Twin Rabbits

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Kieka

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I'm sure Gladys is enjoying her yard time - how long before she can be reunited with Frodo???
Two more weeks to ensure she's fully healed and her hormones have leveled out. It will probably be three to fours weeks though because of some timing issues.
 
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Kieka

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The twins really are different. Gladys destroys toys in hours, Frodo hasn't even touched his. But also in how they approach food.

Give Gladys some lettuce or an orange slice and she will get to it when she gets to it. Napping? I'll eat it later. Exploring? Busy. Zoning out in the grass? Don't have time. Enjoying the view from her balcony? It will be there later.

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Frodo on the other hand comes at a run for any food and eats it like he has been starving.

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In the time it took me to type this post, Frodos orange slice is gone and he's already begging for another. I could hear him slurping up the juice while he ate it. I bet if I go out to Gladys, she still hasn't touched hers.

* Orange peels are a great source of fiber and we have a tree so they got a slice off mine. They only just started getting fruits and only in small amounts.
 
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Tobermory

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Well, drat. I stopped receiving alerts on this thread. Glad to catch up! Gladys looks like she's recovered from the indignity of her surgery.
 
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Kieka

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Day 1 of reintroducing the twins.

At first we had them share a fence wall, but they were hitting each other so we gave them a little space between fences. Hitting is normal, along with honking, circling and nipping, but we don't want anyone getting hurt. TBH, the honking startled me but apparently it is super excited/enthusiastic mostly related to mating sounds. Which does explain why I've never heard it before. If he wasn't nipping at her, I'd probably had left them be but I don't want a nip to draw blood on accident. So a little space so they can see and smell each other but not actually touch. A few days to calm down and relax of this then we can move to face to face.

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rubysmama

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Why are there 3 bunnies in the last pic? Guessing the one in the background, not touching noses isn't real. ;)

Good luck with the intros. They've both gotten so big. 🐇🐇
 
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Kieka

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Why are there 3 bunnies in the last pic? Guessing the one in the background, not touching noses isn't real. ;)
:lol: That's the garden bunny, he's a good 30 years old and I forget he's there most of the time.

I did get a message that their mom had another litter and would I like another bun?:running:
 

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Lol, just think, you could have your entire yard filled with bunnies! You'd go broke feeding them!

Seriously though, have you recommended a lower-cost spay/neuter place for rabbits to her? Maybe she doesn't know bunnies can be fixed.

I've been seeing a bunch of neutered male/unspayed female pairs up for adoption locally, so one of the vets in the area must do rabbit neuters, but I don't know who. I wouldn't be comfortable with that due to the amount of reproductive disease in lady rabbits, but it is an effective and less expensive birth control method.
 
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Kieka

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Lol, just think, you could have your entire yard filled with bunnies! You'd go broke feeding them!

Seriously though, have you recommended a lower-cost spay/neuter place for rabbits to her? Maybe she doesn't know bunnies can be fixed.

I've been seeing a bunch of neutered male/unspayed female pairs up for adoption locally, so one of the vets in the area must do rabbit neuters, but I don't know who. I wouldn't be comfortable with that due to the amount of reproductive disease in lady rabbits, but it is an effective and less expensive birth control method.
I do not need to be a crazy bunny lady on top of a crazy cat lady :stars: . I've mentioned I got both Frodo and Gladys neutered/spayed and RHDV2 vaccinated to her. So she should realize they are options, but there aren't really any low cost options in the area. It's an hour to the "low cost" and that's still $200 each.

ETA, when I was younger we just neutered males. But the cancer thing changed my mind on that. Just not worth the risk when you can 100% prevent the cancer in the first place.
 
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Kieka

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Somebunny is very proud of herself right now...

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I do have to give her credit for a lot of hard work. That little tunnel is a good foot long going under her hutch. But, alas, we cannot leave it due to worries about her continuing it and where it could lead to. Not to mention flooding and other critters deciding to take it over. So tomorrow morning it will get filled in with dirt and gravel packed in with a nice rock on top to dissuade her from digging it back out. Likely she was trying to make a back door to her hutch as Peter once did in the same spot.
 

Tobermory

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What an energetic bun!! The bunnies at the rescue where I used to volunteer were relentless diggers. We’d fill the holes and tamp them down, and the bunnies would dig them out again.
 

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Crazy that it's so expensive to spay a female bunny. Would a sheet of heavy wire mesh on the floor stop the buns from digging?
 

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Crazy that it's so expensive to spay a female bunny
It shouldn't be! The vet I used charged the same as for a cat spay. There's also a low-cost rescue-affiliated clinic that will do bunnies a few hours away in Nebraska for $50 (or free-will donation if you can't afford that). I feel like some vets are taking advantage. Yes, bunnies need special anesthestic, but it shouldn't be more than $20 extra, if that.

That's why I've taken note of the abundance of neutered bunnies in the area---that means one of the vets must be doing it for an amount that many people find reasonable to spend on a pet that costs $15 at the farm store. I need to ask around to find which vet is doing it.
 
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Kieka

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It shouldn't be! The vet I used charged the same as for a cat spay. There's also a low-cost rescue-affiliated clinic that will do bunnies a few hours away in Nebraska for $50 (or free-will donation if you can't afford that). I feel like some vets are taking advantage. Yes, bunnies need special anesthestic, but it shouldn't be more than $20 extra, if that.

That's why I've taken note of the abundance of neutered bunnies in the area---that means one of the vets must be doing it for an amount that many people find reasonable to spend on a pet that costs $15 at the farm store. I need to ask around to find which vet is doing it.
If someone is willing to drive 4 hours (one way), I think there is a vet who does it for just a little more than cats as part of a rescue. I know my local humane society doesn't spay or neuter rabbits prior to adoption. The rabbit rescue does, they work with some local vet for a discount. But my vet charges similar to cats in private practice. Frodo and Gladys were around $600-700 each if I remember right, that does include all take home medications. Rabbits do need pain medication after otherwise the pain can stop them eating and lead to Stasis.
 
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Kieka

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We’d fill the holes and tamp them down, and the bunnies would dig them out again.
With where it is, we were worried about the stability of the hutch above with regular backfill. We added a few large rocks and gravel with the dirt to give it some support and hopefully reduce sagging risk of the replaced dirt. Also covered the area with more pavers outside to dissuade redigging right there (look at the sulky bun). But in other areas with past buns its put back the dirt and tamp it down.

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Would a sheet of heavy wire mesh on the floor stop the buns from digging?
She's in the yard area still until we can get them fully reintroduced, which is grass and dirt kind of large for mesh. The hutch has stone pavers to prevent digging out. I'd argue to allow her to keep the tunnel if it wasn't going under the hutch which is risk of the pavers collapsing into the tunnel. Frodo is in their permanent area which is all pavers except a few small spots of gravel between fence and stones. He, of course, found the spots to dig in. But I just sweep the gravel back in at night and it doesn't hold a shape enough to tunnel plus the fence is buried at the base so no risk of digging under. I'm looking into digging options got their permanent area but so far they haven't adopted the digging box or grass mats that most people recommend for indoor buns. Sand boxes, the sand can collapse, they have a hay box already. I'll figure something out eventually.
 
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Kieka

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How is your day going?

Mine started with a text message about Frodo trying to dig out. He's been digging and we keep sweeping the gravel back in but apparently we forgot last night. At least Frodo is getting some yard time today next to Gladys (he's been running away when we try to take him out).
 
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Kieka

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They got some non-barrier time today. Went really good but we still do not have grooming. Frodo was more aggressive following Gladys around and trying to get her to groom him. He even stuck his head under her body trying to get grooming. She just wasn't having it though. Its basically him saying "I'm the boss, groom me" with her saying "you don't tell me what to do". Trying to establish the relationship balance. I separated them when she started to seem annoyed with him and she was more interested in me getting things ready for them to go to bed.

As long as I can get home before dark, I plan on putting them together in the evenings this week. I just need to see grooming to know they can be left alone. I'm not surprised she's not a big groomer, even when they were little he was the one wanting cuddles and grooming while she was busy with other things. They will figure it out.

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They look like such happy bunnies.

:heartshape:

Would a sand box filled with earth work for them to dig in? Or maybe a kid's paddling pool?
 
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Kieka

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I was debating about sandbox or kiddie pool. Little worried about the mess and them maybe trying to eat the plastic. These two try to chew everything; even the roof of the hutch has chew marks from Gladys the Monkey. I was thinking maybe a cardboard box and see if I can get shredded paper from the office. Or maybe try a storage container with a higher sides so they can't kick dirt everywhere and watch for chewing.... debating but I'll need something. These two are into everything so I gotta keep them entertained.
 
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