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-   -   Anyone keep rabbits? (http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=72088)

Fred123 22-06-2014 10:46 PM

Anyone keep rabbits?
 
We had 2 beautiful rabbits, but sadly one died today. She was the runt of the letter and always a bit weedy, but she was a lovely girl and so friendly.

My problem, other than explaining this to my son, is that we now have one rabbit who is only 2 years old and destined for a life on her own. I know that rabbits are a nightmare to introduce and can fight, but I also know they are social animals and need companionship.

Anybody any idea what to do? Do I leave her on her or introduce a new companion or 2?

emma_mcraf 22-06-2014 11:00 PM

I'm so sorry for your loss. We have one old male rabbit who'll be 14 years old this August. He's always been on his own and is completely chilled out, occasionally watching the antics of the guinea pigs in the next door run with disdain! :lol:

I'm not really sure how easy it is to introduce rabbits, but I guess she might well miss companionship after having it for 2 years.
I hope your son is okay after the loss of his pet. It's never easy for us, let alone our kids to lose a much loved pet.

Fred123 22-06-2014 11:10 PM

Thanks Emma, they were siblings and she has always had a companion. If we can get another for her we will do so, but I just don't know how realistic this is. We don't want to risk her fighting, but at the same time we don't want her lonely when she is used to another rabbit.

Rosey-Bear 22-06-2014 11:39 PM

It is possible and a neutered male would be better. The introductions need to be gradual and on neutral territory. Do you have any rabbit rescues near you? I know we have one here and she takes your own bun and introduces and bonds as part of the service. Also is your bun spayed? That seems to make bonding easier too.

becciwales 23-06-2014 05:38 PM

I tried introducing rabbits, it was horrendous, world war 3 broke out each time. I gave up eventually.

Sorry for your loss xx

Fred123 23-06-2014 05:46 PM

Thanks for the replies, we do have a local rabbit rescue who we will get a new rabbit from if we get one, but the website is down at the minute. I will message them and see if they do bonding as that would be brilliant.

becciwales 23-06-2014 08:28 PM

:lol: it certainly takes nerves of steel!! Good luck x

Fred123 23-06-2014 09:00 PM

Well I had a very fast reply from our local rabbit rescue. They think that it will be OK to introduce another slowly and they will do the initial meeting at the rescue so that we can see how they are initially. We need to get "her" sexed anyway to avoid any unplanned fluffy bundles.
I think we will go this weekend and try it out as our poor rabbit looks lost and is clearly missing her friend.

Suze65 23-06-2014 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by becciwales (Post 644591)
:lol: it certainly takes nerves of steel!! Good luck x

Agree, I used to keep many female rabbits and it was often like world war 3. Only certain ones could be let out together, or all hell broke loose. So you can try but It might not work. As has been said you may do better with a neutered male. Good luck.

tlcwrites 01-06-2016 05:51 PM

Do I keep rabbits? Is water wet?

I have eight beauties right now. A quad, and 2 pairs. All the bonds I have done myself.

Is the bun neutered? If not, I'd recommend it. It makes it far easier if all parties are bonded.

The easiest bond is said to be of opposite neutered sexes. Both my pairs are male/female pairs. My quad is 1 male/3 unrelated females. But I was lucky with the quad - I honestly believe my rexes helped them all bond because the breed is so affectionate and placid.

I introduced buns in neutral territory each time - I used a dog crate for them to be in overnight and then gradually increased the amount of space they were allowed until they were back in their full hutch/run. (The smallest one I have is a total of 72sq ft, not a shop bought thing!)

But again I was lucky: each bond happened exceedingly quickly (including the quad!)

The quad are now in the dining room because Elphie has been under the weather though.

If you don't feel up to bonding, maybe go to a local rescue and see if they have any single males? They might be able to do the bonding for you too. And if there are any issues (if you do the bond yourself), they may be able to take the buck back and try again with another single male.

Stellanne 02-06-2016 09:11 PM

When I kept rabbits they were in different pens in the garden. My son.....(the one that was interested in tits) started to say he had seen baby rabbits in the garden......what rubbish...... until we discovered the female rabbit had dug her way into the male and the resulting babes were living underground in a snug burrow!!! It got a bit tricky as Sylvester our wonderful ginger tom cat began taking an interest. He had 'previous' as he would collect baby rabbits from a neighbours multi rabbit farm!!! X x x hugs x x

MyrtleTurtle 22-09-2016 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred123 (Post 644515)
We had 2 beautiful rabbits, but sadly one died today. She was the runt of the letter and always a bit weedy, but she was a lovely girl and so friendly.

My problem, other than explaining this to my son, is that we now have one rabbit who is only 2 years old and destined for a life on her own. I know that rabbits are a nightmare to introduce and can fight, but I also know they are social animals and need companionship.

Anybody any idea what to do? Do I leave her on her or introduce a new companion or 2?

A guinea pig for a female rabbit makes for a good companion. Never introduce a guinea pig into a cage with an un-neutered male though. You can imagine what happens. The guinea pig will not thank you.


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