They are little fluff-balls of joy.
Alright I'll pull myself together to give you some details. I love rabbits, all rabbits actually, but for a long time now I have wanted an angora to provide me with luxurious soft fiber for my spinning and knitting experiments (as an added bonus to more rabbit goodness). For those of you who have not been blessed enough to meet an angora you'll have to trust me on the luxurious part. Angora rabbits are possibly the softest creature that I've ever had the pleasure to pet.
Before I graduated from college I told Scott that I would love to have an angora rabbit for graduation. Finally last week Scott and I decided it was time to get one. Already having two male rabbits (bucks) in our collection we were hoping to find a female (doe). After trying to find a rabbit at a nearby shelter to adopt I saw an ad on a local Facebook sale group and I fell in love.
Someone was parting with their four English Angora rabbits. They were only asking $30 a piece (cheap for angoras) and they were adorable. When I first contacted them they told me that there was three does, a mom and two daughters and a buck the father but someone was looking at the father. When I told Scott he asked if I wanted all three (well duh!). The the sale of the father fell through and you know Scott and I we just couldn't break up a family. So they all came home.
Upon getting them home my first step was to check them all thoroughly. Many people will tell you to do this ahead of time to make sure making a good investment but lets be honest about it. If they were sick they were more likely to come home with me so I could care for them.
They all, especially the mom, had a lot of matts. Scott and I decided to trim the matts off and start fresh rather than trying to brush them out. The mom also has a minor eye infection. She made a trip to the vet today he thinks it had gotten scratched at some point but he expects a full recovery with antibiotic eye cream.
Now we're moving on to socializing the does with Mouse and Vonsey and setting up appointments to neuter both Ginger and the buck.
All four also need to be litter trained like our other guys so they can stay in the house without destroying it. Last but not least they all need names. Any ideas?
First Steps to Bonding
One of the little ones getting into our extra hay.
Domestic rabbits were bred from the European rabbit or Oryctolagus cuniculus which are social and live in large groups unlike the Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) which are solitary.
Domestic rabbits require other rabbits to stay active and healthy. Unfortunately introducing new rabbits doesn't always go smoothly and with out proper techniques rabbits can injure each other while establishing a social hierarchy.
So I want my rabbits to live together but how do I stop them from fighting?
Start your rabbits in a small unfamiliar territory. You can use an exercise pen, laundry basket or even the bath tub. Sometimes you can get love at first sight but not usually so be prepared for the long haul.
Small issues like grunting, lunging, nipping, humping, and thumping are acceptable to an extent. If however any of these behaviors develop into rough biting (especially hard enough to break the skin), chasing, or fighting it's time to intervene.
Don't do this by physically separating them. I know it sounds awful but the ideal is to scare them into stopping. I usually do this by making a loud noise like banging on the tub they're in. It diverts their attention. Plus rabbits may bond better when slightly stressed as they (hopefully) look to each other for comfort and safety.
You can pretty much expect to have to try this several times before you see improvement and I've found it easiest to do 1 or 2 fairly short sessions each day.
Wish us luck!
For more information on rabbit bonding these are my two favorite resources:
The Bunny Chick: Bonding
The Bunny Chick is amazing. She has successfully bonded six rabbits and has tons of other great advice on rabbit care.
The House Rabbit Network: Bonding
The House Rabbit Network is also a great resource for anything rabbit.
Also below are some resources and tools I have used and loved in my rabbit adventures.
*Note Contains Affiliate Link
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