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Hi,
I am just getting started in rabbits, I am purchasing a Checkered Giant/New Zealand
on Wednesday, the bunny is six weeks old. Is it just me or is that a little young to wean? If so will I need to give her any extra care? The breeder i am getting her from raises her rabbits in large collines, she feeds them a mix of black Sunflower seeds, wheat,milo and millet. With alfalfa hay. Is this a good mix?
Thank you for letting me join your forum!!
 
A rabbit can be weaned by 6 weeks, but it is often suggested to allow the babies to stay with momma until 8 weeks of age even if they are weaned. It sometimes depends on the momma and babies though (from what I understand) and they may be 'ready' to be separated before 8 weeks.

Alfalfa hay is a legume and is fine to feed growing babies. It is too rich to be the only hay source for adult rabbits.

I'm no expert on nutrition but I've not heard of such a diet. I don't know if there is some reason such a diet is fed to this larger breed. I do know that there is question in the rabbit world as to the benefits (or detriments) to some of the items listed.

As for the wheat -- is that wheat hay? The following is a little lengthy, but I think it has good info about the various types of grass hays:

Grass hays include the following varieties: timothy, orchard, meadow, Bermuda, brome, wheat, rye, oat and barley. These hays are very high in fiber, low in calories, low in calcium, low in protein and most are low in starches. Though most rabbit societies and rabbit experts find no problems with feeding rabbits the ‘cereal’ hays (last four mentioned), I recommend these the least of the grass hays as the wheat, rye, oats and barley are hays grown primarily for their seeds, which are very starchy food items and NOT good for the normal movement of a rabbit’s small intestinal tract. If you insist on feeding these types of grass hays, I strongly recommend you at least shake out as much of the grain as possible into the trash and feed whatever is left over. Rabbits fed ‘shaken’ cereal hay may end up on the thin side due to some of these hays having relatively low nutrient contents without their seeds. In my opinion it is best to simply avoid these hays, and feed the other forms of grass hay listed above. Wheat grass harvested before it sets seed is an exception and probably is an excellent grass hay.

I'm seeing mixed info on millet seed. Generally, seeds are not supposed to be fed to rabbits (except black-oiled sunflower seeds). But I've seen places that say occasional millet is fine for a treat. The House Rabbit Society says this in one of their articles:

Unlike rabbits, however, you can give your chinchilla a small amount of raw or roasted UNSALTED nuts daily such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower or safflower seeds, flax seeds, millet, almonds, pecans and walnuts.

And this is what I found on milo also from the House Rabbit Society:

...carbohydrate and fat-rich seeds and grains such as oats, milo, corn, peas, sunflower seeds, potatoes, peanuts, puffed corn, cornflakes, popcorn, and dried fruits.
Seeds are high in fat and are important for wintering animals. Your house rabbit has no such need; in fact, the National Research Council recommends that domestic rabbits receive no more than 1.5% of their calories as fat.
Veterinarians have reported that rabbits fed seed-rich diets have a much higher incidence of fatty liver disease (hepatic steatosis), which is often fatal. These seeds and grains are also rich in starches. While some of this starch is digested in the small intestine, much of it is not accessible until it reaches the cecum. There it becomes a potent energy form for the cecal bacteria; unlike cellulose fiber, which slows fermentation, starch in the cecum is fermented rapidly and can lead to bacterial overgrowth, bloat, and gi stasis.


The "normal" bunny diet recommended for indoor house rabbits is....

for young rabbits (under 6-7 months, though this may be a bit longer for larger breeds):
unlimited hay (can be alfalfa or grass hay or a mix of both)
plain pellets for juvenile rabbits - free fed provided that bunny eats generous amounts of hay (otherwise the pellets may need to be somewhat limited to encourage hay eating)
greens can be fed starting at 12 weeks by introducing slowly one type at a time

for adult rabbits:
unlimited grass hay
plain pellets for adult rabbits -limited amounts based on body weight
2-4 cups of daily greens
 
Alfalfa is good fro protein and calcium and can be given to larger breeds for a year as they take longer to grow than the smaller breeds which only need 6 months to reach full size. Gonna be a large bunny too--we had a NZ that was over 12 pounds and our Checkered Giant was almost 20 pounds.
 
Adorable! Don't make any sudden diet changes. Any changes should be done gradually so as not to upset the digestive tract -- most especially at such a young age.
 
Thanks! She is such a sweet rabbit she keeps climbing into my step-brother's lap and licking his hand. Question: should I let her have all the food she wants or a measured amount?
 
Thanks, I have almost completely switched her to pellets, changing her food over the course of a week. Her ear has straighted out and she has started hopping up to the door of the pen when I go out there and it is almost impossible to tear her and my step-brother apart.
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I have the opportunity to get another bunny from Cinna's breeder, I could get a wild one that is Cinna's size or a larger tame one. What do you all think is better?
 
I wouldn't suggest getting any rabbit until she is spayed. Baby rabbits don't bond. They may appear to bond, but it is only temporary until hormones kick in.

If you did get another rabbit now, you will need two cages because they will need to be separated once those hormones kick in. Regardless of their gender, they may fight because of those hormones. So they would then need to be housed separately until old enough to get fixed.

After they were fixed, you'd still have to keep them separate until they've healed and hormones have dissipated (up to 8 weeks for a male). Then, finally, you would be able to begin the bonding process.

At this point, when you begin the bonding process, there will be no guarantee that they will actually bond. I have heard several stories on this rabbit forum of people who have gone through this exact scenario only to have their bunnies refuse to bond. Then they were stuck housing them separately or looking for other rabbits with which to bond each of their rabbits.

So you can see, it can be a huge hassle to get two baby bunnies. It runs the real risk that they won't ultimately bond. It is a myth that if they are raised together or are siblings that they will always get along -- they might, they might not.

Once Cinna is spayed, then you can look for a bondmate for her by having her bunny date other fixed rabbits at the local rabbit rescue. Then she would be the one choosing her potential bondmate. You'd actually be pre-screening for potential compatibility.

If a potential bondmate isn't working out, the rescue typically allows an exchange. By going this route, you will be ensured of an eventual bond, since the rescue will work with you.

In short, it is risky to get a 2nd rabbit in hopes of bonding it with your current baby. It is always better to wait until your current one is fixed and then allow her to choose her potential mate among other fixed rabbits.
 
I not planning on spaying Cinna as i would like to breed her, speaking of when.will she be old enough to breed?
They smaller, wilder bunny and Cinna were raised together so would only being apart for a few weeks break that bond?
 
I have read a book that really opened my eyes to the way some rabbits are treated, the book is The Stories Rabbits Tell.
There is a market for rabbits out here.
I have set standards for selling.
They are. Feel free to mention anything I should change,add,remove etc.
I will not sell any bunny that is not in the best of health. I will not sell to anyone that wants a rabbit for its color.
I will out sell to anyone that has less than ideal rabbit living conditions.
I will not sell to anyone that plains to keep a male and female together permanently.
I will not sell any bunnies younger than 7 weeks.
I will NEVER sell or even have rabbits available around Easter or any holiday.
 
I was just offered a rex female,12weeks,friendly and the same size as Cinna. When I do decide on one I have a open dog crate that I can put chicken wire around for her for a little while. How do I introduce the bunnys when I get one?
 
Cinna is only around 9 weeks old? This new one is 12 weeks? This isn't the ideal time to try to introduce two rabbits. They may very well get along initially but as soon as hormones kick in, it can cause either or both rabbits to change behavior. They could become aggressive towards each other and that could lead to fighting.

I'm not following your intentions here. If you want Cinna to breed, then there is no point to trying to bond her with a female.
 
What would you do with the bunnies if you can’t manage to sell them under these rules? And how will you vet their living conditions before sale?
Do you have enough room for your female, male separate, and potentially 8-10 babies? You will also need to make sure you have some money set aside for potential vet bills, should anything go wrong.
 
i am pretty sure you can take the New Zealand out of her breed name.she is a Checkered Giant that originated from Germany. New Nealands are totally white bunnies with beautiful ruby red eyes.
Please think it. About it long and hard about breeding. You can turn around and end. Up with 20 plus bunnies before you know it.
There are shelters and rabbit rescuers who have so many bunnies to adopt out.they desperately need homes.
 
i am pretty sure you can take the New Zealand out of her breed name.she is a Checkered Giant that originated from Germany. New Nealands are totally white bunnies with beautiful ruby red eyes.

I believe they got her from a breeder so they know that one parent is New Zealand and the other is Checkered Giant. So she is a mix.
 
Yes I got her from a breeder,she is a cross of the two breeds I mentioned. I am prepared to have extra bunnies if they don't sell. I tried the older female, that didn't work. I don't know what she weighs, my guess is two to four pounds.
 

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