Hello from Texas!

[mamachumchum]

 New to rabbits

Just purchased two 5 week old males (hopefully they are both male, sales girl not sure ) Purchased from local feed store with promise to collect bunnie support if not same sex…lol

Thumper and Flower…not tooo original but kiddo loves Bambi

undecided on neturing..for lack of info more then anything. conflicting info on line and having to find new vet as my basset hounds vet does not deal in rabbits.

Have heard that neturing prevents spraying and aggressive behavior and that it will make bunnies fat??? 

The boys inherited Harley’s old kennel (not really old just not needed anymore ) its the largest one on the market so they have lots of room. Going to get the huby to make it into a bi-level with a ramp!

Confused on some things, excited to be a part of the forum and appreciate any and all “new rabbit owner advice/cautions” that may come my way.

The boys are indoor pets, for myself but blamed on my 2 1/2 year old in order to get Daddy to agree! O.o

Hope I did this right!

[Beka27]

Welcome!

There is a lot of misinformation out there and it sounds like you’ve stumbled upon some. I’ll dig up some links from recognized sources for you.

With males, neutering is not as necessary as for females (females have an 80% chance of uterine cancer by the age of 4 if not spayed).
If unneutered tho:
– They will not be able to live in the same cage after about 3-5 months old, so you’d have to have two separate spaces for them.
– Littertraining may be more difficult, or impossible, and they may spray urine to mark territory, especially since there are two bunnies. They will each be marking against the other.
– They may be more destructive, chewing carpet, furniture, walls, baseboards, cords, etc…
– Unneutered males STINK. If you’ve ever walked into the home of a person with an adult, unneutered male… you know that bunny is in the house. Their urine is very musky, like onions… Not pleasant.
– Spay/neuter does not make a rabbit fat. Poor diet/lack of exercise makes them fat. Adult rabbits should be fed primarily hay and green veggies, with only a tiny amount of pellets. Pellets make them fat. If they are caged, they also require at least 2-3 hours of out of cage exercise time each day.

Some rabbits do become aggressive (biting/clawing/boxing) and I would be concerned for the safety of your child.  Before my female was spayed, she left some nasty bite marks on my son, who was about 4 at the time.  And since your child is younger, he may have an even harder time knowing what happened and may take it to mean the bunny doesn’t like him, when in reality, the bunny is too hormonal to know any better.

Since you are not sure of the sexes, I would recommend you take them to an experienced rabbit vet to be properly sexed, and for a full exam including fecal check, by 10-12 weeks. If they are a mixed pair, they would need to be separated at that time.

I am not sure what “bunny support” means. The feed store would take in a resulting litter? That is not a solution. There are already too many rabbits withering away in shelters around the country and being dumped outside. The only solution is preventing a pregnancy from occurring in the first place.

 

Some links:

 

Spay/Neuter

Spay or Neuter My Rabbit? - Dana Krempels, Ph.D.

FAQ: Spaying and Neutering - HRS

To Breed or Not To Breed - Dana Krempels, Ph.D.

 

[Sarita]

Welcome!

Ditto everything Beka said. Also if they are 5 weeks old, that is very young to be separated from their momma.

Keep asking questions – we are here to help.

[kralspace]

hi mamachumchum and welcome!

Ditto on the spay and neuter, it also does wonders for their dispositions. I live just north of Waco in Texas. There will be some other members by with sharp sticks to poke you for lots of pictures of your boys!

[mamachumchum]

Hey,
Thanks for the info.
I learned after I purchased mine that 5 weeks was too young! Crossing fingers that Love and Good intentions will get us past it. They seem to be doing great though. Day two of litter training and they seem to be consistently using the boxes for urine, poo poo is a different story…but also somehow not gross?? I just pick it up and put it in the box until night time when I change the litter.
Currently looking for local vet that knows about rabbits. Disappointed in the lack of educated vets in my area. Hope to be able to take them soon, would like to neuter and have checked asap to avoid any pit falls. Contacted Rabbit Society for referrals to locals vet, not holding breath. Hope I dont have to settle for any vet.

It is not my intention to take any unplanned babies back to the feed store where I got mine, I am trying to do what I can to avoid that situation all together…I am super happy that I was able to get them but now know that there is a lack of info at the place I purchased and dont want to contribute to it. I just pray that if GOD sees fit to bless me with bunnies that he does so in a small amount.

[mamachumchum]

In process of trying to post pictures… bear with me

[mamachumchum]

 

[Beka27]

So cute! They look like twins!

[mamachumchum]

 Not the best pictures, i took them from my phone. The more tan of the two is Thumper and the grayer one is Flower. The picture on the left is after adding the second litter box and hay, they really like the hay and I think it has helped them to go potty in the box. Any  suggestions on what to put in there with them are welcome. I am going to put another level and a ramp in there soon I hope. Going to try for some better pics.

 

[mamachumchum]

 Thanks! I am taking more pic’s with my camera so I can post some that are better. They are so much fun 

[OhMommaButterGrits]

Oh my! How adorable! It’s a shame that there is so much misinformation out there about bunnies and what it means to actually have one as a pet, I am so glad that you found this site! Welcome!

[mamachumchum]

Thank You! I have learned a lot so far

[mamachumchum]

Can anyone tell what breed these are?? I was only told they are dwarfs? They look like Holland Lops to me?

[LoveChaCha]

Oh no, those are not dwarfs at all Looks like lops to me. You won’t know for sure what type of lop (Holland, Mini, etc) until they get to their full size.

Rabbit poops are really easy to clean, and great for the garden Poopies are made up of pellets and hay so, not disgusting at all xD

[mamachumchum]

Already putting poo in garden! Yea

Just curious why u say they are not dwarf? In the picture they are both sitting in lass then half of a standard pie pan if that gives a size reference. I was excited about them being small, but will keep them either way cuz I’m in LOVE! Just wonder what to look for
Thanks

[Tate]

I guess they could be a dwarf breed (depends on if they end up being holland or mini) but usually the term “dwarf rabbit” is reserved for Netherland dwarfs or something mixed with a ND. Netherland Dwarf is a breed itself, like a Holland Lop. I have both a HL and ND… The ND (is actually probably a mix) is 1.5 lbs whereas the HL is over 3 lbs now and younger than my ND.

[LoveChaCha]

I see :p

I’ve heard of some smaller lops being called dwarf lops, but I use the term dwarfs to refer to the Netherland Dwarf breed.

[mamachumchum]

oh, ok..well time will tell. Like I said it doesnt matter to me either way. It would just be nice to say I have a _______. When asked what kind they are..lol
Thanks for the input

[misdh]

I have a five month old Holland Lop and she is about the same size as your five week old bunnies. I would say those will be pretty good size bunnies .

[mamachumchum]

Well, I do live in Texas! They say “go big or go home”. Lol, time will tell. At what age are rabbits full gown?

[LoveChaCha]

About 6 months to a year. My dwarf rabbit reached her full size at 6 months.

[peppypoo]

Welcome, I live in Texas too! Looks like you’ve got a bunch of great information already…the boys are adorable

[mamachumchum]

Thanks! Everyone here has been very friendly and helpful. Its nice to have others who not only have info on the fur babies but also who can understand why were so excited to have them in our lives!!!

My Hubby says I have a fur brain now, cuz everything is about the bunnies

[TriBun]

 Hi, good to have you.  Aren’t bunnies so much fun?  I just want to add that your going to want to get them neutered (or maybe spayed).

 Sex hormones are the reason rabbits are so misunderstood and the number one reason they are taken back to shelters.  Your sweet little guys will turn into monsters when they become sexually mature.  I remember, I thought my bunny was the easiest thing in the world to litterbox train until she was about 5 months old.  Then she started peeing ang pooping everywhere!  She started growling at us and even bit my son cause he wouldn’t let her hump his arm (yeah, girls do that too). 

Every bunny is different, but in general, they are just better pets without hormones controlling them.

 

[mamachumchum]

I have a email in to a area vet for more info. I do plan on getting that taken care of though, the last thing we need at my house is more hormones! lol

[LoveChaCha]

Oh yes, I agree with Tribun.

Their genders will need to be checked, and as they are young, they will tolerate each other. When hormones kick in, they may or may not. They will need to be seperated temporary sometime in the future, and rebonded after spay/neutering. It only takes one time for a pregnancy to happen ><

I’m happy to see that you are checking around for vets
Here is a good list: http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

 

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