New Bunny Guidance

[nchan94]

Hi guys,

I just got a new baby bunny (Snickers)! The pet store owner said she is a bit younger than 2 months old and I have some questions. I also have a 6-7 month old female dutch rabbit (her name is Bee and she is not spayed yet, but I am making an appointment soon!

It'd be great if you could help me answer some questions

1. What species is she? (I've attached a couple of pictures of her)
2. She doesn't seem to be hopping like my other rabbit. So she sometimes hops, but most of the time she seems to be rather walking, putting one hind leg in front of the other. Is this behaviour normal or should I bring her to the vet to get her checked up on that?
3. I've attempted to introduce her to our older rabbit, Bee, but Bee seems to be overly territorial and even bit Snickers a couple of times. So I gave them a supervised session for 20 minutes in a relatively neutral territory. Should I continue as such or should I maybe wait until Snickers is a bit more settled in? We just got her and she is unfamiliar to the apartment and us as well. Is there anything I can do besides supervised neutral territory sessions and desexing Bee to help them get along with each other better?

Thank you ^^

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

1. Her species is rabbit. Her *breed* appears to be Dutch or a dutch mix.

2. She is young and young rabbits tend to walk as well as hop. Some older rabbits will do it as well, but it is usually if they are more nervous about the environment. I would give her some time, if she is still doing it a lot as she gets older and isn't actually hopping much, then a vet check is a good idea.

3. Bonding is best done when both rabbits are neutered. Females can generally be done after 5 months. Some time to heal and for the hormones to settle down does help a lot too. I would honestly wait until both are spayed before you try again. Intact rabbits can be territorial and don't usually get along. Some might tolerate each other, but there are usually problems that you tend to not see to pairs of altered rabbits.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Vienna Marked Tort--definitely looks to have some Dutch in the mix, but no way to tell specifically what here genetics are. Normal for youngsters to walk--still learning all the finer points of rabbit hood. Never try to intro a mature female to any other rabbit til neutered as they are usually at full hormone load and more territorial than me with my steak at dinner time! BTW that's a very cute little bunny and should come visit here--we'll send her back when we get tired of her, trust me!

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Wouldn't she need blue eyes to be Vienna marked? My guess was a mismarked Dutch or Dutch cross (I'm leaning to the former). And I think her colour is harlequin. You can post a "What Breed is My Bunny" thread in the Rabbitry and Showroom forum if you want the opinion of breeders.

I'm no bonding pro (only done it the once), but be prepared to have two singles. The easiest bond is the male-female bond. Female-female can also be successful, but it is more difficult if they're not siblings or raised together from babies. You definitely will need to spay both if you want to successfully bond them. And you'll need to wait to start bonding them until they are both spayed.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[majorv]

It looks like a Dutch mix. Color looks more harlequin than tort.

 

[nchan94]

Her poop is very wet :S Just suddenly happened today. what should I do?

 

[JBun]

What are you feeding(kind of pellets, hay, any treats or veggies)? Did you change food recently or feed anything different today or yesterday? Is it mushy poop or watery diarrhea, and is there also normal poop? Is there any blood or mucous in the poop? Is she still eating and acting normal? Are there signs of pain(grinding teeth, sitting hunched up, changing positions frequently)?

 

[Troller]

As for walking, my adult Xena does that on occasion. Makes her look graceful next to my buck who only hops and thuds around.


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