One of my 3 does obviously does not fit in..

[Preitler]

Hi,

until now I kept my my 3 breeding does in one hutch, but the situation got worse the last months. Two get along very well, Red Shrew and Black Fury, but the third is always humped, chased, and scared off. Most of the time she spent in one of the hidy holes of the hutch, not moving much, not socialising. Fury was never friendly to her, and Shrew who was friendly until shortly became territorial too now that she has a litter.

I put this white to the buck for three days (she wasn't exited about being bred), and have her now in an extra hutch, well, she's extremly shy, but not aggressive at all, when i give her a treat she grabs it and retreats to a corner. Can't touch her.

Too bad, it would have been great to have all breeding does in one hutch, much less work, and now I have 2 does in single hutches (Still have the Gray, don't breed her because of eye problems)

So, obviously I have an emotional problem with culling rabbits that I know too long . That takes some of the fun out of it.

Hm, this thread is not a question, but just a sigh.

Picture of better days.

 

[Celice]

I honestly don't think you have to cull her since she hasn't done anything wrong. Right now her self-esteem is low and to get it back up is to let her be by herself for a while, let her get used to the fact she's not in a pen with the other 2 and she wont be attacked every time she goes out. Her actually coming up to you is a good thing, she's not afraid of you just afraid that she will be attacked, if she was scared of you she wouldn't even bother to come to you. Keep doing what you are doing and she'll come around eventually.

 

[AprilW]

.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

When housing animals together (and this also applies to kids sometimes!) it is always best to have even numbers so each animal can have a "buddy." Nobody likes a "third wheel."

Maybe you can let the doe keep one of her doe kits and then try reintroducing everybunny once her kit is nearing sexual maturity?

 

[Preitler]

Well, the hutch is not that big, about 2m², with a partial second level (third level under construction) and it worked well for a year in a smaller hutch, through 3 litters of the other does. But it got bad the last months, the white one always sitting in a hidy hole and always shood by the two others. They get to roam about 400m² of garden whenever I'm home, but space isn't the issue. That 3rd wheel pretty much nails it.

The Red has a 2wk old litter, very protective mom, and my black is frustrated because she isn't bred, can't do now, since the Red managed to open the door yesterday while the buck was out.... :? , I don't know what to do with more than 3 litters this year. Anyway, these two are strongheaded, self-confident does, the white is not.

The white, if there isn't something wrong with her, should be pregnant and lives now in the vestibule of my house and has the front yard for herself, I need to get her used to me, the last months she got so shy it is almost impossible to touch her or take her up. Outside alone she is a rather happy, relaxed bunny. But it takes a lot of patience to catch her or to herd her home without stressing or scaring her.

I wait and see if the white has a litter, and then maybe keep her with a daughter. Or it may be worth a try to introduce her to the Gray, but how to do that?

*sigh*, lets see how many rabbits I'll have 4 weeks from now....
Me making any plans regarding rabbits seems to be somewhat pointless...