You can also get her to look at websites such as Rabbit Welfare for more information about good husbandry.Įnough space should always be provided to allow the rabbits to demonstrate natural behaviours in the wild a rabbit will spend time running, leaping, jumping and twisting all of which are impossible within the confines of a small cage. I’m sure your neighbour doesn’t mean to be cruel, talk to her and tell her your feelings. Neutering of males should be carried out at 5-6 months of age.ĭespite being a popular pet, sadly rabbits are often neglected just through lack of knowledge of their requirements. Neutering will decrease the territorial behaviours demonstrated and decrease the incidence of fighting between them. There are certain situations when males should be neutered such as when a group of males is kept together. Neutering of females should be carried out at 4-5 months of age.
Therefore if two females are kept together without a male it is still recommended that they be neutered to prevent uterine cancer. The current advice is that it should be the females that are neutered as not only does this stop unwanted litters, but also by removing the uterus it prevents uterine cancer, which has a very high incidence in rabbits. Pregnancy in rabbits lasts about one month, litters usually consist of 4-5 kittens, but unlike other species rabbits can be mated and become pregnant within 12 hours of having the last litter, hence the term breeding like rabbits! To prevent aggression within the group, rabbits should be introduced to each other by 6 weeks of age and the females should be neutered at 4-5 months of age.įirstly it is best to get your rabbits sexed accurately, as it is possible that they are both females, but were mated prior to you getting them. The suggested ideal group for pet companionship consists of one male and two neutered females. A happy rabbit is more likely to stay healthy and will be more of a pleasure to own, with definite increases in owner/animal interaction and bonding. When keeping rabbits as pets we should try to provide the most natural living conditions possible.
In addition several food and water stations should be provided to prevent competition and possible aggression. However it is important that individuals within a group have enough space and places to hide away from other rabbits in the group. Studies show that rabbits housed within a group display less abnormal behaviour (such as restlessness, excessive grooming and timidity). However when studying the natural behaviour of rabbits it is evident that they are social creatures, (wild rabbits live in social groups of 2-8 adults) and therefore group housing is recommended. No, but for many years people were advised to keep rabbits as individuals so that fighting and unwanted mating would not occur.
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