A couple rabbit issues(mating is one)

[crujonescrouch]

I am an owner of two lop bunnies, that are around5 months old. I am not too sure what sex they are, but therehave been a couple incidents where we have seen one bunny behind theother one "mating" I guess you could call it. Atleast I'malmost positive that thats what was going on. I guess myquestion is how do I know if one of the rabbits has become pregnant andwhat to do if I do realize one of them is pregnant. They havenot been neutered or spayed yet, so it is possible, but they are alsoreally young. I have a couple of other questionsalso. Well see I want to make a certain area of my apartmentavailable for them to roam around and have free roam of, but theproblem is thatI know they will chew on any and every wirethey can get their teeth on, so I was wondering if anyone out thereknows the best way to "bunny proof" wires and rooms. One ofmy biggest concerns, and yes this is the last one, is that anytime Iapproach their cage, or try talking to them, or petting them, they runto the back of the cage together and press up as far away as they canget from me. They will not let me pet them, and they will notinteract with me. This is pretty dissappointing and I have noclue what to do about it.I have friends who arelike oh my rabbit just loves me, sits on me and licksme andjumps around and lets me pet it, and my rabbits seriously hateme.Please someone help, please, I don't knwo whatto do! thanks!

 

[junior_n_sweetpea]

My rabbitsoccasionally mount each otherand they are both male. I have learned that mounting is also a form ofdominance display and even female rabbits will do it. We'vehad out bunnies for about 3 months now and they are just now letting uspick them up. They would run from us like crazy when we first broughtthem home. Now they just about knock us over when we go to let them outof their cage! They have become very friendly and love to be cuddled,of course my sons give them constant attention. They willeven come over and nudge us when they want us to pet them. It is socute.

You can buy plastictubing for the wires. I got some from theautomotive department. Our rabbits like to dig and chew the carpet sowe only let them out when they have direct supervision. It took a fewholes in the carpet before we resorted to that rule LOL.

I would suggest that if you don't want babies you shouldeither find out the sex of each bunny and either separate them or getthem fixed. They can reproduce at very young ages.

Welcome to the boards! I have learned so much here!

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Depending on how long you have had your rabbits,they may just be unsure. You can't expect them to be friendly if youhave only had them for a week or 2! I had that same issue with my 2when they were bonded because they preferred eachothers company overmine and would rather socialise amongst themselves than with me. I'vehad mine for a year now and they are getting to be very friendly, butit took time and patience to get here.

About mating, yes it could be a dominence thing but if they are maleand female, I would watch out. Rabbits can breed as young as 12 weeks(I believe that's right). I'll let others help you with this questionand the bunny proofing question.

 

[pamnock]

Yes, bunnies can successfully breed as early as12 weeks. Females as well as males may mount each other orthe opposite sex, so this behavior does not indicate the sex of therabbit. Rabbits are normally not altered until 6months of age.

Pam

 

[Dolores Lindvall]

Amen to being able to breed at 12weeks. I found out the hard way. The doe wasexactly 4 months (16 weeks) old when she kindled. Luckily Idiscovered what she was up to in time, and got her a nestbox. She kindled in it and did raise the kits. But,boy! You've really got to be on your toes in sexing themcorrectly, and then housing them separately, or you could have adisaster!

 

[rabbitgirl]

the friendliness thing can take time especiallyif they were older when you got them (more than 12 weeks). And if theyweren't handled much as kits. I carried mine around for the firstweek--everywhere. And I brought a small healthy treat every single timeI approached them so they started associating me with food.

You also should be careful how you touch them--no unexpected moves anddon't touch the side of the rump or under the chin or behind the earsquickly as they are very touchy there. And when you pick them up, befirm and don't let them feel like they are falling. Support legs andhold it close.

Yes, they do run when you approach, but don't let them get away withthat for long. Sometimes you have to corner them to pick them up, butwhen you are holding them make it a good and relaxing experience sothey learn that you taking them out is a good thing. Be firm and gentleabout handling. Hold them on your lap and stroke slowly and firmly fromtip of nose, over the top of the back. Some rabbits are reduced toblissful idiocy by stroking the inside and outside of the ear withthumb and forefinger.

Try not to jump and yelp if they bite! lolololol Either they get reallyfreaked out or they think it's great fun to bite you. Either way itbecomes a habit.

Good luck!

Rose

 

[crujonescrouch]

The thing is, is that I've tried, I've triedpicking them up and holding them firmly and petting them in my lap andall of that, but they only experiences they've had with that, they havefreaked out and started clawing and jumping and so now they associateme with just bad stuff, I'll let them out of their cage and they'll bewalking around and the second i try to pet them they run back in thecage...it just kind of sucks, I had read everything about how friendlyand lovey rabbits were but I just basicly change their litter and watereveryday and food when necessary and they just sit in a cage, itsdisappointing. I've had them since they were 5 weeks old andthey are about 5 months old now. Thanks for the help though.

Chris

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I believe that they are probably shy. If you gotthem that young then you know they were not abused or anything. Werethey handled a lot when they were little? A lot of times they tend totake a long time to get accustomed to people if they were not handledas babies. They could be going through an independent faze where theywant nothing to do with humans (my boys were like this until they wereseparated) or they could just be totally unwilling to bond with youbecause they have a buddy rabbit to bond with instead.

 

[2bunmom]

Chris, have you tried just sitting by the cageeach day and gently talking to them? You might also buy themsome toys.Hard plastic babykeysand baby links are good toys. The baby linkscan be hung from the top of the cage and you can even dangle the babykeys from them. Sounds like they need some stimulation andsome patience on your part. They need to learn that they cantrust you and that may take a while. How did youever get them litter box trained if they do not respond wellto you? Carolyn our moderator of this board may beable to give you some good suggestions. It took a while forher bun Tucker to warm up to her. I hope you areable to get them to trust and love you. My buns have been asource of love, laughter and fun for me. I have a bonded pairand they both trust me. It took longer for my male rabbit totrust me but he does now. It took 2 years to get a kiss fromhim and I was thrilled when it happened. Keep working withthem, one day things will change. I am sure others will giveyou some good suggestions also. Welcome to theforum. Beckie

 

[Cher]

Your story is so close to mine, except I had acouple of luv muffins when I brought them home that turned intoindependent free thinking princesses! I wrote this board in desperation"why dont my girls love me anymore... ect ect" and was assured it wouldjust take time, patience and a whole lot of talking from my side. Well,it has been at least 7 months now and they both have such frisky,diverse ways of showing their love and affection I am glad I had thepatience for them and didnt give up. I seriously thought, why do thesebunnies just want to come out and then have NOTHING to do with me?There was a thread a while ago about the "teenage months" which has anenormous amount of info on it from our various members sharing theirstories about rabbit behavior. Check it out, it will be more thanre-assuring I believe. I wish you the best of luck, and dontlose hope-

Cher, Jezebel and Jade

(thats Madame.Jezebel today!)