions at all please ask us - we have people on here who have one bun to people who run rescue centres so there is always lots of good advice to be found, and everyone is always happy to help.

Katie x

hi thanks for all the advice again, i will probably try and get banjo done in the next week or so so its not all 3 at the same time and a big expense, while im getting him done il speak to the vet about the jags etc then, and sort it out from there, as i want all my bunnies to be happy healthy bunnies
ive been given them a few little carrots but il stop that just now until there older, they have this play ball thing full of hay and a pile of hay aswell they are eating it but slowly but its probz cuz they only have small tummies, they are getting pellets, banjo gets pellets but i have offered him hay loads in the past and he hardly ever eats it, is there away i can get him to eat more? i usually give them it at night and then if they need more in the morning they get more,
il speak to my mum tomorrow about insurance etc, does this cover spaying? im guessing it probably doesnt,
i'l try and speak to the vets this week about the spaying etc and get them all done, im taking it getting banjo done alot sooner will be better as hes already hormonal? hopefully itl stop his nippying lol

i was also wondering, i have both of my seperate runs attached to each other so the can smell each other etc, today banjo was like chewing lola it didnt look aggressive and he keeps making low sounds is this just him trying to groom? my old rabbit used to try and attack through the bars and that so hes not doing anything like that so im hoping this is all good signs

thanks again and sorry for so much writing
alex

Insurance doesn't cover a spay or check ups and most of the time not jabs either.

Buns need hay constantly, so topping it up more often may be better for them as sometimes bunnies wont eat hay that's been out for a while and that may be why some is left. I have no tips for more hay consumption, but if they do all become a bonded group when neutered/spayed the females who eat more may help to influence your non hay eater to nibble some more hay.

Getting banjo done sooner is best as he can still impregnate females for a long while after he has been done. Best to get him done before he starts any bad behaviour as once he starts even after a spay it may be hard to stop it all.

He may be chewing because he wants to breed your females more than be friendly lol, they have a bit of a one track mind.

Also its great that you are trying to make them all have a better life, you will get lots of great tips from hh and its members.

i didnt think the insurance would, sometimes we dont insure as one of my horses was insured and had to be put to sleep and we lost thousands so sometimes it doesnt seem worth it when you pay them every month and they cant even help when you need it,

would feeding him less pellets and more hay maybe get him to eat more hay?

ok i will defo get him done asap as i thought that would be the case.

thanks again

I've had two rabbits die in the last six months, both of whom were insured and it made things so much easier to know that their expensive treatment - £1,000 combined cost - was covered by insurance.

Insurance doesn't cover vaccinations or things like neutering. What it does cover is illnesses that you don't expect such as abscesses or problems like tummy problems. If you use a company that covers the animal 'for life', it means that should you bunny have a recurring illness, your fees will be refunded less an excess fee - usually about £50. The insurance usually costs around £15 a month and is really well worth it. They only insure animals who are less than 5 years old so Banjo might not be covered unless he is not yet 5.

To keep your bunny covered you must make sure they are vaccinated and get their annual/six monthly jab, that you get their teeth looked at once at year - this is usually done when they are vaccinated.

ok thats great to know, i will speak to my mum tomoro and see if she can get something done but if they need to be vacs etc it might have to wait until they get done, how old can they get the vacs at?

all our animals are insured its just after georgis insurance 2 years ago we feel alittle bit cheated as we were with the same company for 8 years with our pony and then the 2 horses, we did our part payin the monthly insurance and then when we needed them they wouldnt pay up, so i think its just left us abit wary of who we use now

thanks again for all your help so far its been great

There aren't many companies that insure rabbits, Petsplan, Pets at Home and I think another one. What you need to look for is 'insured for life' cover so if they develop something, like, stasis (stopping eating and tummy problems), you are covered for that as long as you have the rabbit. The insurance companies won't insure for problems they have had before you insured them.

I suggest you look for a vet that has someone who is knowledgeable about rabbits. The vaccine for myxi can be given from 6 weeks old. VHD is given after 9 weeks as rabbits have natural immunity before then.



Here is some information on VHD

hi thats great, the vets we deal with is extremly good, they deal with all animals and we trust them 100% as they saved my cat from deaths doors, and we have the big edinburgh royal **** vet 10 mins down the road from us aswell and they have specialist rabbit vets,

i was also wondering, can the rabbits stay out in the rain, they have little shelters etc, everytime it starts raining i put them all away but ive seen people just leaving them out, my little rabbit thumper got numonia or wat ever its called so since them im always over careful

thanks

You are so lucky to be near the Royal ****!

My buns have always had a big hutch to live in and it is inside a large compound area. In the morning they are let out to explore and just left until the evening when they are shut away again. If it rains, they sometimes sit outside until it gets too heavy then retreat either under the hutch or inside the hutch.

You are right about rabbits not being tolerant of dampness. They need somewhere dry to be out of the rain and if their shelter is damp that can be bad for them. Mine have always been outside so even in the coldest weather they are fine as long as they are protected from wind chill by having the front of their hutch covered with loose plastic, have plenty of hay to burrow in and their hutch is dry - I cover it with a big plastic tarpaulin in winter.

If rabbits live outside all the time, they develop very thick coats in the winter that help keep them warm. A rabbit that lives inside doesn't develop as thick a coat and if they then go outside, can get chilled much easier.

Hi alex!

you have been given some really great advice from very knowledgeable people - it can be alot to take in. I have only had my bunnys 5 mnths and its overwhelming to discover that the way most people care for rabbits is not enough. This forum will really help u to gain the knowledge u need to make ur fluffs healthy and happy, and fast.
I might be usefull to make the buns a bit of a timetable as to what they need and when, and as each thing comes up feel free to ask again, and clarify how to go about it. Also a bullet point list regarding their food.
First thing, hay: do u buy bales as u have horses? Maybe banjo would eat more if it were a different type? Some buns are fussy, mine have meadow hay and alfalfa (the alfalfa because they are young and a bit lean) and there are mixed together with a dried grass called readi grass. There are lots of different types of hay and perhaps banjo would enjoy timothy hay for example.
The girls should be slowly introduced to veg a small amount at a time from 12 wks, choosing one veggie or herb and seeing how they go with that before introducing the nxt.
Insurance and myxi jabs should be the first tasks and some tweaks with the hay

Also, just to add, u have made a very good decision not to breed them- my black and white buns came from friends who had 2 litters in immediate succession. 9 babies given to what they thought would all be good homes, 5 have died along the way, and just one other is cared for properly, thats alot of suffering for the delight of having babies.
You have definatley done the right thing to change ur mind

hey, sorry not been on in the last few days, been so busy :/

the wee bunnies are doing so well, settled in and now when we open there door they try and come up on ur knee , i have cut down both banjos and there food and a constant supply of hay, the babies are eating there way through it and banjo seems to be eating it although he likes to make a mess with it, my mums still taking abit of talkin to about insurance but im sure we will get through to her eventually, ive not booked banjo in for his opp yet as just been so busy but i aim to do it on my next day off,
my rabbits will be outside all year but after last year we will probz have both there hutches in the shed as the snow was so bad last year, and if there introduced to each other by then they will just have the run of the shed, its funny how its like looking after a horse but on smaller scale with there feeding etc having quite delicate tummies? can bunnies be sick or do the colic like horses?
the hay im using was from the pet shop, can u buy small bags of timothy grass etc? as i know at the horse shops u can buy hugh bags so if i know theyd prefere tht to something else i can buy a big bag in the future,
if rabbits have never really had hay in the past can that make them a but fussy on eating it as he was a rescue bunny from a person that had him in poor conditions he might have never been offered hay until i got him, so might not of actually known what it was?

Hi there I am so glad they are settling in. I am at work at the mo but will try and answer your questions when I get home at lunch x x x

Bunnies can't be sick no ...so if they ever do go in for ops you have to keep feeding them up until the time you take them in. Sounds like they are doing well. I do believe there have been others on here who have had trouble with their buns eating hay, either cus they aren't used to it or they are fussy! Perhaps trying a different type of hay, or once jay suggested grating pellets over the hay so they eat it. Good luck

I suppose hay must be like fruit and have lots of different flavours and some buns like some hay better than others.

It sounds like your buns are doing just fine. My buns have always been outside buns, although I am down to one now for the moment. They have always lived outside and came through two winters when the temperatures dropped to -18. They are hardy about cold, but must have a dry bed with lots of hay to snuggle into. As long as their bed if cosy and they are sheltered from draughts, they can cope with low temperatures. However, a shed is a great idea for buns, especially when you have three once they are bonded.

You sound like you are doing really well with the buns, good luck!

Pets at Home, Pet Plan and Exotics Direct all do insurance, they are the only three as far as I know at the moment.

They can be fussy with hay if they havent had it, but there are many different types so alot of it is just trial and error, perhaps try putting a few pellets mixed in with the hay so they root about in it more, and then get a taste for it?

There are loads of different types of hay so its just a matter of a bit of trial and error really.

Try mixing some fresh grass in with the hay like SJ says this might encourage him to eat it.....little monkey!

Sounds like you are doing a really brilliant job x x x

Like you say - once they are all spayed and neutered that can hopefully all live together and will have each other to snuggle up to in the winter and they will be fine. Lots of people have shed set ups where they can all free range together and it works well.

I am glad they love their new home, they have a lovely mum for sure.

Hugs

Jo xx

hi everyone sorry not been on in ages again been so busy,
good news hes eating the hay now, ive totally cut back on the pellets he was getting as i think he preferes them and having a bowl fulll aday he was just choosing them over hay, the 2 babies are extremly active and growing fast and lola has found she can now climb up the wire and jump out of the run lol, so everyone is healthy and happy im hoping that when banjo gets in with the girls he starts grazing on the grass as hes never eaten any where as the 2 girls constantly eat grass well when they arnt running about the place, there so full of beans

im phoning the vet tomoro morning to book banjo in for his opp

oh and im the dad by the way lol, i know having horses alot of people just assume im a girl but im not, and im not into all the girly dressage either i do all the jumping and fast stuff