mini rex cage colony

[ohiogoatgirl]

hello y'all i have a cage that is 5ft long, 3ft deep, and 2ft tall. it has two young-ish (i think about 6months) mini rex does in it. full sisters from the same litter, never been seperated.
last night and this morning they were bred for the first time. i had bought a mini rex buck but he didnt seem to know what to do and he had only bred one doe before so i think virgin does were a bit too rambunctious for him. he seemed to cover one of the two does once but then seemed completely lost. so i bred the does to my dutch buck. (cant wait to see what broken black minirex-chocolate dutch kits will look like! :mrgreen: )
so they are due july 9 (day 30).

any suggestions of things i could put in the cage? like hidey-holes and things? the cage has a large door so anything that will fit into 3 by 5 by 2ft i can pretty much get into it hahaha... i have some non-treated scrap wood that i was gonna throw together for some little hiding spots. also.. thoughts on adding a shelf or something like another level in some of it? pros n cons?

thanks! i will be adding pics once i get them and updating this thread as things progress. hopefully like a little how-to for y'all to see on how its going. opcorn:

 

[toastedoat37]

why keep the does together?, why not just put a divider in the cage?

 

[akane]

Rabbits are actually quite social and do benefit from company in my experience. I wish all my does could live with at least 1 other but some just don't have the personality for it and some don't understand it after being cage raised. It also gives them more space, more exercise (mini rex and a few others are prone to getting quite fat very easy), and you can provide more enrichment because of the space.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

the point is to have them together. hence me putting the topic in the "rabbit colonies" section.

also as akane said, the social aspect.

 

[skysthelimit]

the point is to have them together. hence me putting the topic in the "rabbit colonies" section.

also as akane said, the social aspect.

I've got one of those creature hidey things, made of plastic, usually for ferrets, I think. I came with the rabbit. I'm thinking of making a wood one for a grow out cage or a playground area.

 

[toastedoat37]

well ohio, i guess i was asking why,,because i dont understand why people do colonys at all.,,,,its not like they are wild rabbits,,, people spent a lot of time breeding the wild out of them,,,,,,,,and then even in the wild,, rabbits only live in colonys because its better protection from preditors,,,more eyes and ears listening on the watch for danger. A lot of fighting goes on in wild rabbit colonys. I was just asking so that i can get a better idea of what people are thinking when they do a colony.

 

[akane]

Watch a group of adult and junior rabbits groom each other, play with each other, lounge around together, run because they have a big enough space to do so, does build different styles of nests that defy what you think they are capable of based on current weather conditions... and you won't question why.

Mini rex junior grooming a checkered adult doe

Netherland doe and just weaned kit of large breed doe

My spot

Suddenly what seems a rather unintelligent boring animal that sits in a cage has a huge personality and rivals the intelligence of any cat or dog because they get to display behaviors.

 

[toastedoat37]

Well,,,,,,i never said that rabbits were unintelligent or boring, and your response hasnt answered my question. but thankyou,

 

[Peach]

I saw something really cool the other day.... someone pretty much build a dome, covered it with dirt, with an entry way. It was outdoors with grass grown over it (there were several. They were designed for ELops), but it might be worth trying in your colony. I think the colony setting is a good setting when the rabbits have room to get away from each other. I think it caters to the meat breeder better. I let my rabbits out in pens to get their daily exercise and such,but at shows you can just tell we are from GA from the red GA clay on the white paws. A breeder pointed it out to me and suggested I use peroxide to get it out. It just creates a better presentation. Something I didn't think was a big deal, was a big deal with the show crowd. I noticed everyone was grooming like crazy! If I had meat rabbits, it is a setting I'd like to raise them in if I had the space.

 

[MaggieJ]

Toastedoat, you were asking why some people like to have their rabbits in a colony. I decided to try it for several reasons:
1. In our relatively cold winters, the rabbits stay warmer when they are kept together.
2. Breeding is easier. No more bringing the doe to the buck and waiting for them to do their thing.
3. Daily care is simplified.

After having a colony for a number of months, I found there were other advantages as well:
1. The does are less stressed by voracious youngsters than when confined in a cage.
2. Productivity went up.
3. The rabbits benefit from the additional exercise. They stay lean and trim.
4. The rabbits do not suffer from boredom, as they often do in cages. (Boredom can lead to destructive behaviour.)
5. The rabbits are happier. And this makes me happy. I like my animals to have good lives, even if they are destined for the dinner table.

 

[akane]

Your question was why keep them in a colony. Your arguments were that they don't benefit from it and that even wild rabbits would not choose a colony without reason. I attempted to give good reasons a colony is beneficial and disprove that rabbits are solitary nor that we've bred the wild colony instinct out of them. I think that answers your question quite efficiently in one way. Maggie has then gone in to the logistics side of why a colony is useful.

 

[toastedoat37]

akane,,,,I had no argument,,,,,,,,,,,,,I have nothing against a colony,,,,,,,Evidently i was not able to word my questioning so that you understood what i was asking.,,,,Maggie did answer what i was asking. Thankyou maggie

 

[Shelbers91]

Odly enough the wild rabbits at my house seem to colony. They disappeared for 2 years after we got the dog. However now they are back. I saw one binky a couple times it was so cute

 

[GBov]

I like to make a hay ball for some of my buns. Twist hay into a rope and then tie it into big knots, tucking the ends into the mass at the end.

Some of them destroy them in seconds and some of them ignore them and some play with them. Depends on the rabbit really.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

:/ well.... NoEars doesnt seem to have taken, i dont feel anything when i palpate and she isnt showing any signs. i palpated Ears and i dont think i feel anything but this morning she pulled TONS OF FUR!!! seriously my first thought was OMG #@)^*#%$)^*#$%)*$# COON GOT MY DOE!!!!!
but both does were in there and sitting fine.... well Ears had pulled some of her belly and sides bald....
while i was doing chores she was chasin poor NoEars around the cage like a madman and was even harassing her. humping her and nipping her.
so now NoEars is in a smaller cage of her own.
:/ well there goes my colony cage idea.... *sigh*

 

[WildWolf]

I have my 2 does in a cage-colony. Neither of them have been bred, but there are enough hidey holes and space that they can stay away from each other if one is annoying the other.

 

[GBov]

How are they doing? Have you put them back in together? LOTS of hiding places should help the hormonal one not hurt the other one.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

reintroducing them hasnt worked. they start squabbling and i seperate them because i dont want to have to put one down after the other one hurt it.

they are both bred again and day 30 is august 3 so waiting to see if i get anything.

 

[ZRabbits]

Sorry to hear about the squabbles. Hoping on Aug 3rd, both Moms give you healthy kits.

Karen

 

[GBov]

I just added three does to my colony pen and boy oh boy, the fur did fly!

BUT!

After about an hour of chasing and running and squeeeeeling...........

They all settled down.

Mind you, the does I added are under 6 months old and the two does already in the pen are over 3 years old so the newbies made submissive you are the BOSS motions really quick.

Could it be that you are seperating them too soon?

Could you take out the doe that is in there, pack the cage with all new stuff, cardboard boxes, branches, pvc pipes, flower pots, you name it and then put them both back in? With all the new stuff it might put them on equal footing and help them both settle in.