Seeing each other through the window

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 9sd replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 3 months ago by Brandywine.

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- 08/09/2014 at 7:34 PM
  Brandywine
  Participant
  36 posts
  So I just got two 16 week old flemish giants, brother and sister.
  
  Hugh is getting the snip on Thursday, in the meantime he’s banished to a hutch and run outside because he poohs and wees everywhere.
  
  Jessica is inside and roams the lounge, dining room and kitchen as she is potty trained.
  
  For the first week when I got them, they were together, but I split them up as so a few nights ago because of the weeing. Now Hugh has a HUGE run, it’s 4×2 metres – the little sun porch off one side of our deck. However on two sides there are ranch sliders that look into the lounge and dining room where Jess likes to sit.
  
  They are watching each other through the windows and putting their paws up to the glass.
  
  Is it mean of me to split them like this and then let them see each other? Or will it be good because I will reintroduce them to each other once Hugh’s testosterone levels fall?
- 08/09/2014 at 7:51 PM
  MoveDiagonally
  Participant
  2361 posts
  Bonding is best done when all rabbits involved are spayed and neutered. I wouldn’t re-introduce them until she’s spayed and healed from that. Separating is better than risking them having babies or hurting each other so I don’t think it’s mean at all.
- 08/09/2014 at 7:54 PM
  Hazel
  Participant
  2587 posts
  I don’t think it’s a bad thing for them to see each other, as long as it doesn’t cause one of them to get aggressive. It might even help with their bonding later on.
  
  You said you would reintroduce them after Hugh’s neuter. Are you planning to have Jessica spayed? There is not much point in reintroducing them before her spay, intact rabbits can’t really be bonded as their behavior is very unpredictable. She needs to be spayed for health reasons, anyway.
- 08/10/2014 at 12:52 AM
  Brandywine
  Participant
  36 posts
  Jessica is going to be spayed – but I will have to wait until next month’s pay! 🙂 She is the more timid of the two, when they were together Hugh was chasing her and she was bouncing away. So I thought after Hugh’s snipsnip they’d bond pretty well. What sort of things do unspayed females do which means it’s harder to bond???
  
  Thanks guys, this is all really helpful.
- 08/10/2014 at 12:54 AM
  JackRabbit
  Participant
  5451 posts
  For one thing, females tend to be more territorial, especially unspayed females. Also, think teenage girls . . . !
- 08/10/2014 at 8:00 AM
  Hazel
  Participant
  2587 posts
  Like JackRabbit said, mature, intact females tend to become a lot more territorial and aggressive than males. Even if she acted fine and they got along great after his neuter, that hormonal switch could get flipped at any time and you might get home one day to find fur and blood everywhere. It would be an unstable bond and it’s just not worth the risk. Also, after her spay she will smell completely different, Hugh might not even recognize her as the same bunny, so any bonding progress you might have made prior could very well be for naught.
  
  All in all, it’s just safer to wait until everyone is fixed and healed before starting to bond.
  
  Edit: Just a general heads up, he can still impregnate her up until 4 weeks after his neuter.
- 08/11/2014 at 1:47 AM
  Brandywine
  Participant
  36 posts
  She’s 4 months old at the moment, I read that she has to be 6 months before spaying?
- 08/11/2014 at 2:12 AM
  MoveDiagonally
  Participant
  2361 posts
  6 months is generally the age vets will spay a female rabbit. There’s also some concern about bone development so with a large breed bunny you might want to wait until they’re done growing (estrogen aids in bone development). But it’s completely up to the owner and vet.
- 08/11/2014 at 7:24 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  She can definitely still get pregnant by him until 4-6 weeks after he is neutered, so it’s imperative that they be kept separate until at least that time! Better yet, keep them separated until she is spayed and allowed to heal (the spay will completely eliminate the risk of pregnancy).
- 08/27/2014 at 2:48 AM
  Brandywine
  Participant
  36 posts
  So my vet is happy to spay Jess at her current age. How long after her spay could I re-introduce her to Hugh?
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