Getting my kits today!

[Sama_Lama]

I thought they wouldn't be ready until February so I wasn't going to order my supplies until tomorrow. Well I guess I'm picking up the kits this afternoon. The breeders said the kits should be fine living together until I get their new cages in the mail and put up but mentioned getting bedding. I was going to use Aspen and put them in a crate for a few days. My question is: I will be using hanging wire cages, do I need to put bedding in them? The kids are 7 weeks old and will be hanging in the chicken coop.
Also, a stranger question is: Do they make Bunny diapers? I wanted to let the bunnies run around the yard with the chickens (When supervised only) but figured if I let boys out with girls when they were older we might have some unscheduled humping. Any ideas?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I don't know about diapers, but the term "unscheduled humping" is hilarious.

 

[cattlecait]

Unscheduled humping made me laugh too, lol! Congrats on meat rabbits, they're so much fun and soooo yummy!!!

No bedding needed, maybe put down a small board for them to sit on if you're worried about their feet but they should be fine. As for them running around, pretty good idea. A friend of mine grass-finished her meat pen for county fair and pretty much blew past the rest of the class. One of our pet quality rabbits was permentantly on the floor of the barn and came and left as he pleased, until he found the garden. Just be sure not to let them loose before 3 months or so because their bellies can't handle all the green grass.

You could put diapers on them (please post pictures when you do) but I don't think they make specific bunny diapers, maybe for toy dogs? Or just alternate letting the boys out and then the girls.

 

[Bunnylady]

I wouldn't let any doeling out with a buck past the age of 10 weeks. Considering that rabbits have been known to manage breeding through the cage wire, I fear that a diaper might not be an adequate deterrent for the more acrobatic sorts; it only takes a buck a few seconds! Also, unless you are anticipating putting these rabbits out every day, there will most likely come a time when fur will fly when you put two rabbits out together, even two does.

Properly constructed wire cages do not need bedding, although a sitting board to give the rabbits' feet some relief from the wire is a good idea. I have large ceramic tiles that I use for sitting boards; they are easily cleaned and the rabbits seem to find them cool in the summer.

While the kits are in the crate, you will need to replace the shavings frequently. Rabbits pee a lot, and it isn't good for them to be sitting in wet shavings. You will also get some microbial breakdown of their waste happening, which produces ammonia gas. Ammonia is very rough on their respiratory systems.

Good luck with your new rabbits. Will you be posting pictures when you get them?

 

[Hooligan Farm]

Hahaha.... I had unscheduled humping yesterday from a 10wk buck that I could sworn was a doe a week ago. lol

Good luck with your rabbits.... They are fun

 

[DianeS]

I had 8 baby rabbits (8 weeks old) in a large dog crate for a week, and the bedding in the crate was simply disgusting every single day. I didn't notice the first day, and by the second it was so gross and packed down that I couldn't get it out without moving all the babies out of it.

So depending on how many rabbits you're getting, you may need to be changing that litter every single day! Blech.

And personally, I no longer believe how old a baby rabbit is unless I saw it born, personally with my own eyes. I bought a litter of rabbits that were supposed to be 8 weeks old, and butchered all but one of them for meat. The one I have left is now supposedly 12 weeks old, only she started pulling hair last night and I felt her and she is PREGNANT. Yep. So either some can breed as early as 9 weeks or I was lied to about her age. Just my cautionary tale about having "baby" males and females together and about taking someone else's word for the age of a new rabbit!

"Unscheduled humping" happens. I would just let the males and females out at different times or different days.

 

[Sama_Lama]

Pictures of the babies:
Girls-

Boys-

Silly girl Leda-

My supplies should be here tomorrow or Wednesday but in the meanwhile they are in the house in a crate (actually my chick brooder). They are doing well and getting more friendly but one has liquid poo. Is this something to be very worried about in bunnies? If it's a chronic thing I understand that is a worry but should I be worried now? Their living situation is not ideal and they are new which I'm sure causes stress.

And relatively unrelated I do plan to get the breed standard but I would love the opinion of anyone well versed in the Americans. I really want to breed the best specimens as possible even if most will be headed to the pot.

 

[tortoise]

Diarrhea in rabbits is an emergency. How old are these babies?

 

[Sama_Lama]

7.5 weeks. I just got them a few days ago. As far as behavior and eating drinking habits go they are all normal.

 

[cattlecait]

Ooooh, Americans! Those are such cool rabbits, I've never seen one even in a picture except for the standard. They are very cute!

The diarhea (I think I spelled that right) could be caused by the stress or if you changed their feed up on them abruptly instead of gradually doing it. If it doesn't go away the next day or they quit eating, I'd be worried, but if it clears up pretty quick then that's probably what caused it.

I'm not familiar with Americans, but they have mandolin type like Giant Chins, English Lops, and Flemish. I know with them that they should look sort of like a guitar cut in half and set on its side. I've also heard of it compared to a tube and a half-basketball, assuming the parts flow together well. Again, this is just from my experience with the above breeds.