Basic bunny questions for a wannabe bunmum

[Casey76]

OK, soI would like to get a bun or two...

Which is better? 1, or 2? I would have guessed 2 since buns are really colony animals, but I'm willing (very) to be corrected.

Then, so I get male/male; male/female or female/female (any and all buns will be S/N)

At what age is best to S/N? When do rabbits become sexually mature? (I had my kittens done at 7 months, when is whenI was advised to by my vet)

I already have this hutch for any future buns:

Which would be night-time accomodation, with a planned 2x1m shaded run for day time accomodation. Is this going to be suitable?

I'm hearing all kinds of opinions about food. I had planned on feeding lucerne pellets, grass hay and mixed green veggies with an occasional coloured veggie/fruit... or would I be better off buying a commercial "all-in-one" rabbit pellet and hay?

Thanks in advance

KC

 

[Flashy]

Hi KC,

Generally bunnies can be happy either alone or in pairs or groups, but it really depends on the set up. Generally in the UK they say that if the bunny lives outside then they should be in a pair, but I have some happy singlets outside, although they do have a lot of rabbit interaction through run bars.

I would say that you're probably better off getting two.

However, I would also say get two that have already been spayed/neutered if possible.

Rabbits go through a complete personality change in adolescence and if you get two buns that are in that age range or younger then you will invariably have to separate them to avoid fighting, or, if you have one of each gender, they may breed.

Relating to that, generally, it is easiest to bond male and female, although really it depends on the personalities of the buns.

If you have rescue centres over there then they may be able to help you do bondings, or may be able to rehome you a pair of already 'fixed' rabbits (i.e. spayed and neutered), so that you know where you are with them and then have minimal risk of needing to separate them (although remember whenever you have a pair of buns you should always be prepared to house them separately if the need arises- which hopefully it never would).

Vets will spay and neuter at different ages, so really it depends on your vet. It could be 4, 5, 6 months, when the testicles descend or X amount of weight for a neuter, or 5 or 6 months or Y amount of weight for a spay. That's roughly what most vets seem to do, but there will also be vets that differ from those. My boys were neutered at 5 months and my girls spayed at 6 months.

Something to add here is that a boy will be fertile for up to 7 to 8 weeks after a neuter, so don't ever put him with an unspayed female until after that time.

I think that accommodation is lovely. Any bunny that's not a giant bunny would be able to have a lovely run around, stretch their legs, have space away from their bonded friend if necessary, binky and all sorts.

A rabbit needs a diet of 80-90% grass hay (although some people say that rabbits under 6 months need alfalfa hay), a pellet (not a muesli mix), and some people feed fresh food too. When you introduce anything new remember that it needs to be done really slowly because a rabbit's stomach is very delicate and can unbalance very quickly and too easily. I don't know the pellets but if you have some and know the nutrient amounts (like fibre, protein, etc) and post that and the ingredients then someone should be able to help you more.

Ideally wherever you get your buns from should provide you with at least 2 weeks worth of the pellet food they are on so that you can make a slow transition to the pellets you want to feed.

 

[Flashy]

Basically what I'm saying about age is that if you buy bunnies that are not spayed and neutered then there is a high chance that you will have to house them separately until they are both recovered from their respective operations and can hopfully be rebonded.

Sorry, wasn't sure if I was clear or not.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

That's a really cool hutch!

And I second Flahy's information

Emily

 

[BunLuvvie]

Kudos for getting information before diving in! I'm going to be a bunny mom soon, too!
So for your questions:
Two would be better than one if you are keeping them outside. Bunnies get bored easily, so two keeps them company.
You can get a bonded pair from a rescue, they also Spray/neuter.
your hutch looks awesome and spacious,Your bunnies will love the big run! I just suggest making sure it is predator proof, and because your hutch is wood, putting down a waterproof tarp under the bedding (if you use it) would prevent the wood from soaking up the smell.
For food, I wouldn't use a commercial "all in one" because rabbits need hay 24/7 while they should have limited pellets. Slowly introduce veggies and fruits.