New here *Pic Heavy!*

[GreenGoddess]

Hey everyone..

For those of you on BYC, y'all (should) know my by now.. For those of you who don't. My name is Terri.. I have been a chicken owner for almost a year now and have been on BYC for a little over a year.. I have learned SO much on there and figured I would benefit from this site as well since we adopted two little bunnies last night! They are both mini rex and supposed to both be males.. I thought Bugs was a broken black and Roger was a broken red.. But neither one of them have the butterfly pattern on their nose and i also noticed that there is red mixed in with the black and black mixed in with the red.. But, it's almost unnoticeable.. They are absolutely gorgeous though and so soft!! I have been looking for a bunny for my 11 year old son for several weeks now and came across a lady who was moving and wanted to GIVE AWAY her two 7 month old bunnies (born July '09), cage, food, waterer and food bowl for FREE!! I just couldn't pass that deal up... I am sure i will have plenty of question about them but look forward to reading and learning in the meantime.. They are inside bunnies but I am getting ready to go outside to build a small pen outside that my son can take them out on nice days and play with them, supervised of course!) Here are some pics.. And with their color variations, are they just a mix or what? I also want to know, they are litter mates and have been together since the day they were born.. Are they always going to get along or will I need to eventually separate them?

Goddess :bun

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Is a "free" pet ever really free?

Congrats on the cute bunnies and

 

[GreenGoddess]

Well, nope.. Can't say they are.. lol.. It did cost gas to go get them since they were almost an hour from me, and then the food (which luckily I already had and then she gave me more) and then gotta get some hay... Nope! Definitely not free... LOL But being that people are asking anywhere from $10-$45 EACH around here, i can't complain too much..

Goddess :bun (this smiley really needs to be the bunny that BYC has.. I dunno, bun should not stand for COW!! )

 

[ksalvagno]

 

[Bunnylady]

Roger's "type" looks a little long, so he probably didn't get the dwarfing gene, and may be over sized as a result (weighs more than 4 1/4 lbs.) His color is called Tricolor, which is a combination of the broken pattern and the harlequin pattern. Bugs looks like a broken Otter. The lack of a nose marking is a DQ, but some brokens do that (like the best broken black in one of my litters last Spring! )

Brokens usually have a lot more color on the body than these two guys show. I don't think either of them would have enough color to meet the 10% minimum required to show, so that's 2 DQ's apiece. With so little color, and no nose marking, I'm wondering if they may be what we call "Charlies." Broken is a dominant gene, if it's there, the rabbit is going to show the broken pattern. A rabbit that got the broken gene from both its mother and its father gets a double dose of the influence of the broken gene. They usually have very little color on the body, and only a tiny "Charlie Chaplin" moustache under the nose, or no nose marking at all. Understand, I'm saying that so little color and no nose marking may indicate that they are Charlies, but it isn't absolutely conclusive. I have had animals that couldn't have been Charlies (because one parent was solid) that were almost as lightly marked.

The reason I'm harping on this, is because the gene that causes the broken pattern in the coat is also involved in the development of the digestive system. Rabbits that have 1 copy of the broken gene show no ill effects, but "Charlies" often have reduced gut motility (in plain English, thier digestive systems run slower.) It is important to make sure a rabbit has plenty of fiber in its diet to keep things rockin' on through, but with Charlies, it is critical! The most common cause of death in pet rabbits is probably GI stasis, where the whole digestive system just shuts down. Charlies are more prone to it because their GI systems run slower, anyway. The poop pellets of Charlies are often a bit different than those of "normal" bunnies. Rabbit poo usually is shaped a bit like M & M's - slightly flattened, but very regular and round. Charlie poo usually is more like the peanut M's - irregular in shape and size. If they are Charlies, it's nothing to get panicky about - plenty of fiber (in the form of good quality grass hay) and water available at all times, and they should be fine. Just a little heads-up.

I love the fur on my Mini Rex, but one thing that I don't love is their claws! I don't know how it's possible, but the MR's have the sharpest claws in my rabbitry. You'll want to get a good claw clipper, and use it often!!

As to whether you'll have to separate them, all I can say is, time will tell. Most bucks need their own cages eventually, but I have known the odd sibling twosome that continued to get along. If you see any aggression, move on it quickly, because they can do dreadful things to each other. Bugs definitely looks like a buck, I'm not so sure about Roger. Just to be on the safe side, I'd suggest you flip 'em both over and check. At 7 months old, you shouldn't have any trouble telling which gender they are.

Congrats on your new guys!

 

[GreenGoddess]

I definitely appreciate the information.. I'm not planning on showing them so I'm not too worried about their colors, it was more of a curiosity.. I also appreciate the info about Charlies.. I will definitely keep an eye out and make sure I get some good hay.. As for their sexes, I never did hear back from the girl I got them from (she said she would be busy over the next few days) but sure enough, they are most definitely both boys.. So, I guess we will see how it goes with them being together.. It was nice to have gotten the cage with them because we already had one.. Will make a nice easy transition if I do need to put them in their own cages..

Goddess :bun

 

[GreenGoddess]

I took some more pics today after I made them a small run to play in outside.. It don't look like much since i have the fencing in the ground about 5 or 6 inches and had to use a shovel to dig the dirt up a bit but once it rains and the ground settles and then the grass grows this spring, it should be a nice little area for them.. Let me know what you think.. As I said, they are inside rabbits but I want my son to take them outside (weather permitting of course) so they can get some natural greens.. We have plenty of wheat grass and dandelions that grow in our yard.. The first pic absolutely cracked me up because I didn't see it when I was taking it.. I saw it when I was uploading everything to my laptop.. And I promise you, they are most definitely BOTH boys!! That is my 4 month old Pitweiler and 11 yr old son in the pics.. Enjoy!

Goddess :bun

 

[chinbunny1]

Thiose are some pretty nice looking rex.

bucks will fight and try to hurt each other. Id get them in their own cages. The one mounting the other in the pic above is being dominant to him. That is just the beginning of the agression. If you get them nuetered and don't plan on breeding them, then you shouldn't have to worry about it.

 

[chinbunny1]

BTW I built a pen similar to that for my shows rabbits. I found those stacking cubicles you put together at goodwill. The ones that target sells. They make excellent yard pens.

 

[GreenGoddess]

We do have another cage to separate them if we need to.. But, I've been reading a lot on rabbits and because they are littermates and have never been separated before, I am going to see how it goes.. So far there has been absolutely no agression towards each other and they definitely have their own unique personalities.. Bugs (bk/w) is more dominant, playful, and more tempted by treats (a carrot or slice of apple) whereas Roger (brn/w) is more standoffish, only takes treats if Bugz is eating it (like he's saying, "ok.. this really is safe for me to try!") and acts as if he really hasn't has human interaction.. I told my son to *make sure* he gives Roger the same amount of attention that he gives Bugs because we don't want a skittish bunny.. Sometimes if he takes Bugs out, I will take Roger out just to make sure he does get used to us and have some tlc also.. I know they are social animals and so far they seem to really compliment each other.. But, as I said, if we see *ANY* agression, we have a cage ready!

Goddess :bun