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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A going to be a new bun mum

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    • Sara Darlingg
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        So moving into a new home I would like to own another bunny, i used to have a 2yrld female who was a feisty but lonely bun, she couldnt handle having another bun friend so i did what i thought was best and gave her to a friend, a stay at home mom with a kitten whom my old bun adores!!!

        Anywho, I want to have 2 female babies (I don’t like humpy males) and i was thinking 2 mini rex or one rex one lop i want to buy them as babies so we dont have some of the issues our adopted 2 yrld had, we want to purchase them already knowing eachother with hopes that they wont feel the need to tear eachother to fluff balls. how i shall proceed with tons of questions.

        are they okay as related siblings?

        is having rex and lop okay as friends?

        2 females spayed/ unspayed? does it matter?

        i will have a very large 2 level cage will they be okay together?

        they will be caged only while myself or boyfriend are not home

        we have  a very large fenced off area of our home to them for when they are not in cages

        do babies need special care? please explain

        special foods?

        feel free to comment on anything i havent mentioned!


      • emkvet
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          It actually won’t matter that you’re adopting 2 baby bunnies, even if they’re siblings. Once rabbits hit puberty, they usually won’t get along no matter what, even if they’re related. You aren’t guaranteeing anything by getting babies. In fact, baby rabbits can be rather difficult, especially once they hit their teenage stage; they will be hormonal, difficult to handle, and have undesirable behaviors.

          It ALWAYS matters that female rabbits are spayed. Female rabbits have an 80-85% chance of reproductive cancer, so spaying is highly recommended to eliminate this risk. It also helps with litter training, reduced hormonal behaviors (spraying, marking, etc.), and makes them a less frustrated, more friendly bun.

          I would recommend that you adopt a single rabbit, or if you’re set on two, get an already bonded adult pair from a shelter. It will be much easier on both you and the buns.

          Good luck!


        • Sara Darlingg
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            awe, darn i was really hoping that getting a pair at a young age would bypass the whole bonding thing plus i wanted a baby because my old bun (adopted at age 2) had quite the life, saw four homes before being in mine and wasnt too keen on people.


          • Monkeybun
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              Don’t make the mistake of thinking girls don’t hump! My little girl Monkey is a humping MACHINE. It’s a dominance thing, they will all do it if they want to be the dominant bun.

              i also second the shelter bonded pair option, as bonding bunnies can be very aggravating and stressful. You have to make sure both bunnies are altered, or a bond won’t work.

              For food, avoid those pellet mixes that have other stuff, like seeds, corn, etc mixed in, as its crap. Plain timothy pellets, like from Oxbow, are way better. A good, fresh, timothy hay is also needed 24/7. A baby bun will need alfalfa pellets or hay, but sometimes they just don’t like it, like Monkey, so timothy will work as well.


            • Roberta
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                The serial Humper at my place is Pepper, she is the alpha bun. Pepper was making a menace of herself again the other night on the day bed and when I told her she was behaving like a pervert she hrmphed and gave me the butt. So getting two girls is not going to prevent humping. My big boy Piglet on the other hand since being neutred last year has not interest in humping.


              • bunnyfriend
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                  Hi welcome to Binky Bunny

                  Baby bunnies personalities usually change once they grow up, so even if you have a friendly baby bunny it doesn’t reflect how they will be when they get older. Like the others have said, being siblings doesn’t factor into whether or not the two bunnies will be bonded. Every female bunny needs to be spayed because unspayed female rabbits have an 80-85% risk of developing uterine cancer at a young age (as well as mammary and ovarian). No matter what gender, if one or both of the bunnies isn’t spayed or neutered it isn’t a true bond. My little female lop humps my large male rabbit all the time (it’s actually kind of funny), when rabbits are fixed humping isn’t sexual it’s a dominance thing.

                  Since you asked about baby bunnies I’ll share my experience with adopting a baby. First off, babies are a TON of work! They need a lot of attention and patience. I adopted my lop bunny from the shelter (she was only there for a couple days) at the age of about 8-10 weeks. As a baby she was very outgoing and attention seeking, but as an adult she is much more reserved. She still likes me but she doesn’t really want to be petted. About a week or so before her spay she turned into a little monster, she bit me a couple times and lost her litter box habits. Her spay costed about $400. Babies are adorable but very fragile and require different diets than adult bunnies. I love my rabbit and I wouldn’t change things, but I might not adopt a baby again.

                  Any breed of rabbit can be bonded to each other! I have a little 3 pound lop bunny and an 8 pound uppity ear rabbit that are happily bonded. I wouldn’t give up on shelter buns! All three of mine have come from shelters and two are the sweetest snuggle bunnies you will ever meet (the other one is friendly and wants to be around me but doesn’t enjoy being petted all the time)! There are some great rabbits waiting for forever homes. It’s also important to keep in mind that most bunnies do not like to be snuggled or picked up, they like attention on their terms and on the floor where they feel safe, so if you want a pet that you can do those things to a rabbit may not be the best choice.

                  Sorry I wrote so much but I hope this helps you a little


                • LBJ10
                  Moderator
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                    I agree with what everyone else has said. I would consider getting an already bonded pair. You will have a chance to see their personalities beforehand and you won’t have the stress of two babies growing up and suddenly hating each other.


                  • FrankieFlash
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                      Although most people here are pro-shelter (I being one) that’s not the main reason they are suggesting it. They are suggesting it because of your concern over personality and bonding. It is usually more successful to adopt a bonded pair and have them keep their bond then bonding two rabbits yourself, siblings or not. Also you save yourself quite a bit of money by adopting because they’ll already be fixed.

                      And last but not least I too got a baby rabbit from the pet store. And man has it been a rollercoaster. He hated me at first. Didn’t want anything to do with humans. At about 5 months he started letting me pet him and between 5-8 months he like fell in love with us but that got to the point where he was trying to hump us all the time, being moody, and stalking us constantly where we couldn’t get anything done. He got neutered a little before 9 months (kinda late but it’s a long story) and now he’s still going through that stage where their hormones are trying to get all settle so he’s been kinda destructive and extra thumpy. I hope it settles down. I love bunjamin more than anything but if I could do it again, knowing what I know, I would adopt a bonded pair from my rescue. Or maybe even a trio


                    • LoveChaCha
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                        Baby bunnies are quite difficult and require so much time and patience! My Chacha bun was 8 weeks old when I got her. It took a lot of patience, and has taught me some patience in return Spaying females is a big big big win for bunny parent and bunny. Unspayed females experience false pregnancies (nesting, pulling out hair, etc) and it is very sad to see. A spay can be costly, but is worth paying for. Chemotherapy would not be cheap for a girl rabbit. A routine spay gets rid of any chances of reproductive cancer.

                        As for housing, I suggest a dog exercise pen. Rabbit cages are often too small for rabbits. They require so much space than most think

                        With baby rabbits, you do not know if they are 100% a girl and a girl. Breeders are not always right about gender, and it could result in a litter of rabbit babies. It is best to have one at a time, IMO, unless you are adopting from a shelter, and let the rabbit choose his/her own friend.


                      • Freyja
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                          I agree with getting an older bonded pair if you want 2 bunnies, even the smoochiest loved up pair can turn into mortal enemies when the hormones kick in. I personally wouldnt recommend introducing two bunnies until both are desexed or you may have to rebond them all over again! If you have your heart set on a baby i can say that, having adopted a baby bun about 5 months ago, that they are a lot of work!  It’s very tempting to get baby bunny because they are so sweet and small but if i ever decide to get another bun i think i would now go for an older rabbit. I’m not trying to put you off babies and i wouldnt swap my bun for the world but they are absolute terrors in the first few months lol. Although he has never shown any humpy behaviour, he did go a bit crazy, losing his previously perfect toilet habits and regularly peeing on my bed, pooing EVERYWHERE, chewing everything, destroying everything, escaping from everywhere and just being a general terror, he is still an absolute sweetheart and i love him but it really is like living with a moody teenager!

                          food wise baby buns are quite sensitive and must be introduced to new foods slowly, one veg at a time over a week period and in small amounts at first, and check it hasnt upset their tummies by checking their poo. Also make sure you get a good pellet (i recommend oxbow) that isnt a museli type mix with ‘bits’ of different things like corn and seeds in as its quite bad for them. make sure the breeder gives you some of the food they were eating and slowly mix it in with the new pellets over a week or so until your changed over.

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                      Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A going to be a new bun mum