First on the neuter-he’s only six and that’s fine to go forward with a neuter. That will likely calm him down a bit too and make bonding with you and her easier. She should be spayed no matter what-there is a HUGE risk of uterine cancer in females besides the fact that you don’t want pregnancies, the health risk and behavior considerations make it more then worthwile. Know that bunnies can mate in about fifteen seconds so until one of them is done I wouldn’t put them together at all!

See if you can work on your parents letting you bring them inside. It’s healthier for them, and being outside is scary too. They’ll bond better to you as well if they can live indoors. They hardly smell especially after being fixed and can be litter trained too!

Welcome to Binkybunny!

Most bunnies consider their cage to be their territory- so that could be a reason for some of the scratching when you pick him up.  If my bunnies get upset when I am cleaning their cage- theie will grunt and box or stomp their feet at me.  The first bunny I got was a baby and was to young to be spayed- as she matured she became really cage aggressive when her hormones kicked in.  I could not reach in to clean with my hand otherwise she would lunge.  I spayed her at 6 months old and the behavior is so much better- I can easily predict when she might become upset now.

If you are unsure of Jenna’s age you should not have them together- you do not want to take the chance of her getting pregnant especially since she is most likely a “baby” herself.

I would recommend neutering Greyson now and a month after his surgery he could possibly be around Jenna- but depending on her age- that might be about when she is old enough to be spayed- and she would need a month or so to heal before bonding.  Males can get a female rabbit pregnant up to a month after being neutered- and it can take a month or 2 for hormones to settle.  Females after spaying are immediately not able to get pregnant- but their surgery is more intrusive into the abdomen- so they usually need the time to recover, heal and let hormones settle.

Their unaltered status could very well be why Greyson is so accepting of Jenna, he is not inclined to fight, but to mate. 

Welcome here. Like the others said, it’s important that you do not risk putting them together at this point. If you neuter Greyson now, after a month they would be able to be together supervised. Males can remain fertile for about a month after the surgery.

I also would recommend that you work on getting them into the house. There are too many risks to rabbits outside, not the least of which is neglect, depression and boredom. I know you care about them and try to spend time with them outside, but it’s not always possible to do that. They would have much more interaction (and probably be friendlier with you over time) if they were in the house.

Posted By Brianimal on 04/14/2009 03:21 PM
How old does the average bunny live to be?,

 So after the spaying and neutering the bonding may not be so easy? Hm… not that that will effect me chosing to fix them but that does put a damper on things, oh well I was prepared for things not to go so easily.

They can live to be 10-12 years old on average I think.

The spay & neuter should help tremedously in them forming a permanant bond.  The “bond” you have witness so far is very likely hormone driven – not a true bond.

Just want to say Welcome and that I love both the bunnies names!

welcome Brianimal!

please read this: understanding your first rabbit

it may help you understand why your bunny is afraid of you. earning a bunny’s trust is a long process, and it really only works well when they live in-doors with you.

and DO NOT PUT THEM TOGETHER!! you run the risk of getting your new bunny pregnant, and you could seriously endanger her life if she were to give birth so young. DO NOT PUT THEM TOGETHER UNTIL YOU GET THEM FIXED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh! also do yourself a favor and get this book! it’s the best $10 you will ever spend on your bunny. it tells you EVERYTHING you would ever need to know about caring for, understanding, and living with a rabbit. it’s an awesome book.

you can get it here

I just don’t understand why he is afraid of me. I don’t want Jenna to be the same way.

It could be previous experience (not with you of course) or just temperament. Some bunnies are rather timid in most situations.

So after the spaying and neutering the bonding may not be so easy?

Actually the opposite-it will be much easier to bond them

I was under the impression that my bun was an old man and it could be dangerous to him

Six is a good age, but not senior at all. Spays are harder then neuters and we’ve done a few older buns at my shelter-As long as the vet is aware of the age (they may adjust drugs or procedures) then it should be as easy as on a younger bunny. For a female I don’t know I’d spay at that age, but male I wound’t worry.

For a bunny that is 6 years old, the vet should be sure to do some preliminary bloodwork first – no liver, kidney problems, etc that can sometimes arise with age and can make going under anesthesia and recovery harder.

Oh gosh. Don’t put them together – it only takes seconds for them to mate and as you do not know Jenna’s age, she could be at breeding age. It is a dominance behaviour but the head mounting is risky because one rabbit can bite the others genitals. Resist putting them together until you have at least Greysen fixed and even after that, you have to wait several weeks. A fixed male can still get a doe pregnant up to a few weeks after the operation as the hormones are still in his system.

stop putting them together! you’re going to bring more rabbits into this world.. and the more rabbits you bring in, the more the ones in shelters won’t get homes! a non-neutered male bunny is going to try to mate with a female.. THIS IS COMMON SENSE! what is there to test?!?!?!? you really will end up with a bunch of baby bunnies if you keep trying them out together. please be responsible.

Females cannot be spayed until about 6 months old, but they can be impregnated much younger, starting at about 3 months or so. I think in this case, Greyson is trying to mate with her but just not doing it “right”. Like Jersey said, if he mounts the wrong way, he can get a nasty bite on his genitals, that may get infected, or even require surgery to fix. It’s important to keep them separate at this point. Also, I am not sure what kind of caging they are in, but make sure there is at least 3-4 inches between the cages AND betw/ the bunnies at all times. Males can impregnate females, even between bars. It’s not enough that one is in a cage at ground-level and one is out playing.

Do you need help finding a rabbit savvy vet for the surgeries? When are you planning on getting Greyson neutered?

Ha! typing in rabbitspeak I see! Brianimal, I’m happy to hear you’ll keep them well separated for now. Don’t hesitate to ask more questions, that’s what this place is for.

It won’t hurt to switch them betw/ cages. I’m not sure how much it would help this early in the game, but it shouldn’t do any harm.

I wonder if your parents (who you said in either this post or your other one were not really into animals in the house) would help you if they knew a female rabbit could get pregnant within seconds of mounting (it can happen very fast with rabbits)as well as she can get pregnant 24 hours after giving birth. if they are not “animal” people they sure wouldn’t want a bunch of babies – as they are the messiest of all. Even an accidental bunny to bunny meeting could have major consequences. So maybe if you make a deal to raise enough money for one, they could meet it? Having both done would make it easier for them to get along. Though unaltered bunnies can get along with altered bunnies, most of the time the one left with the hormones is harder to deal with because they have the other rabbit there which can cause them to mark more, spray etc.

Also females have a high rate of cancer of their reproductive organs so that’s another good reason to do her too.

I would not wait to get Greyson neutered. Altering bunnies at the same time is a good idea IF they are already bonded together (and are the same sex) but in this situation I would do the male as soon as possible. It won’t be easier to do them both at the same time. If you did them the same day, you would need two carriers to take them to the vet and take them home in. It would be easier to use just one carrier and have two separate appointments. Plus then the cost of the surgeries would be split up rather than having to pay a lump sum at once.

If you just got the female, she is probably not more than 8 weeks old. She will not be ready to be spayed for about 3-4 months, at least. In that time you could get Greyson done and have him all healed up (and hopefully convince your parents to allow him to be housed indoors.)

I agree to with Beka, get Greyson done at least first and soon, otherwise, as she matures and reaches sexual maturity – things will  REALLY get smelly, messy as both their hormones will be raging.  She could also get even a little more feisty!

Also, if you haven’t done this already – once you get her spayed I really encourage you to talk to your folks about what they will contribute to future vet care. The likelyhood of you needing future vet care has just doubled now that you have two. Most pets, no matter what kind it is, will need vet care at some point in their life – gi stasis or any other common illnesses, even injuries can happen and with rabbits, because they hide illness, by the time you notice something is wrong, it many times canNOT be a “wait and see” thing. And vet care is expensive – I always say, you pay for the vet, not the pet, so regardless, the price is going to high. Will they help you with that or are you responsible for that. IF you talk to them and they say you are going to be responsible for that, then I know that will be alot of money for you to quickly scrounge up so I recommend that you and your parents put aside $200 – $300 for a Vet Fund so that you won’t be stuck later on. Maybe again if you could raise a certain amount, your folks would meet it. It’s just quite a bit of money for a kid your age to be expected to raise AT the time of a health urgency etc. so you will have to plan ahead.

Do you also have to pay for the hay, veggies, food, and litter?

Hi there!

Where do you live? You should check if your area has a Bunny Rescue, and then give them a call. Ask them if they know of any affordable spay/neuter options because you are young and do not have much money. Lots of times they give very helpful advice, and may even be able to get you an appointment with their own bunny vet, at a considerably reduced cost!

They can also give you tips about feeding and handling.

Did you check out that “House Rabbit Handbook” yet? It’s very informative. Check if your local library has it.. mine did!

Okay, I understand. It is very mature of you to step up and pay for the surgeries yourself. That shows how much you care about your bunnies and want them to be happy. Good for you!

You may want to start researching general rabbit health a little bit, and I’d encourage your parents to as well. This way when a necessary situation comes up, you won’t have to hesitate to get them in. Some things with bunnies require a vet visit that you might not otherwise realize. For example, runny eyes and nose, not eating or pooping for 24 hours, eating but not like normal (only eating pellets but no hay/veggies, or vice verse, can indicate teeth problems).

This page from the House Rabbit Society has articles about some of the different medical situations that can occur. Especially since Greyson is getting older, it’s important that you do what you can for him in regards to his health.

http://www.rabbit.org/health/index.html

I agree with Beka. Kudos to you for stepping up to do what you feel is best for the bunnies. I know earning the necessary funds isn’t easy so that is just wonderful that you are taking the responsible route to do what it takes to care for them.