Regretting Bunnies?

[GreyMochi]

Hello! I very recently bought two holland lop bunnies. I got them at the farmer’s market, seller told me it was 1 boy and 1 girl. The pair was cuddled up together in this dirty cage that they were being sold in. I completely forgot to ask how old they were but they’re small and they still seem young. The pair have been very well behaved and they get along well with each other. Currently their cage is very tiny and they could definitely use some more space. But my dad isn’t a big fan of them and wouldn’t like the idea of them taking up more space than they already are. I try to let them out to roam as much as I can but because it’s summer I can only do that early in the morning and during the evening. While roaming I have to keep close watch and follow them and pick up their poop as I don’t want family members stepping on it. Other than during that time, they are inside their cage inside my house. I’m afraid I can’t take care of them. It was definitely an impulse buy and I wish I had put more thought into this commitment. 

 For now, I have all day to take them out, pick up their poop, feed them, and bring them inside during the morning and in the evening. I’m still a student so I will be starting school next week and I’m worried caring for them will take up all my time after school. I’m also worried about clipping their nails and neutering them. They don’t like being picked up so I’m not sure how to go about doing that. I have looked into neutering prices for bunnies but I’m worried about not being able to pay, along with after care since I may not be able to give them lots of attention. Me and a friend have been considering we co-parent and take turns each week. Would this constant change of environment for bunnies be stressful for them? 

 When I’m playing with them or watching them roam I really like them and they’re super chill, but when I separate from them all I can think of is worrying for them and how much of a big responsibility I signed myself up for. I need some advice. Do you think having a bunny as pet while you’re a student is a good idea? Should I spend some more time with them or should I consider finding them a new home? What would be the best way for me to rehome them? 

[Nutmeg]

Hey Grey Mochi – oh wow, that is a lot of stress on your shoulders isn’t it. Unfortunately rabbits are a LOT of work – more than most people realize, as they aren’t pets you can really just keep in a cage like a hamster. (Although, sadly, some people do – but you are already better than all of them because you don’t want to do that)
So lets go in order for your post.

1. Your dad not being a big fan is going to be your biggest hurdle as he doesn’t want them taking up too much space, but unfortunately they may be starting to reach sexual maturity (around 3 months) and he can get her pregnant – so you are going to need to separate them in to two different cages ASAP.
As much as they are loving and cuddly together now, once those hormones kick in and they aren’t spayed and neutered – which they can’t be until about 4-5 months for the boy and 6 months for the girl – they can get very territorial and fight to the death. (sadly, not an exaggeration) They you are looking at about a month of pre-bonding before you can start formally trying to bond them…. I got my boy and girl in February and we are just starting pre-bonding now.
Even if they are brother and sister it wont mater.

2. Picking up poop – rabbits can be litter box trained, however it is very difficult to do until they are spayed/neutred (not impossible but a lot harder) as they are trying to mark their territories. This stops after they are fixed.

3. Care plus school – they are a lot of work, and with two being separated you are going to have to take turns letting them out – plus you will need cages big enough that the can stand up on their hind legs in it and jump a few times across the length of it if they are going to be in it for any lenth of time.
~ I work, so what I do when I get home is let one out for 2 to 3 hours and let the other out for the next 2 to 3 hours before bed.

4. Spay and Neuter – Rabbits are considered exotic animals, so the vet bills are higher. Female bunnies are more likely to get uterine cancer – 70% of girls by the age of 3 – so its very important to spay them…. boys can spray their pee to mark their territory and both can get aggressive with their territory when not fixed, so that is the main reason boys get fixed…. Unfortunatly if you want to have them both together in the future (as they need to be separated now) it is recommended to have them both done, as the one that is unfixed could torment the one that is still.

My two to get fixed cost me over $600 for both – but that is here in Canada. Prices vary all over the world. You have to make sure you have a vet that is experienced with bunnys.

5. Your friend thinking of co-parenting – moving from place to place can be stressful on rabbits, but it depends on the rabbits… my boy would be fine with this, but my girl would not.

** Thought, could your friend take one bunny and you keep the one? Then you don’t have to worry about the extra space with your dad, other than hopefully a bigger cage for just the one you are keeping…. and only have the cost of getting one fixed – most importantly the girl if they aren’t going to be kept together in the future.

I hope that helped – they are VERY rewarding pets once you get to bond with them, which takes a bit of time… but they are a lot of work. They are susceptible to gas and GI stasis (do some research on that) and you have to check how much they are eating and pooping every day. As they need have their digestive track continously moving – thats why HAY is the most important part of their diet – 80% of what they eat should be hay.

[Asriel and Bombur]

Agree with everything Nutmeg said, but I do want to add some things. It seems like this was a spur of the moment purchase, in which case there are things to consider that most people do when researching bunnies.

1) How old are they? If they were sold at a farmers market my guess is they are probably under the age they should still be with their mother. Bunnies need to be with their mom until 8 weeks old. If they are under 6 weeks old they really need to be on some form of milk replacement and not be given any solid foods. Bunnies are weaned around 6 weeks old. So I can’t stress enough that they absolutely need a vet visit immediately to determine their ages and assess their overall health.

2) Please read up on proper diet. Bunnies have very delicate GI tracts. Pellets should be 1/2 cup, Greens should be introduced slowly starting at 3 months, fruit should be introduced slowly at 6 months, and hay should be unlimited. Hay is the most important part of their diet. They need to eat it to help keep their teeth trimmed down (they are lops which means teeth issues are easy to get) as well as helping to keep the gut moving.

3) Their normal poop should be cocoa puffs, round and pea sized. If they stop pooping for 12+ hours, it is an emergency and they need vet care. If they have diarrhea it is also a vet emergency as diarrhea in a bunny can be fatal.

[joea64]

I wouldn’t personally say “a lot of work”, providing the bunnies are already fixed (as mine were) and enjoy good health (as mine do!!), but they do require conscientious daily attention and some self-discipline to ensure that you always do what you need to do for them every day. Rabbits love routine, which can in fact be a good thing, since once you get into the groove with your daily and weekly tasks (feeding, watering, cleaning, grooming, etc.) it can become almost automatic. I’ve set myself to make sure that the very first things I do when I wake up in the morning every day, and when I come home from work on weekdays (and at the same time more or less on weekend evenings) are to see to the most important daily tasks of feeding Panda and Fernando – they get large handfuls of hay twice daily, Oxbow pellets in the morning and fresh green salad in the evening – and refresh their water bowl every day. In fact, they almost always go straight to the new batch of hay when it’s loaded into the litterbox in the evenings! Their condo cage is a big 2-story affair with over 17 square feet total space, solid nubby-textured plastic floor on the lower level and carpeted on the upper level, with two cardboard hidey boxes on the upper story and the litterbox on the lower story, and arranged so that the litterbox is in a very shady, cool area – the buns love to nap there in the early evenings.

The litter box is emptied three times a week and their condo cage is always cleaned on Saturday afternoon. They’re litter-trained and very good about keeping most of their poops (and all their pee) inside their litterbox, so it’s only necessary to pick up scattered poops mostly inside their cage and a few outside. They get at least 8 hours straight out of every 24 out of their cage every day without fail, almost always in the evening, and up to 12/13 hours straight on weekends, in a large 24-square-foot X-pen with a large hidey box, cardboard tunnel (and most recently an IKEA dolly bed). I make sure to interact with them on a frequent basis every day and to have floor sessions with them every evening. They get treats twice a day after mealtime, in the mornings and evenings, virtually always Oxbow Simple Rewards which is also timothy-based.

After a year, I think I can safely say that I’ve gotten the essential tasks down to a smooth routine so that it doesn’t really consume excessive time or effort, which allows that much more time for interacting and bonding with the buns!

[sarahthegemini]

Whilst it’s a wonderful thing that you rescued these bunnies, I think that it would be very difficult for you to be able to provide them with what they need given your circumstances. As Nutmeg said, not having a parent on board is a huge obstacle that causes a lot of issues.

I think rehomimg them is your best option. A no kill shelter is a must and preferably one that has experience with rabbits. Don’t feel bad about giving them to a shelter – you still saved them from the farmer’s market where somebody else might have bought them and might not be prepared to do the right thing once they discover how complex they are.

[GreyMochi]

Thanks! I definitely learned a lot. I didn’t know that they could get territorial after being cuddly with each other. I will look into fixing prices around me to see if I can afford it. I will for sure bring up the idea to my friend if he would like to just take one and keep.

[GreyMochi]

Thanks for the info! We have been talking about taking them to get a check up so we can make sure they’re healthy and get to know more about them. For now, I’ve been feeding them pellets, hay, and a little bit of vegetables (they seem to really like the vegetables) . I will cut down on the vegetables since they may not be of age. Their poops seem to be just like you describe and they poop often.

[GreyMochi]

Your setup sounds amazing. When they are outside of their cage I have to be within close supervision so its usually 2-3 hours max each time. I’ve been letting them out each morning for them to run but I’m afraid the routine will have to change once school starts and I can’t let them out until I get back from school. 

[GreyMochi]

I have looked into no kill shelters around me but none are within driving distance

[Bunny House]

I have to add, I didn’t see it above but they need to be fed alfalfa hay only as they seem very young, then you can add Timothy when they are older. I agree with the others. You really need to rehome them as they are costly when they are sick. It can easlily be $1000 when they are sick and your dad probably won’t want to pay for that. And you might not have a job so buying hay and veggies can be quiet expensive depending on where you live.

I don’t know where you live so I can’t help you try and locate any shelters or rabbit organisations near you. But call shelters and ask for nonkill shelters they may know or ask the vet and they can help you or even take them in for you until they can find a good home for them.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By GreyMochi on 8/21/2018 8:57 PM

I have looked into no kill shelters around me but none are within driving distance

Hmm, that’s tough. How about phoning them, explain your situation and see if they would be willing to collect from you? I’m not sure if that’s unrealistic but I’d at least ask. Maybe they could meet you half way?

[Nutmeg]

Posted By GreyMochi on 8/21/2018 8:45 PM

Thanks! I definitely learned a lot. I didn’t know that they could get territorial after being cuddly with each other. I will look into fixing prices around me to see if I can afford it. I will for sure bring up the idea to my friend if he would like to just take one and keep.

I didn’t know that either when I got my two – I was worried about babies and was going to separate them anyways, but it was this forum that helped me learn about the aggression and properly bonding them. The awesome part is that you are wanting to learn! 

I hope your dads like my dad – kind of a grump at first about new things but then warms up to them and ends up being more in love with them then he’ll admit lol.  

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