Rabbit Questions

[jnicholes]

Hello,

I have raised rabbits for many years, I was a rabbit breeder as a hobbyist or 5 years. I have a couple of questions on some things I have never done before.

First question, I have a netherland dwarf/californian mix rabbit named Sophie. She is around 4 years old. I am building a run in the backyard of my new house for her, and I want to put some more rabbits into it so Sophie wont be alone. The last time I tried introducing another rabbit to her, the new rabbit was almost killed. How do I properly introduce a new rabbit to an older rabbit in a run?

Second question, we have predatory birds in my area. Sophie IS a tough rabbit, she chased off a hawk once and killed a feral cat once. Regardless, should the run I am building be covered or safety?

I am experienced with rabbits, but I still need to learn more.

This is an old picture of Sophie.



Any help will be appreciated,

Jared

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

First of all, you should get her spayed if you want to introduce her to another rabbit, this helps to get rid of some territorial tendencies. The other rabbit you plan to bond her with should also be spayed or neutered.

 

[jnicholes]

@Wolfefarmyard, thanks for the advice. I appreciate it. However, I cant afford to get her spayed at the moment.

Are there any other options I can do?

Jared

 

[Thornflower_gal]

First things first...Sophie DOES sound like a tough rabbit! On the run issue you have, I personally would put a roof on it. It is always best to play it safe. On Sophie's aggression, I would put any new rabbits you want to put in with her in the run BEFORE you put her in it, and once they are comfortable then I would put her in there too. It sounds like she is territorial and doesn't want her space invaded. Doing it this way should make her think that SHE is in THEIR space, and not vice-versa. If this doesn't solve it then maybe someone else has better advice, or maybe she just wants to be alone.

 

[jnicholes]

That's what I did when I raised chickens. I put the chickens in first for 2 weeks, then I introduced Sophie. I'll try that.

 

[Bunnylady]

maybe she just wants to be alone

Bingo!

Why is there a need to put more rabbits in with a rabbit that has already demonstrated that she is very aggressive and territorial? Sophie's behavior is normal; in a wild setting, a personality like hers would be the one who drove others into marginal territory, making it more likely that she and her offspring would be the ones who survive (something on the order of 95% of wild rabbits don't survive their first year). Where good territory is widespread, wild rabbits spread out; wild rabbits live together because they are forced to by limited territory. Domestic rabbits are generally more laid-back than their wild relatives, but studies have shown that even young rabbits experience measurable levels of stress just from living with other rabbits. On average, rabbits kept in colony settings don't live as long as those kept alone, so evidently, they live shorter, more stressful lives because some people are convinced that they are "happier" that way.

Introducing adult rabbits is always fraught with uncertainty. Whichever rabbit gets the territory first "owns" it, and will behave with some degree of aggression toward any they see as invaders. Are you willing to see Sophie get killed by the others ganging up on her? The optimum situation has the rabbits introduced in neutral territory, with short periods of supervised contact so any fights can be broken up before serious damage gets done. At 4 years old, Sophie is very mature, and unlikely to change her behavior, especially if she is going to remain intact.

Colonies only work when the rabbits have plenty of room to get away from each other, and the rabbits are reasonably mellow in temperament. If you can't afford to get your doe spayed, you probably can't afford to build a run that encompasses hundreds of square feet, which may be how much room you'd need to keep this doe from killing the other rabbit(s), or vice versa.

If you've been a rabbit breeder, you should know that intact males will most likely maim or kill each other, and intact does may do the same (I've bred rabbits for 30+ years, and seen sister/sister and mother/daughter aggression get really nasty when some animals were left together for too long). Is there a goal in keeping this (hypothetical) colony, or is it just because someone has told you that it is "better" for Sophie? While it's true that some rabbits do seem to enjoy the company of their own kind, there are plenty that don't, and no one should feel obligated to endanger the lives of their animals to gratify someone else's preconceived notions.

 

[jnicholes]

@Bunnylady, thanks for all that advice. I think it's better for her to have ONLY a human friend, me. I dont want to risk her dying or killing another rabbit.

I will post pictures of the run when it is built.

Jared

 

[cassie]

As Bunnylady has many times pointed out, contrary to what many people think, rabbits are not really social animals. They will get along with each other until they don't, and then it can get pretty bloody.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My rabbits seem to like other rabbits next to them in their own cages, but if I accidentally have 2 out at a time it's always aggression or dominating. So if you want her to have company keep them separately but next to each other.

 

[jnicholes]

Okay, thank you everybody for the advice.

Sorry for getting back late, I've had a lot of stuff happen and I had to build Sophie's new run. The Run is built, and I moved Sophie over.

I decided not to add a new rabbit, I think you guys are right, she likes to be alone.

Here is a picture of the new run.



I basically took an old trampoline, turned it upside down, then attached a bunch of fencing to it. Going to be adding a roof later on when I get more wire.

I'm using my old chicken feeder and chicken waterer the feed and water her. I have been using regular rabbit feed.

Again, thanks for the help.

Jared