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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.

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Forum BEHAVIOR 2 Netherland Bunnies – 2 months old…some questions…first post

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    • Antha
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        Background:


        I have 2 Netherland dwarf bunnies, a little older than 2 months. We got them at 5 & 6 weeks old respectively (they were born mid-Jan). One is my daughter’s (she’s 8) and one is my sister’s (she’s 33). Of course, I call them “mine” because they live in my room, I feed them, take care of them, let them out to run for a couple hours when I get home, clean the litter, etc. Point is, I spend the most time with them and am “The Bunny Caretaker”. I really love these bunnies.


        At first, I could pick them up and could hold them for a few minutes and pet them and they seemed like they liked it and were getting used to it. They will crawl all over me, accept food from my hand all the time. But lately, they don’t want pets on the head, or anywhere for that matter. I thought I was making progress with them, but a few weeks ago, they started fighting me very hard if I went to pick them up (so I limit it to when I *have to*) and they also won’t let me pet them anymore.


        I don’t understand what happened. Occasionally, they will allow a quick pet one time (maybe) but they pretty much run if my hand goes anywhere near them. They like to eat food off of me, play in my hair sometimes, the one thinks she’s a bird and loves to perch on me.


        When they get older, or get spayed, will they be more docile? I love them regardless (even though they aren’t “mine”) but it’d be nice if occasionally I could pet them. Also, when should I have them spayed? I know it’s somewhere between 4-6 months, but how do you know if they are sexually mature and need it done? Should it be done on both at the same time? When they are spayed, should I take time off work so that I can be there to monitor them and take care of them?


        I have them (mostly?) litter trained. They only urinate in their litter box. They poop in it too, but they also poop on the bottom level as well. No idea why. They don’t poop in the penthouse. They seem to know to poop in the litterbox, so I’m not sure why they don’t always use it like they do to pee. Thoughts?


        Oh, and here is a pic of the cage I built them since they were outgrowing their first one. It’s actually fully carpeted now and the litter box resides in the back left corner. Cutie is the tan & white broken. Maya is the gray one.

         

         

         


      • peppypoo
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          Welcome!

          I encourage you to find a good rabbit-savvy vet in your area and take them in for a health checkup to establish a relationship with the vet, and to make sure that they really *are* both female. I know it may sound silly, but gender mix-ups happen ALL the time with baby bunnies, since their tiny parts are so hard to see. In fact, we thought my Remi was a girl until I took “her” in for a “spay”. It is good to determine this while they are still too young for sexual maturity, just in case they happen to be a male and a female, so that accidental litters do not occur. While males can be neutered as soon as the testes descend (which can be as early as 4 months), most vets will spay females at around a standard 5-6 months.

          As for the skittishness, it could just be that they are growing into their personalities. Baby bunnies are pretty much cuddly across the board, and tolerate being held much better than most adults. In fact, very few adult bunnies like to be held, and we usually encourage our members to refrain from doing so except for the purposes of grooming and transportation. Some bunnies are just naturally more shy while others love physical affection, but even those that are skittish usually will relax with age. The key is to not force contact on them, but to keep allowing them to come up to you and explore you on their own terms. Spaying will not change their personalities but rather tone down hormonal behaviors that may arise such as aggression, territoriality, marking, and mounting.

          From your cage setup, it looks like you have a soft bedding material all over the bottom (which you now say is carpeted?). Many bunnies will automatically equate soft bedding material with litter box, and oftentimes litter training is most successful when all bedding material is removed except for inside the litterbox, to clear up the confusion. Of course, litter training does tend to be variable in younger bunnies, especially as they approach puberty.

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      Forum BEHAVIOR 2 Netherland Bunnies – 2 months old…some questions…first post