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Hello,
My friends female rabbit mated with a male jack rabbit, she doesn't know if she should release the babies (since there part jack rabbit) or keep them... she feeds the wild rabbits around her house but she really doesn't know what to do any help?
... it is also illegal to keep a Jack rabbit (would these count)??
This is a difficult situation. Jack rabbits are hares, closely related to rabbits but very different. For instance, rabbits are burrowing animals, hares aren't, the body structure and the way they raise their young and the way they live (rabbits live in groups, hares are solitary) are very different.
It would be best to terminate this pregnancy, the babies born of this unions will most likely not live long, if they do there will be issues with keeping them, but releasing them isn't an option either.
How did this happen?
Your friend really should get her rabbit spayed, she'll live longer, be less aggressive and won't have to suffer through the birth of babies (alot of rabbits die giving birth).
I would talk to a vet about this, but be warned, most vets don't have a clue about rabbits, even less about hares.
Good luck.
No pet rabbit should be released into the wild even if they are half jack-rabbit.
Just thought I'd add desexing a female rabbit can be very dangerous, a lot of rabbits don't make it through the surgery
I agree that no pet rabbit should be released, I don't agree that spaying a rabbit is very dangerous.Quote:
Originally Posted by shazamataz
All surgeries have risk, no matter the breed of animal involved. Rabbits don't have any greater risk then any other animal, or human for that matter.
Did you know that an unspayed female rabbit has a life expectancy of around 3 years, but a spayed female has a life expectancy of around 12 years (depending on the breed)?
I have two female rabbits right now, both spayed, both fine. I've never lost a rabbit to spaying and I've had rabbits all my life.
The benefits to spaying far outweigh the risks.
Not all vets are rabbit experts, so you do have to shop around, but I highly recommend that any rabbit parent get their rabbit spayed or neutered, not only to stop over breeding, but for the overall health of the rabbit.
Fair comments Altenweg. I have had lop eared rabbits for many years (only 1 or 2 at a time) and I have been seeing the same vet for about 10 years. He was the one who advised me not to get them spayed as it does not add much to their life span and they have trouble with anesthetic.
I will now do a bit more research thanks to you :-)
No problem. I do want to say this though. My vet specializes in rabbits, has bred rabbits for over 30 years. Most vets don't know anything about these wonderful little fur babies, they're considered an exotic pet.
I currently have 4 rabbits, two males, two females, all fixed, all healthy, all fine.
From my research and my discussions with my vet (whom I trust with all my fur family) the benefits of spaying and neutering really do outweigh the risks. There are test that are done before putting a rabbit under that will greatly reduce the risks of the anesthetic.
Female rabbits that aren't spayed are at an extremely high risk of getting cancer. Male rabbits that aren't neutered also run the risk of cancer, are more aggressive and will spray.
Also, no matter how careful you are (as proven by the OP's post) accidents do happen, and there are already so many unwanted homeless rabbits in the world today.
If you would like I would be more than willing to show you the research I've done. Also, keep in mind, that most of what I've learned about rabbits is from raising them.
Take care. :)
That would be excellent if you could share some of your wisdom :-D I've never bred rabbits nor do I intend to. I feel mean keeping them as outside rabbits but they have the hilton of hutches (It's almost more like a dog exercise yard!) and are given a free run of the backyard every day.
Do you know any good websites I can go to that has detailed info about desexing?
My vet specialises mostly in wildlife, I trust him completely with my dogs but now... not so much the bunnies!
The best site I know of is the House rabbit society website. Everything you'll ever want to know about rabbits and more.
Here's a link on altering from their site.
Index of Rabbit Health Resources
It really is important that the vet you use for your rabbits is experienced with rabbits. I had to search long and hard to find my vet, but she's worth it. I've learned more from her than I ever did researching on my own. She also recommends the House rabbit society, very accurate info, which is hard to determine on most websites out there.
My bunnies are all indoors, I live in Canada, it get's really cold here in winter. ;)
In the summer they have a bunny run to play in but they're always brought in at night.
I don't breed these little animals either. My female Kilala was one of over 200 rabbits brought to the shelter last year, all from one home. Most of them had to be put down, they were too diseased. My little Kilala was pregnant when she came into the shelter, they aborted the babies and spayed her. She's my problem child. She's finally starting to warm up to the idea of humans in her life, but it took a lot of patience, love, understanding. Rabbits are such unique little animals, not for everyone, but, for those that take the time to understand them, to learn about their behaviors and needs, they can make wonderful pets.
Okay, I'm on my bunny soap box again. I just adore these animals, do everything in my power to try and educate people on them. Too many rabbits are put to sleep every year because of impulse buys and improper care.
Your rabbits sound like they have a very good life, I'd love to see pictures. :)
Here's my little Kilala, she's a lionhead dwarf/ harlequin mix, hence the blue eyes.
Attachment 17003
It gets pretty hot here (I live in Australia) it was 44 degrees 2 weeks ago, I had to get to bunnies out and spray them with cool water and I put ice blocks in their water bottles!
I haven't posted a pic on here before so I hope it works... this is Dora, she's nearly 1 year old chillin' in the corner of her run :)
http://i42.tinypic.com/e8jorl.jpg
She's beautiful. That's a long bunny. ;)
Mine are all pretty little. One rex, one lionhead dwarf, one lionhead/harlequin mix and one unknown bunny rabbit breed. ;)
Love them all, such different personalites.
Hello, um I'm just going to quickly say this on here instead of making a new thing... altenweg do you know any good sites where I can find a vet for my bunny... she is getting way to aggressive so I'm going to get her spayed...
Thanks, yeah she's a cutie... very lazy though, 90% of the time she is sprawled out on her tummy! LolQuote:
Originally Posted by Altenweg
I love Rex's, I've never seen a lionhead before though... I shall have to Google it!
Sadly it's call and ask, hit and miss. Try the vet that you take your dog to, rabbit vets are getting a bit more common, shouldn't be too hard to find one. You could also call your local humane society, as if they do on site altering for rabbits, if not, who do they use?Quote:
Originally Posted by Emily94
This is my lionhead dwarf Cotton;Quote:
Originally Posted by shazamataz
Attachment 17209
*dies* that is adorable, she's so fluffy!
Is she a baby or is that fully grown?
She's a he :p, and yup, that's full grown. He weighs under 2 pounds soaking wet, has the biggest brownest eyes I've ever seen and the funkiest hairdo. He's my cuddler, loves to be held, usues the potty like a pro, and was my only baby. The others are all rescues and were already over a year or older when I adopted them, Cotton was 4 weeks old when we brought him home, fit into the palm of my hand. Ahhh, memories. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by shazamataz
Wow that's tiny... Dora is supposed to be a dwarf and well yeah... you've seen the picture lol
And oops *apologizes to Cotton* :o
No worries, we thought he was a girl when we got him, then he humped our bunny Thumper and we realized, you, not a girl! ;)
It's hard to sex a rabbit at 4 weeks of age. He was also the only one I had to neuter, the rest, as rescues, where fixed before we got them. Cotton was not fun to neuter, he's sneaky, little and very determined. Even with the elizabethan collar on, he still managed to rip out one of his staples. We call him our $1000.00 bunny, even though it wasn't nearly that much. Good news, he loves the vet, so it's all good. :)
It is very hard! I couldn't tell with Dora for quite a while :o when the uhhh "bits" never grew I realized he was a she lol
You definitely love your bunnies :) It's great that yours are rescue bunnies too, makes me feel kind of guilty for buying all mine :o
No guilt, they need homes too.Quote:
Originally Posted by shazamataz
I opted for rescues because in my area there are so many rabbits relinquished and not enough people know enough to adopt. Also, too many so called "rabbit breeders" out there, it's an epidemic. I only have the four, would love to adopt more, but I'm running out of room. I do bring supplies to the shelter when I can, phone books, timothy hay, lettuce, stuff like that. I wish I could save them all.
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