How can I find my old pictures?

[smartrus]

Hi all thanks for all th info on tunnels. Things in the rabbit house have taken a dramatic turn. Hence my new post. Sadly we have lost one of our baby bunnies. as the one left is 12 weeks. We have managed to find a baby buck of 10 weeks to befriend her. Neither have been put in our neutral hutch yet and I have read that being so young they should be fine together. I need to know if this is true. I don't want to stress them but being alone for a baby is not good . There is a possibility that I would like to breed from them as I now don't have the brother sister issue. Advice needed please! thank you

[Cheeky Chooky]

Really sorry to hear that *hug* I am no expert but if it were me, I would definitely go for it and put them together ASAP.

[smartrus]

Hi. Thanks. It's very sad. A freak accident. I'm introducing the new baby on Sunday any tips?

[Goldie]

Sorry to hear about your young bunny, sometimes it's just one of those things.

 

I'm not sure about young rabbits not being ok alone, a normal age for them to leave mum is 8 weeks old and mine have always lived singly from then on. In fact I tried to introduce two 10 week old male and female babies once, and they ended up in a big fight!

 

You say you are wanting to breed from them in the future.

Keep in mind that the male will 'pester' the female from about 4-5months old (in about 6-8 weeks time). It would be very unwise to let the female have a litter at this young age, she won't be fully grown herself, despite this she would manage to have the litter. Best waiting until she is 7-8 months old but unfortunately if you keep the two together you won't be in control of this.

 

If it were me, I would keep the two separate, maybe put them in hutches/runs next to each other so they have some interaction and company, but not in immediate contact.

 

If you really want to keep the two together for a maximum of 8 weeks, first introduce them on neutral territory. Some people use a bath (with no water in). The idea being it is very slippery for them and they are more interested in keeping their footing than fighting! Same theory behind putting them in the car boot (estate/hatchback...not a saloon obviously!), the motion of the car freaks them out more than the other rabbit, they may even huddle together. This may take a week or so of slow introductions. Unfortunately 10 week old and 12 weeks old is a bit old for them to accept another rabbit, and so I'd advise the method(s) above. If they were a little younger, say 8 weeks I would have said no problem but rabbits develop quickly and become quite territorial.

Be extremely careful when they hit 4/5 months old, they WILL mate and it won't be very healthy for the female.

 

Despite all this you will have 2 lovely rabbits and they will be just as happy singly as together. A male and female just isn't the most ideal choice. It is also lovely to raise a litter of rabbits, when the doe is old enough. Be sure you already have homes lined up for up to 8 babies though, as you may find your collection grows quite quickly!

 

 

Good luck and be careful!

 

Goldie

[smartrus]

HI, thanks, that's fantastic advice. I will be very careful, we have a hutch with 2 floors which can be separated if need be and a run which I can separate in half so will keep them separated to begin with. I am keen to get it right as my children are animal crazy and its a good learning experience for them. I would love to have a litter but as you say may need to wait while, we were kind of thrown into the situation with the death of the baby as we already had a pair who were settled. I will update! If i keep swapping them between the two living quarters this should help get used to the scent and stop them becoming too territorial (i think?). They arrive tomorrow so we will take it from there!