Newbie

[Nicoleondynomite]

 I am looking into getting two flemish giants. Do all genders get along? Since im getting two i want them to get along. We are going to let them have free range of most of the house and litter box train them. Will they need a cage anyway. To use as a “nest”??? I havnt read anything about bunnies and traveling. How do they do? if they are litter box trained it seems like you could just take them and the litter box with no problems. Are bunnies one person animals or do they bond with everyone. Ok last question. 

[LoveChaCha]

Hi there and welcome

Have you tried looking at your local shelters for rabbits first? If you were to get them from a breeder, it is not 100% that they will get along. They will need to be seperated until after being spayed and neutered.

If you are looking into flemish giants, you will need plenty of space. A regular rabbit cage or a rabbit x-pen will not be enough for flemish giants. A dog exercise pen or two (that is high- rabbits are jumpers) is adequate enough space for bigger rabbits.

Rabbits will have their favorites – in my experience. my rabbit bonded with me, and my boyfriend. She only goes to my dad for treat time. bonding to another rabbit is a whole different story and requires a lot of patience and time here is a good article about bonding: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/spay-neuter.html

[Nicoleondynomite]

I am going to let them run around in the house all the time. I was just wondering if they also needed a cage too. So they can’t interact with each other after their are spayed/nuetured? Or they will have to be separated for a time period because of the surgery?

[Stickerbunny]

They need time to heal after surgery, so they need to be away from each other until healed. Plus, you’ll have to go through a lengthy bonding process. So they would need cages/ pens until they are bonded. If you go for a rescue, often they are already spayed/neutered and you can start bonding quicker, or some rescues will even bond them for you. There isn’t really a guarantee that bunnies will get along, but most altered pairs can if the owner (well, slave) is patient enough and willing to put the time into bonding. And of course you never want to let unaltered pairs be around each other, to avoid babies / fights.

[LoveChaCha]

You will have to rabbit proof your living quarters if you wish for them to be free range I use a lot of Neat Idea Cubes with zip ties to block off areas I don’t want my little brat going into (ex: tv, ps3, lamp). Free range is not for everybunny, it all depends on how the personality of the rabbit.

[tobyluv]

I agree that you should get your bunnies from a rescue. There are so many out there in need of homes. Regarding traveling, most bunnies prefer to stay home and aren’t that fond of traveling. If you are going to give them free rein of the home, you will have to do a lot of bunny proofing–starting with wrapping or putting up electrical cords. You may want to keep them out of certain rooms, if there are a lot of electronics, which wold be too hard to protect. My bunnies are never caged, but they do like to have safe places to sleep in or go to. Mine stay under my rattan sofa or under my coffee table in the living room. When they are on the screen porch, they are often behind a chair. They have a cardboard hideaway to go into also.

[Tate]

You will definitely need 2 large cages for them to be housed in… certainly before the alters and for a while after wards for them to recuperate from surgery and bond which can take months. As far as what sexes get along, it depends on the rabbits. But theoretically, any pairing can work. No guarantees though.
Rabbits should be kept in one location only. I’ve done a bit of travelling at this point with my rabbits and it’s stressful, even though they like their carriers. They react to stress more so than many other animals. I’m at the point now where I only travel with them out of necessity… so no going home for Thanksgiving and only Christmas if I can stay with my parents for a few weeks.

ETA: Welcome! lol. You definitely have the right idea when it comes to allowing your rabbits to be free range! It will take sometime to get to that point, but once you do, you’ll love it!

[jerseygirl]

Welcome

If you’re looking into getting young rabbits (babies or little older) then a pen or cage would be wise. This will give them a sense of their own space but will also be very important in their litter training. Allowing too much space at first could lead to problems. You may notice they get the litterbox right from the get go but often as they start to mature, that can deterioate rapidly. Territorial and hormonal behaviours arise for a while.

Do you know anyone that had Flemish giants that you can observe in their house? Get a better idea of how to prepare? Having them free range is definitely do-able, just probably not right in the beginning. Even bringing home adult rabbits, limiting their space would help them feel less overwhelmed and limit any marking behaviours.

[Beka27]

I would recommend starting with ONE rabbit and seeing how it goes. You didn’t mention what your prior rabbit experience consists of, and rabbit are NOT for everyone. Especially a large breed which is going to need SO MUCH ROOM. Start with doing a lot of research on this site, House Rabbit Society, House Rabbit Network, etc… Research exotic vets in your area.

[Author]

Messages