Hi everyone - new bunny mom Dad here...

[Colyman1]

Confusing title? sorry about that. I'll explain:

I'm a father of 4 girls aged 12, 10, 4 and 2 (please no condolences or pitying, my girls rock! lol).
My oldest 2 joined our local 4H club this year and the 12 year old decided to raise a bunny for show. So- we just last week went to the farm of a reputable breeder and bought her a dwarf hotot (Archimedes or "Archie") buck to raise and show. Not to be outdone, my 10 year old did some research and convinced me that bunnies do better with a pal, so we also purchased a mini lop doe (Willow) who will be strictly a pet and a compatriot to Archie.
So therefore i am now a bunny mom-dad... dad of two bunny-moms... you get the idea.

I'll admit I was very reluctant to go along with this plan. How are two girls who can't keep their bedrooms clean going to care for some animals??? But, my better half got the better of me and convinced me we should give them the chance, so here we are. Truthfully, with the homecoming day approaching (the bunnies are staying at the farm until we get cages/supplies all set up), I am looking forward to the little fluff-ball's arrival.

I know very little about rabbits, but going through the posts here has been incredibly informative so far, so I hope to continue to learn. I'll most likely post a bunch of noob questions over the coming weeks/months, so thanks in advance for all the help I'm sure I'll get here!

I'll post pictures as soon as we bring Archie and Willow home.

 

[zuppa]

Hi, welcome to the club.

What age are they? So I understand Archie is a boy for show and can't be neutered and Willow is a girl and you want them be companions.

You will need to keep them separately until you can spay Willow (when she's about 5-6 months) then you will have to wait another 6-8 weeks after surgery and then you can introduce them in a neutral territory (please do some research on bonding process) and hopefully they will bond. So if they are about 8 week old now you will have to keep them separately from beginning to about when she's spayed and 2 months after that so until when she's 6-8 months, depending on when she can be spayed. So about 4-5 months.

If you don't want to wait that long you can instead find him already spayed female so she will be older than 6 months. Bonding is not always easy especially if your boy is intact, but you can try.

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

Will they be inside or outside?

 

[Colyman1]

they are both around 5-6 months old. And yes, since Archie is for show he is not going to be fixed right away. My daughter says she would like to get him fixed after show season is over, which i believe is next August if memory serves... any issues with his age at that time?
We are keeping them separated - and this will answer the other question too - they will be kept indoors in x-pens made of wire storage cube panels. Dimensions are 3'x4'x3' (WxLxH). The cages are sharing an inner wall of wire panels- so as it stands they would be able to see each other but not actually get to each other- is this a good thing or a bad thing? We could block line of sight easily enough by covering the middle wall with some corrugated plastic... homecoming day i've just been informed is going to be this saturday, so i've got a couple of days to mess around with the cage setup.

 

[Colyman1]

Also- i left out that we are planning to get Willow spayed ASAP. Researching Kenosha WI vets over the next few days.

 

[Colyman1]

Here’s our cages...

 

[zuppa]

You need to make a gap between the cages as since they both are unfixed they can do it through the bars..

 

[SableSteel]

I would want a gap or a solid divider between them. There are plenty of stories of rabbits breeding through cage bars, and these cage gaps are even bigger than normal ones... Where there's a will, there's a way I would also personally be wary about how structurally sound these are. Rabbits can be rather and creative and destructive, and I wouldn't trust just these wire storage shelves as the only thing between a hormonal male and a female. They are also really good at jumping! You might want to look into a roof for at least one side, imo preferably both.

If you're planning on getting him neutered after the show season, are you planning on getting a different rabbit for the next show season? Or are you only going to show for one season?

If you need any advice specific to showing in 4H, btw, feel free to ask me. I'm a rabbit judge, and I did 4H for 10 years growing up

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

I don't know how much you already do or don't know but here is some advice!

I don't know what litter you plan on using but I highly recommend horse stall pellets. You can get them at your local farm store. I buy mine at Rural King for $6 for a 40 lbs bag. Rural King is a southeastern company so you probably don't have those in Wisconson. And I would also recommend buying hay in bulk as you will be using a lot of it and a lot of it will be wasted. Around here I can buy a bale of Timothy mix for $5. You can usually buy these at your local farm stores too. Just make sure it's not alfalfa hay. And make sure it is not dusty, has a musty smell, or looks like bugs or rodents have been or are in it. Any food pellets you get should only be the pellets not any added things like seeds, colorful things, or nuts. They should be hay-based with no corn. I recommend products from Oxbow, Small Pet Select, and Sherwood. Rabbits only need 1/4 cup pellets for every 5 lbs of rabbit. As for toys, most of my rabbits never touched a store-bought toy but they loved cardboard boxes and toilet paper rolls, plus they are free! Oh! and hay should go directly into the litterbox and rabbits need the same amount of hay as big as they are every day.
I would also get heavy ceramic bowls for them as rabbits love to flip their bowls over and leave a mess and waste food and water. Don't buy any store-bought treats as most of these are bad for them, fruit and carrots should be the only treats and they only need 1-2 tablespoons per day max.
I like to keep my hay and supplies in big storage totes. It saves space and keeping the bale of hay in a tote is a lot less messy than leaving it out. For nail trimming use cat nail clippers not human or dog ones as they can split the nail.
NEVER EVER GIVE A RABBIT A BATH! This is THE #1 rule when it comes to rabbits. They can have butt baths but they shouldn't be necessary unless something medical is going on like the rabbit weeing on itself or it has poopy butt, but it should be tried to get it off with a wet washcloth or what's called a dry bath first and a butt bath should be a last resort option.

Some things you need to keep on hand in a bunny first aid kit are:
Syringe w/o needle to force-feed and water if ever necessary
Critical Care
Baby Gas drops
Quick Stop or cornstarch. (I prefer Quick Stop I have never had much luck with cornstarch)

Can I ask what the white material is on the bottom of the cage?

 

[Anna R.]

One thing I would suggest is the "shelves" will also need a plastic bottom (or cardboard). I have the same storage panels and covered the "shelves" with cardboard and put a heavy fabric over the cardboard for slipping (I used a double sided carpet tape to hold the fabric to the cardboard and then used binder clips to keep the cardboard in place so it won't slip off). Their claws cause them to slip on the plastic and cardboard. I am not sure if you are planning on putting bedding down on the bottom level...? 3 tiers high is a good height, they won't be able to jump out. But, be warned...they are very creative, crafty little cuties and if there is a will or way to get out or get to each other (separate the the middle by a few inches as stated by others above) they will find it.

With all that said...enjoy your new fluff balls. They will provide you with hours of entertainment and joy. They are the most wonderful pets and companions. You may even fall in love with them yourself.
Just enjoy, this site is GREAT for information. We've all been new owners ourselves so we all know what you're going thru. Good luck to your girls and their upcoming shows.

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

I am not sure if you are planning on putting bedding down on the bottom level...?

I'm not sure what your follow up questions will be on this question and I'm not throwing shade or anything but OP do not put bedding down as this will confuse the rabbit on where to go during litter training.

 

[John Wick]

Speaking from experience with constructing these grid cages, I would recommend doing a zip tie in the mid-point of touching grid sides as well. If at a minimum, for the grids that are being used as platforms. This can further prevent slipping and give extra stability. I believe I see one 1x3 door on each side. The one of the left looks fine, and you can use binder clips to keep it closed. The one on the right seems to have a dangerous gap, which may be very tempting for a rabbit to try and expand and squeeze through. Even if it's much to small, attempting to do so can hurt the rabbit. If you have three additional panels, you can very securely zip tie an extension to the existing door so when it swings close, the gap will be covered.

I also agree that a top is needed, or another +1 grid height increase, with no changes to the current platforms.

... And lastly, again, as someone who has made these hutches before, I at least read people's feedback of "put a gap between them" as very deterring because of all the alignment work it may have taken you to get it how it is, but I think it'd be worth it. If you visually cover the divider with something, it can actually be potentially scary to both rabbits because they'll be able to hear each other, but not see anything. It looks like you can cut some zipties and disconnect one half relatively easily from the other, and use additional grids to create the new wall.

 

[Anna R.]

I'm not sure what your follow up questions will be on this question and I'm not throwing shade or anything but OP do not put bedding down as this will confuse the rabbit on where to go during litter training.

Thank you for saying that. After I posted it I thought the same thing. I was just concerned with the rabbits slipping on the plastic as I have issues with that in the past. But, I agree in not putting bedding down it will confuse them and it will be a giant litter box for them. Not something you or the buns will want. Thanks AHG.

 

[Anna R.]

one other thing I did think of... You will want to provide a "hiding spot" for each of them. They will need that, especially when they first arrive in their new home. It will provide a safe place for them. I see one on the upper level of the left side; but, nothing on the right.
You have maybe already thought of that... seems like you are getting a lot of great information so far.

 

[Colyman1]

thanks everyone for the great info! I want to point out that the pics i attached were works in progress.
some answers/updates:
* working on a solution for separating the cages. I get that having no visual line of sight could be scary, so we did leave some open area where the buns could see each other, but still retreat to have some privacy in other parts of the cage if needed... is this sufficient or is separating the cages and removing the visual barrier really the best option? As far as breeding through the cages - the female is getting fixed asap. Only the male is intact.
* Our plan was never to put bedding down in the bottom for the exact reason someone mentioned- we did not want a giant litter box. Each bun has a cat litter box, and we've made a hay feeder that sits directly in front of each one so the buns can eat while they "go". That being said- what's a good solution to put down on the floor? Cardboard? I've read that they like to do their business on soft absorbent things like blankets/towels/fleece... so we're going to hold off on anything like that until they are litter trained.
* the shelves are lined with a cardboard floor.
* the doors do actually close all the way, and they have a bit of an overlap. pictures don't do it justice but this is something I made sure of. Thanks for pointing it out though!
* each bun has a hiding spot similar to the one in the pic. my wife sewed both of them, the one just wasn't finished in the first pic. Each one has a couple of other places to hide in their cage as well.
* NO BATHS. Check!

thanks everyone

 

[Anna R.]

Good Luck with your "Homecoming day" tomorrow. Enjoy your new family members. Your girls must be Super Excited.
Just wanted to say you are doing a great job so far. Getting all the information your new pets need, what excellent support for your daughters. You will Rock being a "Bunny Mom Dad".
Enjoy!!
Can't wait to see pics of your new buns.

 

[Donna Standar]

I don't know how much you already do or don't know but here is some advice!

I don't know what litter you plan on using but I highly recommend horse stall pellets. You can get them at your local farm store. I buy mine at Rural King for $6 for a 40 lbs bag. Rural King is a southeastern company so you probably don't have those in Wisconson. And I would also recommend buying hay in bulk as you will be using a lot of it and a lot of it will be wasted. Around here I can buy a bale of Timothy mix for $5. You can usually buy these at your local farm stores too. Just make sure it's not alfalfa hay. And make sure it is not dusty, has a musty smell, or looks like bugs or rodents have been or are in it. Any food pellets you get should only be the pellets not any added things like seeds, colorful things, or nuts. They should be hay-based with no corn. I recommend products from Oxbow, Small Pet Select, and Sherwood. Rabbits only need 1/4 cup pellets for every 5 lbs of rabbit. As for toys, most of my rabbits never touched a store-bought toy but they loved cardboard boxes and toilet paper rolls, plus they are free! Oh! and hay should go directly into the litterbox and rabbits need the same amount of hay as big as they are every day.
I would also get heavy ceramic bowls for them as rabbits love to flip their bowls over and leave a mess and waste food and water. Don't buy any store-bought treats as most of these are bad for them, fruit and carrots should be the only treats and they only need 1-2 tablespoons per day max.
I like to keep my hay and supplies in big storage totes. It saves space and keeping the bale of hay in a tote is a lot less messy than leaving it out. For nail trimming use cat nail clippers not human or dog ones as they can split the nail.
NEVER EVER GIVE A RABBIT A BATH! This is THE #1 rule when it comes to rabbits. They can have butt baths but they shouldn't be necessary unless something medical is going on like the rabbit weeing on itself or it has poopy butt, but it should be tried to get it off with a wet washcloth or what's called a dry bath first and a butt bath should be a last resort option.

Some things you need to keep on hand in a bunny first aid kit are:
Syringe w/o needle to force-feed and water if ever necessary
Critical Care
Baby Gas drops
Quick Stop or cornstarch. (I prefer Quick Stop I have never had much luck with cornstarch)

Can I ask what the white material is on the bottom of the cage?

I had my rabbits nails trimmed at the vet, one did bleed a bit. I asked about that powder and they said it was toxic to rabbits. So we just left it and it quit

 

[Donna Standar]

View attachment 44418 View attachment 44419 Here’s our cages...

What are the shelves for and what is the white part, plastic?

 

[Colyman1]

the "shelves" are additional layers that the bunnies can get up to for some additional living space. They are now lined with blank cardboard so they aren't sitting on wire. and yes the white part is corrugated plastic.

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

and they said it was toxic to rabbits.

I have never heard it being toxic. When I brought this up to my vet he didn't say anything about it.
I think even @JBun our health moderator has said it's ok to use. Am I right JBun?