Never had a bunny! So many questions!

[Theresacook06]

Hello!!! I just signed up and I’m so happy to have found this! I had perused the topics but didn’t find exactly what I was looking for and the search is down right now! I want to start by introducing myself! I’m a life long animal lover that has infected my children with the love aswell.lol. However we have never owned a bunny and although it is NOT my nature to be spontaneous, we got a bunny 2 weeks ago (3ish month old Lionhead female?) and then just a couple days ago a 8 week old male? lop.
Firstly I wanted to ask if you could help indentifyng the type of Lop that we got. We went into the pet store for food and left with a bunny. Because he was just so darn cute and I read that it was best to get a friend while they are still young. but I’m not sure of the type of Lop?
I have included a pic. We introduce them slowly only a few minutes at a time on the first day, and make sure that it was in our kitchen which is a neutral area. My Lionhead did start to dominate him I humping him, but I read that that is normal? I could not keep them in separate cages for long as I don’t have the space but there was never any fighting or biting or grunting just the humping. Sometimes my female lion head will cut him off but most of that has stopped. Her favourite place in the house is the living room where we have a large area rug and that is usually that is the only place that sometimes she will still hump him. Should I be worried? Should I stop it? Today is the end of day three having my eight week old lop and they get along fine in the cage together. I have an appointment in four weeks for him to get neutered as I was told that is still a safe time frame. I will be getting her fixed soon after that.
I’m hoping if any of this sounds odd or strange that someone will correct me and help me. Lol
My name reason for writing this is I am interested in understanding why my lop seems so tired. He seems very lazy always up for a good sleep and snuggle is that normal for a lop? I also never see him stretch out on his belly in the cage or anywhere like my Lionhead does and he doesn’t sit up y’all like her either, mostly kinda hunched. I’m wondering if that is also OK?
And I am wondering if maybe he is a mixed lob? I can’t seem to find his type of fur being described anywhere. it is not very dense and it is longish and it separates easily to see his skin especially behind the head, he also seems to have a very thin neck. He also doesn’t binky anywhere near as much as my Lionhead. I just want to make sure I’m doing everything right. And that he is ok.
Right now I give them alphlfa hay and oat hay. We have just run out of Timothy hay. But I read in another post that is should be mostly Timothy hay? I also give alp alphalfa pellets and wondering when I should stop? Also my lion head is almost completely litter trained but the little lop isn’t. Any idea when he should be?

Trying to let them have free roam of the kitchen and living room but since he is not litter trained yet it’s making it a little bit more difficult.
I’m sorry for the million questions I hope that all made sense thank you in advance for all your help answering my questions I really hope I wasn’t too redundant in asking questions I have already been asked thank you

So I’m trying to upload a pic from my phone but it’s not letting me any ideas?

[Sirius&Luna]

You must separate them immediately or you’ll end up with a litter of baby bunnies. Rabbits can get pregnant incredibly young, but often a first litter born to a young rabbit don’t survive. 4 weeks away is not a safe time frame, it needs to happen now.

They should also be kept separate to prevent fights, until they are spayed and neutered. Unneutered bunnies can suddenly turn on each other and have vicious fights, causing severe injury or even death. Introducing them and letting them live together on his first day Home is incredibly unfair on them both, normally bonding rabbits is a process hat takes two months minimum to do correctly.

Once they’re both neutered, you need to spend a month ‘prebonding’ them, so have them living separately and swap them between cages. Then you can start the introducing on neutral territory.

Sleeping a lot is fine, but being hunched isn’t. Is it bunny loafing (google for images) or hunched? Loafing is fine, hunched could mean pain. He could also just be scared because he’s been brought into a brand new environment and introduced to another rabbit immediately- that’s terrifying for a bunny, you need to give him time to settle in rather than changing his entire life in one go.

Personally, I always take a new bunny to the vet to be checked over, given vaccinations if needed in your country, and to establish a relationship in case you have a vet emergency. The vet can confirm gender, check teeth, eyes and nails and even help you with your diet questions. I suggest you take the boy at least to the vet, since it’s hard to know if his behaviour is caused by pain from just your words. Rabbits hide their pain though, so he could well be.

If you can post a photo we can try and help with breed.

Some people believe that baby rabbits should have unlimited alphalfa hay, but adult rabbits cannot have an alphalfa only diet, so most people will mix it in with Timothy or oat so it’s easier to get the bunny eating an adult diet when it’s time, as alphalfa is delicious and some bunnies will refuse to eat other hay. Personally I’ve never given my baby bunnies alphalfa, just junior rabbit pellets. The ‘baby’ diet should go on until they’re around 6/7 months old, at which point you start transitioning to a limited amount of adult pellets and Timothy/meadow/oat hay.

It’s hard to fully litter train an unneutered bunny, so it’s hard to give you a time frame. Mine have all got the general idea young, but it definitely improves when they’re neutered.

Unfortunately you can’t upload photos straight from phone on this forum, you need to use a computer.

[Theresacook06]

Thank you so much for your non judgemental reply ? I know a lot of what I said may be cringeworthy to someone with experience. When I called my vet they said it was best to wait till he was 3 months old. Can he be neutered sooner? I will call them in the morning and see if I can bring them both in to double check their genders and give them a health check.
I did read that there could be fights, which is why I used a large cat carrier for the first two nights and switched them around in it. But I read that once they start grooming each other that they could be put together. I guess that’s wrong? there have been no signs of aggression that I can see. From what I have read again. But that’s why I’m on here. To double check. I will have to see about uploading a pic in the morning… how long do they need to be separated for after a spay/neuter?

[Hazel]

Agree with everything S&L said. Even experienced vets often get the gender wrong in young buns, pet store employees won’t have a clue. They might as well have flipped a coin to determine their genders. You could very well have a 3 month old male knocking up a 2 month old female. If she did get pregnant at that age, her chances of surviving the pregnancy would be low, for the kits even lower. Separate them right away, have them spayed and neutered and then you can start going through the bonding process. Also, having either one of them fixed at 3 moths of age is way too early in my opinion. For “regular” sized buns it’s best to wait until they’re 5-6 months old, longer for giant breeds. Generally you want to wait until they’ve reached (or are close to) their adult size. 

[Deleted User]

You absolutely need to separate them now. You could end up with a pregnant bunny or a dead bunny very soon. Baby bunnies seem to get along with any other bunny, but once puberty hits and they get those hormones, they really start acting up and can have terrible, nasty fights. It is absolutely essential that you separate them immediately.

How big is the cage that you have? You are definitely going to need two separate cages. You can’t even attempt to let them be friends until they have both been neutered & spayed, and given 1 month to recover. Then you need to do prebonding for another month before you allow them to meet face to face. So they will need to be separated for probably the next 5-6 months, since you really shouldn’t get a female spayed before 6 months. She needs to be big and strong enough to handle the invasive procedure.  
  
A lot of people have these misconceptions about rabbits that they are simple creatures content to just live their life in a cage. It couldn’t be further from the truth. They are so complex and bursting with personality. If you learn how to properly care for these animals, they are SO rewarding to have as a companion. But if you do not treat them properly and provide insufficient living conditions, you will likely end up with a pissed off rabbit that will want to bite and chew everything. And that’s where people decide “oh, this rabbit is more trouble than it’s worth” ….an impulse buy without proper information on care is the main reason for the high incidence of owners abandoning them.

[Theresacook06]

I did reply but for some reason I can’t see it ?
So no matter what their sex is they can’t be together? I have an appt to go to the vet and get them checked and and stuff. I was told it was best to get them both young so it was easier to bond.
They are both given about 4 hours a day out of their cage. And they have been mutually grooming so I thought everything was ok since that’s what I read. I really mate being misinformed. My friend also has had two sister bunnies together since since she bought them and hasn’t had any problems so another reason why I got them young. Their cage is about 2 1/2 feet deep and 4 1/2 feet long? I usually leave the cage door open and they come and go as they want.

[Deleted User]

That is a really crammed space for two bunnies to share. Getting them young has nothing to do with a bond in the sense of them getting along. It depends on the personalities of the buns involved. They need to be neutered and spayed first, as the others have said, to avoid fights and litters. They will need to be in separate cages for the next several months until 1-2 months after both operations, as hormones can be out of wack afterwards and boys can still produce sperm for a while after. Not only will they need separate cages, but also separate play times. Even if you’re supervising them, they still can’t be out together. And I definitely agree with the others to let BOTH buns settle. They’re both new to you and the environment and need considerable time to get their bearings.

[Deleted User]

Unfortunately, it seems you have a lot of wrong information about rabbits. Right now, housing them together is very dangerous. We can try to help you, but if you are going to be on the offensive and think we are attacking you then you won’t be receptive to help…

[Deleted User]

You cannot get him neutered before 3 months. If he doesn’t have his family jewels in, he cannot be neutered. So you need to wait for them to come in, which is usually around 3-4 months but some vets prefer to wait until the rabbit is older.

Regardless of sex, they can fight and kill each other. It is very serious. If you are an animal enthusiast as you say, then you truly need to be open and receptive. We are not trying to be crude or intentionally berating…we are concerned for your rabbits safety because it is a very bad idea to keep two unaltered, unbonded rabbits together.

The cage that you have isn’t ideal for even one rabbit, so it cannot house two. When you say that you leave the cage door open, do you mean that they will have free range of a much larger space to run about? If they will have constant access to additional space outside of the cage, then you can probably keep that cage as long as they have more space outside.

Still, you need them both separated in completely separate living areas until they have both been fixed. Then you will have to read up on the bonding process. They are young right now, and so they same to be getting along. But bunny fights break out instantly and can become quite vicious. It is for their safety to separate them before this happens because you have no way of predicting when it will happen.

[Theresacook06]

I’m so sorry if I came off being defensive! Not my intention. My vet works with a lot of bunnies and said for sure my older Lionhead is a female and is very sure that the Lop is also a female. So two girls. So now my question is if I house them in different cages, can they still have supervised play together? Or no interaction at all until they are 6months+ and both spayed?
Thank you for your advice. ❤️

[Deleted User]

As I said before, no interaction whatsoever until 1-2 months after both are spayed. During that time you will need to prebond by switching their toys and litter boxes between cages and switch them between cages. After that 1-2 months, then you can begin bonding in neutral territory.

[Deleted User]

No interaction at all.

none. no play dates. no contact.

[Sirius&Luna]

Sadly two girls are the most likely to fight combination, as female rabbits are extremely territorial. If you let them interact now and they end up having a fight, it will really make it very hard to bond them in the future. I know you know someone with sister rabbits that get on, but she’s been lucky and it’s not the sensible course of action.

The best bet is to separate them, and spend some time getting to know them as individuals which will really help when it comes to bonding them later down the line.

It’s great you took them to the vet, and have found this site to answer your questions! There’s lots of extra info in the bunny info and resources section, and we’re always happy to answer more questions.

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