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rabbits questions

honeybuns

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I have two male rabbits but I don't know what breed they are. One, Salt, is all white with red eyes and the other rabbit, Pepper, is all grey with a white cotton tail and underbelly. We rescued them in January of this year outside our house from cats. We believe our neighbor had babies and couldn't take care of them so they released them into the street. They are kind of aggressive when I pick them up and they don't stay in one place for long. Is this normal? Also, I have been trying to potty train them but they aren't having it. Pepper will pee and poop inside and outside his corner potty and salt will only pee in his potty and then go poop every where else. How do I stop this? I have been picking up every piece of poop and putting it in their potties but they aren't getting it. Also I have tried to cut their nails but they are way to aggressive. Are their any special techniques and tools that I can use to get them to calm down. My parents and I are working on getting them neutered but it is at least $95 each because they said we would need to get them both done or one would be more aggressive than the other. Lastly, is it normal for rabbits to have diarrhea that is both runny and little little circular balls because salt has been doing this for about three days now. Is it do to diet or what. Any help would be appreciated.
 

Moxie

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Getting them neutered will defiantly help with the litter training! It may also make them less aggressive. As for the breeds they look like new zealands to me. Are they big?
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rabbit 3
 

Lyndsay

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Getting both neutered will help greatly, but they should not be kept in the same cage. Even when they are neutered they will fight for dominance, and time and time again one will usually end up injured, or dead. For the litter training, neutering will help, as will putting their hay rack next to where their potty is, cause then while they are on the potty they can snack at the same time. Maybe try switching up the area of where the litter box is. For cutting nails, try getting someone to hold their head, and pet them. You can also try putting them on their backs, BUT be sure that they can still breathe, you don't want the blood to go completly out of their head, and have them die as well. I use cat nail clippers, because they are smaller, and easier to handle.
 

bunnyluv17

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Not all males will fight, and from the pictures it looks like these two are bonded; but my first question would be are you sure they are both males? It is unusual for two unneutered males to bond; of course these guys could be brothers.

Have you checked with your local SPCA or Humane Society for a low-cost clinic to neuter your rabbits?

When clipping nails you could try a "bunny burrito" by wrapping them securely in a large towel or blanket.

Neutering should help with aggression, littertraining, and ensuring that your two males stay bonded.

Have you checked out the House Rabbit Society's website? If not I suggest you do so because it is the best website for rabbit care. www.rabbit.org
 

bunnyluv17

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Do you have one of those small corner litterboxes? This type of litterbox may be too small for some rabbits and you may want to try getting them a larger, rectangular litterbox. Try putting a big pile of hay in the litterbox to encourage them to use it.

Have you given them any vegetables lately? Rabbits who are not used to eating vegetables can get runny poops and some rabbits may not be able to tolerate certain vegetables. Are you giving them alfalfa hay? Adult rabbits should only get timothy or orchard grass hay, alfalfa has too much calcium and protein for adult rabbits.


honeybuns said:
Pepper will pee and poop inside and outside his corner potty and salt will only pee in his potty and then go poop every where else. How do I stop this? Lastly, is it normal for rabbits to have diarrhea that is both runny and little little circular balls because salt has been doing this for about three days now. Is it do to diet or what. Any help would be appreciated.
 

honeybuns

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Yes they are both males. It is funny you asked that because we thought for the longest time that pepper was a girl but his testicles formed and yes both are boys. We think they are brothers because we believe they came from the same litter. They bonded the second we reunited them. They would hop and play and lay all over each other but then they started spraying and mounting each other. They became aggressive towards eachother for dominance also so I had to seperate them. I let them go outside a lot now for an hour and a half to two hours. They aren't aggressive outside. They have fun with eachother. Yes, the neuturing will be good but it probably won't be for another two weeks. I never knew that the procedure would cost $95 each. That seems high. We did call a low cost clinic but they said they were only for dogs and cats because rabbits are a bit different.
 

bunnyluv17

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Hopefully after they are neutered (and their hormones calm down) they can be reunited. Have you called around to various clinics to compare prices?
 

honeybuns

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Well I live in a town called Los Banos in California and we only have one vet clinic that can do the procedure on rabbits. I haven't called any others because we would have to go out of town which is kind of not an option because my dad is working a lot of overtime and he is living in San Jose for the better part of a week at most. I don't have a car and I can't drive. So it would have to be local. I just wish it wasn't so much money.
 

Lyndsay

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Lucky, to only have to pay $95, spaying and neutering here costs almost an arm, and a leg. There is 3 or 4 vet places here, but only one that does exotic animals. So they can charge all they want.
 
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