Picking Up Young Bunnies

[Shelli]

Hi all, I’m new here but have been browsing the posts and you all really know bunnies!  I’d like some advice if someone can help, we’ve recently had 2 new additions to our family, a girl and a boy, both pygmy bunnies about 8 weeks old (at a guess). 

We’ve just started letting them have the run of the house, (which might be too soon?), but when we have to put them back in their pen when we go to bed they are very difficult to catch!  Does anybody have any tips on how to catch a bunny who doesn’t want to be caught, causing as little strees to it as possible?

Lv

xx

 

[JK]

Hi and welcome here! Not sure giving them free run of the house at 8 weeks old is such a good idea until they are completely litter trained!  I would give them a room or a large enclosure to start off with and make sure they are trained before giving them so much freedom.  Anyway, a great way to get them to come is to give them a healthy treat at bedtime.  They catch on quicker than you can imagine. A sliver of carrot or apple or a sprig of mint is great.  Make sure that you only give them slivers or tiny pieces of a fruit or carrot no more than 3 or 4 times a week because of the high sugar content.  See Bunny Info above and click of Diet for pictures and ideas. Good luck. Keep us posted!

[Floppy]

I think at 8 weeks old it might be too early to let them have the run of the house, esp if they arent spayed/neutered yet.
You will be running into lots of problems with chewing/digging/spraying. You should just let them get used to one small
area first. As far as catching the rabbits, I don’t do that…what I find works best (for me at least) is that I sort of herd them
back to where they need to go, I say the command, “Inside” while I do it too. if you kinda just push them along they will
automatically jump back to base.

[Beka27]

yes, i would start much much smaller. give them an xpen to play in or a smaller COMPLETELY bunny-proofed room. be aware tho that even with bunny-proofing, tiny buns can squeeze into the smallest places. my bun was going underneath the entertainment cabinet until her butt got bigger and she couldn’t fit in anymore.

so… when are you planning on separating them?  have you been doing any research on spaying/neutering?

[Sage Cat]

I call it Bunny Wrangling!

Basically, I heard like floppy does. I have discovered with my 2 that a nice handful of “fresh” hay often does the trick.

[Shelli]

Thanks for all the ideas, maybe it was a bit too much too soon, they are only babies still really.

I hadn’t decided yet when to separate them, my boyfriend’s auntie has a rabbit sanctuary, she thinks they will be ok together until about 4 months, but as soon as we can have them both neutered we will do, I’ll ask the vet about it when they have their jabs next week.  How long do you have to separate them for when they have the neutering done?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

It’s debatable about whether or not to seperate while healing from a spay/neuter. If they are each others incisions, definitely; If not, you don’t have to.

However, because you have a male and a female, they can get pregnant up to one month after the surgery. I’d say if you had it done as soon as you possibly could, then you are probably safe. If you do have to seperate them (as they became reproductive before the surgery) ensure they can see each other, but can’t touch; Rabbit’s can get pregnant through cages (just happened a couple months ago at the shelter where I volunteer).

Anyways, I’m sure others have more info for you on this Oh, and WELCOME !!!

[Author]

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