Bonding Q?

[redestarrosa]

hi,

Boogie and i was just starting to become friends, but since i gottenPepper, he don't want to get near me and runs away all the time...

He is bonding with Pepper pretty good but he is not with herconstantly, he tends to go into the living room while Pepper stays inthe bedroom or even stay in the cage

i know, i just need to be patient and continue with handfeeding kale to them every night before i go to bed, but still...:?

do y'all think i should seperate them for a while so i can let themtake turns having out of cage time so it would be easier to have one onone attention?

i, typically, open the cage door every morning when i get up and herdthem back into the cage when i go to class or work and when i am goingto bed... Boogie used to go to the door when he sees me awake and nowhe don't do that anymore, when he sees me awake he would run to theopposite end of the cage and jump over, so he won't have to be near me

maybe he is starting to hit the teenager stage, i mean he is almost 31/2 months old but he haven't dropped his testicles yet, maybe startingto

it makes me kinda sad that he runs away from me instead of coming up to me at times

so i guess making friends is a one step forward and two steps back
Evenstar

 

[naturestee]

You have one boy and one girl bunny,right? I would wait to bond them until at least one isspayed/neutered (and wait a month after the boy is neutered because hewill still have live sperm). Otherwise you can run the riskof accidental pregnancy. Rabbits can become fertile as earlyas 12 weeks old.

 

[redestarrosa]

it wouldn't hurt them emotionally to separatethem right? specially since they are kinda close but they both arepretty independent of each other, i mean Boogie was in here in theliving room chewing on my phone book while Pepper is under my dresserin the bedroom

i got enough NIC panels to divide the cage in half, the cage is big!

at least it would be easier to get the girl litterbox trained, the boyis pretty good about going in the litterbox atho i need to buy a Biggerlitterbox, Boogie is growing pretty fast

Evenstar

 

[BACI]

I would say divide them asap. They would stillhave contact with one another thru the cage. However, hopefully one ofthe more experienced bun owners or breeders can help with this one. Ihave heard of buns getting pregnant thru the cages. But for now I wouldseparate them, which is better than no separation at all.

 

[redestarrosa]

i was thinking about breeding themeventually, their coloring is really good... but it is goodto seperate them anyway cause she is too young

 

[redestarrosa]

i broke the cage down, now i got two separate cages, one in bedroom and other in living room

i feel a tad mean for separating them

 

[naturestee]

It is best to keep them separate. Ifyou had them together, the girl would get pregnant when she was muchtoo young, which is not healthy. That's like a 13 year oldgirl having a baby- it can really damage their bodies. Not tomention that they should not be kept together as adults either, becausethe girl can get pregnant the same day that she gives birth.

If you're interested in breeding, I suggest you do a lot ofreading. Start with this article, join the ARBA, get therecommended books, and ask lots of questions.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=5541&forum_id=8

 

[redestarrosa]

cool, thanks! i'll read the article and as soon after i move into my new apt i will join the ARBA

i have some experiences raising animals, i helped my g-maraising dogs, for years, she had a kennel (my g-ma adopted me) we alsoraised ducks (we had incubator) we raised cockatiels, she raisedrabbits, i was about 9 yrs old at the time, i used to raisedfinches, i am now raising rats, but i had my males neutered no morebabies in that dept, mainly cause it is harder than i thought to sellbaby rats to good ppl ... lots of ppl are like eww rats, i mean kidsare one thing they want the rats but the adults don't

 

[naturestee]

It can be just as hard to find good homes forrabbits. Many people don't know how to care for a rabbit oronly want one as a plaything for their small child. There'salsothe problem of rabbits in shelters. I likeSunnieBunnies' view on selling her rabbits as pets:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12831&forum_id=1

I do breed rabbits, however I do not supply any pet stores... ifsomeone is interested in a pet bunny from me (at ANY time of the year),they must first go through an initial interview of sorts - whichincludes a visit to my rabbitry to not only see the available bunnies,but also to see and hold the Adults... I do not let them hold thebabies as anyone can fall in love with a baby animal, but it takessomeone special to hold an adult and fall in love with IT before thebabies. They ask any questions they may have at that time andthen there is a minimum of a 4 week waiting period before they're ableto take home the bunny of their choice. The reason I havethis waiting period established is to weed out the impulse buyers (andholiday shoppers) and give the new owner plenty of time to prepare fortheir new bunny's arrival to their home. I also have alifetime standing agreement for the return of the rabbit if thingsdon't work out or they are no longer able to keep it.

This has always been my policy and it does not change byseason. Sometimes I wish other breeders took selling petsmore seriously, but I feel comforted that at least my rabbits will bewell cared for and there's less potential for them winding up returnedor in shelters / rescues.

~Sunshine

 

[redestarrosa]

that is true, i remember there was times, we didn't sell some of our pups til they were almost 5 months old