Monday, February 21, 2011

General rabbit questions and useful tips


Should I get a male or female rabbit?
Once a rabbit has been spayed/neutered, their personalities are quite similar. The decision really depends on whether you already have a rabbit.

It is easier to bond a male and a female rabbit than it is to bond two males or two females. (Bonding is the process of getting two or more rabbits to make friends). Bonding can be incredibly difficult, rabbits seem to be very fussy as to the companion they want. The best matches tend to be a neutered male with a spayed female. Two Unneutered males will tend to fight, as will unspayed females. It is possible to bond an unneutered male with a spayed female, however the female rabbit may become upset if the male rabbit continually mounts her. If he mounts her head, she may bite his genitals.

Should I get one rabbit or two?
Rabbits are generally happier in pairs. After all wouldn't you like to have someone to talk to? Rabbits groom each other, keeping hard to reach places clean. They also provide each other a warm cushion to lean on, and often one will be the sentry while the other takes a nap. Having said that, it can be difficult to bond two rabbits. Often they fight when they are first introduced until one rabbit is deemed to be the dominant rabbit of the pair. As you can imagine, this can be quite a problem with two headstrong bossy rabbits. Some rabbit owners are lucky as their rabbit is very accepting of a new friend. Its better to get two rabbits from the same litter as they will be less likely to fight. Read about Fuzzy and Thumper to get an idea of how I bonded them together.

Where can I get a rabbit from
Please adopt a rabbit from a shelter or rescue where possible. If you really want a baby rabbit, you can most likely adopt one, as many litters are surrendered/dumped at shelters. Buying rabbits from pet shops encourages people to breed rabbits. There are far too many rabbits being dumped to warrant more being bred. Also some pet shops end up making cat or dog food out of rabbits that don't sell. Often you can see a rabbits true personality at a shelter, where it may have been handled daily, and is socialising with other rabbits. Some shelters also spay and vaccinate rabbits before allowing them to be adopted, which will save money and time.

~~ManRabbit

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