Two Questions: diet and barbering

[philososaurus]

Hi all,

I just adopted a second bunny. She's 7 mo. old now, and I've had her for a month. (She's fixed.) Lupe got along with Yoshi, a Netherland Dwarf who is about 8 yrs old and I've had her for 7 years, immediately. I literally couldn't keep them apart.

Lupe, despite her age and size, is clearly the dom. She barbers Yoshi's whiskers, which I've been told is normal dominance behavior (though Lupe will also groom Yoshi, though Yoshi grooms Lupe far more). I guess I'm afraid though. Perhaps I need a bit of reassurance, that this is normal. It doesn't look like Yoshi gets aggressive at all about it, but she already has pinky little skin so I can't tell if it's excessive (around her eyes where Lupe has cut her eyelashes).

That's the first issue.

The second is that they are free range bunnies (and I seriously can't keep them apart), but because Lupe's age, she gets baby bunny food. She SHOULD have unlimited access to it, but Yoshi just keeps eating it all, even neglecting her adult pellets.

Any tips? Is this ok?

Thanks bunny lovers.

 

[lopsofloverabbitry]

I have 2 of my fixed rabbits together and it sounds just like yours. Excessive cleaning of the eyes, and grooming. At first they did it for a while then eventually they stopped doing it since they have been together for so long. Im concerned about the pink eye and the eating of the eyelashes. Does the the rabbit allowed the eyes to be clean?

With the baby food situation, the best thing to do is separate them at feeding time. I would put one rabbit in the cage and then other rabbit on the outside of the cage eating its food. At first they wont like it, but they will eventually get used to it.

 

[Watermelons]

Lupe is plenty old enough to be getting adult pellets. Most bunnies are considered adult at 6months and should be gradually switched at that age.

My 2 barber each other as well. No issues so far. Just keep.an eye on the eye area. But if it was buggi g yoshi im sure lupe would know and yoshi would put up a big fuss.

 

[philososaurus]

Hey folks! Thanks you for your quick replies and reassurance. Lops, there's some pinkness around the eye area (but also, her skin is pink), but Yoshi doesn't seem the least bit affected by it (nor is there any watery eyes or anything like that). I think it just shocked me because I'd never heard of the buns doing this! I have been removing the bowl from the cage actually and taking it to Lupe, which seems to help.

Watermelons, I had heard that they should have the young rabbit food at least 9 mo, but even up to a year?

 

[Watermelons]

For larger breed rabbits like flemmies and ... etc...., more so, but most smaller breeds are done their growing by 6 months. Most people switch their rabbits and recommend switching them to timothy based hay and pellets at around 6 months of age. If youre really concerned you could offer Lupe a tablespoon of the baby pellets in the morning or some time when you know she will eat them to give her the extra fat and calcium in baby pellets (she honestly doesn't need it) otherwise they can share the same pellets. You will just have to ensure one of them doesn't eat them all. Its still nice to be able to ration and measure how much they get daily. Ideally 1/4 cup pellets per 5lbs.

 

[pani]

My nethie often grooms my lop's eyes quite aggressively. I got really concerned when I first saw it as her eyes looked a bit watery/pink afterwards, but after watching them a bit more, I noticed that she'll move herself away when she's had enough. Yoshi will probably do the same.

 

[philososaurus]

Ah! That makes much more sense, and solves the feeding problem!
Merci! Merci!

 

[Suzi]

I actually have this exact issue as I have just got a baby bunny girl and bonded her with my 3 year old boy who because of mild digestive issues really can't have many pellets.

What I did in the end was feed them breakfast and dinner together but then I put her in the hutch and give her lunch which is just to make sure she has had enough pellets given her age. She is growing nicely and he's not getting too much so it's working for me. He seems to know what I'm doing so to stop him getting grumpy I sneak him just one single pellet when I give her lunch. Then whenever I give her a cuddle or a stroke I sneak her an extra pellet here and there.