How Quickly Does Albendazole Work?

[FamilyTJ]

We recently bought a pair of rabbits from a breeder, I had originally requested 2 girls, but we ended up taking a girl Ginger (mini-lop) and a boy, Fred (netherland dwarf) as they had been brought up together and were very fond of each other.

 

We are new to rabbit keeping and I presumed it was just a matter of getting them 'done' at the right time, but looking at various websites it seems it is more complex than that and they need to be kept separate for a period of time. I hadn't planned for the logistics of this. They are 12 weeks now and not neutered yet, and have been happily living together in a purple eglu, but I think it may be time to separate them. We only have the one eglu and no other hutches, we do have a pet-carrier that could be used as a bed for one.

 

We are going to the vets tomorrow for jabs, so I will get Fred checked out to see if he can have the op yet.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for how I can keep them apart but let them both use the run at different times. The pet-carrier seems rather small to keep one of them in for any length of time. Also any ideas how long do they need to be apart?

 

Family T-J

Fred

Ginger

[victoriabunny]

Don't panic. You don't need to separate them at all, as long as you get your boy castrated as soon as his testicles descend (usually between 14-18 weeks - start checking daily). They will appear as obvious little lumps in his nether regions (compare his bits to his girlfriends'!), and your vet can check if you're unsure. As soon as they're there, he's ready for his op. He will need to be kept indoors for 24 hours following surgery (borrow an indoor cage or put him in a cat carrier, something like that) and then can be reunited with his girlfriend. If you castrate him promptly, there is no risk of pregnancy as he won't have sperm stored in his tubes. An adult male who is castrated after puberty must be kept separate for a month from all females as there can still be live sperm hanging about for that time, but that won't apply to your bun as long as it's done as soon as those testicles are there. Also, for added insurance your girl will reach puberty a bit later and won't be able to get pregnant just yet (she needs spaying when she gets to be around 6 months old). I did this with my mixed-sex pair on the advice of the breeder with no problems at all (and no pregnancy!). It's better not to separate them if you can as bunnies forget each other after a few days and they may fight when reintroduced. Make sure you have a bunny-savvy vet - some are daft and insist males have to be 6 months old before castration, but this is not true at all - they can be done as soon as puberty hits, and if you did wait til 6 months he would have to spend a month away from his lady, which you don't want.