Farm chatter

[EverythingDucks]

@EverythingDucks how old is a bunny when weaned?

Around 8 weeks old. A lot of people don't sell them until they're closer to 10 weeks old though.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Are you sure it’s defective? Mine varied a lot at first. It can take a day or two or more to get stable. Also do you calibrated hygrometer and thermometers in it? I thought mine was defective at first too until I put calibrated things in it. Also these plastic ones sometimes vary more than the styrofoam ones. Not sure why, maybe doesn’t hold heat as well, but mine varied a lot based on the room it was in.

I've tried everything to get it stable. Yes I'm using separate calibrated thermometers, & hygrometers. I recalibrated them before I used them.

Egg O Meters are Pre Calibrated, so calibration wasn't needed for those.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

You're welcome!
Just so you know, they'll grow out of a cage pretty quickly. As babies they have a ton of energy and need space to exercise. Otherwise, they'll have lots of pent up energy which may turn into aggression. That's why a lot of caged bunnies are aggressive.
You can definitely use a large cage as a homebase, but since they're babies and it's harder to keep them safe while free roaming you should really get a playpen to attach to the cage.
You could have it setup like this (though this is with NIC grids instead of a pen)
View attachment 2554512

That way you'll also have space for a large enough litter box and hay rack. The hay racks they sell at Petco for cages are just way too tiny. They don't provide enough hay for bunnies.
A lot of people just have them eat hay from the litter boxs. Rabbits naturally eat while going to the bathroom. Having lots of hay in the litter box will entice them to use it. Be sure not to get cat litter. It has clay in it which is very harmful in eaten. It can easily kill your bunnies. Instead get paper based litter.
For the litter box use a puppy pad to line the bottom (cut off the plastic edges so they won't chew it), then spread a layer of litter, and lastly add a bunch of hay to the back. It's better to have more hay than litter.

A few things this pen (pictured) is missing:

• A bunny safe rug. This will keep them from slipping around and can prevent sore hocks.
• More hidey houses.
• Toys
• A food and water dish

Here's an example of a great bunny pen
View attachment 2554524
Notice how it includes:

• A big litter box
• Lots of hay
• A food and water dish
• Rugs
• Lots of toys
• Hidey houses
• A big space for bunnies to exercise

The litter box in this picture was a cage.

Once they are older you can even free roam them 24/7, just like a dog or cat. This is GREAT for bunnies as it allows them more freedom to exercise, explore, and bind with you. All you need to do if bunny proof a bit.
Some people just free roam in one room, or parts of a house, while other let their bunnies have free range of the whole house.
Lennon the Bunny on YouTube has tons of great videos on everything bunny. Her rabbit, Lennon, is completely free roamed. She's a very happy and healthy bunny because of this.


Since you'll be getting babies their diet will consist of unlimited Alfalfa hay, unlimted alfalfa based pellets, and once they're 3 months old you can introduce greens.

Although its often recommended to feed unlimted pellets, just be aware that bunnies prefer pellets over hay. If you notice they are not eating hay you should feed less pellets.
Hay is very important for bunnies. It is crucial for their digestive system and helps to wear down their teeth.
If they are still uninterested in hay you can get some dried herbs and mix it in the fresh hay. Sometimes even just mixing the hay around will help it smell better to them and offer new pieces.

Once they are 6 months old you should transition them to adult food and you can start introducing treats.

Here's a great article on baby bunny diets
https://bunnylady.com/young-rabbit-diet/

Thank you! You’re helping me lots.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Around 8 weeks old. A lot of people don't sell them until they're closer to 10 weeks old though.

Ok

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Around 8 weeks old. A lot of people don't sell them until they're closer to 10 weeks old though.

So, the breeder we know sells them usually, but then sometimes babies are born that don't meet her standards, or are the wrong color, and her husband has to... get rid of them so when we asked if she had any for sale, she said no, but we have some you can have! She said there's some being weaned on the 17-20th or something, and there's 2 females that they're going to let us have!

 

[ShrekDawg]

I've tried everything to get it stable. Yes I'm using separate calibrated thermometers, & hygrometers. I recalibrated them before I used them.

View attachment 2554553View attachment 2554555Egg O Meters are Pre Calibrated, so calibration wasn't needed for those.

Oh wow that’s so weird!! have you tried moving the thermometers around the incubator? I’ve found with mine that sometimes the corners will be really hot or really cool but then the middle will be fine. I just move the eggs around to different spots every few days.

 

[EverythingDucks]

So, the breeder we know sells them usually, but then sometimes babies are born that don't meet her standards, or are the wrong color, and her husband has to... get rid of them so when we asked if she had any for sale, she said no, but we have some you can have! She said there's some being weaned on the 17-20th or something, and there's 2 females that they're going to let us have!

Yay!
Just a warning though, two females don't always get a long as a adults. If you get them fixed as soon as possible and work on bonding them then there's a good chance they'll be fine, but females are just known to fight with each other.

Have you ordered anything for them yet? If not, I would go ahead and do that now so by the time you get them you'll have everything setup and ready for them.

Oh and one thing I forgot to add to my supplies list, a carrier. Any cat carrier from the pet store should work fine. Just line it with a puppy pad, a fleece bkanket, and lots of hay.
I would bring an extra blanket along with a grocery bag to put a dirty one in just incase they have an accident.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Oh wow that’s so weird!! have you tried moving the thermometers around the incubator? I’ve found with mine that sometimes the corners will be really hot or really cool but then the middle will be fine. I just move the eggs around to different spots every few days.

Farther it is away from the heat source, & fan the hotter it is, an inch or so close to it is still hot, but not as hot.

The top thermometer is it next to the heat source which is still quite hot. This morning it was reading 102.3°F.

Away from the heat source it gets to 102.8 at times.

In the back away from the heat source gets to 104.2°F.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I'm fine if one spot is like 100.3°F, I've incubated eggs in my old incubator with that temp, but anything beyond that is a bit risky.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Yay!
Just a warning though, two females don't always get a long as a adults. If you get them fixed as soon as possible and work on bonding them then there's a good chance they'll be fine, but females are just known to fight with each other.

Have you ordered anything for them yet? If not, I would go ahead and do that now so by the time you get them you'll have everything setup and ready for them.

Oh and one thing I forgot to add to my supplies list, a carrier. Any cat carrier from the pet store should work fine. Just line it with a puppy pad, a fleece bkanket, and lots of hay.
I would bring an extra blanket along with a grocery bag to put a dirty one in just incase they have an accident.

Ok, good to know.

We have had bunnies in the past, so we do have most of the stuff we'll need but we will get the rest pretty soon.

We have a large cat carrier thing that I hope will work. I will, thanks!