bigmommasally Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 I'm getting a mini lop this weekend, it's a sooty fawn, 8 weeks old. The Hutch and run are all ready for him but since seeing him and realising how tiny he is I'm worried about leaving him in the hutch overnight. Do you think I should bring him indoors to sleep or will he be okay snuggled up in hay. The breeder has said that he would be okay but I'm still worrying all the same. Any thoughts would be welcomed thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clootie Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 We got our mini lop last weekend but he's a year old and I was worried about leaving him out by himself all night!! We did and he was absolutely fine. I would feel the way you do with a tiny bun but I'm sure he will be fine as long as he has a warm snuggly bed to cosy up in. Was he with lots of others when you first saw him? Are you planning on getting a friend for him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoriabunny Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 He will be fine. Buns cope much better with cold than with heat. Put a layer of woodshavings in the hutch first, then a thick layer of straw on top of that and he'll snuggle into it if he's cold - but you may find he chooses to sit in the open part of the hutch all night! One bunny on his own outside will be very lonely though - they're not happy as solitary creatures. Can you get him a friend? At 8 weeks old he won't be sexually mature so you could safely introduce a girlfriend (who he will welcome with open arms - don't get a boy though, as they'll probably fight). You have to watch for his testicles appearing, which will be obvious and will happen about 14-16 weeks of age. Your vet can check for you. When he has testicles, he can be castrated and reunited with his girlfriend the day after the op (a mature bun castrated at a later age can remain fertile for up to a month following castration, so must be separated from females for longer - so it's much better to get them done as juveniles). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmommasally Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 We hadn't really made our minds up whether to get an indoor hutch to bring him in for more company in the evenings, or whether to get another baby bunny to keep him company. we've been reading lots of info and some says that keeping a solitary bunny is fine as he bonds with the owner more. When we go tomorrow we'll have alook to see what other babies the breeder has, She has a brother to the one we're getting and she said that 2 brothers would live happily together as they grow up together. Is taht true? What do people with lots of rabbits do? Surely they must have boys living together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoriabunny Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 I would say a houserabbit who lives permanently indoors would be OK on his own, as he would naturally receive more human attention. I have to say though that I think the view that keeping an outdoor rabbit alone so that he bonds more with humans is rather selfish (this is not a criticism of you, at all - just of the sources you've read!) Realistically, an outdoor bun is not going to get much more human company than a couple of hours a day, if that - less in winter when it's cold/dark. That leaves a lot of time when he's sitting in his hutch/run on his own, and they are really not solitary animals. My two buns cuddle up to each other and lick each other all the time, and when free-ranging in the garden they are never far away from each other. They are both very friendly too so it hasn't stopped them from bonding with me - the key there is to handle them very regularly from an early age. If he is going to be an outdoor bunny I urge you very strongly to get him a friend - he really will be much happier. You can occasionally keep two boys together who have been raised from birth, but the odds are really 50-50 in terms of whether you will get lucky and they will get on or whether they will start fighting once they hit puberty. People who breed rabbits and keep lots of them have to house males singly or neuter them and keep them with females. I think getting a female is a much better bet as they are guaranteed to get on. You will be fine getting them together as long as you have him neutered promptly upon reaching puberty - I have always acquired my buns this way and never had any accidental pregnancies! You're even safer if you get a baby girl rather than an adult female as they reach sexual maturity later than males so even if you were a week or two late getting your boy done, you should still be safe. If you want to be completely certain, get your boy for now, get him neutered as soon as he's ready and introduce a female a week or so later - but you will be absolutely fine getting a girl now as long as you watch out for his boy-bits appearing! It is honestly very easy to tell! It's fine to bring him in the house in the evenings at the moment - but once the nights start drawing in leave him outside, as he needs to adjust to the temperature in order to grow a nice thick winter coat, and constantly bringing him into a warm house could interfere with this and make it harder for him to get used to the cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmommasally Posted August 23, 2008 Author Share Posted August 23, 2008 Hi Victoriabuuny Thank you so much for all your advice, it's really good of you to take the time to reply. On balance we have decided to get 2 bunnys, I'm not sure what sex the second one will be yet we need to see what's available once we're there. thanks for all your help again, we will post piccies later once they've settled in. But I have to say I'M SO EXCITED!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoriabunny Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 Great decision, how exciting! Make sure you post piccies for us to drool over! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmommasally Posted August 23, 2008 Author Share Posted August 23, 2008 Some really sad news - the baby bun we were due to collect today died before we got to the breeders. We're not sure what was wrong, the breeder said he developed an upset tummy yesterday and died overnight. We just feel so sad, he was such a pretty little one, we had been so excited at getting him. It was so diificult to know what to do, we'd driven an hour to the breeders house to then find out he had died. We weren't sure if it was a one off with this bunny or whether it could be something going round all her rabbits. It was so hard to decide what to do but in the end we have ended up bringing home a 10 week old little girl, she's white and grey with blue eyes. She is really sweet, I just hope she is going to be healthy and not come down with what killed the other baby bun. The breeder didn't really have any other young baby mini lops so for now we just have the one, she is going to try her other breeder contact that she has to try and get us another one soon. I haven't had chance to take piccies of this one yet and we wanted to let her settle in without stressing her with a camera. Hopefully will get piccies tomorrow to post for you to see. Fingers crossed she is going to be a healthy bunny. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathybc Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 so sorry to hear about the bunny you had chosen your new one sounds lovely though, and hopefully you will be abale to get another one soon so they can snuggle up together - one of the best sights ever ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoriabunny Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Very sad news about the boy bunny - babies can suddenly die for no apparent reason though, so it's likely that whatever he had hasn't spread to your girl (who sounds lovely). And now you've got a girl, you'll be able to get a bunny of either sex, obviously with the proviso that a boy would still need to be neutered. Girls are more territorial than boys, so you'll need to introduce a friend with caution as your bun will soon see her hutch as her personal space. When you get the second bunny, introduce them on neutral territory that your original bun hasn't been in before - sounds daft but the bath is ideal! You'll then see if they're going to get on straight away or if they'll need to be gradually acclimatised to each other with supervised contact periods until they accept each other. They will accept each other eventually - and then it'll be true love Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmommasally Posted August 29, 2008 Author Share Posted August 29, 2008 Thought I'd update you on the baby bunnies. We now have a second baby bunny, called Teddy, he is a 10 week old orange mini lop and he is so cute! The introductions between him and Priscilla couldn't have been easier, we just cleaned out the hutch and put Teddy in for 10 minutes, then popped Priscilla back in - and it was virtually love at first sight Now we are busy trying to litter train them for when they are in the house. This is Priscilla - ears down This is Priscilla trying to log on to the Forum - ears up and playing Bee Boo As you can see from the piccies Priscilla has trouble keeping her ears down, we think she probably isn't 100% mini lop but hey we love her just the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clootie Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 Gorgeous !! I especially love the photo where they are looking at one another - sweeeet. Thanks for posting your photos. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisa33 Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 Very Cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 They are lovely, and will be very happy together. Her ears will stay down as she gets older. Just be careful to get them neutered as soon as they reach maturity; I'd be worried about keeping opposite sex bunnies together as they near sexual maturity. Breeding is not recommended except in the care of expert breeders, you will also find that their behaviour will benefit from having the snip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everett Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 hello, i am a pet owner who would like to get bunnies, two boys. i would like to know what age they need to be for them to live outside in the winter. does anyone have an answer on this? i would really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 On 6/16/2021 at 5:25 PM, Everett said: hello, i am a pet owner who would like to get bunnies, two boys. i would like to know what age they need to be for them to live outside in the winter. does anyone have an answer on this? i would really appreciate it. Keeping two boys isn’t really a great idea. Even if they are brothers, they might end up getting territorial and fight. Best to get a bonded pair with a castrated male. If you get them in summer, they’ll get used to the lower temps gradually and grow a winter coat in time for colder weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethanyRose Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 On 8/21/2008 at 8:58 PM, bigmommasally said: I'm getting a mini lop this weekend, it's a sooty fawn, 8 weeks old. The Hutch and run are all ready for him but since seeing him and realising how tiny he is I'm worried about leaving him in the hutch overnight. Do you think I should bring him indoors to sleep or will he be okay snuggled up in hay. The breeder has said that he would be okay but I'm still worrying all the same. Any thoughts would be welcomed thanks Aw how cute. I feel exactly the same. I pick up 2 x 8 week old Netherland Dwarves this week. I want them outside, but they'll seem so tiny in the Eglu at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethanyRose Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 On 8/23/2008 at 12:15 PM, victoriabunny said: I would say a houserabbit who lives permanently indoors would be OK on his own, as he would naturally receive more human attention. I have to say though that I think the view that keeping an outdoor rabbit alone so that he bonds more with humans is rather selfish (this is not a criticism of you, at all - just of the sources you've read!) Realistically, an outdoor bun is not going to get much more human company than a couple of hours a day, if that - less in winter when it's cold/dark. That leaves a lot of time when he's sitting in his hutch/run on his own, and they are really not solitary animals. My two buns cuddle up to each other and lick each other all the time, and when free-ranging in the garden they are never far away from each other. They are both very friendly too so it hasn't stopped them from bonding with me - the key there is to handle them very regularly from an early age. If he is going to be an outdoor bunny I urge you very strongly to get him a friend - he really will be much happier. You can occasionally keep two boys together who have been raised from birth, but the odds are really 50-50 in terms of whether you will get lucky and they will get on or whether they will start fighting once they hit puberty. People who breed rabbits and keep lots of them have to house males singly or neuter them and keep them with females. I think getting a female is a much better bet as they are guaranteed to get on. You will be fine getting them together as long as you have him neutered promptly upon reaching puberty - I have always acquired my buns this way and never had any accidental pregnancies! You're even safer if you get a baby girl rather than an adult female as they reach sexual maturity later than males so even if you were a week or two late getting your boy done, you should still be safe. If you want to be completely certain, get your boy for now, get him neutered as soon as he's ready and introduce a female a week or so later - but you will be absolutely fine getting a girl now as long as you watch out for his boy-bits appearing! It is honestly very easy to tell! It's fine to bring him in the house in the evenings at the moment - but once the nights start drawing in leave him outside, as he needs to adjust to the temperature in order to grow a nice thick winter coat, and constantly bringing him into a warm house could interfere with this and make it harder for him to get used to the cold. Hi, sorry to hijack this post. But you mentioned about the boy/girl situation. I read the boy can get neutered around 3 moths or when a certain weight. Can I keep my boy and girl together until he is neutered? They are 8 weeks at the moment? Will they be safely unable to breed up until his 3 month op?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 On 9/9/2021 at 12:50 AM, BethanyRose said: Hi, sorry to hijack this post. But you mentioned about the boy/girl situation. I read the boy can get neutered around 3 moths or when a certain weight. Can I keep my boy and girl together until he is neutered? They are 8 weeks at the moment? Will they be safely unable to breed up until his 3 month op?? Best to contact your vet about this. Do remember when you bring your boy to get neutered, take the female as well. They need to be together at all time. Otherwise you possibly need to match them again. Really not worth it. The bunny rescue had a pair in that was separated as the vet didn’t think it necessary to keep them together. So they had to reintroduce them all over again. Lots of hassle and stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
