#2 behavior in a run

[aimlessego]

Newbie here getting ready to start a rabbit colony. I'm in process of setting up the run.
I want to make tunnels and burrows using rubber maid totes and pcv pipe and place under dirt to make it more natural...
My question is about rabbit #2 behavior.
Will they go to the bathroom inside? Or come out to their certain spots?
Would like to I know so I can keep area clean! TIA!

 

[Blue eyes]

This is your first post, so I am trying to understand what you are trying to accomplish. It sounds like you have 2 rabbits and intend to just let them breed so that you have a whole "colony."

If this is your intention, then there is much you should know beforehand. Assuming that the two rabbits you have will (or will continue to) get along and are actually old enough to breed safely, the phrase "breed like rabbits" exists for a reason. Being conservative and considering the breeding rate, two rabbits, with their babies, could easily produce almost 1400 rabbits by the end of the second year. That number would then jump exponentially by the end of year 3 to over 50 thousand rabbits!
Here's the math:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/scary.html

But the other consideration is that rabbits don't naturally get along. Once those hormones activate, any or all of the rabbits can begin fighting. Rabbit fights can not only be vicious, but even deadly.

Without understanding your goal or your intended set-up, it's difficult to answer. Many of us here on RO have indoor pet rabbits that are fixed. There are some breeders on here that breed for the purpose of improving a particular breed. Others have some outdoor set-ups too.

Rabbits do litter train pretty easily, so most of us use a litter box for our rabbits.

 

[aimlessego]

No I will be getting 4 does and a buck for my colony 8 weeks old all raised together. So my question was is it a good idea to make tunnels or not!?

 

[Blue eyes]

Are they going to be housed outdoors? If so, they will make their own tunnels. In fact, they will be able to tunnel out from your enclosure unless you take steps to prevent that -- like putting a mesh hardware cloth below the area they may burrow.

Just because rabbits are "raised together" does not mean they will get along. If you get them at 8 weeks of age, they will start mating before the females are old enough to safely give birth. They may also begin fighting once their hormones kick in.

Unless you plan to spay or neuter them, those statistics given earlier about how quickly they multiply will be exponentially larger (since you intend to have 4 does, rather than 1).

If you intend to fix them to prevent pregnancies, then the male needs to be separated from the females by the time he is 10-12 weeks old. Most vets will wait until 4 months of age to neuter. Then you need to wait 4-8 weeks after neuter surgery for hormones to fully dissipate before allowing him near any females again.

 

[aimlessego]

..... Just didn't want them to sit in a cage alone all the time...

 

[Blue eyes]

Since you are new to rabbits and would like to have more than one, then perhaps you would have a more positive (and less confusing) experience if you started with an already fixed (spayed/neutered) and already bonded pair.

If you get a pair of rabbits that have already been neutered and bonded, then you won't have to deal with separating rabbits, paying for surgery, going through a bonding process, etc.

Believe it or not, baby rabbits aren't recommended anyway for first time rabbit owners. Rabbits that are already fixed are easier to bond with and easier to train.

You can find bonded, fixed pairs at rabbit rescues (different than generic shelters). I would also suggest taking a look at this rabbit care site as well to learn more about their diet and exercise needs.
http://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com

It is good that you don't want for your rabbits to just sit in a cage. They should not. You can see on the above site how rabbits don't need to be stuck in a cage and can get plenty of daily exercise.

 

[Azerane]

In regards to the pooping, rabbits except for the kits won't poop inside the burrows. They will poop outside the burrows and will also have middens (territorial poop piles) where there will be a concentration of poop in one area.

The only way a colony breeding situation can work without excessive breeding is if you keep the buck separate and only introduce him for a day or two twice a year. However, this also has issues as females can be very territorial and chances are they could fight with him if introduced on their territory. In standard breeding set ups where all the rabbits are kept separately, does are usually introduced to a bucks enclosure to prevent such fights (or they're table bred away from both cages). What is your plan for all the kits? No matter whether you're farming or planning to sell, you need to have a plan and be aware of how many kits you could end up with. They will need to be separated from the mothers by 10 weeks at the latest so that the bucks can't get their mother's pregnant, and so that the does don't get pregnant too young. Do you have a plan for catching them when this happens, rabbits in a colony situation aren't always tame if they don't get much handling, their kits even less so.