Bunny Breed?

pops5588

Since we have had our lovely bunny Cassie spayed, we decided to go ahead and seek out a bunny boyfriend for her today we found Ed:

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab165/pops5588/1530363_10151786326966536_638222522_n_zps26d80837.jpg

We are going back to collect him tomorrow. However, the gent we spoke to didn't know off the top of his head what breed he is. Anyone got any ideas?! He is quite big and fluffy. He has a few pale brown markings on his back and his eyes but other than that he is completely white.

krlyr

Shape-wise he reminds me of a Dutch, markings a bit like an English Spot. Trouble is, he could have a real mix in him and I don't think there's any real way to find out for sure, unsure the place you're getting him from know

pops5588

I'm sure they have paperwork somewhere that we will get a look at tomorrow when we get him I'm just extremely curious!

Fosterdog

Most rabbits in the UK are just a random mix of breeds, unless you go to a breeder the chances are he is a cross.

He is very cute though, I hope the bonding goes well for you. It took ages with my two but now they wouldn't be apart.

pops5588

If anyone has any tips for the bonding process they would be much appreciated I can assure you! We have another hutch set up a few inches away from the current hutch, I read somewhere that it can be helpful to alternate the two rabbits between the two hutches to minimise any territorial behaviour?

I'm so looking forward to seeing the results of the bonding process, Cassie is a happy bun but could do with a pal.

Dozey_crow

He does look like a mix of breeds. His ears are a bit Netherland dwarf like too. Please let us know how it goes! :-)

Fosterdog

Bonding should be easier if you start them off in neutral territory, that way it's not one rabbit invading another rabbits space.

We did it the same way as you, rescued a female first then added a neutered male a couple of months after she was spayed. I only found out later on that it is almost always harder to introduce a new make to existing female than the other way around. Females are a lot more territorial.

We did first intros in the house as it was neutral but my girl just chased my new boy ripping his fur out until he was terrified.

Then we alternated where they slept, we split the run in two and let them get used to each other safely. After several weeks they finally stopped trying to kill each other through the mesh so we tried them together. After two days they were inseparable.

Some people use a bunny bonding service, lots of rescues offer them because it can be difficult and they have the experience to know if it's going well or not.

Sorry my story is all doom and gloom, we had a tough time with ours and I wouldn't want to do it myself again. I'm sure there will be more people who've had an easier time of it

pops5588

We just tried them in the spare room for 15 minutes. Joey immediately mounted Cassie and she let him get on with it. After that they were indifferent towards each other for a bit. At one point there were next to each other and Joey groomed Cassie's nose and then Cassie had a bit of a lie down. She did thump a bit when Joey tried to get behind her a couple more times, but other than that no biting or fighting....so far.....

Stressful!

ETA: Oh yes, although when we found him he was called Ed, he is now called Joey

krlyr

I found bonding easier when the rabbits have less space. I've used the cat carrier method succesfully, and with another pair I found if I put them in a large run they would just ignore each other, mixed with the odd bit of chasing and stamping - but making it smaller (I used puppy pens so it was adjustable) they were more likely to interact (I also encouraged it, e.g. putting a large plate of veggies in the middle) and establish that bond.

pops5588

I read somewhere that using a bathtub as a neutral space could work, may give that a go if less space helps.

skye

The Rabbits United forum http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/forum.php has a bonding forum on it, you might want to check the forum out, it's full of helpful information! Good luck, I'm going to be attempting bonding too in a few months.