* Your Questions Answered *

 

I had intended to name this page FAQ but soon realized that such a title wouldn't be entirely appropriate. Frequently asked questions are relatively easy to find answers to on the net, but uncommon questions can be quite a different story . . .

If you prefer to jump down to specific headings of interest (apart from the first question)
just click on these: Dogs and Rabbits? * Rabbits and chickens? * A toileting problem?

Uncooperative breeding does? * Heat affecting buck's fertility? * Companion for an adult buck? One or two pet rabbits? * Shampooing, Oinking and Chubby?

Over grooming/fur chewing?
Q. The problem we have at the moment is that our buck keeps on over grooming his sister to the point that she hasn't any fur left around her eyes. Is there anything that we can put on her to stop him from doing this or do we have to separate them.

A. Licking around the eye area is typical behaviour of bunnies showing affection to each other, mind you it's not normally an action that is performed to such excessiveness. I'm pretty sure that the giver (your buck) is trying to encourage his sister (the receiver) to respond to him in the hope that she will reciprocate. So maybe if the doe returned the favour he wouldn't be so persistent about it. You could try and satisfy his desperate need for affection by spending some time licking him! LOL . . with your fingertips or a damp sponge of course! If this doesn't help I would suggest trying a tiny smear of Vicks Vaporup, tea tree oil or eucalyptus oil above her eyes – not below otherwise the fumes might make her eyes water.Apply it with a cotton bud as if marking an eyebrow. Don't overdo it, as these are powerfull pongy stuff, which is why I'm hoping the unappealing odour might put him off. Then again if that doesn't work it would be best to allow the doe some respite by separating them during the day. He might also be bored and need to be distracted from this repetitious habit. If your backyard/courtyard is bunny proof let him have fun exploring it or alternatively construct an exercise run or buy a puppy playpen. Other forms of rabbits chewing their own or companion's fur is generally beleived to be caused by insufficient nutrients in the diet, such as a lack of protein. Given that all rabbits are individuals, I can't gaurantee these methods will work. By the way I would assume you know that closely related bunnies are liable to breed together? It's tricky getting the timing right (de sexing the buck or seperating them before sexual maturity), because in some cases they get up to mischeif way before you expect them to!

Dogs and rabbits?

Q: I am about to move in with my partner, who has a dog, and I'm worried about how bunny will cope.  He is used to a lot of freedom – definitely an out of cage house bunny, except at night when he's in his hutch.  The dog is gentle and not big, she's a King Charles with a good temperament.  I don't think she would try and eat bunny, but you never know what instincts they have.  She lives outside in the day and inside at night.  So there are times when they will be in the house together in the evenings . . .

How would you recommend trying to 'introduce' them? The last thing I want is for bunny to get frightened and drop dead, and I have read that this can happen with dogs. Is it the smell? Or is it just seeing a dog? I'd appreciate your advice!

A: It is certainly a bit of a fallacy that rabbits drop dead at the drop of a hat! J I'm sure he is typical to the majority of Lops (like my bucks) and is an outgoing, friendly fellow and no doubt upon seeing the dog will have no hesitation on curiously hopping up to her to check her out. It is the dog that we must worry about – and generally a lot depends on whether she 'thinks' the bunny is a toy for her to play with. At first I'd have her on a lead and just observe her reactions, if she doesn't get overly excited (or definitely aggressive) you may let her off the lead and make sure she maintains a kind and considerate attitude towards your rabbit.
 
Apart from the obvious (biting etc) it is important to make sure the dog does not hound the bunny with extensive chasing, as rabbits can only do this for a short time and if overly exerted they can die from the stress, exhaustion and possibly their heart gives way. Spaniels, terriers and a number of other dog breeds are notorious for this but you've also got to keep in mind that they are still individuals and who knows your partner’s dog may end up deciding to be protective/motherly.

Feedback: Your answer was really useful, thank you. We have now been there for one week and, so far, so good.  Bunny has been very brave as you predicted and they have touched noses with much mutual fascination and sniffing.  There have been a couple of scary moments, though, when Saphy the dog had a flash of instinct and went for bunny.  She is generally a sweet gentle dog but I suppose she is still a dog – and when bunny runs by her fast she thinks "oh yum, there goes lunch" . . . she may just be trying to play but I intend to never leave them alone together!

 

Rabbits and chickens?

Uncooperative breeding does?

Q. I am not having any luck breeding my rabbits. One doe immediately attacks the buck as soon as she sees him and another doe makes loud grunting noises while doing her utmost in avoiding him getting near her.

A. The vocal sound of grunting is her way of trying to tell him that he is annoying her. If she makes a whingeing noise as well, this relays to him that she thinks she is pregnant and consequently will not have a bar of him. Phantom pregnancies are tricky, as they can be brought upon by unsuccessful mating attempts. It would be best to wait until she is completely over it and preferably try again when she is definitely in the mood.
My does let me know when they are interested by their behaviour – for example, being extra friendly and smoochy when I open their hutch door. It's as if they think I am a buck and treat me accordingly to whichever state of mind they are in at the time.

Anyways if he's dumb enough to ignore her body language and verbal communications he is liable to receive a beating. Then there are does (like yours) that will attack for seemingly no particular reason. There are explanations however and some of these could be that they just can't stand him being in the same room with her. They find his macho smell and the possibility of what he might do as highly offensive and by attacking him they are relaying this, loud and clear. His very presence makes her see red and unless the buck is able to escape he becomes a victim of physical injuries and mental stress. With some bucks it can put them off their natural willingness to mate while other bucks just keep on trying regardless . . .

 

A toileting problem?

Q: Dear Christine, My wife and I own a Dwarf Lop (Nibbler), he is about 8 months old.  We have been trying to toilet train him since a very early age and have been mainly successful, we have got a tray for him inside his cage with kitty litter in it, which he uses as his toilet.  Nibbler now only ever goes to the toilet when he is in his cage and never when he is out running around the house.  However, we have noticed that he will poo within his tray but then turn around and hang his bottom over the edge of the tray wee outside it.  He then proceeds to kick the kitty litter from inside the tray, on top of his wee to absorb it. There has a period about 4 months ago when Nibbler was weeing inside his tray but then this new habit started.  Currently whenever we see him weeing outside his tray we quickly pick him up and turn him around into his tray, however this doesn’t seem to be having much effect on him.  We were just wondering if you had an advice for us? Should we just persist with what we are doing and eventually he’ll figure it out or is there something more we can do? Thank you very much for you help, we look forward to hearing from you. Regards Adrian and Kirsty

A: From your description about Nibbler's behaviour he's perhaps decided to start spraying, the digging indicates this could be the case. I'm also thinking you don't have a high enough toilet tray. I'd suggest buying a plastic bin, which measures similar to 35 cms long 27 cms wide and 12 cms deep. Should be able to find such a bin at Bunnings or The Warehouse. The height is important to ensure he has to jump in the tray and in the process of urinating or marking territory his tail/bottom is unable to hang over the side. When replacing toilet trays it would help avoid confusion, by adding some of the soiled kitty litter to the new one. Let me know if this has helped. Christine

Feedback: Thank you so much for you help, we replaced Nibbler’s old tray with a new larger tray with higher sides and now he is perfectly toilet trained.  He is a very happy bunny and we are very happy parents. J Thank you again so much for helping us with our problem. Regards Adrian 

 

Heat affecting buck's fertility?

Q. How long could a buck remain sterile after the summer heat?
A. Unfortunately I don't know of any scientific studies to help us predict when bucks become fertile again.
It is generally accepted however that heat affected infertility can last from several weeks to several months.
You would assume much would depend on whether temperatures fall to acceptable levels over a period of time, as this is surely a factor, which influences the duration of infertility. It's a tricky situation – not knowing if it's the buck or doe's fault (or both of them at the same time!) and according to most breeders such unpredictable fertility problems can occur all year round.

It would be great if we knew more, as these kinds of bits of info could help us with more reliable breeding outcomes. Unless you are able to extract a semen sample and look under the microscope to see if he at fault or if he is back into production, a lot of our breeding attempts/pairings can be a hit and miss affair. And in some cases it appears as if there are more misses that hits! Basically it's up to you to decide how important it is to try again with the suspect buck (and risk another wasted month) or try another buck who could be a better prospect. Or then again maybe he's in the same boat as the temporarily sterile one! You can't always categorically blame bucks either. Some does are mated at the wrong time and don't release eggs, are too fat, unwilling to be mothers or reabsorb embryos, and the list goes on. At any rate we can only but try!

 

Companion for an adult buck?

Q . I have a placid buck and am looking at getting a friend for him. Is it possible to put him with another buck for company as he lives in the garden, not a cage. Or, is it advisable to get a doe and de sex the buck?

A. Chances are if you introduce a kitten (male or female) your buck will frequently sexually harass the youngster. Although there are the odd pair of bucks (that grew up together) getting on during adulthood, these are uncommon. Once they become adults the majority of bucks can't help but engage in fighting battles. If you opt to get a doe and de sex the buck the female will generally and regularly harass him when she wants to be mated. This can annoy him, but at least most of the time he can escape from her – unlike kits that would be overpowered by the size factor. More often that not, the de sexed bunnies I've seen end up obese, lethargic and consequently this can't be good for their health and well-being. Personally I think a buck should stay entire (and remain full of energy rather than one that has lost his drive in life) and receive companionship from his human family.

One or two pet rabbits?

Q . Is it ok to have one bunny, or should they have a companion, and which is the better sex to have solely as a pet?
A. I prefer and recommend bucks as they are generally upfront, love attention and usually friendlier than does. Unlike female counterparts they don't go though hormonal stages (during times when they think they are pregnant and so on) and are less likely to be territorial and protective of their domain (hutch/home).
I also recommend the single pet as they are more likely to look towards humans for companionship and there is also quite a list of complications between companions. Take for example that some characters annoy or bully their so called friend, they need a larger sized hutch and most people aren't aware that they shouldn't be separated for a day or two, otherwise they tend to forget their companion and all hell breaks loose.

 

Shampooing, Oinking and Chubby?

Q: I read somewhere that you should never shampoo your bunny as they hate water, is that true?  I saw bunny shampoo in a pet shop the other day and it made me wonder. I think sometimes he needs a good wash, he can't reach his bum to groom himself any more (which makes me think maybe he is on the fat side.  How fat is too fat for a de-sexed male Mini Lop?  I noticed after his snip operation that he did put on weight, but thankfully, it stopped him spraying all over me and the house!

I am also curious as to what the "oinking" noises he makes are as sometimes he runs around my feet making these funny little oinking or grunting sounds . . .

A: Bunnies do not enjoy baths though there are some that will tolerate the experience. If it is just his bottom that needs an occasional clean this is the area you would only need to hold under a tap of warm running water. Rabbit fanciers call the noise ‘buzzing’ and males tend to vocalise this when they are motivated and excited by sexual attraction – obviously, he fancies you! (owner brought bunny to assess whether he was overweight and consequently acquired my book)

Feedback: I have since read the part of your book on bunny diet/nutrition and I've now changed everything based on the information in it.  Your book is a wonderful resource and I wish I'd had info like that years ago!  He doesn't seem too perturbed by the changes (no pellets, no nuts, more weeds etc), and is happily running around our new house, including zooming up and down the stairs. Hopefully the additional exercise will help him lose the weight. He has started leaping and tossing his head when he's out in the garden, so I figure he must be reasonably happy with the new surrounds. Over the next while, I will keep thinking about introducing him to an adult doe, depending on how he settles in and is behaving.

I realise that I am one of those "clucky" bunny owners you mention in your book. J At least now, I know how to feed him properly so he will be healthy, so thanks to you for that.

Feedback is always welcome, feel free to CONTACT ME