Storms and chickens

[babycakes]

Hello!

 

I'm new to this forum and I have a couple of questions I hope some one can help with,

 

I have 3 rabbits:

Nibbles is almost 4, he's a neutered boy, cross between a dwarf and something else!

Top Gear Rabbit (named by my boyfriend!!) is almost 1, she's a girl, not yet spayed and I have no idea what type of rabbit she is!

Mushu is about 4 months, not exactly sure as they didn’t tell me how old he was when I got him, he's a boy, not neutered and again I have no idea what type!

 

Nibs and Top Gear live together in an outside hutch. They don’t fight or have any problems. I only got Mushu at the end of November and was advised to keep him in as he hasn’t built up a winter coat. He's been in an indoor cage in my spare room since then.

 

I have been slowly introducing them all and until a couple of weeks ago they had been fine. I started them off in the bathroom as that’s neutral territory. None of them seemed bothered by the others and sat quite happily. I did this a few times and then progressed to a playpen

in the garden.

 

In the garden it all went wrong! Nibs tried to fight with Mushu. So I took Nibs out. Top Gear and Mushu seemed ok so we left them alone, and then checked on them regularly. I think he tried to have his way with her (am trying to phrase it politely!) and she then bit him. Since then she can’t be left alone with him either.

 

Do I persevere with trying to get them to all get on? Or should I just keep Nibs and Top Gear together and then keep Mushu separate? I worry about Mushu getting lonely so if he was separate from the other two should I then get him a companion?

 

How old do they have to be before they can live outside? I'm picking up an outdoor cage tonight but don’t know if Mushu is old enough and ready to be outside all the time yet. Does he need to acclimatise for a few hours each day, or is he still too young to be out there at all? I've never got a rabbit in the winter before and don’t want the cold weather to harm him.

 

Any advice or suggestions would be hugely appreciated!

[The Dogmother]

It's a hard one that.

 

All female bunnies should be neutered as they stand a high chance of having uterine cancer. It also tends to stop any teenage stropping.

 

Male bunnies are hard to put together unless thay have been brought up together. I would suggest that both of them are neutered and kept in hutches, where they cane see each other through the mesh, but can't beat the heck out of each other! By taking it gradually, you might manage an introduction, but from past experience, you'll be lucky if you do.

 

Sorry to sound all doom and gloom, but it's an unusual situation.

 

Bunnies are very sociable and prefer to be kept with a friend; it is harder to introdcue a friend afetr a bun has been on it's own for a while, and you'd need to follow the recommendations above.

 

They can go on the grass and eat veggies after 6 months old, but as with any changes to their diet, take it slowly and a bit at a time, otherwise they might get a nasty tummy problem.

[babycakes]

Thanks for the advice. I will get Mushu neutered when he's old enough. I assumed at 4 months he's not yet. And Top Gear will be spayed too. Probably have a family trip to the vets soon

 

I will look at getting Mushu a mate I think, I know rabbits are sociable creatures and I don’t want him to suffer or be lonely because he's on his own.

 

I had naively hoped that once they were all spayed and neutered they would all get on. A lesson I learnt the hard way

 

My concern re putting him outside was that it would be too cold for him. He's been inside for 2 months so is used to it being warm as we have the heating on. I didn’t know if putting him outside now would be too much of a shock for his little body. Do I need to put him outside for a few hours a day so he can get used to the difference in temperature or do I just go for it and move him out there properly? I don’t want to do anything that would make him ill or unhappy

[The Dogmother]

Thanks for the advice. I will get Mushu neutered when he's old enough. I assumed at 4 months he's not yet. And Top Gear will be spayed too. Probably have a family trip to the vets soon

 

They can be neutered from 6 months old

 

I will look at getting Mushu a mate I think, I know rabbits are sociable creatures and I don’t want him to suffer or be lonely because he's on his own.

 

If he can see the others, he will be fine. But they do better if they have a friend

 

I had naively hoped that once they were all spayed and neutered they would all get on. A lesson I learnt the hard way

 

Unfortunately not, it certainly makes them more biddable once the hormones die down, but not necessarily easier to pair off. You will have to keep your eyes on them in case they try to nip each other.

 

My concern re putting him outside was that it would be too cold for him. He's been inside for 2 months so is used to it being warm as we have the heating on. I didn’t know if putting him outside now would be too much of a shock for his little body. Do I need to put him outside for a few hours a day so he can get used to the difference in temperature or do I just go for it and move him out there properly? I don’t want to do anything that would make him ill or unhappy

 

Sorry, I didn't pick up that he'd actually been indoors. You will need to start putting them out when the weather is a tad more clement and take it an hour at a time until they get used to the cold - they won't have grown winter coats if they are inside.

[babycakes]

Once Mushu gets to six months I’ll take him to get neutered, and I’ll book Top Gear in to be done at the same time.

 

My boyf is concerned that getting another rabbit will be too much and we won’t spend enough time with them all. We're going to try and position the hutches outside so they can see each other, and then put them out in a run together periodically, supervised of course! If they still fight then maybe in the summer we'll look at getting another rabbit. I think that’s the best option but I’ve agreed to compromise with my boyf and see how Mushu copes alone until then. We'll see if they are any nicer to each other once they have all been 'done'. I can but hope!!

 

We picked up the outside hutch last night but it’s just in the conservatory at the moment. I'm taking your advice and not putting him outside yet. This way he can get used to the hutch. Then when its a bit warmer we'll start putting him outside for maybe an hour a day so he can build up to it. Does that sound ok? Do you think it will be ok for him to be outside full time come March, or is it still not warm enough? I don’t want to do him any harm.

 

Another completely unrelated question. I've been looking at the Eglu's. Are they big enough for rabbits to spend all day in? They are very expensive and i'm just wondering how they are different to a hutch. We need to replace Top Gear and Nib's hutch soon and i wonder if an Eglu would be better.

[tuffet]

Don't know if this helps, but we adopted a rescue bunny as a friend for our Buster in November, just 3 days after she was neutered, so she did need some protection. He was in an indoor run in the garage - a big space, 9' x 9' - so we just split the space down the middle for a while until they got used to each other, then progressed onto supervised time together.

If you have the space, maybe you could have a similar divided run so at least they can all see each other.

 

Oh yes - even tho Buster is 18 months old and was neutered at 6 months, to my horror he got rather over-friendly. Tuffet soon put him in his place as like your rabbit she gave him a couple of sharp nips! I then let them sort themselves out and now they are the best of pals.

 

 

Jan

PS don't have a rablu yet, but probably will - easier to move around, and much easier to clean! Also seems to be more foxproof than the everage hutch. And of course you can extend the run as much as you want.

Edited February 6, 2008 by Guest

[Egluntyne]

If your female has been with the unneutered male she could well be pregnant so keep an eye on her.

[The Dogmother]

Once they are accustomed to the weather, they will be fine outside - my girls spend all winter outside in their 'winter palace', but then they have grown thick winter coats.

 

As soon as the grass dries out they are on the lawn 24/7 in their rablu and run. They really love it and it is so much easier to clean than a wooden hutch; I move it around once a week, and they prefer to have their litter tray in the rablu itself and to spend all their time bouncing around the run, which has a clear shower curtain cover on it ot keep the rain and wind out. In the summer, I use the bigger Omlet shade to keep them out of the sun.

[babycakes]

Thanks everyone for all your advice & suggestions

 

Could Top Gear really be pregnant? I am keeping an eye on her. I didn’t think Mushu was old enough to impregnate her. Are there any signs I can use to see if she is? She doesn’t appear to have put on any weight. She’s not behaving any differently, her eating patterns haven’t changed.

 

I’ll try the idea of splitting the run next time I put them out. I hadn’t thought of that but it’s definitely big enough. I actually have two runs. Could I just put them next to each other so they can see each other but aren’t actually together? I hope once I have them all ‘done’, with supervised sessions and a great deal of patience, they do all get on. I won’t put them all in the same hutch, but it would be nice if they could be out in a run together without fighting. I guess we shall see!

 

I’m hoping to get them all living outside come winter. I hope by then Mushu will be accustomed to our great cold weather and have a suitable winter coat.

 

I am thinking of investing in a Rablu as they look better than a wooden hutch, although my boyf is now smitten with the idea of chickens!!

[Egluntyne]

Could Top Gear really be pregnant? I am keeping an eye on her. I didn’t think Mushu was old enough to impregnate her. Are there any signs I can use to see if she is? She doesn’t appear to have put on any weight. She’s not behaving any differently, her eating patterns haven’t changed.

 

I wouldn't rule it out just yet.

 

Based on the experience years ago of buying 2 "boys" who were "brothers".

 

They did live together quite happily. And then one of them started to look a bit fat.

 

She "ran away" as far as the children were concerned.

 

In fact she went back to the place from whence she came.....and I got a refund

plus a bag of rabbit food by way of an apology.

 

Later enquiries revealed that she had 5 babies.

[The Dogmother]

Like Egluntine said - it's not unheard of! Bunnies aren't terribly easy to sex either, and non-professional breeding isn't encouraged as it can be fraught with problems.

 

Personally, I'd get her to the vet asap if she's over 6 months and get her seem to as soon as you can.

 

Dividing the run is a good plan, hopefully they will get on better once they have been neutered and the hormones have died down.

 

Now, I have two sisters, bought from a very reputable breeder and friend, Karen Wren of Ross Rabbits . They get on so well that I worry what will happen when one of them dies. They were really hormonal until they were about 9 months old though.

[FruitandNutCake]

I guess you have probably had him neutered now as it has been a couple of months since you posted.

 

But when I got my male rabbit the vet said he could be neutered from 3 months, and they did him when Bugsy was 3 months and 3 weeks old. I think girls have to be 4-5 months. my female was done when she was about 4 months and 10 days old.

 

Michelle