Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR help! please!

Viewing 27 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • mowingmylawn
      Participant
      52 posts Send Private Message

        hello i know im very new but this question is very urgent. my two male rabbits are both about 8 months to a year old i think. they are brothers and unaltered i believe. we got them at the local shelter about 3 weeks ago and they started fighting! they were chasing eachother around and pulling fur until one went on the upper level of the cage and they calmed down for a moment. but as soon as the other came down a few moments later they chased again! i have an xpen attached to the cage so i shut the cage door and now one is in the pen and the other in my cage this has happened once before but not as severe.

        we planned on getting them altered soon but im still unsure if they even are and i still dont know their definite ages im going to my dads house and my mom is taking care of them so i dont know what to do? should i just leave them seperated until they get altered??


      • sarahthegemini
        Participant
        5584 posts Send Private Message

          Yes they need to remain separated until they’ve both buns been neutered and then you must read up on bonding if you want to bond them. As yours have fought, you should try and keep them in different rooms so that they can’t see or smell each other. This is to give them time to ‘forget’ one another and forget that they’ve had fights in the past.


        • mowingmylawn
          Participant
          52 posts Send Private Message

            what if im not able to keep them in seperate rooms?


          • sarahthegemini
            Participant
            5584 posts Send Private Message

              Then they might not forget they’ve fought and bonding will be incredibly difficult.


            • mowingmylawn
              Participant
              52 posts Send Private Message

                oh okay, im going to have to work something out then. we cant keep them in seperate rooms because my house is very small and we have a few dogs. i currently have him right in the middle of my room because i have nowhere else to put him.

                do you think i could put them together and they might solve it themselves? or is this the only way? sorry if this is ignorant im quite new to rabbits. lasttime they chased they laid down together after they had a moment to cool down. i could put them together and get them neutered asap? they do everything together so i feel bad because they can never be without one another


              • Wick & Fable
                Moderator
                5771 posts Send Private Message

                  Putting them together will not solve it. It will make it worse. Rabbits are not like humans. They don’t want to find resolution with those they’ve identified as an enemy. If that’s the current mindset, they will try and kill each other.

                  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


                • Deleted User
                  Participant
                  22064 posts Send Private Message

                    No, you absolutely should not put them together. Rabbits will not just “work it out” like cats or dogs…they can fight so severely that they kill each other. They MUST be kept separate until they have been neutered and then you MUST go through the bonding process.

                    Skipping the bonding process is very, very bad. They may “seem fine” one moment and then you come home to a dead bunny because they got in a fight and didn’t stop. You cannot just let them be.


                  • mowingmylawn
                    Participant
                    52 posts Send Private Message

                      okay thank you guys so much. my moms calling around for prices to neuter and we are taking them asap. is it okay if they are in the same room? is bonding males harder than females?


                    • Deleted User
                      Participant
                      22064 posts Send Private Message

                        Ehhh… don’t just take them to any old vet for a neuter. It needs to be a rabbit savvy vet. The vet needs to have a high success rate and needs to feel comfortable doing the procedure. The cheapest one probably won’t be the best, especially if it’s a traditional vet. There’s a list of rabbit savvy vets on the House Rabbit Society website.


                      • Deleted User
                        Participant
                        22064 posts Send Private Message

                          Yes, I’d look more in depth to make sure that the vet is rabbit-savvy. I would ask them how many neuters they do per month and how long they’ve practiced on rabbits.

                          You might be able to get away with keeping them in the same room…but they also might really not like that since they’ve fought. I would try to keep them in separate rooms. If that is entirely just not possible at all, try to keep them as far from each other as possible, and try to block their view of each other.


                        • mowingmylawn
                          Participant
                          52 posts Send Private Message

                            we have a very good vet an hour away we are taking them to. is 80 bucks a good solid price? we would take them to our local vet but its a price gouger at $130 per rabbit. and we are currently a bit tight on funds

                            on average how long is it going to take for their hormones to fade?


                          • Deleted User
                            Participant
                            22064 posts Send Private Message

                              I wished mine were 130 a rabbit. I paid 350 for each.


                            • mowingmylawn
                              Participant
                              52 posts Send Private Message

                                is 80 too dirt cheap for rabbits? they said they have done them for years and many neuters but theyve been spread out over the years.

                                my mom is a bit baffled that its 130 a rabbit, its more than our cats.


                              • Wick & Fable
                                Moderator
                                5771 posts Send Private Message

                                  You’ll need to talk to your mom and inform her that rabbit vet appts are expensive because it’s a specialization. All of Wick’s visits are $100 at least.

                                  You’ll want to ask about their success rate and whether the surgeon will be experienced or not.

                                  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


                                • Deleted User
                                  Participant
                                  22064 posts Send Private Message

                                    Rabbits are considered exotic pets, so they need to be seen by a vet that specializes in rabbits. This means more expensive vet costs, but it really is essential that they have experience with rabbits.

                                    Personally, I really would ask about how many they do per month. “Many over the years” is very vague and I wouldn’t be comfortable with it if it were me.

                                    Gosh, you guys are really making me count my blessings! I paid $65 each for my rabbits -one spay, one neuter. I think the vets normally charged $230 or something like that, but I have a rabbit rescue in my area that has partnered with local exotic vets and they give out a voucher for a free neuter at a participating vet if you donate just $65 to the rescue. It’s actually kind of great because these are the vets that they take their rabbits to, so I at least know that they are familiar with rabbits and perform these procedures often.

                                    Maybe you can look into rabbit rescues in your area and see if there are any low-cost options available to you.


                                  • mowingmylawn
                                    Participant
                                    52 posts Send Private Message

                                      okay! they said he is very experienced and they dont think hes ever had any issues! thank you so much, how long should i wait after the neuter to start the bonding process?

                                      i live in a very small town and we dont have a rabbit rescue near. the nearest would be a couple hour drive.

                                      the vet also said they dont take females, would that be a red flag? or just some preference


                                    • Deleted User
                                      Participant
                                      22064 posts Send Private Message

                                        1-2 months to let hormones die down and prebond. Then you should be set


                                      • Deleted User
                                        Participant
                                        22064 posts Send Private Message

                                          I would take that as a red flag, honestly.

                                          A spay is more complex as they actually have to cut her open and remove uterus and ovaries. If the vet isn’t comfortable doing spays, I personally wouldn’t bring my rabbits to him for a neuter. Yes a neuter is easier…but refusing to do spays seems to me like he doesn’t have a very thorough understanding of rabbit anatomy and does the neuters because they are simple procedures.

                                          All up to you, of course. But I would be a bit sketched out .


                                        • mowingmylawn
                                          Participant
                                          52 posts Send Private Message

                                            okay thank you guys so much

                                            how long will the bonding process take?

                                            also do you think the vet could determine my rabbits ages?

                                            i have a small dilemma, now squirrel ( one of my boys) is in the exercise pen and sam cant get any exercise now? would that be okay as its only temporary? or should i find out a solution asap


                                          • Deleted User
                                            Participant
                                            22064 posts Send Private Message

                                              Bonding is different for every pair. Sorry to say, but yours will probably be more difficult since they have already gotten in fights. Some rabbits get along after a few weeks, some take months or even longer. It all depends on the rabbits and if they like one another or not. Vet may be able to give you an estimate based on their teeth but may not be all that accurate.


                                            • Deleted User
                                              Participant
                                              22064 posts Send Private Message

                                                Can you rotate the time between them ? Give one a few hours exercise and then let the other in the pen ?


                                              • Deleted User
                                                Participant
                                                22064 posts Send Private Message

                                                  Agree with BN. My boys are going to a bonder in March, so until then I cycle them out every hour. Even if they’re being lazy loafs, just let them spend their whole hour out so they have the option to play or to loaf.
                                                  Also agree that each bun is different for bonding length. It can be a very long and very involved process. You need to make sure that you have the time to devote to it.


                                                • mowingmylawn
                                                  Participant
                                                  52 posts Send Private Message

                                                    how would i rotate them? they cant be in the cage together and they cant be held for too long or they throw a fit. so you mean i take one out of the cage put them in the pen then put the other into the cage correct


                                                  • Deleted User
                                                    Participant
                                                    22064 posts Send Private Message

                                                      Well you definitely need separate cages.

                                                      For the mean time I guess you can just have one in the cage and one in the pen. But you have to keep them separate for a month after their neuter so they can heal and hormones can dissipate. So you will have to get another cage regardless


                                                    • mowingmylawn
                                                      Participant
                                                      52 posts Send Private Message

                                                        so one cant just stay in the exercise pen? we have a dog cage that our pitbull/dalmation mix could fit in if she laid down. and our cats could jump around in there. do you think that would be big enough for something temporary?


                                                      • Deleted User
                                                        Participant
                                                        22064 posts Send Private Message

                                                          It isn’t temporary. They have to be neutered still and kept separated for an additional month.

                                                          How big was the cage they were sharing?


                                                        • Deleted User
                                                          Participant
                                                          22064 posts Send Private Message

                                                            When I said rotate I meant for their play time. You’ll definitely need two separate cages for a while. If you’re giving them play time in the pen and housing one of them in the pen, you’re going to need to figure out how to switch them out. Because one can’t just be cooped in a cage until they’re bonded


                                                          • mowingmylawn
                                                            Participant
                                                            52 posts Send Private Message

                                                              about 18 sq feet with two levels. im getting a loft bed very soon and i plan to dedicate the whole underside of my bed to them as well so they have more space for when theyre older.

                                                              i usually let them out in their exercise pen for as long as i possibly could

                                                          Viewing 27 reply threads
                                                          • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                                                          Forum BEHAVIOR help! please!