Looking at bunnies...Help?

Hey everyone.
The bunny that brought me here had passed away last week. I only had him for a short one week... I have been looking at getting another or maybe two as I read two is no more work then 1...

I called out petshop but they are closed and often very over priced... They also give a lot of false information from what I seen and been told from the first bunny...

I went looking on kijiji and these two bunnys keep brining me back. I messaged him asking breed, age and genders and if they are living together already and getting along. The one is adorable and fluffy and pure white and the other is fluffy and grey with this big white face and I just want them both... Is it bad to get a girl and boy as long as kept in separate cages intill the male is fixed?

I am planning on building a c&c cage before they even get here but blocking off the top in till litter trained.... I have en entire room that I was going to use.. I was going to put the baby plug things in the sockets and a latch to keep the closet latched that I am going to use for supply storage. Its been hot here so I was going to take a stand up fan and build a c&c enclosure all the way around it against the wall and connected to it so they cant get to it or the wires and focus it onto the cage.

I attached the pictures of the two... The add said nothing about the breeds and when I find out I will post here... I am hoping for ones that stay little..

They look like Lionhead mixes, Possibly Lion Lops.

How old are they?
Nothing wrong with keeping a boy and girl together as long as you get them both fixed before anything can happen. I kept my 2 together until they were 3.5months old and had both the boy and girl spayed/neutered at the same time. Its best to get them both done. And done typically together.

The add didn't say... It didn't say much at all... I sent an email...
I am not sure if its best to go to a petshop or from a person... There $20 each from this person... I feel like that may to cheap for a bunny? But I know the pet shop ones will be bought when these two may need to live out their lifes in that horrid cage. I am a sucker for helping animals...

they always have lionhead lops at the rescues too. some reason they are overburdened by that breed???

I think its because they are desired... The long hair and small sizes lol.

The sheter we have here have 2 lops but they are way to big...

Why not go to a rescue and adopt an all ready bonded pair. Then they will all ready be spayed and neutered and you don't have to worry about that or bonding or all that other stuff.

I can look into them but I don't think we have one around here... The rescues I do keep in touch with have cats and dogs and the shelter here has lops that are going to be huge and I wanted small fluffy ones. lol. I have a thing for fluffy animals. My 2 cats are long haired.

I found this guy on craigs list and he i so adroable. I wish I had the $100 before she leaves but I dont
http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/grd/3952974386.html

There a TONS and TONS and TONS of fluffy bunnys in shelters around Ontario.
http://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?location=Owen+Sound%2C+ON&animal_type=Rabbit&pet_breed=&pet_age=&pet_gender=&startsearch=Go

If you limit yourself to a single shelter odds are they may not have what you want, but where the fun in looking if you just do that.

You do live in an odd away from everything area so yes things will be harder, but maybe there are bunnys at shelters in say, Toronto, that are actually fostered closer to where you live.

You also cant guarantee that a fluffy bunny will stay fluffy as it grows up.
Look how fluffy my 2 were when I got them (my avatar). Lionhead x Holland/Dwarf lops. Their both bigger then their parents now and have lost most of their fluff save a few straggly strands around the head. Not only did they not stay "dwarf" but they didn't stay fluffy.

Also being in Ontario I know it can be hard to find rescue buns! Especially ones that aren't $100+... you could always try Petfinder for a rescue Bunny, I have had good luck on there before.

I would maybe look into a breeder, I know of a Holland Lop breeder whos kits are about $40 each, which really isn't bad since you know your getting what you pay for! I also know of a few other breeders depending on where you are in Ontario, and what breed you're looking for. There is also nothing wrong with going off Kijiji, I personally just ask a lot of questions as I would feel bad supporting someone who doesn't care properly for their animals.

Good luck!

That's what I was afraid of... Supporting people who don't care or getting one that has an illness. I have a pet store in town but its not a very nice petstore and they make you buy a huge cage and all the supplies there even if you have them... I plan on getting everything from dollerama (Building cage) and the supplied from Petvalue and walmart.. Not Heathers the icky pet store that's over priced lol.

I didn't know they can change so much they loose their hair! I was actually just looking at the picture of them and wishing I had ones like them lmao.

And yes. I live in the owesound area but I am actually an hour away into the small country side towns with no car LMFAO!

I will look at petfinder though

It really depends on the rabbit

Their mommy was a REW Holland lop, and their daddy was a harlequin Double maned Lion head.

Heres my girl as a baby


This is what she looks like now, mind you the pic was taken last year, but still...


That's not saying they all will change, it depends on genetics and a bunch of other stuff, my 2 were mixes. So genetics wise they didn't inherit the dwarf gene so rather then being close to 3lbs like mommy, their closer to 5.. I think... Their getting pretty fat I swear.

But that's the nice thing about shelters is the bunnys are usually more grown up so no surprises of balding bunnies


Just don't rush into things, the right bunny will eventually find you. Don't jump for the first fluffy one you see, give it some time.

I would definitely be cautious about mixed-breed baby bunnies...not just because the coat may turn out differently, but also the size! When I got my rabbit, I saw his parents (several oops litters from someone who was working with a rescue to get them fixed and rehomed). Sugar's mother is a big brown bunny, and his father is a tiny white dwarf. I was told he would absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt take after his father and grow to no more than three pounds. Seven pounds later, he now rivals my mother's Pomeranian in size.

Mixed breeds, or non-show purebreds for that matter, are always a gamble, no matter what. That doesn't mean that they can't be wonderful pets, though! If my mother and I had known Sugar would grow to be the size that he is, I can't say for certain I would have him now, and I absolutely am glad to have him in my life.

BoobooBunny said:

I am not sure if its best to go to a petshop or from a person... There $20 each from this person... I feel like that may to cheap for a bunny? But I know the pet shop ones will be bought when these two may need to live out their lifes in that horrid cage. I am a sucker for helping animals...

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Do not support pet shops. The cages in the pictures you posted appear to be clean (no manure or hair piled on them). Sure, the picture is not the best quality so it looks kind of dark, but I don't see any indicator that proves the rabbits are not well cared for or in "horrid" conditions.

On the other hand, many rabbits that come from pet stores come from large-scale commercial breeders. Unfortunately with a pet store, you have no idea where the rabbits are coming from, what their history is, or what conditions they were raised in. If you hand your money over to buy a rabbit at the pet store, that rabbit will be replaced with a new one as soon as yours leaves. This means you're directly supporting the breeder (and their practices) that supplies the shop.

If you do know where the rabbits come from, that may be just fine. But if you don't have that information, I wouldn't recommend going that route.

By purchasing your rabbit directly from a breeder, whether it's someone on Kijiji or not, you're able to ask them questions about their rabbits and husbandry. They may even be willing to provide pictures of their setup and information about their feeding schedule, etc. Usually breeders won't allow visits to the rabbitry (for a variety of reasons), but can provide a history of the rabbit you're purchasing. The breeder should have a good idea of how large the rabbit will get and whether it will keep its mane (if it's a Lionhead).

Adopting is a great option too, if you're not concerned with the particular breed. As mentioned, the rabbits often come spayed or neutered.

But buying is fine too, just make sure your money is going into the hands of someone who is reputable. It may be hard to turn away from "saving" a bunny who appears to be in need, but it's more of a hindrance than a help in the big picture.

If your looking to get two, for ease I would suggest traveling a bit further to find a shelter to adopt a bonded pair. It's difficult sometimes to bond rabbits by yourself, especially if you buy them. Even if they're siblings once the hormones hit familiarity often goesnout the window and your dealing with stranger buns. Adopting bonded eliminates that.

For myself I bought my rabbits from recognized and reputable breeders and have no regrets. The breeders have been helpful and informative, raised really good and healthy rabbits, and offer take backs no questions asked (never going to give back my buns!). They warned me about bonding and considered it a bad idea but I saw and still do differently. Though let me tell you its been rough bonding and if I wasn't so confident and stubborn I would have quit a long time ago.

well.. The guy replied. He said some are lionheads and some are lionhead lops. I reasked the age as he left that part out...

so even though they are living togther they won't be bonded already? I can see them sitting side by side in a picture... I could just do 1 but we like pairs. Our cats are brothers and we wanted sibling bunnys so they cuddle and hang out togther.. Lol

Those are defiantly lionheads (looks like a BEW and a Black VM) Can't tell if they are lopped ears or if they have the standing ears. Nope a lot of people get a male and female to bond together. If its from a breeder they won't sell a rabbit for over $100 if its not show quality. Thats a good price coming from a breeder. These rabbits looks healthy. If you want an older rabbit with everything done for you I would go to a shelter. If you want to have a full on experience get them from a breeder. Most importantly do what will make you happy!

Have you found a vet that will spay and neuter?
If you don't have a vet that is comfortable doing them at a younger age, you will need to separate them and risk breaking the bond.
What about getting 2 girls? Then at least you're safer waiting until their 5-6 months to spay. 2 boys is a lot more dangerous leaving them longer with out being neutered.

What is the breeding asking for them?
I would be hesitant to purchase from somebody who doesn't even answer all your questions. Especially one as simple as how old are these rabbits.

Don't jump on these ones just because their here. Take some time to look around and look at your options.

BoobooBunny said:

so even though they are living togther they won't be bonded already? I can see them sitting side by side in a picture... I could just do 1 but we like pairs. Our cats are brothers and we wanted sibling bunnys so they cuddle and hang out togther.. Lol

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Rabbits live together, with their mother, until around 6-8 weeks old usually. At that time, they're weaned and moved to different cages. I usually keep the whole litter together until about 10-12 weeks of age, then I separate them into two cages: bucks and does.

Once the rabbits hit maturity, they often need to be separated. I separate bucks as soon as I noticed hormonal behavior (chasing, mounting each other). Most of the time, I can keep does together longer - sometimes until they're six months old and I'm ready to breed them. Then they are separated.

If you'd like, you could try getting a sister pair and housing them together. Sometimes does can live together happily for the remainder of their lives.

More often than not, that doesn't happen. Usually sometime between six months to a year old, they start the hormonal behaviors (chasing, mounting) and need to be separated.

Usually bonding means two or more altered rabbits living together. Having rabbits spayed or neutered helps them live cooperatively because there is less hormonal behavior influencing their interactions. It still doesn't ensure a safe, permanent bond, but it generally makes long term co-living more successful.

If you look in my profile picture you can see my lionheads the one posing straight(not kissing) That is my male around 5 years of age. The other one is my female around 2 years of age. Both of them kept their mane. For the most part a lionhead from the breeder will end up keeping their mane. Also wire cages aren't horrid they are actually a good cage! Its just like housing your rabbit only linoleum, wood, or tile. I am a breeder myself, and I don't personally give out all the information to someone I don't know either. You have no idea who could be emailing you. Most breeders ask that you state your name, state, and what you want. Tell them that you are looking for a nice bonded pair as a pet and you were wondering if he had any pets that would fit your situation.