A whole bunch of questions (housing, behavior) and others!

[Punk]

Hi everyone! I’m the happy owner of a cute and kind unfixed satin angora, he’s about 7 months old. I read up about the different signs for sexual maturity when I got him but so far nothing, he never poos out of place, hasn’t sprayed, doesn’t hump or chase anything. He’s just a really nice bun. I’ve been planning to get him a friend since get go who could free range with him and have an appointment in 2 weeks to relieve him of the nuts.

 My teenage niece has two bunnies and lost interest in one of them, he’s one of the most gorgeous bunnies I’ve seen and is about a year old, unfixed sachsengold/belgian hare, living basically in his cage. I figured I could take him home and see how he and I got along for starters before deciding to neuter and keep him (it’s so expensive to neuter over here and I’m not sitting on a pile of cash right now!). I put Harry (my satin) in the kitchen and the new one in the living room where I am most of the time. Weeeelll, it seems I am one nice lady because it wasn’t much more than 20ish minutes he was making this whistling noise/thumping in the cage that I did not recognize from Harrys’ vocabulary. After he came out he started circling around and around not knowing what to do with himself, so now I’ve been humped, sprayed, followed around and bitten. Not fun. My cat was chased around too. My daughter would get scared if she got chased, she’s not very fond of Harry for some reason and he’s always well-behaved.

So now I’m not sure what to do, could this get Harry in the other room going too? I haven’t seen any sexual behaviours from him at all, he even smells nice which this older lad does not, he stinks lol! New boy is miserable in his cage shaking the bars pacing back and forth wanting to hang out with me, I let him out couple of times but it keeps repeating itself. I was not prepared for this and have no good way of having a spraying/biting rabbit free. He’s been outdoor before but has been inside all winter and it’s starting to get cold. I have a large closed balcony with windows so it doesn’t get any weather in but it still gets cold, I suppose that’s no good idea since he doesn’t have a winter coat or can that be mitigated by some special housing? We’ve had a warm winter but it’s like -10 celcius last few nights with -4 in the day.

 Just happy to get some feedback, I do think he could use a good home but I must admit I feel a bit out of my depth. How are the belgian hares in temper by the way?

 /A

[pinknfwuffy]

It sounds like you have one bunny/hare who is definitely showing some normal, albeit frustrating, sexual/hormonal behavior for an unfixed rabbit. All buns act differently when it comes to hormones and maturity and you’re seeing those differences between Harry and your new friend. My rabbit didn’t go through much of a puberty phase either (no spraying or humping, 99% perfect litter habits), but it is safe to say we can’t expect that from all rabbits. He is past the peak of puberty but those hormones are still raging.

A neuter is going to be your best bet. I realize it is expensive but it is the only sure-fire way to calm some of this new rabbit’s behavior. From what you mentioned, it seems like he was also kept alone or otherwise un-socialized until now so it will take time for him to get used to you, your family, and maybe even Harry. Part of the behavior might also be territorial since he can probably smell Harry, too.

You mentioned that this new rabbit smells compared to your other little guy. I have a feeling it probably isn’t the rabbit but might be from all the marking/spraying he’s doing since rabbit urine odor can be pretty strong. If you can, it might be worth trying to see if he has anything on his rump and maybe using a pet wipe or damp paper towel to clean him up a bit. White vinegar can be used on the rabbit’s cage area (not on the rabbit, of course) to clean up any accidents. It’s great for getting rid of odor and stains.

I don’t know much about bonding rabbits so if that is your future plan, I would definitely talk to some of the experts on here.

Good luck!

[tobyluv]

Your niece’s rabbit sounds very frustrated and unhappy, and more than ready to be neutered. Would that family be willing to help out with the neuter costs? By taking the rabbit, you are saving them money that they would have spent on his food and care. -10 celcius is cold. Is that the actual temperature on the closed balcony or the outside temperature, assuming that the windows can be closed? If it’s somewhat warmer than that on the balcony, and it if has some sun to warm it up too, that might be okay for the rabbit for a short while. A wooden or sturdy cardboard box, filled with straw might be enough to keep him warm enough while he is out there, if the closed balcony is a little warmer than outside. You could also give him a fleece blanket to snuggle in, inside the box. If you do take him in for neuter surgery, you would want to make sure that he is warm afterwards, while he is recuperating, so the porch would likely be too cold for him then.

[Punk]

Thank you both! You are most likely right, he does seem frustrated and very full of excess energy. I believe I read that belgian hares are very active and he has not been getting the attention he needs. I refused to buy my daughter a rabbit after I read more about them but got one for myself. On top of little activity Tin-Tin has been housed close to another intact male which must have be stressful? Got a more proper age now, he’s 1½ years old. He was housed alone outdoors for 1 year and got contact mostly when feeding. So he shakes bars which I doubt I can get him to stop doing? Harry smells quite musky when eating his cecals and more now than some months ago but Tin-Tin has a very distinct musky skunky smell in himself in some way. Maybe male rabbits can get that? Thanks for the tips with white vinegar.

I decided to switch rooms since the kitchen isn’t sensitive to the spraying and Harry hasn’t been free in there. Just sat down in the kitchen and opened the cage, he does this low low honking sound but I think that’s part of the courting? Didn’t nip me now, I yelped loudly and took off my thick pants, he doesn’t nip the bare skin. Left pee beside me instead of on me too, lol! Took 5 mins and he was binkying around which I think is good? Another 5 and he laid down beside me purring. He is really so gorgeous and very very sweet. I think he might be a bit overweight, how to tell? He’s very firm to the touch.

I will find a way to get it to work, I’ll see if I can maybe ask them to pay for half. If the spraying and such cools down a bit I think I can manage him in the kitchen meanwhile. Otherwise it is warmer on the balcony than outdoors, especially close to my door. I have some infrared heating I can put on too if needed. I really like him, very forward and curious and cuddly even after knowing me half a day. I know the cage is a bit small and messy, Harry has a larger much taller cage but hopefully in some months I could house them together so I’ll save my money for another.

Here’s Tin-Tin:

 

Out of curiosity, do you guys have any idea of why Harry foot-flicks me each time he gets a treat? He grabs it and runs off foot-flicking me for bare life. :’D

[pinknfwuffy]

What a cutie! A very handsome fellow, indeed. I can’t say for sure but the musk could also be related to the scent glands. They are located in the rear and, if clogged or unkempt, can be strongly scented. It might be worth having a vet take a look (if possible). Also, the foot-flicking might just be from excitement and treats. The other reason is sometimes disapproval (i.e. flicking dirt up at you) but I think he’s probably just very happy with his snack. :]

Looks like you’re making progress, good luck!

[Punk]

I will ask the vet to check them out when he gets neutered! I need to practice handling him because he’s quite large and very strong. Already have a wound on my hand from when he kicked me. He’s back at my sisters place until he’s been neutered and 5 weeks have passed, we thought it would work out the best since he shakes his cage alot and I work nightshifts and need my sleep in the day. 🙂

Yes I hope it’s just that, he does look kind of insulted when he runs off but I’m sure he has some reason for it, lol!

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