I WANT TO START A COLONIE!

[Jackrabbit]

For a very long time now I’ve been wanting to start a small colonie of rabbits. I raise Rex rabbits (MINI & STANDARD) in hanging wire cages. I recently purchased my latest rabbits 3 young does from a breeder friend, all of them are the same age so I decided it would be a GREAT idea to make a huge cage for all 3 does to live in forever, my idea has been working so far. But I want to start a colonie my ideal colonie would be about 12 does in a “colonie” they would all be of the same age and be weaned at 5 weeks from their moms I would then put the 12, 5 week old does in the colonie and have them live there forever. As for breeding them I would take one out breed her to a buck put her back in and hope she would take care of her babies. I would never invite other rabbits in they’re colonie. So all you colonie people or anyone share what you think.

 

[Albert]

Honest question; So your plan is a HUGE suspended cage? Or did I get that wrong?

 

[Jackrabbit]

No, I put 3 rabbits in a “huge suspended cage”. And that’s that. I WANT to put 12 rabbits on the ground.

 

[Albert]

No, I put 3 rabbits in a “huge suspended cage”. And that’s that. I WANT to put 12 rabbits on the ground.

Oh good, I was trying to imagine a suspended cage that could accommodate a full on 12 rabbit colony

 

[MaggieJ]

My best advice is not to rush into this. Colonies can be very rewarding for both the rabbits and the owner, but they require a lot more planning than cage raising. So plan, troubleshoot your plan, and run it by the folks here before you implement it.

A few things you need to consider:
- What is the ground and vegetation like on the plot where you plan to locate your colony?
- How large an area are you planning to fence?
- Will you let the does dig burrows ... and if not, how will you stop them?
- What predators do you have in your area? Coyotes, foxes, raccoons, weasels, mink, rats, owls, hawks and eagles can all cause major problems. What are your plans to keep your rabbits safe?
- How will you be feeding them? The vegetation in their enclosure will soon be eaten.

There are many other considerations, but start with those. Good luck.

 

[Jackrabbit]

UPDATE—————
I’m giving up on the colonie idea, my 3 does that we’re living together had a horrible night, they bit each other and made a mess in they’re cage, fur was everywhere. They were even mounting each other. I moved them so now each doe has and individual cage! But thanks for your good luck Maggy! I appreciate it!!!

 

[MaggieJ]

Jackrabbit, sorry to hear it didn't work out so well.

How large was the enclosure you had them in? Had these three does been raised together and kept together? Sisters, or a mother and daughters usually do okay together as long as they have enough room and a few places they can go to get away when they are in a mood for solitude.

If you're set on going back to individual cages, that is fine, but if the colony idea is one that appeals to you for the future, please give a lot more detail of what you have in mind before you start. Members who have colony experience can help.

~ Maggie

 

[Jackrabbit]

4 Feetx 3 Feet… they weren’t sisters, but had been kept together since they were weaned. About 2 months, a colonie is something I want to do, but I need help and I need to hear from experienced members what they do! Thanks!!!

 

[MaggieJ]

Jackrabbit, that's not enough space for three does. Not surprised that there were fights.

I never had more than three breeding does in my colony. It was 8 ft x 8 ft. Adequate, but if all three does had kits, there could easily be 20 rabbits in there at once time. It did get kind of crowded just before freezer camp day and it's a good idea to have a cage or two handy to handle temporary overcrowding. They also serve as isolation cages for rabbits with health problems.

My colony was in half of a sturdy shed that used to be the chicken house. The geese slept in the other half and there was a partition. An indoor colony is easier in many ways than having them outside on the ground.

~ Maggie

 

[hotzcatz]

The buns here are in a sort of colony hutch set up. The doe hutch is a two layer big hutch. Ten feet long, three feet deep and there's hiding boxes and ledges in there so they have multiple layers to hop on and places to hide. There aren't any connections between the upper layer and the lower layer, though. There can be anywhere from several to a dozen in each layer of the hutch. They are all mixed and matched depending on what's going on at the time. Sometimes they are sorted by color, sometimes by age, sometimes merely by who got picked up first when every bunny is being put back in their hutch after the hutch is clean. They get shifted around quite a bit, actually. Perhaps by not ever getting their own specific space they aren't as territorial? They're also all English angora and usually have so much wool over their eyes that they can't really see out that well. Maybe they just don't even see the other buns in their spaces?

There has been a diva doe who chases everyone else around, although when there's many, she's not quite sure who to chase and gives up after a bit. There was another doe who had a really soft temperament, she didn't get as much to eat as she should when in a group situation so she was put in her own space so she wouldn't have to compete for food.

 

[northernnevadahollandlops]

I have a a bonded pair of does that I'm hoping to add 1-2 of their daughters to. They have a 10'x8' space most of the time and then time in the yard. There will be plays for dominance, mounting and circling very rarely, but we haven't had many problems. I attribute it to them being together from th beginning and having plenty of space to separate from each other.

 

[RustySssunflower]

What I do is I keep a mother and a daughter in a 4x4 cage and whenever the one kitted, I move her into her own 4x4 cage on the lawn that gets moved everyday. This way she won’t dig over the lawn before kitting, and she will also have more space for all the kits(6-13)