Rabbit Maths Clashing with cage maths

[Deer Heart]

Ok, so I have a total of 13 holes that are ready to rock and roll. I have 6 more but they are too heavy to move and on the other side of the house where they are vulnerable to bear attack (I posted about this not that long ago).

I have NZWs (1 buck, 5 does) and Mutts (2 rex/lop mixed does and 1 nzw/cali cross doe) and after a long search finally found standard rex (+1 buck and 2 does).
However, the breeder of the standard rex had admitted that their litters are all pretty well inbred already. I also had wanted a little more in certain colors (specifically blue and opal), so when she contacted me about another breeder and asked about picking up a few for me (they had opals and possibly blues) I jumped at it. I requested a buck and doe. I figured surely it wouldn't be too terrible finding a way to house one of the lop/rex temporarily until the move. I arrive and she got 3 for me to pick from, a broken opal buck a solid opal doe and a broken blue doe because she was not sure which I wanted more......... :| I fell in love with all 3 pretty instantly and had wanted a solid doe most but the broken doe was blue and augh. Rabbit maths.

But now I REALLY don't have space at all.

I feel like I could house 2 does together of the mini rex but then what if they started fighting? Even worse is if it takes even longer than planned to sell my house and they outgrow the space (24 D x 32 L x 18 H) or cull my minilop/rex does but they are proven breeders and are due to kindle next weekend (and my only pregnant NZW also due that weekend just last night miscarried a litter of at least 8 kits :/) I only got these crosses because I wanted meat mutts with rex fur and they are very decent sized. But now that I have real standard rex, I'm paving the way for much better results and the rex mix's are now pretty much obsolete..... but are still due to kindle in 9 days which is a massive waste of resources.

I am paralyzed by choice right now and literally have my poor rex mix's sitting in bird cages until I decide :| I obviously need to decide today... That and I have SO MANY NZW does right now and yet not a single NZW litter yet :| They turn a year old soon. I was so dang close.

 

[alforddm]

Sorry, I know it's not funny at all when your going through it be it's kinda funny. Most of us have been there. :lol:

Seems easy enough to me. If you've been trying and not had luck with the NZ cull several of them.

Or, you can sit down and write out what you like about each rabbit and the good and bad points of keeping them. That always seems to help clarify things.

You could always run to walmart and get some rubber totes as temporary housing. Here is the thread that shows how to use them.

birthing-temporary-starter-rabbits-cages-made-from-totes-t26949.html?hilit=totes%20for%20temporary

 

[Deer Heart]

Sorry, I know it's not funny at all when your going through it be it's kinda funny. Most of us have been there. :lol:

Seems easy enough to me. If you've been trying and not had luck with the NZ cull several of them.

Or, you can sit down and write out what you like about each rabbit and the good and bad points of keeping them. That always seems to help clarify things.

You could always run to walmart and get some rubber totes as temporary housing. Here is the thread that shows how to use them.

birthing-temporary-starter-rabbits-cages-made-from-totes-t26949.html?hilit=totes%20for%20temporary

To be fair it isn't the fault of the NZW. I was overfeeding them badly which I only found out by the twisted stomach doe. I couldn't feel the fat with them alive but they were insanely fatty inside. I weighed their feed and followed the bag instructions afterwards (I still can't believe it's only about a cup a day for nzw... the amount feels so small but now suddenly they are lifting like crazy for my buck and he is very clearly getting them. I have two more NZW does that I just bred last weekend... the miscarriage was also my fault as yesterday I was patching the roof and a panel fell down right on top of the cages. I think it scared the kits right out of her, esp when she clearly half ate them). I'm just really frustrated and done looking at NZW with no live kits at this point but at the same time if it finally took with the one. Maybe it took with the others finally and I could be ruining the future of my herd by culling a single NZW...

my whole herd is a mess right now hahaha. But it is funny too, I could have just taken the two or none at all but the lure of starting with two separate but very gorgeous lines was hard to say no to.

My friend suggested just doubling up the rex (I got a total of 2 bucks and 4 does) but I'm not sure if fighting is a real concern at this age (they are 11 weeks old and seem extremely friendly, they immediately greet me at the cage door).

 

[Stephanie]

If the ones you intend to house together are litter mates, they should be ok as long as they aren't bred. I started with 3 does and 2 bucks. The oldest doe and buck were the dam and sire of the other 3. I kept the sister does together until they were bred, then separated them. They got along fine while they were together.