Hello! My name is Elle and I'm new to the site. I wasn't sure where to put this, as technically I keep them as indoor pets, but the breed itself is from the Meat line so I figured this would be the best place to gain the knowledge I need.
So basically I purchased a pair of New Zealand cross bucks yesterday. They were in great shape with great temperments, and have great markings (harlequin I think it's called) but I have a concern.
The lady told me that these guys were only 13 weeks old, which was great because I intended to do an introduction with my other young rabbits- two dutch bucks that are just a few weeks younger. I have bottle fed the dutch rabbits since they were under 4 weeks old and they have steller temperments and love meeting new rabbits, but my problem is this; I definitely anticipated a size difference among them due to age and breed, but these New Zealand guys are HUGE and I'm not sure if they actually ARE 13 weeks old or not. Keep in mind this is my first time with the New Zealand breed, but I did do a ton of research on them, including size ranges and weights, and if I'm correct it said that between the 8-13 week mark they should be somewhere in the 5lbs to 8LBS area. These guys seem a lot heavier than that, so I was wondering if you more experienced breeders could confirm or deny their rough age, or maybe provide pictures of your 13 week olds for me to use as comparison.
I just don't want to attempt an introduction with my dutches if these are full blown territorial adult bucks. It's one thing to introduce same sex rabbits when their young and can be raised together in a spacious environment (especially when neutered) but I'm not comfortable attempting something like that with older rabbits who might be territorial and want to kill whoever im introducing them to.
I posted some pictures below, but they kind of suck since they were taken with my laptop camera. When laying down (like in the first picture) he's about 14-15 inches long from the base of his neck to his tail (not including his head). Im not sure about weight yet. They are very sexually active and will take turns mounting each other, but they haven't shown any aggression toward one another. I will eventually be getting them both neutered to see if this helps with their sex drives.
I just want to clarify that im TOTALLY happy with these guys regardless of their age, I am just new to the breed and want to confirm things before attempting any kind of introduction with my younger/smaller rabbits. I will try to get better pictures in a few minutes but for now these are all I have.
[album]3671[/album]
1st Pic is of one of my boys laying on the old couch in the back room- he's about 14 inches from the back of his neck to his tail. Not sure about weight yet.
[album]3672[/album]
Second pic he's standing.
[album]3670[/album]
Third Pic they are playing with a scarf.
[album]3674[/album]
[album]3673[/album]
Last two pics are the baby pictures I originally saw- I thought they would be roughly that size when they arrived but instead they are twice as big. I know they are designed to grow quickly, I just want to make sure im on the right track
So basically I purchased a pair of New Zealand cross bucks yesterday. They were in great shape with great temperments, and have great markings (harlequin I think it's called) but I have a concern.
The lady told me that these guys were only 13 weeks old, which was great because I intended to do an introduction with my other young rabbits- two dutch bucks that are just a few weeks younger. I have bottle fed the dutch rabbits since they were under 4 weeks old and they have steller temperments and love meeting new rabbits, but my problem is this; I definitely anticipated a size difference among them due to age and breed, but these New Zealand guys are HUGE and I'm not sure if they actually ARE 13 weeks old or not. Keep in mind this is my first time with the New Zealand breed, but I did do a ton of research on them, including size ranges and weights, and if I'm correct it said that between the 8-13 week mark they should be somewhere in the 5lbs to 8LBS area. These guys seem a lot heavier than that, so I was wondering if you more experienced breeders could confirm or deny their rough age, or maybe provide pictures of your 13 week olds for me to use as comparison.
I just don't want to attempt an introduction with my dutches if these are full blown territorial adult bucks. It's one thing to introduce same sex rabbits when their young and can be raised together in a spacious environment (especially when neutered) but I'm not comfortable attempting something like that with older rabbits who might be territorial and want to kill whoever im introducing them to.
I posted some pictures below, but they kind of suck since they were taken with my laptop camera. When laying down (like in the first picture) he's about 14-15 inches long from the base of his neck to his tail (not including his head). Im not sure about weight yet. They are very sexually active and will take turns mounting each other, but they haven't shown any aggression toward one another. I will eventually be getting them both neutered to see if this helps with their sex drives.
I just want to clarify that im TOTALLY happy with these guys regardless of their age, I am just new to the breed and want to confirm things before attempting any kind of introduction with my younger/smaller rabbits. I will try to get better pictures in a few minutes but for now these are all I have.
[album]3671[/album]
1st Pic is of one of my boys laying on the old couch in the back room- he's about 14 inches from the back of his neck to his tail. Not sure about weight yet.
[album]3672[/album]
Second pic he's standing.
[album]3670[/album]
Third Pic they are playing with a scarf.
[album]3674[/album]
[album]3673[/album]
Last two pics are the baby pictures I originally saw- I thought they would be roughly that size when they arrived but instead they are twice as big. I know they are designed to grow quickly, I just want to make sure im on the right track