Baby Buddies

Question
Thank you for your reply Dana --- I had already visited both of the websites you mentioned in the research that I have been doing trying to learn as much as I can about rabbits in order to make the best decision for our family and for the rabbits. I am definately not just starstruck by the cute baby bunnies - let me explain further our experience with bunnies up until now.  We actually already tried to adopt a two year old buck - were told that he was extremely friendly and found the opposite to be true.  It bit all of us - drawing blood - except my six year old and would charge us and growl and lunge. Our three year old was so terrifed of it after being bit and the behaviours continuing that we made the difficult decision to return him to the woman we got him from.  To avoid having a similar scenario happen with another older bunny we decided to look for some babies instead -  Our hope after talking to many "rabbit people" - was that handling babies a lot and earning their trust and bonding with them from a young age would be a better plan .  My experience was that an older bunny does not neccesarily have predictable behaviour either. The bunny seemed friendly on all our initial meetings - so adopting sounds like a wonderful, preferable idea to save a bunny, but it can result in the same behaviour issues that you are saying come with getting a baby.     Needless to say- we do not want to bring another bunny into our lives and find that they are ferocious. Obviously we want our children to enjoy the addition of a special animal to our home - not be screaming in terror and having to say goodbye to something they care about.    That is why as I mentioned in my question we planned on altering them as soon as possible - to avoid the puberty hormones taking over and changing their behaviour that way.  We did not find these babies at a pet store -- I know not to buy from pet stores for many reasons -- they are from a young woman who lives in the country and has two pairs of rabbits - along with many other animals on a small farm --certainly not a huge rabbitry.  Wouldnt the pair likely bond as babies and by fixing them early on - couldnt we likely avoid some of the nasty behaviours?  I am just trying to find the best scenario for the likelihood of having happy rabbits and happy people but am getting frustrated.       






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Followup To
Question -
I am researching a lot about rabbits and very seriously considering getting at least one but maybe two for our family to love. We looked at some babies this weekend but wanted to wait and make the right decision for the bunnies and for us and not be impulsive --what do you think about getting two babies (six week olds) from two different litters and breeds - one Mini Rex and one Holland Lop? Would they likely be happy together coming to us as babies?  Would it be ok to have a combination of one buck baby and one doe baby - would that be the best combination ? And lastly we would not be wanting to breed them so am I right to assume that we should have both altered and not just one?And at what age so that we didnt accidentally have baby bunnies!
Lots of questions!
Answer -
Dear Megan,

I know there's nothing as adorable as a baby bunny.  But even so, I would caution you against buying from a breeder or pet store.  For one thing, many petstores will sell babies before they're old enough to be weaned, which--though illegal--is a common practice.  This can result in fatal intestinal infections starting with "a little bit of diarrhea" that can kill within 24 hours.  Please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

Second, by buying a bunny you will be promoting more breeding, which is the main reason we rabbit rescuers are so overwhelmed by unwanted bunnies every year.  I know you would never abandon your bunnies, but many people do, and most of them buy their rabbits from pet stores without knowing enough about bunnies.  The pet store knows only the bottom line, and they keep re-stocking, and thousands of rabbits are abandoned and euthanized every year.

By *adopting* a bunny from a local rescuer, you will be helping solve this terrible problem instead of contributing to it.  Also, a rescued bunny will already be spayed or neutered (a huge expense and not without worry, since no surgery is 100% risk free), so you won't have to deal with that.  

The rabbit rescuer will be able to tell you about the bunnies' personalities and litterbox habits, and you can pick the ones that are compatible with your family and space.  They also can introduce you to pairs of bunnies who are already bonded, so you won't have to worry about the challenge of bonding two bunnies (which can be a hairy...harey?...experience).  If you buy a baby bunny, you cannot predict whether that baby will be shy, friendly or even ferocious.  And some of the ones who are extremely friendly as babies can turn into wolverines when puberty hits!  (Just ask our Maggie, who would take chunks of flesh off our arms and legs once she grew up, after being the cuddliest, friendliest baby you've ever seen!  She's 12 years old now, and unable to walk, but she's still the fiercest bunny on the block!)

A lot of answers to not so many questions!  I think the following web sites will give you lots of good information to learn before you start on your bunny journey:

www.rabbit.org

and

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/rabbithealth.html

and you can find a good rabbit vet (before you need one!) here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

The best, most accurate book is The House Rabbit Handbook by Marinell Harriman, which is available at most major bookstores for about $10.  A wonderful, up to date resource for any bunny family!

I hope this helps get you started.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana

Answer
Dear Megan,

Yes, two babies are easier to bond than two adults.  But be careful about opposite sexes (which are easiest to bond).  The male should be neutered as soon as his testicles descend (about 3 months of age), and then the female can be spayed when she's about 8 months old, so her estrogen can do its work developing her skeleton.

Take both bunnies to the vet both times, to avoid any danger of "unbonding."  Bonded bunnies should NEVER be separated, even when sick or going to the vet.  That's when they need each other more than ever!

So I wish you success in finding a lovely bunny pair. This time of year you are very likely to be able to adopt rescued babies, too, so please do check with your local rabbit rescuer before you buy.

Good luck!

Dana