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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A What kind of BUNNIES DO I HAVE?

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    • bunnylova
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        I just bought two bunnies today the more brownish one is a male the other a female. Can someone please tell me what kind of bunnies these are I dont think they were from the same litter but I could be wrong they look exactly the same age. Thanks so much.


      • Sarita
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          It’s very difficult to tell at this age. Did the petstore not know? They are cute.

          I would also advise you to have your vet verify the sex as well. If they are indeed a male and a female you will be wanting to eventually separate them. They look very young as well – did the pet store say how old they are?


        • MagpieBunnies
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            WELCOME! And congrats on your new buns! They look absolutely adorable.

            Do you know how old they are? Or if they have been neutered/spayed? If not I would suggest keeping them in separate cages immediately until you have had them checked out by a rabbit savvy vet. Rabbit sexually mature anywhere from 3-4 months of age. Unless you want a litter of kits on your hands. =)

            To know what breed you have you’ll need to know if they’re a dwarf rabbit or not. As there are only a select number of dwarf breeds. Here’s a link that you are welcome to check out on your own http://www.arba.net/Breeds.htm#r It’s really hard to judge breed (if you don’t know already) if they’re fairly young and you don’t know how big they’re going to get. Especially if they’re a lop breed and they’re ears haven’t lopped yet. I hoped this helped! I’m fairly new to rabbits but I know a bit from research I did before I got Hemi, but others here on the forums I’m sure will have lots more advice for you!


          • peppypoo
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              Your bunnies are so adorable!! Just because they are patterned differently doesn’t mean they are from different litters – if they appear to be the same age, there’s really no way to tell short of a genetic test.

              Like Sarita said, if they are indeed male and female you will need to separate them until they can be spayed or neutered. There are enough unwanted baby bunnies in the animal shelters – no need to take the risk with more accidental babies!

              Welcome to the forums; feel free to stick around and ask any questions you might have, or just to chat


            • Elrohwen
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                I believe they are actually the same color – harlequin – except one is a “broken” pattern (meaning mixed with white) while the other is a solid harlequin (orange and black strips mixing together). They are probably from the same litter, since this color isn’t extremely common. As for their breed, I really can’t tell since they’re so little. I see that color in holland lops a lot recently and their ears look very rounded like lops.

                I agree with the others that they should be separated until you know the genders for sure. Also, two rabbits of the same gender will often fight once they hit puberty unless they are spayed or neutered. Good luck with your new bunnies!


              • bunnylova
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                  Thank you everyone for the help. I didnt get them from a pet store per say. It was more like a pet feed store and he gets bunnies constantly & is a big seller. He checked and said it was a boy and girl. They have been getting along great I was just wondering what bread and if their ears were going to fall like lop earred ones. I believe they are 5-6 weeks from what he said, not exactly sure though but they have been great since I got them.


                • peppypoo
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                    Their ears may fall eventually…they are still a bit young at the moment. They don’t look like dwarves though – if you look up images of netherland dwarf bunnies online you’ll see that their ears are too big in proportion to their heads to be dwarves.

                    To be sure of the gender of the bunnies, your best bet is to take them to the vet. Baby bunnies are notoriously difficult to determine gender…mistakes are made all the time, even by breeders. In fact, everybody told me that Remi was a girl until we took him in to get spayed, and the vet called back to say he’d be doing a neuter instead! Taking them to the vet early is a good idea too, to establish a relationship before they go in for a spay or neuter procedure.


                  • Sarita
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                      I would recommend that you take them in for a fecal test to check for coccidia especially if they came from a feed store – many times rabbits who come from these conditions will have coccidia which will be fatal for a baby rabbit. It should be an easy cure with medication if caught early enough. They are very young so you don’t need to separate them as of yet but do get them to a vet for a general checkup.


                    • bunnylova
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                        What is coccidia? Is it farmful to us? Thanks so much for the advice, I know alot of people who have gotten bunnies from this man at the pet feed store and they all gave high recommendations of him saying they never had a problem & the bunnies were great which is a great sign. The man also said if by chance they had babies when they were older he would buy the babies back from me. Which I wouldnt mind doing because he seems like a really good person & seems to really know what hes talking about when he was telling me how to take care of them. I dont intend on letting them have babies but if they do I wont be upset over it lol. But I do plan on getting them spayed- or neutered. I have a question does anyone know how much that costs to get them to a vet to be spayed and or neutered?


                      • Sarita
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                          Coccidia won’t be harmful to you but it will to the rabbits.

                          Spaying and neutering costs vary greatly by location, so it would be very difficult for us to give you a good idea of what price would be for you. I would recommend that you call around and find any vets that see rabbits and start getting some costs. And find out what is included in the costs.

                          I really hope that your rabbits do not have babies.


                        • bunnylova
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                            I hope they dont either. I will be calling around to get a price on how much it is. Why does it seem everyone is kind of against the rabbits having babies? If they go to good homes that should be a good thing? I know it could be a problem as too the rabbits having too many babies and no homes stuff like that. But I’ll make sure that doesnt happen.


                          • Beka27
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                              Rabbits are the third most surrendered (and euthanized) animal in shelters around the US (and possibly around the world). Until all of those rabbits are given loving, forever homes, we do not need more rabbits. It is irresponsible to breed “for the fun of it” or because a person is not responsible enough to spay/neuter.

                              With that said, discussion of intentional breeding is prohibited on this site.


                            • Elrohwen
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                                On this forum we don’t talk about the intentional breeding of bunnies because we prefer to promote spayed and neutered house rabbits. Too often people get bunnies and let them breed. Even if the person tries to find good homes, there’s no assurance that the babies won’t end up in a shelter some day or won’t end up having even more babies which will then end up in shelters. Rabbits are the third most euthanized pet (after dogs and cats) so we’re always hoping to get the numbers of unwanted bunnies down.

                                Also, I don’t want to be a downer because I’m sure the man you bought from is very nice, but it’s illegal (in most states, if not all) to sell baby bunnies under the age of 8 weeks (and they absolutely look under 8 weeks old). Selling them earlier can endanger their health. You have them now and I hope they don’t have any medical issues, but I don’t think he knows as much as he claims about bunnies if he is selling them that young.


                              • bunnylova
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                                  I dont intentionally plan on breeding them. Definitately not. I’m sorry if I upset anyone. I do agree with you all about the bunnies ending up in shelters. That is horrible. I just called a few places already about having them spayed and neutered both places said they dont do it. But I’m calling a third place right now, and again thank you for your help.


                                • Beka27
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                                    We’re happy to help and we are not upset that you asked! I’d rather you ask now then get into a bad situation with your buns. It’s important to be receptive to information when having rabbits for the first time! There is a lot of incorrect info out there.


                                  • bunnylova
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                                      I know what you mean I have been reading tons and tons of info on them on the web and it seems like one site says one thing and another site says another so it can be a bit confusing for instince, a friend told me she feeds her rabbit lettuce, apples & carrots and he loves it. But the man I bought them from said dont do that just pellets and hay and maybe alittle bit of carrot and when they get older they can munch on corn on the cob. Is this true? Its hard to know what to do when people say different things. And I definitly dont want to get my bunnies sick or give them something that could hurt them, like something they couldnt digest well. So any help on that would be great.


                                    • Elrohwen
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                                        Cheers to you for being such a responsible bunny owner! When you’re looking for vets, those with “Exotic Vet” in their title or business name tend to be a good bet. Despite being so common, bunnies are actually considered exotics in vet care.

                                        Prices of the procedures really do vary – anywhere from $75-400.


                                      • bunnylova
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                                          Well I just came across a vet that does NEUTER rabbits but does not spay them. Well thats good rite? As long as one is “fixed” is that ok? They said about $150 for that which is pricey but then again I rather make sure it gets done then have a big situation on my hands.


                                        • Beka27
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                                            Check out the House Rabbit Society website: rabbit.org

                                            This site has great info from respected sources.


                                          • bunnylova
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                                              Doing that now thank you.


                                            • Elrohwen
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                                                Neutering is easier, so some vets only feel comfortable with that.

                                                You can neuter the male, but an unfixed female isn’t likely to get along with another bunny as they get very territorial. Also, a bunny can still impregnate a female up to 4-6 months after being neutered, so you have to be careful there too. Hopefully you find a good place that will do both of the surgeries.


                                              • peppypoo
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                                                  Neutering will be enough to prevent pregnancy between the pair, but bunnies are naturally territorial due to their hormones – as long as the female still has her hormones intact, she will not tolerate sharing an environment with the male. Also, females have a high rate of getting uterine cancer in the first few years unless spayed, not to mention that spaying/neutering will usually decrease “that rabbit smell” and undesirable behaviors like aggression. 

                                                  Thanks for researching and being a responsible bunny owner


                                                • Beka27
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                                                    Depending on where you live, you might want to continue searching and calling exotic vets, and don’t limit your search to your immediate area. You may need to travel 30-60 minutes away to get an experienced rabbit vet. While male neutering is done more readily, female spays are also becoming quite common, mostly due to the high risk of cancer in females.


                                                  • bunnylova
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                                                      I just noticed something I put both bunnies side by side & the males ears are about a half an inch smaller than the females & his are more round while hers are more pointy. Is that an indication that they’re different breeds and may not be from the same litter?


                                                    • peppypoo
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                                                        Perhaps. But in any case, whether or not your bunnies are from the same litter doesn’t really matter ultimately…they won’t get along any better or worse than unrelated bunnies. Whatever breed they turn out to be, enjoy your buns…they’re precious!


                                                      • bunnylova
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                                                          Thanks for telling me that for some reason I was thinking of they were brother and sister they would get along better. Well they get along just fine right now. But from things I have read I figured there might be problems later on. Thanks for the input.


                                                        • LoveChaCha
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                                                            $150 is actually a very decent price for a spay. I paid $135.

                                                            I hope that you will find a good vet for both of your buns.


                                                          • brittbritt
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                                                              Gabby just got spayed yesterday and the price is going to be $155 and then I opted for the optional blood work to test for other health problems and it will be $85. So that price is about what it is for me. I have to travel an hour and a half to take Gabby to my vet’s office. They are the only ones close to me that will see birds, guinea pigs and rabbits.


                                                            • Elrohwen
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                                                                They both look like the same breed to me and they are basically the same color (except that one has the “broken” gene). They do look like holland lops to me, and ears can vary even within a litter. They are probably not bred to be show rabbits, which means that their genetics are a bit up in the air and all of the members of a litter won’t have the same “type”.

                                                                Though as others said, being brother and sister doesn’t make them any more likely to get along after puberty. Once they are separated, fixed, and put back together, they probably won’t remember each other very well and certainly won’t remember that they’re related. We have a whole bonding section that can be very helpful when you’re at that point and need to teach them to live together again.

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                                                            Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A What kind of BUNNIES DO I HAVE?