Hi. My name is Diane and I just bought 2 mini lops for my children. They are the cutest things ever! The pet store guy said they are brothers and are 12 weeks old. He said they can live together in the same cage. Well, the first 2 days at our house they were great. Snuggling with each other, very friendly with the kids. Then the bigger one started mounting the smaller one, not just once but many, many times. The smaller one seemed scared and tried to get away. He pulled out a lot of the smaller ones fur which was quite alarming to me. The smaller one has a small round bald patch on the back of his little head which is red now. I went out this am and got a second cage to separate them so that the big one stops bullying the smaller one. I am so bummed out. If I get them fixed, how soon can I put them back together? I really wanted a bonded pair and these 2 seemed so perfect. Will they forget each other after a period of time?
new rabbit owner. have questions
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I just re-read my post and realize it doesn't really say what I am trying to say.
I want my 2 bunnies to live together in the same cage. I had to separate them because of aggressive behavior by the bigger bunny. If I get them neutered, can they live together again or will they have forgetten each other and not be friendly towards each other?
I want my 2 bunnies to live together in the same cage. I had to separate them because of aggressive behavior by the bigger bunny. If I get them neutered, can they live together again or will they have forgetten each other and not be friendly towards each other?
You definitely should get them neutered. I would not let them near each other until they see a vet and the vet says they are both boys. It can be difficult to tell on young rabbits. Unfortunately, bunnies can have babies before you even realize that they are not both boys.
Once they ar neutered you can bond them. In the mean time keep the cages next to each other so the bunnies can see one another. You can also switch them back and forth between the cage so the get comfortable with the other ones scent.
I have a bonded brother and sister pair that I had to do the same thing with to avoid baby bunnies. Once they were both fixed and healed they bonded in two days. I am not having the same luck with adding my new girl bunny in. I think it's because I was not able to keep them the same way. My bonded pair have a multi level cage in my middle bedroom but the door is never shut. They have run of the entire room. Since they were fixed they have been excellent with their litter boxes.
If you do not already have a bunny savvy vet check out the house rabbit society's site. I believe it is House Rabbits - Behavior, Care, Rescue, Adoption, Education | House Rabbit Society but I always just google house rabbit society so I may not be correct.
Get your buns in for a check up and neuter as soon as possible.
I feel awful for boy bunnies when they are not neutered. They seem so frustrated. I forgot how Oliver was before the "nip". My newest bunny Teddy is not yet neutered (he will be Tuesday) and he is so very frustrated. I felt terrible for him last night. Oh and I felt bad for my cat Tyler. Teddy decided that Tyler was good enough and wanted Tyler to be "his girl". After I removed him from bugging Tyler and tried tp cuddle Teddy on the bed Teddy decided that I could be "his girl". That didn't work for me.
Poor little guy.
Oh and you have come to a fantastic site for information. I have only had bunnies since January 06 and I have learned a ton from this site.
Once they ar neutered you can bond them. In the mean time keep the cages next to each other so the bunnies can see one another. You can also switch them back and forth between the cage so the get comfortable with the other ones scent.
I have a bonded brother and sister pair that I had to do the same thing with to avoid baby bunnies. Once they were both fixed and healed they bonded in two days. I am not having the same luck with adding my new girl bunny in. I think it's because I was not able to keep them the same way. My bonded pair have a multi level cage in my middle bedroom but the door is never shut. They have run of the entire room. Since they were fixed they have been excellent with their litter boxes.
If you do not already have a bunny savvy vet check out the house rabbit society's site. I believe it is House Rabbits - Behavior, Care, Rescue, Adoption, Education | House Rabbit Society but I always just google house rabbit society so I may not be correct.
Get your buns in for a check up and neuter as soon as possible.
I feel awful for boy bunnies when they are not neutered. They seem so frustrated. I forgot how Oliver was before the "nip". My newest bunny Teddy is not yet neutered (he will be Tuesday) and he is so very frustrated. I felt terrible for him last night. Oh and I felt bad for my cat Tyler. Teddy decided that Tyler was good enough and wanted Tyler to be "his girl". After I removed him from bugging Tyler and tried tp cuddle Teddy on the bed Teddy decided that I could be "his girl". That didn't work for me.
Poor little guy.
Oh and you have come to a fantastic site for information. I have only had bunnies since January 06 and I have learned a ton from this site.
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Welcome to Pawtalk! You did the right thing by separating them as Kathy said, shes just been thru this with her pair, jus make sure you keep there cages close together and it shouldnt be too hard to reintroduce them later on.. the site kathy posted - rabbit.org , Has tons of great information for new rabbit owners, be sure to read about proper diet on there as well. I hope you enjoy it here at pawtalk, ive learned so much since i joined 
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Everyone else alredy gave you some great advice!
Remember when you are trying to bond them again that male - male pairs are often harder to work with then male - female pairs. Be patient and give them time. It will help a lot if you keep their cages right next to each other because while they won't be able to fight, they will still be able to see and smell each other which could make bonding easier after you get them fixed.
Good luck!
Remember when you are trying to bond them again that male - male pairs are often harder to work with then male - female pairs. Be patient and give them time. It will help a lot if you keep their cages right next to each other because while they won't be able to fight, they will still be able to see and smell each other which could make bonding easier after you get them fixed.
Good luck!
Thanks for your responses. I looked on the House Rabbit site last week but still have unanswered questions.
I am feeding rabbit pellets and alphalfa hay. The pet store guy said hay just once a week, as a treat, but I read elsewhere that it should be unlimited. Do most of you feed unlimited amounts of food? I keep refilling and they keep on eating. Can they over eat?
I tried to put a soft towel in the cage so they would have something to lay on, but they pushed it aside and prefered to sleep on the wire bottom on the cage. Is there something else I can do to make them more comfy?
How can I post pictures of them? They are so darn cute and I would like to show them off
Thanks again for responding to me and helping me.
Diane, mom to 2 mini lops, 2 hammies, 2 fish, 5 hermit crabs, and 3 human children, LOL
I am feeding rabbit pellets and alphalfa hay. The pet store guy said hay just once a week, as a treat, but I read elsewhere that it should be unlimited. Do most of you feed unlimited amounts of food? I keep refilling and they keep on eating. Can they over eat?
I tried to put a soft towel in the cage so they would have something to lay on, but they pushed it aside and prefered to sleep on the wire bottom on the cage. Is there something else I can do to make them more comfy?
How can I post pictures of them? They are so darn cute and I would like to show them off
Thanks again for responding to me and helping me.
Diane, mom to 2 mini lops, 2 hammies, 2 fish, 5 hermit crabs, and 3 human children, LOL
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4,281 Posts
Hello again
Yes, unlimited hay is best. Alphalfa hay is good for when they are young, but you should probably eventually wean them off of it and get them on timothy or another grass hay. Alphalfa is good for growing babies but can be fattening to adults. Over eating with hay isn't really an issue - as long as it's the right type of hay they don't become overweight from hay. Bunnies do eat a lot, they need to keep the food flowing through they're systems constintly to keep they're digestive systems healthy.
My Zeus does that too with towels, just pushes them aside. If your worried about them spending too much time on the wire maybe you could find a piece of wood or something to fit on the bottom of the cage for them? Or I know online and probably at pet stores you can buy grassmats for the bottom of the cage, my Zeus loves those but they'll probably chew on it so you may need to replace it once in awhile.
I would love to see pictures! This is how I post mine - go to photobucket.com and make an account if you don't have one already. Then on there you can upload and store pictures and it gives you the links so you can post them on websites. Copy the http: address of the picture, then click the picture icon at the top when your writing a post, and past the picture address there. Sorry I'm not very good at explaining it - hopefully you can figure it out or someone else can explain it better.
Good luck!
Yes, unlimited hay is best. Alphalfa hay is good for when they are young, but you should probably eventually wean them off of it and get them on timothy or another grass hay. Alphalfa is good for growing babies but can be fattening to adults. Over eating with hay isn't really an issue - as long as it's the right type of hay they don't become overweight from hay. Bunnies do eat a lot, they need to keep the food flowing through they're systems constintly to keep they're digestive systems healthy.
My Zeus does that too with towels, just pushes them aside. If your worried about them spending too much time on the wire maybe you could find a piece of wood or something to fit on the bottom of the cage for them? Or I know online and probably at pet stores you can buy grassmats for the bottom of the cage, my Zeus loves those but they'll probably chew on it so you may need to replace it once in awhile.
I would love to see pictures! This is how I post mine - go to photobucket.com and make an account if you don't have one already. Then on there you can upload and store pictures and it gives you the links so you can post them on websites. Copy the http: address of the picture, then click the picture icon at the top when your writing a post, and past the picture address there. Sorry I'm not very good at explaining it - hopefully you can figure it out or someone else can explain it better.
Good luck!
I cannot believe that he said hay as a treat! Michelle is right - they should always, always have hay. I had used Timothy hay from the beginning with Oliver and Ophelia. They were on an Alfalfa based pellet until they were neutered and spayed. The vet then had me change them to the timothy based pellets. I have them on the Oxbow brand pellets. For the hay I just buy the Kaytee brand.
You could also get a piece of coroplast for the bottom of the cage. Wire makes me nervous with bunnies. I have always used plastic bottom things to keep them in. I worried that their little foot would get stuck. I think that maybe how my new bunny Body hurt one of his toes.
Bunnies can over eat but I don't believe that babies should be limited when it comes to food. That is just my personal opinion and I could be wrong. I just keep refilling my bunnies pellet bowls when they need it. I was worried that at Oliver and Ophelia's 1 year check up I would be yelled at for their weight but the vet said they were a perfect weight. I have hay out at all times in their litter boxes. I also give them veggies each night. Of course I don't think you can give baby bunnies veggies. I think they are supposed to be 3-4 months old before you start veggies.
Oh and if they chew on the towel (Penelope does that) you can use fleece blankets for them. I had extra fleece from blankets I made for my dogs. She still chews holes in them but I don't have to worry about her swallowing the strings.
You could also get a piece of coroplast for the bottom of the cage. Wire makes me nervous with bunnies. I have always used plastic bottom things to keep them in. I worried that their little foot would get stuck. I think that maybe how my new bunny Body hurt one of his toes.
Bunnies can over eat but I don't believe that babies should be limited when it comes to food. That is just my personal opinion and I could be wrong. I just keep refilling my bunnies pellet bowls when they need it. I was worried that at Oliver and Ophelia's 1 year check up I would be yelled at for their weight but the vet said they were a perfect weight. I have hay out at all times in their litter boxes. I also give them veggies each night. Of course I don't think you can give baby bunnies veggies. I think they are supposed to be 3-4 months old before you start veggies.
Oh and if they chew on the towel (Penelope does that) you can use fleece blankets for them. I had extra fleece from blankets I made for my dogs. She still chews holes in them but I don't have to worry about her swallowing the strings.
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