Need help with an "accidental" colony situation

[Smith's Rabbits]

Hello,
I have been reading a lot about colonies on here and love a lot of your set ups its something I would like to try someday with my retired show rabbits.
The problem I am having right now is with my "free range" rabbit, as my friend calls her. We raise Mini lops, about two years ago we ended up with a litter from a new doe that had ears that didn't lop. The doe was sold as a pet as soon as they where weaned and the babies where sold as pets too. All but N1. N1 no one wanted, why because she is a chestnut agouti, with stand up ears, she looks like a wild rabbit. Even posted for free no one wanted her. One day when she was out in the exersize pen playing she dug out. I couldn't catch her that day, and the next I didn't see her, I thought she had died. Three days later she was back. I decided to let her be and see what happened. It has now been 8 months she has lived "free range" on our farm. She hides in the garage amongst the piles of wood and wire, and goes outside for food ( water is kept down for her there) she visits the other rabbits when they are out eating and I could of caught her at any time. I just choose not to.

Well on April 12th my Smoke Pearl Mini lop buck Dixon was out in the exersize pen running and munching on grass. I was cleaning in the rabbit garage. Suddenly I felt something by my foot and looked down and saw Dixon. I never did figure out how he got out, but I picked him up and put him away thinking he had just gotten out. Now I wonder if he could of been loose for almost the whole hour he had been out there. why?

Because yesterday when I went out to do chores I saw a small REW mini lop. I don't have any small REW mini lops, my only REW is almost a Sr. As I got closer I saw two more small mini lops. With the help of my husband I caught them. I didn't see mom ( N1) at all. Today I was outside with some friends tattooing my older mini lops, and I look over and see a tiny broken chestnut agouti mini lop. As I get closer I see a second. They run into the garage and I see more. After moving a lot of stuff I now have mom and 8 babies caught and in a cage. The babies arn't even wild. They are calm and let you pick them up and pet them no problem. Oh and the colors!

But back to my original questions. About the time these babies would of been born ( May 12thish) My mini rex buck fudge escaped his cage during a thunder storm. It took us until last week to catch him again. I am assuming he got her again, probably shortly after she had these babies. So What do I do????? Leave the babies with her until she shows signs of nesting? Take them in a week at 4 weeks just in case?

My other question is at what point can I reintroduce her to " living free" she isn't wild by any means and gets along really well. I enjoy seeing her and she obviously is doing well enough to birth and raise 8 babies to three weeks old! She is huge and fat ( I think because she might be pregnant) but she is definitely not malnourished at all. I mainly caught her because these are some nice looking babies and I wanted a chance to tame them and maybe show them. Despite moms looks these babies have some good lines in them. I wouldn't really mind if she had and raised her crossed babies loose. The main threat to them would be cars if they made it out to the gravel road, or where under our car in the driveway when we went to leave and we didn't know it. However since I think she will be having the shortly my plan is to let her raise them caged, then set her free. The babies, hopefully though mutts will be cute enough someone will want them. Mini lop/mini rex cross could be cute. Especially with a chocolate mini rex as the dad.

Here are a couple pictures of N1 and of her babies.

Dad:

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

awwww. I cant answer your questions as i dont colony raise my rabbits. I think if she did ok , then why not leave her go again. For her not to be wild.That is awesome. Her babies took after her. Arent you glad now that nobody wanted her after all. She is a very good mom. Look at those babies. Very nice looking. She did a good job.

 

[GBov]

My first buck gets time out in the wilds of the back yard when I run out of cages and need his and he does just fine, comes over to me for pets and scratches and then goes off again on his own so your doe sounds a lot like my Bowler. I would turn her loose again when you are sure she isnt preggers again.

She did give you some beautiful babies!

 

[Miss M]

I know nothing about colonies, so I can't help you, but...

Those are some seriously deadly-cute baby buns she gave you!!! :razz:

 

[MaggieJ]

Leave them with her for now. I often have litters four weeks apart sharing the same colony pen. Momma cuts the older ones off when she needs to so she can feed the next brood.

 

[Smith's Rabbits]

Thanks Maggie. They are doing good this morning everyone seemed fat and sassy, though mom looks pretty mad about being delegated to a 3' by 3' cage after running free for so long.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

What a cute story!

I bet she is pretty miffed about being confined again! Hopefully she will give you another nice litter and then be "Living Free" once more!

Too bad she isn't a buck- then you would have no fear of more accidental litters in the future.

 

[DanaYares]

We have a colony and two of the does have two litters still in the colony. They stop nursing the 4 weeks olds in time for the new ones to be born. We've taken the buck out of the colony for now so we don't get over crowded and give the does a little break.

 

[Peach]

I thoroughly enjoyed that story my mom frantically called me this morning to let me know the Mini Lop buck I have planned for FC was out and about in the backyard. Part of me wanted me just to leave him to forage for himself since he had the whole night to run off and didn't, but I just picked him up after a short chase and put him away.Funny how they know when it is a good idea to stick around!

 

[Smith's Rabbits]

Just wanted to update. On june 3rd she kindled again. I wasn't home and my husband called me to ask what to do. I told him to bring the older ones inside. Everyone is doing good. They are getting big and ornery. She kindled 11 babies! and now at two weeks they are all still alive, Anyone want a mini lop/ mini rex baby?
She had 3 black, 2 opal and 7 chestnut agouti, its going to be very hard to find homes for those 7. Then to find a new home for N1. She obviously can't be turned loose again. Way to prolific if I end up with a bunny getting loose again.

Here is a picture of the new babies taken a few days ago, they are up and out of the box running around now.

The new litter 11 minirex/mini lop mix babies

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Wow- what a good Mama! Sure you don't want to keep her since her purebred litter turned out so well?

 

[LadyKarli]

Really nice babies!!!

 

[Disney]

Wow she seems to be a wonderful momma!

 

[Smith's Rabbits]

She is an awesome momma. Unfortunately even though her purebred litter turned out okay, I wouldn't say any are going to be show winners. I just don't have the cage space for a mini lop doe with straight ears. I have a friend from work who has offered to give her a home in her rabbit colony if I can't find a home for her. Right now all they have are some 3 month old mismarked dutch and a couple brown mix bunnies someone gave them.

Here are a couple new pictures of the older babies, and one of each color from her mixed litter.
If I was breeding meat rabbits. I would keep her in a second.

One of the three black babies. Looks like two does and a buck

One of each of the two opal babies. Looks like a buck and a doe. One of them has on ear lopped. Its the only lopped ear in the whole litter.

One of the six Chestnut agouti kits. I know there is at least one boy and one girl.

Couple shots of the older babes

 

[Stormy]

cute babies!!
Yes, the problem of leaving a female rabbit loose... means lots and lots of rabbits. When I read a post on this forum that someone let one run free and were soon overrun with rabbits to the point of putting a price on their heads for the neighbors to catch or kill... we renewed our efforts to catch 'Houdini' the 3x escapist, who we then discovered was a he. After 2 weeks out and about he is really unhappy. I may just let him go again if he stays with us. My older buck roams the whole 2 acres by day, but he goes back to his cage at night! He gets fed then as extra incentive.

The interesting thing about exercise pens, is that there is no wall too high for either your buck or your doe if she's ready to mate!! I have one of my does accidentally bred for the third time in a row because suddenly the buck could scale a 3' high wall! I am working on getting a pen together with a CEILING now! Previous time, she busted out... they are determined creatures.
I concur, don't worry about baby-managing - I have a litter of 8 weeks and a litter of 4 weeks all in together without a problem, of course I have a 10' x 4' pen with extra levels, plus an 8' exercise pen, lots of room. Mom is well equipped how to wean older babies.

I had an alternative idea: take your agouti doe in and get her spayed. Then turn her free to enjoy life without worrying about multiplying.

 

[GBov]

cute babies!!
Yes, the problem of leaving a female rabbit loose... means lots and lots of rabbits. When I read a post on this forum that someone let one run free and were soon overrun with rabbits to the point of putting a price on their heads for the neighbors to catch or kill... we renewed our efforts to catch 'Houdini' the 3x escapist, who we then discovered was a he. After 2 weeks out and about he is really unhappy. I may just let him go again if he stays with us. My older buck roams the whole 2 acres by day, but he goes back to his cage at night! He gets fed then as extra incentive.

The interesting thing about exercise pens, is that there is no wall too high for either your buck or your doe if she's ready to mate!! I have one of my does accidentally bred for the third time in a row because suddenly the buck could scale a 3' high wall! I am working on getting a pen together with a CEILING now! Previous time, she busted out... they are determined creatures.

I had an alternative idea: take your agouti doe in and get her spayed. Then turn her free to enjoy life without worrying about multiplying.

That is an idea that would never have occured to me but its a good one. And I had to laugh out loud at your climbing buck.<br /><br />__________ Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:36 am __________<br /><br />I have one that mostly lives loose and he looks soooo awful most of the time from trying to climb into the doe cages and lurking underneath them getting pee-ed on that he gets scooped up and tossed into a cage with a lucky lady more times than not. He is living with my amchin doe right now but he will get turfed out in three weeks and we will start all over again with him STARTING OUT clean and tidy.

Rabbits are so funny. Had a house doe that use to climb the book case so she could get a nose kiss. First time I came eye to eye with her I almost stroked thinking she was going to fall and hurt herself but nope, she did it all the time after that. They climb really good when THEY want to.

We still miss that little doe, she had crossed teeth so took her to the vet to get them removed and she made it through the surgery fine but died two days later, we think of a stroke. She just lay down like she was sleepy and then died.

 

[rittert3]

I've had 2 mini lops get loose and neither went very far. I won't ever leave one loose though because the place has a million and 1 preditors from all sides. I don't even let then in the exercise pen without me right there.

 

[Smith's Rabbits]

I have a friend who will take her. Not to be mean but spending $50 to get a rabbit spayed that is only here because I couldn't give her away, and had planned to give her to my father in law to butcher before she got loose, seems silly. I have to keep close track of my rabbit finances to keep my husband okay with me having/ raising, and him having to build and help clean them and their areas, so around here its either you pay your way or you go elsewhere. That is not to say our rabbits are not pets. They very much are, we have two who live inside. She was just doing so well loose I figured oh well. She hadn't lost any weight, and even now after raising a litter of 8 to 4 weeks and then having a litter of 11 and raising them all( they are now 6 weeks old), she looks good. Her fur is not as soft and shiny as the ones who have never run loose, but weight and flesh wise she is in good condition.

A lady from work will be taking N1 if no one else wants her. The babies will go to pet homes, whatever doesn't find homes, will be taken to the sale barn, as they are really going to be to small to butcher. At 6 weeks they weigh less then a pound each, and none of them are skinny.

 

[GBov]

I have a friend who will take her. Not to be mean but spending $50 to get a rabbit spayed that is only here because I couldn't give her away, and had planned to give her to my father in law to butcher before she got loose, seems silly. I have to keep close track of my rabbit finances to keep my husband okay with me having/ raising, and him having to build and help clean them and their areas, so around here its either you pay your way or you go elsewhere. That is not to say our rabbits are not pets. They very much are, we have two who live inside. She was just doing so well loose I figured oh well. She hadn't lost any weight, and even now after raising a litter of 8 to 4 weeks and then having a litter of 11 and raising them all( they are now 6 weeks old), she looks good. Her fur is not as soft and shiny as the ones who have never run loose, but weight and flesh wise she is in good condition.

A lady from work will be taking N1 if no one else wants her. The babies will go to pet homes, whatever doesn't find homes, will be taken to the sale barn, as they are really going to be to small to butcher. At 6 weeks they weigh less then a pound each, and none of them are skinny.

They are bigger than a quail! I have yet to meet a rabbit too small to butcher. :lol:

 

[Piper]

Just starting breeding and both my rabbits turned out to be males. I wish you were in Texas, I would love to have her! One of my males is a lop, too.