Bunnies for Christmas. ?

[Skip&Piper]

Hello everyone!

We’ve given our kids a pair of sister mini-lops for Christmas this year. I know in general, pets as gifts are rather frowned upon but I assure you we are planning to spoil the heck out of these buns, and they are just as much a gift for me as for my kiddos

They are 4 1/2 months old and lived in an outside hutch prior to this. I think they are very happy to be inside with more space, but they seem to have no issues with peeing and pooping all over everything. I’m in desperate need of some advice and encouragement in this department but I will post again in the appropriate forum topic for that!

Thanks for looking, and Merry Christmas!!

[Asriel and Bombur]

I’m glad you’ve done the research before getting the buns and are saving them from a life of a hutch outside

I know you say they’re sisters, but I’m going to save you a lot of grief and shock right now, but please keep them completely separate at all times. Bunnies don’t recognize family units, and at 4.5 months old they are not old enough to be spayed. They can get into serious fights due to puberty, and especially with a move to a new home it can really exacerbate things. I know even if they look nice and cuddly now, it really can change in an instant, and bunnies are extremely violent towards each other, especially females. They are also going to the bathroom all over the place because they aren’t yet spayed, and will continue to do this until they are bonded and have gone through the bonding process. You can read more on this in the bonding thread.

[DanaNM]

Welcome!

Gotta love presents that are just as much for the giver as the receiver. If you are new to house bunnies in general, there is tons of useful info in the “Bunny Info” tab at the top of the page (housing, diet, bunny proofing, bonding, etc.).

I was unable to view the photos (it says I need permission), but I will take your word for it that they are adorable. Mini lops are just oh-so-cute with their grumpy block head faces.

Second A&B about planning to have them separated (you might already). They can live as neighbors until they are spayed (usually at 8-9 months) and properly bonded. It’s easier to separate before they start fighting (usually at puberty), so they don’t build any bad feelings, but they will be happy to live side by side and share a wall. We’re happy to help suggest options for their housing based off what type of space you have to work with.

Litter box training will likely be a lost cause until they are spayed, unfortunately! It’s also very normal for buns to mark everywhere in a new environment, so they will likely settle down a bit over the next few weeks. Puppy pee pads work great in the mean time.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Skip&Piper]

Thanks for the replies!

I have them together right now, and am currently hunting down a bunny savvy vet in order to get them spayed. They are really attached to each other, so I’d be sad to have to separate them, but of course will do that should it become necessary. They are in a 4×8 home made pen right now, with the plan to add 4 more feet to the length and add a second level at some point fairly soon.

I am trying to see if I can fix the picture links, if I try to upload anything directly from the iPad, it says file type not allowed, but they are all jpg.

[DanaNM]

Nice, that pen is large enough that you could temporarily divide it in two while waiting for their spays and bonding. You’ll want to use a small grid mesh that they cannot nip each other through (1/4” hardware cloth is great). Having them as neighbors will make them less sad and help with the bonding process.

Unfortunately I’d say about 90% of the “why are my rabbits fighting?” posts we get on the forum are from siblings who were fine together as babies (as babies do get along great), but then hit puberty and things go south quickly. Do be vigilant with them, and keep a close eye out for any increases in nipping, chasing, etc. and be prepared to separate at any time. Don’t want to sound like a broken record, but definitely don’t want any injuries with your new babies!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Skip&Piper]

Yep, I can definitely add a centre wall if/when needed without any trouble. I’ll make sure I have an extra litter box and water/food dishes on hand to, so that I’m ready at a moments notice. It seems so crazy to think that they wouldn’t get along, they love each other so much right now, I could just watch them interact with each other all day long! But – that’s why I came here, to get advice from the pros! So don’t feel bad about repeating what’s important, I appreciate it!

I think I’ve got the photo sharing thing worked out – here’s a link to an album with a whole lot of photos.

[DanaNM]

It is so crazy to think about how things can change. Hormones man, no joke! Cuddly baby turned grumpy teenager! Yikes. :p

Glad to help! Hopefully things go smoothly with them and their spays.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Asriel and Bombur]

hahaha Dana. that’s too true. Asriel’s changed in an instant. The boys has been out all night as usual back then, and Asriel was definitely “off” from his usual timid self. He was chinning and digging everything and getting very violent with the willow balls. Put them back in their pen for bedtime only to hear grunts and tumbling 2 minutes later. The boys were in the middle of their first scuffle. Fur was everywhere and they were laying on their sides ferociously kicking each other. Bombur walked away with a few nicks and Az was clean as a whistle. Separated them right then and there and never looked back xD I’m honestly glad we were so close to the door to hear the fight as soon as it started.

[Skip&Piper]

Oh wow! That must have been rather scary! I honestly thought I was avoiding the whole bonding thing by getting litter mates, I’m glad I decided to make an account and post here!

Good news, I do have their spays scheduled for February 6th, which is just shy of their 6 month birthday, but we picked it because I have 4 days of work off after then where I can be with them. I’m nervous, (and not terribly excited to spend $600, but it is what it is!) but looking forward to that being done and moving forward with litter training. They are still literal snuggle bunnies right now, but if I were to separate them, would they have better litter habits, even before spaying, because they aren’t trying to mark over each other in the pen? We do also have a pug who loves to walk into their enclosure with me, she’s very calm with the buns but I imagine her scent everywhere is not helping matters either. I’m teaching her that she’s not allowed in that space but she’s not perfect with that by any means yet.

Thanks again for all the advice!!

[DanaNM]

Buns truly are complex little creatures! And so much misinformation about them out there. Glad you found us as well!

They prob won’t have great litter box habits till they are spayed and bonded. The pug prob isn’t affecting things too much since they are used to her.

FYI, Regarding the spays, make sure the vet does NOT ask you to fast them before hand (this is a red-flag of a vet that isn’t rabbit savvy), and they should send you home with pain meds and critical care in case you need to syringe feed them.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Skip&Piper]

The pug and bunnies are actually super amazing with each other considering they have only been together three days! The only problem is when the buns binky, the pug thinks she needs to also run, which leads to me panicking that she will step on them, but she’s not all that much bigger than they are!

Thanks again for all of your help! I;m going to try the whole picture thing one last time now, haha! Edit: Yay it worked, but it’s HUGE! Sorry about that!

[Skip&Piper]

Forgive me – testing out this photo posting thing again!

[DanaNM]

OMG SO CUTE!!

**dies***

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Skip&Piper]

Hee, thanks! They are super sweet. ❤️

[LittlePuffyTail]

Agree!!!!! Ridiculously cute!!! And Welcome to BB, btw.

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