Might be getting a bunny, have some???

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degrassi

Valerie - Member
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Hello,I"m trying to convince my dad that i need to adopt these 2 bunnies from my friend(her rabbit had babies, the vet didn't tell her that they needed to keep her male apart from the female for 6 weeks after the vasectomy(sp?) ).

I have never kept bunnies before and was wondering how big of a cage would i need for 2 rabbits? They are regular rabbits and not the dwarfs.

Also can they live by themselves, as in i only adopt one (might be easier to convince my dad then getting him to let me have 2). Or is it better to keep them in pairs. They aren't sure what the sex of the bunnies are yet but i asked my friend to check the internet as i found some site that explains how. Right now they are 8 weeks

So any info you can give.especially about how big the cage would need to be and if they can be kept together or separate. If they turn out to be 2 boys should they be kept together, if they are 2 girls should they be kept together, or if they are a boy and a girl should they be kept together. I don't want fighting. Right now they are the best of friends as they have always been together. But i know that can change as they mature.

What is the best age to get them fixed?

I think that is all, at least for now :)
 
Hi Degrassi.

You should not get any rabbits at all until you've done your homework on them. Rabbits are not easy pets to care for. They are sensitive to a lot of things and if one doesn't know how to take care of a rabbit, they can easily wake up to a dead rabbit in the cage. Young adults tend to want a rabbit really badly and then get sick of taking care of it which is one reason why we have so many rabbits in shelters because kids get sick of the novelty after Easter has passed.

If you don't know the basics, have to convince your dad to get one, haven't read any books about rabbit care, then you shouldn't get one until you're more ready to handle the responsibility.

Breeding rabbits and raising them is not an easy and is not to be left to a young adult without the supervision of an adult that is knowledgeable of breeding and/or raising rabbits.? If you MUST have a rabbit, go to a shelter and for a month every day and volunteer to take care of them.? See for yourself the work it takes and educate yourself before you harm a rabbit by your lack of knowledge.

-Carolyn
 
I totally agree about doing your homework before getting one.That is what I'm doing right now.

I think by saying that i have to ask my dad you assumed that i'm a child,sorry that was my fault. Well i'm not but i am living with my parents at the moment so they do have an input on whether i get one or not. So i'm not some kid getting a bunny because i think they are cute and neglect it after a month. I have many other pets so taking care of animals isn't something i take lightly.

I have spent the last week looking through anything i can that has to do with rabbits. I have figured out what i need to build a cage. I called around to different vets seeing which ones specialize in rabbits.

So thank you for responding but i found the way in which you did a bit condescending. How did you know i didn't do any research?
 
Greetings Degrassi,

I'm sorry you felt that way. I strongly stick by everything I said.

Let's start over. Rabbits can survive on their own just fine.I'd be hesitant to put two together, unless they're just babies. They shouldn't be separated from their mother before 8 weeks of age.

The opposite gender gets along best as a bonded pair, but females have done okay together as well. It's not common to have two males together as they do seem to fight more than the other pairs.

There's a book called "Rabbits For Dummies" by A. Pavia. In there, there's great pictures of how to sex a rabbit, besides being an excellent book.

The cage should be big enough so that both rabbits can stretch out, stand up on their hind legs, and lay out to sleep. The bigger, the better.

Rabbits should be neutered/spayed between 4-6 months.

-Carolyn


 
Yeah I agree with Carolyn about them being together. It sounds weird, but many rabbits end up seriously hurtingeach otherwhen they're kept together. You'd probably be better off putting them in separate cages and supervised playtime together (or maybe even separate on that too). But you might be able to make it work if you get them fixed before their hormones kick in fully. I believe most rabbits can be fixed at about 5-6 months of age (wait for someone else to confirm that, seeing as I don't claim to be an expertin any way). I wish you luck on your new rabbit experience.

My biggest words of advice on raising rabbits: Give them lots of timothy hay and ALWAYS watch what they're doing. I don't know how many times I've turned my back and then looked down to see Umbra consuming half of my pink pearl eraser or a plastic bag I didn't think he could get to.

Again, good luck.

--Melissa and Umbra
 

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