Rabbit Colony

[Ainsleys_mommy]

I want to go cage free and just have my spare room set up for the bunnies. Of course, I need to get the rest spayed and neutered and wait 6 weeks for the hormones to subside, but how exactly do I go about it from there? Should I just try to bond them in that room? It's the room they're currently in, but they are all in separate cages. I have one of my males neutered now. The other two males are going within the next week or so. My does can't be spayed yet. One is on a litter and the other isn't old enough. Can I bond the boys now and add the girls (and any babies I keep) after they're fixed, or is it easier to just bond them all at the same time?

 

[itstrist]

I'm not sure about the bonding, I'm guessing it would be pretty hard to bond multiple rabbits that have lived solitary for a while. but my question is, what are you planning on doing for litter? are all your rabbits liter trained? multiple rabbits in one room urinating and pooping on the floor... sounds like a disaster to me.

 

[Ainsleys_mommy]

They have been in constant visual contact of each other, so I'm hoping that will help. 6 months is the earliest you can begin to bond anyway because of the neutering/spaying. I was planning on using old linoleum for the floor and putting coroplast up against the wall to protect the baseboards. I was going to use a huge playpen to keep them somewhat confined, but it was going to be practically the whole room anyway. As for litter, they're mostly litterbox trained. The one who is neutered never makes mistakes. Hoping the others follow suit. I was going to use the pan for one of their current cages as a litterbox.

 

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

I don't know much about bonding but you should do it in neutral territory and I've heard that bonding groups are hard. Here's a forum on this topic:

http://www.binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/111909/Default.aspx

 

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

http://www.rabbitresidence.org.uk/bonding-groups.html

here's another good link I hope this helps

 

[whiskylollipop]

I should think it'd be easier to bond in steps, start with pairs/trios then bond the groups together. Plonking lots of stranger rabbits together all of a sudden just sounds like a whole bunch of possible fights that would require octopus arms to keep under control!

 

[Ainsleys_mommy]

I read an article on rabbit.org that said it's best to do them all at once. It's best for me to start with three and add them as they get spayed/neutered, but it confused me when I read that. I also thought about doing the three current males that are/will be neutered within the next week and adding in my angora female once she is spayed. She will supposedly "rule" over them. Then I could get Simone spayed and keep her with one or two of her kids in another area. If I wait for everyone to be altered, it will be July before the older ones are done and six weeks after that before the hormones die down. So we're looking September before I could do anything and the babies won't be ready until November.

 

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

http://www.mybunnies.com/bonding.htm

 

[Bklyford]

Any updates for us? I have a momma who just had 5 babies we are wanting to get them all fixed and keep them.