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Post by bubblesbiscuit on Dec 29, 2003 14:07:32 GMT -5
actually i think for bunnies is the same for hamsters loh..u can try putting together for same gender but most probably will fight.....tho there is a better chance if they are siblings etc..but once they mature sexually they might fight quite a bit n fights can b quite bad..i always advise pple to try introducing loh,but b ready to separate them when they fight n steriilising will increase the chances. if they are meant to b kept as pets,esp for females,once they mature,its good to spay them too..better for health(for females,decreases risk of uterine cancer)
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sanz33
New Member - Soul
Posts: 117
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Post by sanz33 on Dec 29, 2003 21:28:14 GMT -5
a pair is best a female and male. brownie n gora are both females when i bought them. when they were sexually mature, they started to fight so i had to separate them until their sterilisation (about 2 yrs old). all this while, their cage were kept near to each other so they could see each other. after their sterilisation, i put them back together and they are still living happily now. but then, i've heard other stories that after sterilisation, their bunnies started fighting and had to be separated. so it really depends on the bunnies!
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Post by ghost on Dec 30, 2003 11:24:14 GMT -5
Hmm.....i'm thinking now to give my friend a pair male or female bunnies....cos i don't want to see them multiplying.....maybe i'll jus rehome one bunny instead.....haiz....really hard decision.... Tell u all a story....i always believe in Creating New Homes for animals....i've all along been doing it for Hamsters....but this is the 1st time i'm doing it for Bunnies.....when i 1st rehome my ham,i always rehome one at a time....if not i'll rehome in pairs of same gender......so as not to increase the number of hamsters in this world.... To 1st create new homes for animals in this world....there shld be more Animal Lovers around....& my plan was actually to CREATE THEM......more animals lovers.....at the same time educate the potential animals lovers....or would-be animal lover.....teach em abt commitment....commitment to their animals,their own life & to their partner's life.....jus like before marriage...the pastor or someone would ask u a simple question,"are u willing to commit to take care of your partner's life,be it in sickness,in poverty,& in any unhappiness that u r going thru in life?"...to adopt the animals....they must 1st be able & willing to "commit" to take good care of the rest of the animal's life....& that's the bottomline for those who are going to adopt the animals.... Sorry for going off-track....now maybe i think i shld only give my friend jus one bun.....that shld settle all the problem,right?? Thank u all for the advice....Thank you.....
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Post by cottontail on Dec 30, 2003 12:28:29 GMT -5
Actually it is good to rehome them as a pair. Bunny can get lonely too so it is good that 2 bunnies can go to a new home together. Yes, there is chances that they might fight once they reach puberty but not all, and also this can be corrected by sterilising them. Reintroducing them after sterilisation is not too difficult.
If you know your friend is quite acceptance to the idea of sterilisation, I think it is ok for them to adopt a pair. Lagi best if you are sure he/she will not breed, then you can give them a pair of male and female. Just that they must be kept separated at 3 mths old. At abt 4 mths old, both can be sterilised and rebonding is almost 100 percent successful.
As for your concern of multiplying, if the adopter has the intention of doing so, then even if you just give him/her one bunny, he/she is still able to do so by getting another bunny to breed. It all voice down to the individual's view on breeding.
You can strike a conversation with the potential adopter, like what is their view of the animals at the shelter, how they felt abt the huge nos of animals putting to sleep at animal shelter, what they think of the pet on sale at pet shop ..... More or less you can tell whether he/she is true animal lover or not.
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Post by ghost on Dec 30, 2003 13:05:50 GMT -5
Seriously....i think animals won't feel lonely if the owner is willing to spend quality time with them....as for breeding,i doubt my friends wants or is at anytime prepare to breed....for a simple reeason...the bunny is "officially" their family's 1st pet....meantime,i've also postpone the adoption date,cos i need to talk to both the rehomer & the person who adopt them.....will be delivering the bun to my friend next weekend if everything goes well.... Another question,what a local bunny's life span?? And i suppose the baby bunny's main diet is jus pellets,right?? Can they take some hay?or vege?? (as a form of a treat) Will be doing my bunny groceries shopping this weekend.....
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Post by cottontail on Dec 30, 2003 22:40:30 GMT -5
Bunnies can live up to 8 -12 years or even older. Smaller breed like dwarf may have slightly shorter life span.
Babies main diet are pellets and hay. NO veggies, can cos diahhrea. 3 mths old bunny may be ok to give little veggies but best to wait till 6 mths old.
True that bunny will not get lonely if the owner is willing to spend quality time with him. But human can never replace the role of another bunny. Coz bunny loves to live in group and they love grooming each other, cuddle each other, which a pet owner can't provide. And we can't be there 24 hrs a day to be with them.
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Post by bubblesbiscuit on Dec 31, 2003 2:13:55 GMT -5
ya i agree that humans can never replace another bunny companion..cos they live in colonies in the wild n therefore enjoy sleeping close together n cuddling up.. introduction should b done on neutral ground hor...
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Post by clover on Dec 31, 2003 8:09:46 GMT -5
Just a note here. Ghost, hay is VERY important in a rabbit's diet. If you dun provide unlimited hay and water, rabbits can get G. I. Stasis and die. Flounder now shows early signs of it, so I had to bring her to the vet. Luckily she is ok, not so serious, but her gut motility did slow down. Seriously, hay is very important, I personally feel it's more important than pellets. Furthermore, I read that when rabbits reach adult, shld actually take a limited amount of pellets, (think to control weight gain), but hay shld still be unlimited. So pls dun feed pellets only. Good luck with arranging the adoption.
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Post by ghost on Dec 31, 2003 14:27:58 GMT -5
Can very young rabbit eats hay then?? Tht pellets are suppose to be their main diet??
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Post by cottontail on Dec 31, 2003 22:02:31 GMT -5
Can very young rabbit eats hay then?? Tht pellets are suppose to be their main diet?? Yes they can eat hay. It is good to cultivate them with good habit of eating hay from young. Since their pellet are alfafa based, it is better to feed high fibre hay like timothy hay, orchard grass and oat hay etc to balance up. Fibre is important to a bunny's diet. The reason why baby bunnies have to be fed unlimited pellets is that they are at a growing stage and they need more protein (that'y feed alfafa and pellet) for healty growth.
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Post by ghost on Dec 31, 2003 22:08:32 GMT -5
Any diference between these timothy hay, orchard grass and oat hay ?Can i jus grab any type of hay from the market?? As for pellets.....can i jus grab any type of pellets from any petshops?
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Post by cottontail on Dec 31, 2003 22:26:49 GMT -5
Timothy hay, Orchard Grass, Oat Hay, Meadow Grass are all high fibre hay. As to which type of hay to feed very much depends on the bunny's liking. Some simply do not like Timothy hay as it is stalky. But it is good if you can feed a variety of hay. Not too boring for the bunny. I would suggest you start with small pack.
A few good brand to try are: APD grain (oat) hay APD Timothy hay APD 2nd cut timothy hay (very leafy, most bunnies like it but not so high in fibre coz is 2nd cut) Oxbow Western Timothy Oxbow Orchard Grass (more leafy) Alfafa King Timothy hay Alfafa King Oat hay
As for pellets, the general guideline is to choose a reputable brand and make sure you choose one with good packing, so freshness is not compromised. The prices also vary. Do also check up the nutrition analysis in terms of protein, fibre and fat level. Though most of them are about the same.
For Alfafa based pellet can go for: Oxbow 15/23 APD (the red packaging one. but this pellets is very ex) Some of the Japanese brand Burgess Supa (got junior and adult one) Kaytee forti-diet Hagen (I find it a bit salty)
As for Timothy based pellets (for adult bunny, 6 mths n abv) Oxbow bunny basic /T APD (the gold packaging)
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Post by ghost on Dec 31, 2003 22:34:42 GMT -5
Think i got some pics of the hay & pellets....think i'll go sort it out before posting anything here...sorry....me a bit blur liao..... ;D
How much the average price of small pack of hay or pellets??
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Post by cottontail on Dec 31, 2003 22:43:47 GMT -5
Wah, I am one who cannot remember pricing one. Coz I always buy a lot until I blur The average price of smaller pack of hay will not exceed $10 As for pellet, different brand pricing also differ alot. APD being the most expensive. The smaller pack I think is ard $14.90 Oxbow smaller pack 5 lbs, ard $15? (much more than apd smaller pack) Hagen is around $3-4 APD is ex becoz it contain yucca and another ingredient, supposedly good for fur coat and can help control urine odour
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Post by ghost on Jan 1, 2004 9:52:16 GMT -5
Then how much can one small pack of Hay & pellets last for 2 bunnies of less than 1 month old??
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