Ages

[Butterfluff]

I've recently gotten my lovelies from a local petstore (my country doesn't have any rabbit shelters so the only option was unfortunately...to buy.)

The petstore staff was lacking of useful and basic information. They couldn't provide me the ages of the buns either which really agigated me.

Nonetheless, I gave my buns a loving home (cuz they were basically miserable at the petstore anyways ) and I'm trying my upmost best taking care of them. I really want to know what ages my buns are...so can someone guess the ages judging by a picture?

I'll highly appreciate that! <3

(My apologies for the blurry photos cuz I'm scared the flash might irritate them. Hope they're clear enough, tho!)

 

[Blue eyes]

Hello and welcome to the forum! I'm not great at guessing ages, but they do look rather young. Do you know if they are male or female?

Baby rabbits usually get along quite well -- at least for awhile. But as they grow, those hormones can alter their behavior and cause fights (regardless of gender). You'll want to keep an eye out for that since fights can get quite serious. That doesn't mean they can't bond. But it may be necessary to separate them for a time until both are fixed.

This forum should be most helpful- many experienced rabbit owners on here (and newbies too).

 

[Butterfluff]

Thanks for both your welcoming and reply!

They're both females.

But do you know at what age they should get fixed?

 

[JBun]

They look very young to me, maybe 4-5 weeks old. Really too young to be weaned, but nothing you can do about that now. Bunnies weaned too early are especially susceptible to serious digestive problems developing. If you are very careful about their diet, you can help minimize this risk.

First, you want to feed the same exact feed they were getting at the pet store. If it was a low quality feed and you need to change it(plain high quality alfalfa based food pellet for young rabbits), I would suggest giving it 3 weeks then gradually start to introduce the new food while gradually decreasing the old food, over a 2-4 week period, keeping a close eye out for mushy poop or lack of appetite.

I would also suggest free feeding a high quality grass hay(horse quality) that is a mix of leaf and stem, that you ensure is not spoiled(never been wet, no mold which would give it a sour or musty smell, white or blackish spots in the hay, and/or a whitish dust) or have noxious weeds. Good grass hay is going to be your best preventative for digestive issues, particularly in newly weaned baby rabbits, as well as helping to prevent acquired dental problems.

If the babies were given veggies or leafy greens at the pet store and it didn't cause any mushy poop issues or gas, you should be able to continue feeding those same veggies without it causing any digestive problems. But I wouldn't introduce any new ones into the diet until they are at least 12 weeks old. If they didn't get any veggies before, then they won't be used to them and it would be best to wait until they are 12 weeks old before very gradually starting to introduce any into their diet if you wish to(make sure they are rabbit safe ones). It's best to start one at a time and very gradually increase the amount, keeping an eye out for it causing any signs of digestive upset(mushy poop, lack of appetite from upset stomach or gas pain).

It would also be advisable to not feed any sugary/starchy foods, like fruit, grains, store bought treats, as these can contribute to bad bacteria growth in their digestive system, which can then lead to very serious digestive illnesses occurring.

 

[JBun]

Because they are young, keeping them together for now will help reduce the stress of being in a new home, which I would advise as stress can cause illness to develop. But when they are a bit older you may need to separate them when their hormones start coming in. Usually spaying can occur at 4-6 months old, though it may be later if they are a large breed rabbit(which they may be by the appearance of their larger ears).

At 12-16 weeks old, you will either need to separate them and give them their own cages, or if they aren't showing any signs of irritation or aggression with each other, you may be able to continue to keep them together until it's time to get them spayed, but to keep two rabbits together, they will need a much larger area to live in than a smaller cage, especially if they are large breed rabbits. I'm not sure what your plans are for them, but they will either need a cage with free access to a run or pen around the cage, or they will need a rabbit proofed room. Rabbits kept together need space to be able to get away from one another once in a while.

If you start seeing signs of aggression, depending on what you are seeing, it may become necessary to separate until they are spayed. But even then there is no guarantee you will be able to bond them again afterwards. It can sometimes be difficult to bond female rabbits or even impossible, so I would really suggest you read up on it now so you are ready when the time comes and know what to expect. Here's a link with some good info on the subject.
http://www.cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information/bonding-bunnies/

 

[Butterfluff]

Massive thanks to you!!!

Seriously? Ugh, I feel bad for them being motherless so early on.

Sadly, the people from my country couldn't care any less for animals. They're main goal is to make profit, not care for the animal's well-being. Not to mention, there aren't many rabbit conoisseurs.

Anyways... I'm giving them celery, dried wheat finger grass, basil and pellets. And they seem to love their food. I've given them tiny bits of banana and pear past week.

Their feces look like tiny Nesquik cereal which from my perspective is normal, right? lol And their pee is perfectly yellow.

What's faulty of me is that I didn't start slowly with introducing them to new food. I really feel guilty. Keep the advice coming in, guys! I desperately need it!

 

[JBun]

I wouldn't feed anymore of the banana or pear(or any other fruit) until they are at least 12 weeks old, and even then it should only be fed in very limited amounts if it doesn't cause mushy poop. But the other food sounds ok as long as you aren't seeing any mushy poop or them stopping eating. Not sure what dried wheat finger grass is, but if it's a grass hay then it should be fine. Free feeding(never runs out) the hay is the best thing if it is possible for you to do.

Here's what normal rabbit poop should look like, but the cecotropes you should normally never see more than the occasional one left uneaten.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/drop/Drp_en.htm

 

[Butterfluff]

The links seem very helpful.

OK...any horse approved hay should be fine for them as well? Also, what kind of toys can keep them fully entertained? Since they're babies, I woudn't dare let them experience the outdoors. I'll keep them active indoors for awhile. What do you think, Jbun?

 

[JBun]

I guess it depends on what is considered horse quality hay in your country. Here in the US it means it's not moldy(never been wet) and no noxious weeds. Moldy hay or poisonous weeds can kill a rabbit. I also would want it to be decently green and not sunbleached.

Baby buns usually like having space to run around. They'll do little dashes(bunny 500's) and twisty jumps(binkies). Generally toys for rabbits are things that involve their natural behaviors like digging, chewing, tunnels. My rabbits have a dig box with crumpled up newspaper that they like to go in and further shred the paper. Cardboard boxes with entrance and exit holes for their tunnels. Just make sure they aren't wanting to actually eat the cardboard. Usually they will just rip and maybe ingest small pieces. Large amounts ingested could pose a gut blockage risk. Other things, rabbit safe branches(pesticide free) to chew on like apple and willow. A fleece blanket that they can dig on and rearrange. Fleece usually because it doesn't have threads that the buns will ingest or get tangled in.

 

[JimJam]

Can you send another pic through of them both? I couldn’t tell in the photos because it was to dark...

 

[Butterfluff]

Can you send another pic through of them both? I couldn’t tell in the photos because it was to dark...

Sure!

 

[Cookiemonster]

they look the size of my buns when they were about 5-6 months old... I am no expert.... do you by chance know the breed of them?? they are very beautiful buns!

 

[Butterfluff]

they look the size of my buns when they were about 5-6 months old... I am no expert.... do you by chance know the breed of them?? they are very beautiful buns!

Awww, thank you! :')

Sadly, no. I barely know anything about them since the petstore's staff didn't have any info.

 

[Cookiemonster]

Your welcome! I hope all goes well for you and the buns... there is a what breed is my bunny link somewhere here.. maybe that will help you.. It is under the rabbit knowledge library...

 

[JimJam]

Thanks for sending through pics! To me they look about 8 weeks old, since their heads are still round and chubby. As they get 10 wks and older, their heads will change shape (look more mature) and won’t be so round. They are BEAUTIFUL buns though. Good luck with raising them!

 

[Blue eyes]

Cookie monster wrote : they look the size of my buns when they were about 5-6 months old.

Awww, thank you! :')

Sadly, no. I barely know anything about them since the petstore's staff didn't have any info.

5-6 month old rabbits are very very close to adult size. I'd agree with JimJam that they look no more than 8 weeks -- the youngest age rabbits should be sold.