Hi Im new here and need immediate help!!!

[bunnylover21]

Hi to all
I bought two dwarf bunnies about 2 mths ago for my teenage boyz.Myfamily is already in love with them.The store owner told me that one isa MALE jet black whom we call BUSTER and the other oneis a real beauty FEMALE white in color n black around her eyes n wecall her BUTTONS.
They were cute babies when we got them n now they r growin sofast that we were deciding on investing in a bigger cage n accessories.
All was well until a few days ago.They have been eating n sleepin nplayin together n while running around the house they try to mount eachother.usually BUSTER is the one on top even though he is smaller insize.But recently the running around each other has turned more into achase .Buttons is the faster.bigger n more active n nosy one but sheseems intimidated by Buster now.He chases her n sinceyesterday we have had to split em up in different rooms because shelooks scared when Buster is near.They still r using the same cage nlitter box etc. but we have to split em couple of times a day.
By the way they r not neuetred since my family wanted babies n we havefriends who r ready to adopt them but now seeing their fightin imhonestly scared.
First im not even sure about their sex as it was the store owner who told us.
second I dont know if they r sexually mature already or if it is a compatibility issue.
third if i have to get them neuterd it ll be very costly n i cant afford it.
SO wat do i do???
Some one gimme good advice PLZ.

 

[Snuggys Mom]

Pleasekeep them separated.You'll need a vet to properly sex them. Even experienced"Rabbit People" are often wrong about the sex.

If they are both male, they can and will fight (sometimes to the death).

If they are male and female, keep them separate for nowanyway. They can reproduce at this age, but it's notadvised. The female is too young and may have problems givingbirth.

Pleasecheck the information here in the "stickied" sectionabout breeding and care. It has a lot of great informationthere.

Here's a good place to start:

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12080&forum_id=17

Good luck.

 

[KatyG]

I don't think it is too early for them to havebecome sexually active, rabbits are usually at least 9 weeks old whenyou get them and since you say they have been with you two months thatmakes them about 4 months old. So buster is most likelytrying to mate with buttons.

Also what kind of dwarf rabbit are they? I assumednetherland dwarf when I read this but then was kind of surprised whenyou said they were growing so quick you will have to get a newcage. What size are they now? Could you describe theirappearance? Maybe the pet shop got the breed wrong in which case theyalso may be wrong about the sex. Lets assume they are male and femalefor now.

I think you should keep them seperate for now. You need to thinkcarefully about if you want them to mate or not. You mentionthat cost of neutering is a problem but breeding is pretty costlytoo. If anything goes wrong either with the mother or thebabies you might need an emergency vet which will cost a lot, as wellas more cages etc.

Also you maybe should wait until you see the rabbits fully grown, ifthey turn out not to be the breed you thought and grow much larger thismay be a problem for the people who want to take the babies.And you want to make sure both parents are healthy and no geneticdiseases etc. I think keep them seperate for now,get them checked at a vet so you are sure of the sex.

I'm not a breeder so someone else may no more about this but if you didbreed them I was thinking you might have to seperate them anyway tostop the male harrassing the pregnant female? So if they arenot spayed they may not be able to live together anyway. Andremember you are not just going to have one litter if they are notspayed and kept together. Rabbits are induced ovulators as far as Iknow making, them pretty prolific breeders, can you cope with all thosebabies and finding homes?

 

[bunnylover21]

Thx for your help.
I think Buster has grown twice his size when we got him but it isButtons who is growing faster.She is already three times her size andwhen she is relaxing and spreads her body out completely she is almostthe full length of the cage they are in.This is one more reason why ihave to confine her to a bunny proofed room now.The original startercage is never meant for two bunnies I think (even if they r dwarf).
I am not sure about their breed n exact size but ill post apic. in thenext few days.Then u can luk n take a guess at their breed.
As regarding spaying them i think i have to discuss it with my familyagain n most likely i wont let em breed and will try to get em neutered.
I still cant get it that they had been such great pals until now noutta nowhere she is avoiding him n is content in herconfinement.Buster misses her as i can see him looking in and aroundthe cage all the time.I let them be together when i am in the same roomand they still seem to be doing their own stuff n getting along finebut when they r alone in the same place i hear loud n noisy chases n bythe time i get there i see Buttons lying timidly in aconer n yesterdayi even saw a fluff of her back hair in Buster's mouth.so its back tosolitary confinement again.
I will try to keep you posted n prolly ask for advice again.Thx .

 

[KatyG]

Yeah, it is not unusual to see bunnies have acomplete personality change when they hit puberty. Thehormones can make them really aggressive.

 

[aurora369]

If you do breed them, they will need to be seperated.

You will need to know exactly when they mated, so you can be prepared with a nest box and be ready for the birthing.

Also, they WILL breed immediatly after the babies being born, asfemales are super furtile with in the first 24 hours of givingbirth. This is very hard on the mom, and you'll have toseperate her first litter of babies from mom at 4 weeks or just beforeand that's hard on them. They should be getting mom's milktill they are about six weeks old.

And breeding is going to be just about as expensive as getting yourbuns fixed. You'll need to buy extra cages to seperated thebabies after they leave mom, and to keep them in if you can't findhomes for some of them. Sometimes it takes months for thelast few babies to find a home. Unless you've got 10 familieslined up to provide homes, you're going to end up housing some babiesuntill they are possibly 4 or 5 months old.

You'll need to remember that babies and mom will eat a huge amount of food, and go through tons of litter/bedding.

I'm speaking from experience. I've bred my bun a fewtimes. She's also from a good breeder with a fullpedigree. I'm always prepared to rush mom and babies to thehospital if needed. I've always got some extra cash on handjust in case.

And before I ever breed, I spent a good 3-4 months researching abouthow to go about it responsably and then trying to find a good qualitydoe from a good breeder. It's not something that should berushed into.

There are many rewards of breeding, but also be prepared for some grossstuff. Like having to pick up dead babies and dispose ofthem, cleaning up after birth (after birth looks a lot like chickenlivers...ick). And losing babies is heart breaking.

I also keep hand feeding supplies on hand if I breed.Syringes and KMR (kitten milk replacer). Just in case momdecides not to feed the babies.

Well, I think I've given you a good start. I'm sure others will jump in and fill in any blanks left.

Please do lots of research before you make your choice. Thereare tons of good websites out there, if I have time I'll find a few foryou.

--Dawn

 

[AshtonCasey]

I want to share with you the same warning I didwith the person having bonding issues. When I got my bunnies Foster andDaphne, they were best friends. When they were about 4mths old (whenthey mature) hubby and I woke up to black and white hair from one endof the house to the other, never heard a sound. They stayed separatedafter that until we could get them fixed with a babygate.Long story short Foster ended up with an abcess that mayor may not have been caused during that scuffle. Foster didn't make itthrough the healing process. The abcess pushed her eye out and her backteeth out of line. She was miserable. I just got bunny Noah a fewmonths ago, right when he was maturing. He nipped and harassed Daphieto the point she had infected sores on her neck and lost a bit of hairfrom stress. At least keep your buns separated until you sort this allout, for their good health. Good luck with them though.

 

[naturestee]

Aurora definately gave some goodadvice. You'll need to separate them in separate cages(careful because there have been cases of rabbits breeding through wirecage walls). Puberty makes many rabbits more arguementativebecause they get more territorial, plus they are probablymating. Set the female up with a good large cage that can fita nest box, and have a nest box ready to go in if she starts pullingfur for a nest. If the girl is lucky enough not to bepregnant, read the breeding advice here and don't breed her until she'sold enough. Rabbits that are bred too young can have morecomplications and it can damage their bodies more- just like 13 yearold girls that have babies. Puberty does not mean thatpregnancy is a good idea yet.

I'd set them both up with new cages in separate areas."Starter" pet store cages are usually too small for even an adultnetherland dwarf. Look around Bunny 101 for cage ideas- NICcages, dog crates, dog exercise pens, etc.

Also like she said, they will have babies every month or so if they arekept together. This is very exhausting and unhealthy for themom, plus you'll have a ridiculous number of babies on yourhands.

And definately get a good rabbit-savvy vet lined up. He/shecould teach you how to palpate to determine pregnancy and could tellyou whether or not your girl is already pregnant. There areproblems such as stuck or retained kits, mastitis, mom "overgroomingkits" (sometimes takes off ears, legs), and other issues that needveterinary attention. Spay/neuter can actually be cheaperthan all this.