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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BONDING So I need help….

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    • Callie
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        Okay let’s start from the beginning, Voldemort is a 6 month old male and Bellatrix is a 7 month old female. They live right next to each other with just a piece of fence between them, they have been living like this sense we got them (month or so ago). They love laying next to each other and she even grooms him through the fence! So we got him fixed and we are waiting on getting her fixed because she has tilt, and our vet wants to get that under control before we do any surgery. So I thought okay, they still can hang out because he is fixed right?
        The first time that we let them be together they ignored each other the whole time, which was about 20 min.
        The second time he humped her face a few times then they were cool, this was for about 20min also.
        Well we kept doing this daily for about a week, there was no humping just lots of binkys and playing with toys, each time was 20-40 min.
        But today I let them out and they played for about 30 min and then she tried to mount him! She tried to mount his face and his butt, when she would mount his head he would take it for a few moments before thumping and running away. She kept on until he nipped at her (he didn’t bite her ) it was like he nipped at the air to warn her to quit….. Which she didn’t listen so I had to intervene.
        I know she is doing this because she’s not fixed, and he can quickly out run her (because of her tilt) when he has had enough, my question is should I continue to let them have play time together? Should I stop bonding and totally separate them, like put them in other rooms? I just need some advise
        This would happen the first time I try to bond rabbits!


      • Roberta
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          Firstly and most importantly, how long did you keep the apart after Voldemort was neutered ? Male bunnies actually retain sperm for 4-5 weeks after surgery.


        • Callie
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            We kept them apart for 2 and a half weeks…. After that the only time they spent “together” they were watched like a hawk he never got near her bottom, the only time he ever mounted her after being fixed was when he mounted her head, twice.
            I was told that he would be okay to meet her without the fence after 2 weeks


          • Roberta
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              Yep, that’s what I was told. Never actually saw Piglet do the deed but the second litter arrived just before Xmas. It only takes a second. Piglet was actually neutered about two weeks before the first oops litter arrive, he must have been feeling amorous about a week after Pepper brought the babies into the word as the time line indicates it was about 3-3.5 weeks after his neuter.


            • LBJ10
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                Roberta is right, you could end up with a surprise litter on your hands! This would be especially bad if she has a head tilt issue going on. They should be kept completely separate until 6 weeks post-neuter. Even having them in adjoining pens/cages can be an issue because they can mate through the bars if there isn’t a gap between them.

                That being said, if Bellatrix is trying to hump Voldemort then it may have nothing to do with hormones and everything to do with dominance. That’s really the only reason girl bunnies hump (although hormones could cause them to power trip, so to speak). So even after she is spayed and healed and you’re officially starting the bonding process, you will likely still see humping on her part if she feels she is supposed to be top bun in the relationship.


              • Callie
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                  Oh my lord why would they tell me it’s okay ?! Should I look for a new vet?
                  Bellatrix isn’t doing anything different, and so far she is maintaining a constant weight ( we check it a lot with her have health problems) hopefully we don’t have surprises on the way, now I’m scared to death!


                • Roberta
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                    Was it the vet that told you or the receptionist ? When it happened to me I even checked on line and got the same info from some reputable site, “2 weeks”. Wish I had found Binky Bunny first in those days, they came to my rescue when I realised Pepper had another oopsie on the way.
                    Depending on when it ay have happened and the stage the treatment is at for Bellatrix an emergency spay might be possible. Failing that keep your fingers crossed and make sure she is getting a diet rich in good greens with a high vit E content and try to ensure all her food is good, no pellet mixes with seeds etc (try and get Oxbow if you can) plenty of good quality hay so that you can really build up her immune system and maintain a healthy gut. If the worst has happened you will know in about a month.


                  • Callie
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                      It was the vet tech who told us hopefully we don’t have an oooops, Right now her and voldemorts diet is Oxbow adult pellets, oxbow hay (both regular and meadow) and fresh veggies every evening. We also give them a slice of fruit as a treat before bed.


                    • Roberta
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                        Sadly vet techs and Receptionists don’t always have all the info….Their diet sounds perfect… Keeping my fingers crossed for you on the oops.
                        With the other behavior Bell could just be showing Volde who is the boss and the extra hormones about from his neuter could be making her a little more dominant. Give the extra few weeks and try again slowly, there is nealy always a little bit of humping to sort out who is the alpha bun.


                      • Callie
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                          I’ll let you know what happens, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all the advise. It’s really comforting to be apart of this site, thank you for everything

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                      Forum BONDING So I need help….