Questions about potential bunnies for us to adopt

As y'all know we are looking for bunnies to adopt. We have found several
potentials. I found 3 today online that stole my heart. The thing is that
they are 3/4 Flemish Giant and 1/4 New Zealand. Both of these breeds
are HUGE. Several pounds bigger than our Thumper was.

There are 3 bunnies 2 bucks and 1 doe. We want 2 but it will depend
on their cost whether we can get 2. The bunnies are now
7 months old. If we just start with one, would a male or female be
best? I've heard arguments both ways. In these breeds the females
can be several pounds bigger than the males.

Another potential bun is a lion head cross doe. This one really needs
a home. The other three bunnies may not end up as pets.

Of course it is the bunny's decision if they choose us or not. I'm excited
yet the practical part of me is saying to wait until I have my knee surgery
done. Wait until we have the bunny's room finished.....or if my mom has
to move in the habitat will be in the dining room. Sigh. I just need a bunny
to cuddle.

I wish I could offer some useful advice but I can't really I found it extremely difficult to choose a partner for Gabriel. I spent a long time agonising over who not to pick. Thankfully in the end Spring and Gabe sorted it out themselves.

All the practical reasons to wait makes sense but what can you do when your heart tells you otherwise. All the big buns I have met have been chilled out, friendly buns. Having a pair living with you would be amazing - but then I am a bit of a sucker for lionheads.

Sorry - I have been no use whatsoever I can only suggest meeting the buns and listening to your heart

Lionheads can be quite cheeky and are generally quite small so will get in all sorts of places. The Giants are more likely to settle into your home without needing further adaption as they won't be able to get in as many gaps.

As for pairings - if you have 2 does that have been together since very young then they will probably be ok. 2 bucks are most likely to fight. A male and a female is generally ideal when starting from scratch however is you have 7 month old does that have been living together then I would seriously be considering that option as the best one. Whether you go for 2 does or a buck and a doe they will need to be neutered immediately for health and behaviour reasons.

When I was doing my research before getting hector, I read that it's better to get a male then a female because they are less territorial, I think it depends on the bun more than anything. As for size I know with mini lops the males are smaller, but I don't know if that's transferrable

Yes, Cheryl...the neutering or spay is going to have to figured into the acquisition cost. For neutering....the only supposedly rabbit savvy vet in a hundred mile radius charges many times what the charge is for a dog or cat. They quoted a spay at $500(~301 BPS) which seems crazy since a dog or cat is $35-$45(~22-30BPS). And a neuter at $300(~187 BPS) Unless we would take the buck to the man that does it for the consumer rabbits...about 1BPS. He just rubber bands them...but I imagine at 7 mo they would be too old for that. We would NEVER do the rubber band procedure!!!

How much?

Rubber bands?

Am speechless.

Omg Rubber bands , farmers use to tie them round lambs tails so they would drop off don't know if they still use them

Rubber bands. Im horrified and feel sick. Good lord.

That is a massive amount of money.

Are the three giants all together at the moment/

Is the lionhead doe safe at the moment? Of my three - Charlie has the biggest personality and is much cleverer than the other two. (Dont tell Daisy I said that, Annabelle wont know what I mean anyway so its fine...)
So for that reason only Id get the little girlie.


Im sorry Im no help with the decision although I do agree that you should follow your heart x x

Oh my word! that is a lot of money. Here neutering is around £70. And I can't believe the other option.

oh my gosh rubber bands
farmers used to do pigs this way when they are very young,
that has just made me cringe,
i would wait don't rush into it i know you would love to cuddle up with a bun but wait till all is right xx

Who do you know that is really computer literate Holly? I can't help but think that the USA is really in need of a version of rabbit rehome. Somewhere that both rescues and private rescuers and people who are desperate can list the rabbits they have for rehoming.

Cheryl,

There are some excellent sites that rehome rabbits, just not near me. They even have a bunny underground railroad that will transport even large numbers of bunnies to find their forever homes. Transport angels handle the singular or pairs. Petfinder is a great resource.

The one listed rabbit rescue in my state has had the same rabbits listed for longer than they could possibly be alive. There are a number of good rescues that are only 300-400 miles(481-644 K) away, but that is a long distance for a scared bunny to travel....and with gas prices what they are...

We are praying that God will bring the right bunny(ies) at the right time.

I was nosing around yesterday and realise your predicament. That not only is there a lack of rescues in your state but also in the surrounding ones. And I also realise how far away they are. It makes me shudder to think what must be happening to unwanted rabbits in your area.

cheryl'n'bruce'flo wrote:I was nosing around yesterday and realise your predicament. That not only is there a lack of rescues in your state but also in the surrounding ones. And I also realise how far away they are. It makes me shudder to think what must be happening to unwanted rabbits in your area.

You can guess...they advertise most rabbits by the poundage.... California has some EXCELLENT rescues and have them that will keep the non adoptable rabbits in lovely refuges for the rest of their lives. Wouldn't it be lovely if that were the way all around the world!