AboutPam Enve Experience I have raised Mini-Rex, American fuzzy lops, and Holland lops and a few meat breeds for over 5 years. Our meat breeds are not butchered and are used for rabbit agility and pets. I have a basic knowledge of meat breeds but absolutely have no clue how to process them. I am uncomforable answering questions about rabbits raised for meat but if you cant find someone else I will do my best to help. All animals need care even farm and meat animals. I have been studying rabbit behavior for over 5 years. I enjoy working with difficult bunnies. I spend 100% of my time with my rabbits and helping others to train theirs. We are currently working with rabbit agility which is very time consuming.
I am NOT part of the House Rabbit Society, but believe they have the best interest of the animals at heart and that is what is important. I believe there can be a halfway point between breeders and the HRS. Many breeders will outright tell you the HRS is bad, and many HRS members will tell you that all breeders are bad. Neither is the case but in any situation you are always going to find people who are pig-headed and ignorant. In my life time I would like to see a common middle ground between the Rabbit Breeders Association and the House Rabbit Society. Perhaps just an acceptance that they can just agree to disagree. I am in the minority but have met people on both sides who agree. The most important issue I can stress is that breeding must be "responsible" no matter what you intend to use the rabbits for. It is competely irresponsible to breed rabbits just because you want to. If you want to eat them I have no problem with that, but if you have a litter of say 6-10 rabbits and only bred them for fun, you better have figured out what you are going to do with those kits or before you know it you are going to have 600 rabbits in yours house and you aren't going to have a place to sleep. Organizations American Rabbit Breeder's Association. Several local and specialty rabbit breeder's clubs. 4-H Leader, Many volunteer organizations.
Organizations American Rabbit Breeder's Association. Several local and specialty rabbit breeder's clubs. 4-H Leader, Many volunteer organizations.
Awards and Honors Multiple achievements in showing nationally. Volunteer of the year 2008, dedication above and beyond.
Past/Present Clients I was employed by an exotic animal hospital for 2 years. I left due to a disability. I now spend all of my time training my rabbits and helping others to properly train and bond theirs.
Question QUESTION: I do not know if my bunny is pregnant or sick because I have a dwarf rabbit that is about 4 months old. I do not know the exact age, or the gender of my rabbit, but I do not know if my rabbit could be pregnant, or something is wrong with it. I originally had two bunnies, but the second one passed away mysteriously. I bought two more bunnies and they are fine. They are a bit younger than my other bunny so I do not think there is any possible way that my bunny Oreo could be pregnant. The rabbit I have now is healthy,eating it's hay and pellets, but is drinking A LOT of water. Is that bad? Today, I just realized that my bunny had a way bigger tummy than a few days ago and I was just wondering if you think my rabbit could be eating too much, or if something is seriously wrong.
ANSWER: Hi,
A 4 month old rabbit can become pregnant. If she is with a boy you need to separate them. Drinking a lot of water can be from being thirsty, to much salt in the diet or certain illnesses can cause rabbits to drink more. Keep an eye out for any lethargy, diarrhea, failure to eat or poop and anything else that just doesn't seem right. If you notice any of these signs get her to a vet right away.
Pam
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QUESTION: Thank you very much. I am sure that my rabbit is very healthy. She is eating hay and pellets and she is definitely pooping a lot. Do you think I should take out the salt lick that I placed in the cage? I heard that it is good to place those in the cage so I placed a small one in there.
ANSWER: I would not recommend using salt licks. Some people use them but they have no nutritional value. This is most likely why she is drinking so much. You can give her some other rabbit safe toys such as untreated wood blocks, sisal rope etc. This will keep her occupied.
If you have any more questions just let me know.
Pam
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QUESTION: Thank you. I will make sure I take out the salt lick and put in more toys. But I also have two more questions. I am pretty sure that my rabbit is pregnant because of the marble-sized balls that I felt by her pelvic area in her tummy and I was wondering about the nesting box. I was wondering if I had to get a nesting box, or would something like a large shoe box be fine? And right now at the moment, I am housing my pregnant bunny with two other bunnies. would you advise that I put my pregnant bunny in another cage?
Answer Hi,
All rabbits should be separated before they are 3 months old. This will prevent unwanted pregnancies and fighting. I would suggest that you separate them right away. If you can get them spayed and neutered you can re-bond them.
Use should use a commercial nest box from most farm stores or have someone make you a wooden one. If making it yourself make sure that the box is 2 inches bigger than the bunny on all sides. The sides should be about 6 inches high. The shoebox could work in a pinch but the mom will be able to tug on it and tip it over. When the babies urinate the box will get wet. You can use the plastic storage tubs but if you are using the shoe size you will want to poke holes in it and zip tie it to the cage. Also poke a few small holes in the bottom for drainage.
