Separating rabbits

[Rowan]

Hi everyone

I found this forum yesterday and I think it's great .

I've read most of the last few pages of posts and was really enjoyingit til I read one that said rabbits should be separated out at eightweeks, everywhere else I'd come across said twelve and now I'm in a bitof a panic and need advice.

I've always been a cat person and until very recently all my knowledgeand focus on animals has been on cats and what I knew about rabbitscould have been written in the sentence 'People keep rabbits in cagesthat are much too small and I disagree with the whole thing'

But on some mad impulse I ended up with four baby rabbits which weredestined for a pet shop at six weeks, I was really angry and upsetabout it and something just snapped inside meso I said mydaughter and I would take them, she's wanted a rabbit forever and I'vealways said no, but she's nearly fourteen now and wonderful with allanimals. We went home and finished her floor (we live in an unfinishedhouse - it's a long story) and built, after much thought and designwhich happened when I should have been sleeping, a four storey verylarge indeed rabbit palace on one side of her bedroom filled witheverything we could think of toamuse and delight rabbits,cardboard boxes with holes, digging boxes, telephone book, ramps, rockpiles, toilet rolls, apple logs, wicker basket, hay, food, water, softtowels to lie on and so on. We got them home at seven weeks which wasthe earliest I was prepared to take them from their Mum, though theirpoor litter mates had gone a week earlier to pet shop hell, and theyloved their new home. Within a couple of hours they were doing binkiesinside it, racing round like mad things and dancing all over it. Theywere just as happy when they were let out into my daughter's room,pirouetting everywhere.

Now to my worry. I have two males and two females, I've found a rabbitfriendly and knowledgeable vet, 40 miles away as opposed to the 1 and ahalf miles away that my cat vet is, who will neuter and spay them whenthey're old enough, and my plan had been to keep them together untilthey were twelve weeks and them separate them till after theiroperations before slowly reintroducing them into a group. From what I'dread it's the dwarf rabbits who mature earliest. My lot are all verycrossbred and look more like wild rabbits than any other breed, thougha bit more golden. Bunberry is black all over but the other three,Harebell, Selkie and Tarragon are golden brown with blue bits. I'mguessing they'll all be about wild rabbit sized when they're grown astheir Mum is. I'm also guessing this means they count as medium sized.What age does this mean they're likely to be mature? Bunberry andTarragon are the boys by the way and Harebell and Selkie are the girls.At the moment they all lie together in very happy bunny heaps and don'tseem to have any interest in sex, I don't want to have to break them upbefore I have to, but I absolutely don't want unwanted pregnancies:shock:

Any help would be very welcome

Thanks

Kate

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I'm not sure about the separating them at whatage exactly but does can get pregnant at 12 weeks of age and startsometimes start mounting at 8 weeks of age.

The one thing that may be a concern for you in the future is fighting,2 males will generally fight to the death (not always but most of thetime), 2 females will fight too, and a male and female make the bestpair to keep together but even then fighting can occur. Since you have4 rabbits, 2 of each, you will most likely have fighting betweenrabbits even if they are litter mates. Just keep an eye on it and beprepared to have to separate the rabbits permanently when they hit the"teen years", normally between 7 months and a year I believe.

 

[junior_n_sweetpea]

I just recently separated our two bucks. They areabout 7 months old. They haven't started fighting yet but have becomevery territorial and continuously try to mount eachother when together.We had a 3 story rabbit condo that I remodeled into a duplex. LOL. Westill let them out together to romp while cleaning the cage but theyseem much happier since they each have their own "apartment" so tospeak. And the poop wars are also coming to an end. Theirlitterhabbitsare becoming better



Good luck with the buns!

 

[Rowan]

Hi MyBunnyBoys

Thanks for what you said, I know I've been a bit mad to get fourrabbits especially as I'm completely new at this, and am a singlemother on a very tight income as well! But I'm really hoping that if Iseparate them before they fully mature and then neuter and spay themall and let their hormones have time to calm down before slowlyreintroducing them that I might get away with it.

If I don't I guess I'll be sorting out permanent alternativeaccomodation for them around the house. One advantage ofall the building work on this place I'm having to do in my spare timeis that I have a lot of wood around. Never knew I'd be thankful forthat

Hope your bunnies are doing well too

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

We were all new once! I have 2 boys and they werefine living together from around 2-3 months old until 8-9 monthsold,then they started fighting back in January and had beenfixed in the beginning of August. I'm not saying they cannot livehappily together, I mean it has happened, but my boys have to beseparated permanently because they fought so bad and would have killedeach other had I not stepped in. Luckily we had a spare cage (small butokay for the temporary cage) and it worked until my dad had time tobuild a double cage.

Good thing you have all that wood lying around, lol we had to beresourceful and use our old wooden garage door that we replaced in thespring! lmao, it works quite nicely.

 

[Rowan]

Hi junior_n_sweetpea

Thanks

Are your bucks neutered? I'm hoping that if I have my boys done then itwill make a difference to the way they behave in the future but ifyours are then looks like I may be having to think again! They do allseem to have very placid temperaments at the moment though I know thatwill probably change as their hormones kick in
Glad your bunnies still play together outside the cage, hope they keep doing well

 

[Rowan]

MyBunnyBoys

Thanks

I guess I'm just used to knowing all about cats and it's strangeknowing nothing really about my new lovely babies.Suppose I'mjust going to have to wait and see how it all turns out, and in themeantime build a few more cages just in case none of them can standeach other when they grow up!

I'm hoping for peace though

 

[LuvaBun]

Hi Rowan, welcome to you and your clan.It was so good of you to take these four buns. Nothing like being in atthe deep end .Hope your buns all settle together - not sureabout whaen to searate them, but there are some really knowledgablepeople get here and they will be able to help more than I can. Good luck

Jan

 

[Gabby]

Hello Rowan,

Welcome to the mad crazybunny world.LOL To be on the safe side I wouldsuggest seperating them before 12 weeks, at leastby 11 weeks. In my experience buns stay morefriendly with each other if they are all housed close together whilebeing seperated, so they stay famular with each other untill that daywhen you can try and rebond them. Some people do have successin bonding groups, my current largest group is 3 girls, who have beentogether for 4 years. But I know of others who have had even largergroups of bonding groups. Doots (i think thats her name here) has somedynamincs of several bonded groups at her house.

i wish you the best of luch with your bunny group.

 

[Rowan]

I'll go for eleven weeks then. Can't believe I'veonly had them a week today they seem so much part of life here, andfull of mischief I did panic about what I'd done earlierbut I've calmed down now, the boys already come over and sit on me tobe stroked when I'm on the floor with them and the girls are much lessnervous of people than they were. It's really opened my eyes to a wholenew world, they are such sweet lovely creatures, even if they couldalso go by the collective nickname of The Destroyers!

Luckily in our house the wiring was done so that it's not possible toelectrocute yourself, as they already got the phone line and a pair ofheadphones that were supposedly out of range of bunny teeth, reminds meof a group of toddlers you can't take your eyes off them for a minute.The walls will never be the same either

Thanks for the welcome and support it feels really good.

 

[2bunmom]

Welcome to the forum Rowan. 4 bunnieshumm! You will enjoy each and every one of them, I'msure! It is fun to figure out their personalities,likes and dislikes. I have a bonded pair that are quitedifferent in personalities. I have had them for about 3years and I still figure out things aboutthem. So glad that you can joinus! Beckie, Trouble & Trixie

 

[Rowan]

Hi Beckie, Trouble and Trixie

I was really amazed at how fast their different personalities began toshow. Ignorant person that I was I thought they'd all be very similarin character. Well they soon showed me! The three brownies are allpretty similar in looks but even if I can't tell from behind whichone's which I can work it out from what they're up to. They all behavein such individual ways. I'm going to love learning more about whatthey're like as they get older and grow into their personalities. Andthese are supposed to be my daughter's rabbits!

 

[2bunmom]

Be Careful! Rabbits areaddictive!!!!:shock: Beckie

 

[Loz n Ebony]

well even after the operation the males willstill mount the females. And also the males will fight. If the girlsare sisters they should get along enough to live together.

I have two rabbits. A girl and a boy. They live in seperate cages but they are best of friends in the garden.

luv loz

xXx

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Loz n Ebony wrote:

well even after the operation the males will still mount thefemales. And also the males will fight. If the girls are sisters theyshould get along enough to live together.

I have two rabbits. A girl and a boy. They live in seperate cages but they are best of friends in the garden.

luv loz

Actually, after the operation any of the dominent ones will mount theothers to try and gain the "top rabbit" position. Not all males willfight, most of the time they will, but it's not a guarenteed thing thatthe males will fight.It also makes absolutely no differenceif the girls are sisters or not, some girls will simply fight andothers wont. It's just luck.

(I didn't mean to offend you Loz n Ebony, just wanted to correct a few things. )

 

[Gabby]

MyBunnyBoys wrote:

Actually, after the operation any of the dominent ones willmount the others to try and gain the "top rabbit" position. Not allmales will fight, most of the time they will, but it's not a guarenteedthing that the males will fight.It also makes absolutely nodifference if the girls are sisters or not, some girls will simplyfight and others wont. It's just luck.

(I didn't mean to offend you Loz n Ebony, just wanted to correct a few things. )

i concur, not all males will fight, not all willgetalong, and while quite a few of my bonded are related i have hadgreat luck with unrelated rabbits bonding as well.

Also sisters do not always get along, sometimes a rabbit mayget along better with a non related rabbit, just all dependson the rabbit and his/her personality.

Not to mention males are not the only ones who mount. females will mount for dominance as well

 

[Rowan]

Thanks all of you

I'll just build my extra cages and hopeI don't need them! Athing I'm wondering is are rabbits like cats in that fights are a lotless likely if they aren't too evenly matched, ie if one is obviouslymuch more dominant and generally in charge as opposed to them beingfairly equal in personality traits? I'm just curious as I haven't gotmuch idea yet of rabbits' natural social hierarchy. This is afterthey're neutered of course, guess before that hormones will overridemost things!

 

[Cher]

Not much input here because I think most of allhas been said, just wanted tosay....... WELCOMEtothe forum, and starttaking pic's for when youwantto post pictures of your new "kids"

Cher

 

[Rowan]

Hi Cher

Thanks for the welcome I love the pic. I'd love to post photos of mynew little (but growing fast!) family but at the moment I don't haveany way of getting them onto my computer.Hopefully thatwill change eventually and I'll have a whole load of them to go on

 

[bluebird]

Nothing like jumping in with both feet at once.I think you may have dwarf mixes.hope we get to see pictures soon.bluebird