Question about keeping littermates together into adulthood

[M Claire]

Hello, I am new here to the forum and hope that someone will be able to advise me. I would like to ask whether it is unwise to keep unneutered adult littermates of the same gender in separate colonies. My specific circumstances are that I have a pair of adult German angoras (of which the buck has been neutered) and their 12-week-old litter consisting of three bucks and two does. My initial intention was to raise them in a single colony, neutering all the bucks and all but one of the does, but then it dawned on me that for the same cost as the vet bill, I could build another very safe, sturdy colony house and keep the girls and boys separate and intact for very occasional future breeding. However, I do not know whether it is reasonable to expect adult bucks to be able to live together as a colony. The adolescents are very well-socialized, having been regularly and gently handled from birth. They seem to have very good dispositions and aggression is a non-issue at the moment while they are still all living together, but I have heard that good temperaments can go out the window when rabbits reach sexual maturity and their hormones rise. Does anyone have experience with this, and what do you think the best solution would be? I have heard anecdotal cases of it working out well with littermates. Of course, I would rather invest in infrastructure that will be useful in the long term than to eat the cost of a vet bill, but the safety and general well-being of the animals is my topmost responsability and priority.

Thanks in advance,
M Claire

 

[Bunnylady]

They get along until they don't, and you never know when that will be. I've had does that lived together their entire lives (meant to breed them someday, and "someday" never came) I've also had a dominant doe that suddenly began shredding her sister(s), at almost any age after the onset of adolescence. This is more likely to happen with bucks, and at a younger age. The annoying thing is, you often get no warning; I remember a couple of Mini Rex brothers that seemed to be getting along fine until I went into the rabbitry one morning and found a testicle lying on the ground under their cage (of course, it was the better of the two that got partially castrated!)

 

[M Claire]

Hello and thank you for your thoughts!

So it sounds like I am rolling the dice. I may get away with just investing in infrastructure, but the odds are at least as good that at some future point they'll have to be neutered even so.
Do you think it will help my chances any that the colony housing is mobile and the boys and girls quarters can be kept dozens of yards apart and out of sight?

 

[Bunnylady]

Do you think it will help my chances any that the colony housing is mobile and the boys and girls quarters can be kept dozens of yards apart and out of sight?

No. The problem is territory, not just breeding rights. Plus, scent is more important to them than sight; they don't have to see another rabbit to know it's around.

Another issue is, what is your goal with these rabbits? Wool breeds have maintenance issues. Will you be clipping them periodically? Intact bucks spray. Some aren't bad about it, with others, it's like a hobby.Even if they aren't fighting, your boys will probably get horribly sticky and matted from spraying each other. And then, there's mounting. Mounting isn't just about breeding, it is also dominance behavior; both the bucks and the does will probably be mounting their companions, at least occasionally. That kind of thing makes wool mat up even worse than it ordinarily would.

 

[M Claire]

Yes, I see what you mean, and I should know this too, because Mama Doe still hasn't been spayed yet and she's ball of nerves all the time. She's the most flighty and unpleasant of any of them. The babies are delightful. I should take that as a sign that if I want enjoyable, easi(er)-to-manage rabbits, then they need to get neutered. And you're right, wool production isn't a big goal for us yet as we're still just learning this animal, but even wool care/management alone will be very complicated with the boys peeing and spraying all the time. We are clipping them on schedule as per the needs of the breed - truly a must for angoras - and I'll tell you it takes long enough without having to work through a sticky ball of dried pee. Now that you mention that, it jogs my memory and I remember how Papa Buck was before surgery. That guy peed every 10 minutes, it seemed like.

Having a litter was so unique, such a wonder... it's so tempting to keep the door open, but the reality is that we're not in the situation to be breeding regularly and it will be more trouble than it's worth. We can always get another mating pair in several years when our herd is getting old.

Thank you so much for your clear, kind and candid input.

 

[Tale of Tails Rabbitry]

M Claire I was wondering about whether you were talking about an indoor or outdoor colony. Angoras on the ground outside would be even more maintenance, I would think.

@Bunnylady "Hobby" is such a gentle way to put it. I have one that acted like he was preparing for the Olympics in distance, height, quantity, and accuracy--his targets being any living thing.

 

[M Claire]

They are outdoors, but in a very weather sheltered tractor-style colony. It seems to be the best setup for us right now and the rabbits really enjoy it. The girls especially look so bored and depressed when they don't have much roaming space.