Hi! I'm a new (and very anxious) bunparent!

[FrozenMarch]

Hello there! My name is March, and like the title says, I'm a new (and very anxious) bunparent of two young buns, Rai and Rei. I'm doing my best to learn all I can so Rai and Rei will be happy and healthy, so I'm hoping to learn a lot from everyone here!

 

[Jobrookss727]

As a recent first time owner this is what I've learned (and anyone feel free to correct me):
- double check their genders to ensure you don't put a doe and a buck in the same cage
- make sure they have separate litter trays, this will help them learn to potty train themselves as well
- humping for dominance or communication is normal but aggressive mounting or reverse mounting should be stopped and they may need to be separated
- bunnies LOVE bananas but only give it to them as a treat or in small quantities
- make sure that their butts are clean!
- they have 2 scent glands next to their booties that may need to be cleaned but should be checked somewhat often
-bunnies like routine so try to feed and play with them on a scheduled basis
-give them wood/hay chew toys and lots of hay to grind down their teeth
-monitor the size of their teeth as they might need trimming
-BOTH GENDERS SPRAY and it smells awful
Let me know if you have any more questions!

 

[Preitler]

In nine years of breeding rabbits I have never seen a doe spray. Sure, when setting a mark they can pee in a graceful arc several inches long, getting pee into places you never were prepared to clean it out, but inches are still the right scale. With bucks we are talking about yards, in elevation and reach, and it is often aimed at other living things on purpose. When my late buck was young pee was dripping from the ceiling of his hutch, does turned yellow, and when letting him out of his hutch I had to run for cover because he shot out like a pee propelled rocket. Last week his successor, my new house bunny, decorated my whole kitchen up to countertop level in one go.
Ah, well, the joys of having intact rabbits...

With banana I just get a "You're kidding me, I want food" look. tried a few times, no way. Apples or Topinambur are a different story. Preferences can vary widly. Old buck liked cooked potat peels, none of my other rabbits does. Pumpkin is considered food by about half of them.

 

[Blue eyes]

How young are your new buns? They should be separated by 10 weeks just in case they are male and female. It isn't always easy to tell their gender when so young.

Once hormones kick in, they will need to be separated even if they are both the same gender. Otherwise, they may fight. If they fight, they can inflict serious harm on each other (or worse) if someone isn't there to stop them.

Once they are both fixed, they can be reintroduced to each other and possibly they will agree to bond.

I wouldn't worry about teeth trimming, that is really quite rare and would be considered a defect. Checking their teeth for issues, however, is a good idea.

Bonded buns shouldn't have to have separate litter boxes. Litter boxes should be quite large. You can check this out for further info on litter box setups:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/litter-training.html

 

[FrozenMarch]

As a recent first time owner this is what I've learned (and anyone feel free to correct me):
- double check their genders to ensure you don't put a doe and a buck in the same cage
- make sure they have separate litter trays, this will help them learn to potty train themselves as well
- humping for dominance or communication is normal but aggressive mounting or reverse mounting should be stopped and they may need to be separated
- bunnies LOVE bananas but only give it to them as a treat or in small quantities
- make sure that their butts are clean!
- they have 2 scent glands next to their booties that may need to be cleaned but should be checked somewhat often
-bunnies like routine so try to feed and play with them on a scheduled basis
-give them wood/hay chew toys and lots of hay to grind down their teeth
-monitor the size of their teeth as they might need trimming
-BOTH GENDERS SPRAY and it smells awful
Let me know if you have any more questions!

Thanks so much! I'm glad to meet you!

- humping for dominance or communication is normal but aggressive mounting or reverse mounting should be stopped and they may need to be separated

This is one thing that actually has me worried about my buns. Rai likes lying on top Rei a lot, especially while eating, and many times I've worried Rei may be getting hurt since she doesn't tend to move when Rai's on top her. So far, I haven't seen any actual aggression, and Rei has been quite submissive enough (i.e., practically just lying there and letting Rai lay on her) but would you happen to know at what point I should worry? I unfortunately do not have their exact birthdays and was only told that they're sisters (sadly the person they came from wasn't very informed on rabbits and did not seem to care about the details). I forgot to ask the vet during our visit earlier for confirmation of their gender, but I'll make sure to do so in our follow up in a couple of weeks. Neither of them has exhibited any "spraying" thank goodness, but they tend to pee everywhere BUT in their litter box (despite my attempts at litter training) ^^;

- make sure that their butts are clean!
- they have 2 scent glands next to their booties that may need to be cleaned but should be checked somewhat often

I've tried to attempt spot cleaning for them especially since they get some poop stuck on them from running around, but they get easily spooked even if I try to approach as slow as possible, so it's been difficult. Their feet have some yellowish fur spots too (they're both white so the spots stand out) and I've read up on dry baths with cornstarch, but I'm still worried they'll get too agitated when I attempt it. Would you have any advice on how to go about it?

In nine years of breeding rabbits I have never seen a doe spray. Sure, when setting a mark they can pee in a graceful arc several inches long, getting pee into places you never were prepared to clean it out, but inches are still the right scale. With bucks we are talking about yards, in elevation and reach, and it is often aimed at other living things on purpose. When my late buck was young pee was dripping from the ceiling of his hutch, does turned yellow, and when letting him out of his hutch I had to run for cover because he shot out like a pee propelled rocket. Last week his successor, my new house bunny, decorated my whole kitchen up to countertop level in one go.
Ah, well, the joys of having intact rabbits...

With banana I just get a "You're kidding me, I want food" look. tried a few times, no way. Apples or Topinambur are a different story. Preferences can vary widly. Old buck liked cooked potat peels, none of my other rabbits does. Pumpkin is considered food by about half of them.

Oh dear that sounds like a wild ride! I'm definitely hoping to get my buns spayed once they're of age, so fingers crossed I won't have to deal with unexpected pee rockets... As for treats, my vet suggested not to introduce any yet since they're still young, so I'll try to find their preferences when they're older. Thanks for the suggestions! Although aren't potatoes not advisable because of the starch and carbs (at least from what I've read)?

How young are your new buns? They should be separated by 10 weeks just in case they are male and female. It isn't always easy to tell their gender when so young.

Once hormones kick in, they will need to be separated even if they are both the same gender. Otherwise, they may fight. If they fight, they can inflict serious harm on each other (or worse) if someone isn't there to stop them.

Once they are both fixed, they can be reintroduced to each other and possibly they will agree to bond.

I wouldn't worry about teeth trimming, that is really quite rare and would be considered a defect. Checking their teeth for issues, however, is a good idea.

Bonded buns shouldn't have to have separate litter boxes. Litter boxes should be quite large. You can check this out for further info on litter box setups:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/litter-training.html

They're a bit over two months or so I'm told (as I don't have information on their exact birth). The vet who gave them a general checkup also said they seemed to be around that age. They don't seem particularly aggressive toward each other outside of Rai lying on top of Rei, who always seems to just let her (much to my worry at times). Should I still separate them? Since they're past two months I'm guessing they're teetering about the 10 week mark you mentioned, but they also seem attached to each other (e.g., sleeping and resting against each other a lot) so I worry I might stress them out by separating them from each other.

Would you have some tips on telling when their hormones might be kicking in? Should I take Rai's lying on top of Rei as a sign?

 

[Preitler]

Which sex are they, female and male, right? Check every week, and get a second opinion if possible.
"lying on", you mean humping or just like in the one picture below?
Right now aggression is not your biggest worry, most likely not going to happen if m/f, m/m could mean trouble a few weeks down the road, f/f would be my least worrxy and I wouldn't seperate as long there are no problems (does humping is normal and a way to settle things - which works most times, but not all characters match). Bucks humping is a different social context than when does hump. Not the same thing. But I had does get pregnant at around 15 weeks - and my rabbits are 9-10lbs, smaller breeds mature earlier. If he's already practicing what nature tells him to do I wouldn't wait long anymore with seperating them, especially when you don't know their exact age. Best would be to get him fixed right now, it's quite normal here to neuter males before they fully hit puberty, but for some reason that seems to not be done in the US?
Sure, they like each others company, rabbits are social animals. But it happens so easily to end up with way too much, little, furry company.

Right, potatoes aren't good food for pet rabbits, it always depends on the amount and situation if something and how much of it is good or not.

Yellowisch feet are just a cosmetical problem. If they aren't going to a show I wouldn't do anything about it. There is no point in stressing them out for nothing.

 

[Diane R]

Join this group for good advice on local rabbit vets, supplies, etc: Rabbit Lovers Philippines

 

[FrozenMarch]

Join this group for good advice on local rabbit vets, supplies, etc: Rabbit Lovers Philippines

I actually sent a join request several days ago, but haven't gotten word on whether I'm accepted

 

[FrozenMarch]

Which sex are they, female and male, right? Check every week, and get a second opinion if possible.
"lying on", you mean humping or just like in the one picture below?
Right now aggression is not your biggest worry, most likely not going to happen if m/f, m/m could mean trouble a few weeks down the road, f/f would be my least worrxy and I wouldn't seperate as long there are no problems (does humping is normal and a way to settle things - which works most times, but not all characters match). Bucks humping is a different social context than when does hump. Not the same thing. But I had does get pregnant at around 15 weeks - and my rabbits are 9-10lbs, smaller breeds mature earlier. If he's already practicing what nature tells him to do I wouldn't wait long anymore with seperating them, especially when you don't know their exact age. Best would be to get him fixed right now, it's quite normal here to neuter males before they fully hit puberty, but for some reason that seems to not be done in the US?
Sure, they like each others company, rabbits are social animals. But it happens so easily to end up with way too much, little, furry company.

Right, potatoes aren't good food for pet rabbits, it always depends on the amount and situation if something and how much of it is good or not.

Yellowisch feet are just a cosmetical problem. If they aren't going to a show I wouldn't do anything about it. There is no point in stressing them out for nothing.

They lie on each other like the pic you gave, mostly when eating, so I get concerned if Rai's hurting her sister (Also, I was told they're both females but I am going to confirm with the vet once the holidays are over)

 

[Preitler]

No worry, i don't know why but they lie like this quite often, and it seems they are very comfortable with it. They can wiggle out of it when they have had enough.