A few questions

[kimijean]

Hi all,

So I have a few question seeing as how I’m very new to bunnies as house pets. My introduction is here if you haven’t read it yet.:

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=75610&forum_id=26

1) Piper is about 1.5 years old and is not spayed. I read that the 2 main reasons to do this is a) because an altered bunny is usually friendlier and b) you have better luck litter box training them. She is a super sweet bunny but I’m leaning towards having it done in hopes of litter box training her. Any thoughts/ideas regarding this? Searching the forum on this as well.

2) Should I or should I not consider getting a second bunny? She has been an only bunny since she was purchased but I work full time, does she need the company of another bunny? I’m reading about it in other threads on the forum but figured I would ask anyway.

3) How often and how much do I feed her? Some say have hay available at all times and a small amount of pellets once a day. What about other things? What kind of other things? Again, I’m reading all I can find.

Thank you in advance for all your help.

Kim

 

[Imbrium]

welcome to RO!

actually, the main reason to spay is that unspayed females have, on average, half the lifespan because they're VERY prone to nasty cancers of the reproductive system if they aren't spayed.

we have a nice library of rabbit-savvy vets that may help you find the right one - http://rabbitsonline.net/view_forum.php?id=9

I would definitely consider a second bunny - most bunns are happier if they have a friend. before your bunny can have a friend, you'll need to get her spayed and then wait a few weeks for the hormones to be totally out of her system.

the best way to go about finding a companion for her is to call around until you find a shelter that will allow you to bring her in for bunny play-dates and help guide you through the match-making process to find a bunny that's a good fit. while F/F isn't an unheard of bonding, M/F is considered an easier bond to achieve.

feeding - hay (timothy or other grass hays) 24/7, 1/4-1/2 cup pellets per 6 pounds body weight per day and minimum 2 cups (packed/chopped) veggies per 6 pounds of body weight per day, the majority of which should be leafy greens.

more diet info and veggie lists:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#babies
http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html
http://www.3bunnies.org/feeding.htm

 

[LakeCondo]

The main & best reason to spay is that unspayed female rabbits have a very high rate of reproductive cancers. It's like 80% at age 6.

Yes, hay is to be available at all times. I think most people feed twice a day, some combination of pellets & veggies. Lettuce [not iceberg], cilantro, parsley are all good choices.

It's sometimes hard to bond rabbits & it really has to be done after both are neutered. The best way to be successful is to take your rabbit to a shelter/rescue for a speed date, so she can choose.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat: Ours get their pellet in the evening, veggies in the morn and eve, and hay is always available 24/7.

 

[Imbrium]

I feed pellets at breakfast and veggies at lunch and dinner... most of the time, I eat lunch and dinner in the bunny pen with them, hehe.

 

[missyscove]

Spaying really does prevent reproductive cancers. I lost my Fiona to metastasized mammary cancer which would have likely been prevented by an early spay (she was spayed when we adopted her but we're not sure how old she was at that point).
I feed Timmy 1/4 cup of Oxbow's adult rabbit food (or whatever their new name for bunny basics/T is) in the morning, one cup of greens in the morning, one cup of greens at night, as much of an assortment of grass hays as he can eat, and a few treats spread throughout the day (e.g. a part of my banana, a crasin, one of oxbow's bunny biscuits).
Yes you should consider a second bunny, but no you don't have to have one. Bonded rabbits are great to watch but not all buns will bond and you always have to be prepared for the possibility that you may have to cage your rabbits separately.

 

[kimijean]

Thank you for the replies. She will get spayed ASAP. And if I do get a second bunny he will be neutered ASAP as well.

Thank you Imbrium, the clinic that I took Xandir to, African Grey Parrot (RIP), is listed. And the owner is the vet listed as being bunny savvy. Her previous owners said she weighs around 3 lbs, but I’ll find out for sure when I take her to the vet. I’ll keep reading up on feeding and work out a schedule that will work for us.

As far as getting a second bunny goes I‘m torn… taking her to a rescue for a meet & greet could work but part of the reason I’m thinking about a second bunny is for me. I was wanting, and looking for, a Netherland Dwarf. I’ve found a dark chocolate male that’s about a year old and is friendly. But I’ve also found some Ditch babies. They are so darn cute! I understand that if I choose a bunny (instead of letting her choose) they might not get along. But wouldn’t having a bunny in a cage next door be some company for the long hours they would otherwise be alone? And would the odds of them getting along be better if I get a young adult or a baby?

Also, if I get a second bunny should they be kept completely apart (like in separate rooms) until a few weeks after they have both been altered? Or can they be in separate cages next to each other??

Kim

 

[Imbrium]

well, they pretty much always get along if they're both babies... as for a baby and an adult, I'm really not sure if that would make a difference as to the ease with which the adult bonds.

having two rabbits is twice the work if they're not bonded and can make it harder to give them enough attention and out-of-the-cage time, but if you're up for it then there's no reason you couldn't house two fixed bunnies side-by-side as long as they were just far enough apart that they couldn't fight through the bars. it wouldn't be the same for them as actually being bonded, though.

if they aren't both altered, separate rooms is probably the way to go - I've heard of intact males going a little bit nuts over the smell of a female even if the female was spayed, etc. once they're fixed and hormones are subsiding, you can get a jump-start on bonding by housing them side by side so they can get used to each others' smells (you can even switch them to each others' cages every few days).

if you're thinking about going through a breeder to get a certain type of bunny, it might be possible to still do playdates, though I suspect that may only work well with babies since adults from breeders would presumably be unneutered and you might not get an accurate idea of how they get along... and ofc you'd want your girl spayed first same as if you went the shelter route.

 

[ldoerr]

My rabbits get pellets in the morning, hay at all times and a bunch of veggies at night (though tonight they will not be getting veggies, I ran out).

 

[Imbrium]

ohh, that's no fun. I've gotta run to the store in a bit - mine keep staring me down 'cause I didn't buy them any kale when I restocked veggies the other day 'cause the kale in stock at the grocery store looked iffy. they keep running over to the side of the pen every time I go out there looking up at me like "where's our kale??". Gaz will eat the swiss chard I bought instead, but Nala really only likes kale and carrot tops (and the carrot tops looked iffy too).

 

[LakeCondo]

Rabbits that are bonded before they're old enough to be neutered usually have to be re-bonded afterwards. And if they're not bonded, they tend to just ignore each other even when they can see each other.