Raising Rabbits in Colony

While many people raise rabbits individually in cages, I've decided to raise my rabbits in colony. This means that my rabbits all live together – male, female, and kits – in a unmarried, big habitat. I telephone call it the rabbitat, considering awesome.

This post is an overview of the how-to of raising rabbits in colony. Plus tons of cute pics of my bunnies, then stay for that!

The Basics

• Rabbits in colony need virtually 10 foursquare feet per developed rabbit. I have 240 square feet for my two does, ane cadet, and a variable number of kits moving through.
• They demand protection from escaping, predators, and the conditions. My rabbitat is made from wire cube shelving pieces (aff link) placed high enough to keep them in, and they take plenty of places to hide and go out of the atmospheric condition.
• Rabbits need both places to hide under/in and places to jump on top of. In a colony this is particularly important and then they can all become abroad from ane another if they similar.
• Multiple feeding and watering spots to prevent fighting over food/water.
• Use multiple litter boxes, deep bedding, or regular bedding mucked out regularly.

Additional Reading: Rabbits in Colonies (affiliate link)

Introducing Rabbits

When you first ready your colony, you'll need to accept some intendance in how you introduce the rabbits to it. Rabbits tin be territorial before they acquire to be a family. You lot should only have one buck in your colony. Males younger than 12 weeks are fine only not multiple adult bucks.

If your rabbits are currently in individual cages, move the cages right adjacent to i another. Feed your rabbits at adjacent spots of their cages so that they become used to beingness shut and eating together.

If you lot have a buck, you lot may want to add him to the colony showtime since he is less likely to be territorial than does. Give him a day to make himself at habitation.

You tin can add all your does at once. If yous have one doe that you know is more aggressive than others, add her last. Watch for any fighting, which you lot might notice only by seeing the injuries later. Most fighting will sort itself out in a solar day, as long as you lot have adequate climbing and hiding places for your rabbits.

Breeding

When living in colony, the rabbits take care of their breeding cycles on their own. You can go along the buck in his ain cage if yous want more control, but I get out my buck in the colony. The does will find their ain spots to take their litters. If you have problem telling whose litter belongs to who, yous tin can experience for the doe whose milk is in.

The Drawbacks

• Some people consider unrestrained breeding a drawback. I, yet, dear having different ages of kits at all times. You can always separate your buck into his own space if you want more control of the timing.
• A rabbitat can exist a big, complicated infinite. It'due south not portable similar smaller cages or easy to move around your country if you make up one's mind y'all desire to do that.
• The rabbits can exist a lilliputian wilder if you're not handling them all at feeding fourth dimension like you might be able to do by feeding them one by one in private cages.

The Benefits

• The rabbits are not isolated.
• They can have more infinite. Colony living typically gives a rabbit much more freedom of movement than if they were in a unmarried cage.
• They obviously love information technology. My rabbits slumber together in a pile and groom each other. They bear very much similar a small family. My buck is very gentle and playful with new kits, which is a delight to see.
• You get to offering your rabbits a more rabbit-y life. I become a lot of satisfaction from that.

Boosted Reading: Rabbits in Colonies (affiliate link)

What else would y'all like to know about raising rabbits in colony?

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Source: https://www.babyschooling.com/homesteading/raising-rabbits-in-colony/

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