Washingtonians

[Chickielady]

Where on Earth is everyone ?
Rare it is that I can go to bed and log on at luch the following day and still there has been no new posts ?
Is the WWW down ?

Have a cruise in in Raymond today, after a morning of work we will jump in the ratty old car and go cruise !

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Okay, this is a chicken forum....but I know that some of you have bunnies. I used to raise bunnies, but they were in seperate cages for show and for freezer camp. Now we have a pet bunny (still a baby). Can I get her a friend? not a boyfriend....just a (female) cage friend. The one we have is still pretty young, if I introduce them now will they just be cuddle buddies or as bunnies age do they prefer being alone and will hurt each other if I have them in the same cage? Help!!!! Please!!!! Right now this poor bunnies buddies are all my chickiepoos.

 

[TrystInn]

Chillin',

Unfortunately, rabbits are extremely picky about their companions and will attempt to kill each other if they take a dislike to another rabbit. At this point, I would recommend that you not attempt to find a friend for her until you have gotten her spayed, then wait 2 months afterward for the hormones to subside. After that, you are more than welcome to come over and see if any of our rescue buddies could be her forever friend.

 

[NWChicks]

Quote:
I knew about "Mean Girls" but had no idea there were "Mean Bunnies" out there!

 

[cmsdvm]

Anyone interested in araucanas? I'd like to place a pair locally- off white year old cock and colored young pullet -locally with the idea of having them around if some tragedy ever deprived me of my current bloodlines. Both are small and clean-faced. Free to a good home. Always a chance that I'm wrong about the pullet.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote:
You have rescue bunnies = How neat. "very picky about companions" this is what I was afraid of. As a kid all my rabbits had been seperated, but this was because of not wanting them scruffing because they were for show and whoever was left over was for dinner. She always has us and the chickens for buddies as her pen is right next to them. I am in the process of making her a run off of her pen (this is one spoiled rabbit - but so are our chickens) that we can let her out in, that she will not be able to dig out of. It is a work in progress though. Thanks for the info.

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
Rabbits actually enjoy being alone.
They do not like other rabbits.
The females especially.
Thinking they need a 'friend' is not true.
They are territorial critters, and guard their area ferociously.
Males not so much...as they would visit different females in the wild.
Due to this trait, you always put the doe, in the buck's cage to breed her...never the buck in the does cage or she will do her best to kill him.
Does actually do not like anything disturbed in their cages either...mine have various stages of the 'hissy fit' when I clean cages...thumping (shows their are either mad, upset or ready to be bred) and sometimes they throw things in their cages, making all sorts of racket.
Even moving a salt lick around can make them really mad!
If you want another bunny, I'd get one and keep it seperate from the other.

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
I knew about "Mean Girls" but had no idea there were "Mean Bunnies" out there!

Rabbits develope very, very sharp and long nails, like long cat claws, and have teeth like small beavers and can seriously kick butt and draw blood.
Do not fall for the cute little helpless bunny' thing.
I have scars !
I have had some of my does so angry as to be thumping and banging their cage contents simply because they can SEE another cage with a doe in it across the aisle.
Doe rabbits hate evey other rabbit, they love solitude.

 

[Chickielady]

Every so often I open the cages for the buck rabbits and prop them open and they hop out (double decker cages are 6" off the ground, does on top, bucks on the bottom) and the bucks run amuck, in and out of the hen house, up the hill, running, enjoying grass, and then they come back and go right back in their respective cages in the afternoon, nap time.
The hens and buns get along fine, but the does do not want to be anywhere but in their personal spaces.
It is almost as a buck would be a nicer pet.
I have never had bucks fight, they do try to mate each other nonstop, though, which is hysterical, round and round.
Unlike boer guinea pigs that will knash teeth, and attack another boer piggy.
Also hysterical......
If you want a nice clean pet that is both entertaining, healthy and fun for kids, get Guinea pigs, they are so awesome !
They have gorgeous babies that get up and run, eyes open and fully furred, so adorable.
They are really expensive nowadays with certain breeds hard to find and are judged in shows like rabbits...really fun for kids.
Always remember Guinea pigs must be kept warm, and must have an orange wedge once in a while, one of the few animals that must have vitamin C often, like us humans.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote:
I had totally forgotten tht I used to take the doe to the buck's cage...now I remember why...it was many-many years ago that I used to show. We always have a rabbit moreso for the fertilizer for my garden and just let the kids have it as a pet. So our pets have "perks"....Chicken pets give us eggs and rabbit pet gives me poo.

Nike (I think that is what the kids named her), has an extra large cage and is right next to the chickens. She can talk with them. I do know that does can be cranky...again I just had forgotten. Thank you so much for the information. Seriously, it has probably been 25 year since I was showing and had a bunch of rabbits to manage.