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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 8sd replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 10 months ago by DanaNM.

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- 01/06/2019 at 8:26 PM
  SugarBinky
  Participant
  6 posts
  Hello all,
  
  I’ve been lurking on this forum for several months and have learned a ton. I decided to get a friend for Sugar, my Dwarf Hotot, who was spayed 2 months ago. I’ve been looking in shelter for other Nethie’s but couldn’t find one, so I went back and selected a 6 month-old male from her breeder, because his buns are very calm and sociable. He is intact and scheduled for neuter in 3 days. I have no choice but to home them in the same room, but their pens are several inches apart, and I draped blankets over their x-pen walls so they cannot see each other. Obviously, they can smell and hear each other, though, and my rabbit, who has never been aggressive in any way, went nuts. (And to be honest, I split her 8×9′ x-pen in half to create space for him, so she isn’t thrilled.) She was lunging at the pen, thumping, trying to dig under the blankets, circling on the side where his pen is, and when I tried to calm her down, she bit me. She didn’t break skin, but it is something she has never done before.
  
  Should I:
  
  1) Just wait it out and get him neutered, knowing that his scent will change, and try bonding them in 5-6 weeks? My concern here is that I will be several hundred dollars into this endeavor by that point (neuters cost $175 here), and it may not work out. Also, I cannot totally separate them into different rooms due to space constraints in my home. And I don’t want her biting my kids if they touch the new bunny.
  
  2) Take him back?
  
  I’d appreciate any insight. I was concerned something like this might happen, but I couldn’t find another bun I liked at the shelters, and I’ve read that speed-dating may not predict successful bonding anyway. But this is exactly what I was afraid of.
- 01/06/2019 at 9:37 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22345 posts
  How long has it been since you’ve set them up in the same room?
  
  Re the breeder, would they be willing to foster the rabbit for you after the neuter? For a fee perhaps?
- 01/06/2019 at 9:55 PM
  Laragc
  Participant
  32 posts
  That’s a pretty aggressive reaction in your girl for sure, but it may be the reaction to an unaltered male. I’d see if you can get someone to foster him before he’s totally terrified of him and she’s ultra-stressed out.
- 01/07/2019 at 12:08 AM
  SugarBinky
  Participant
  6 posts
  Thank you both. I just brought him home today. And he wasn’t cheap, so I’m concerned on multiple levels. I had to put him in her old cage because she keeps trying to get at him if she hears him running around in his x-pen. I did this within the first hour of him being here because she was reacting so strongly. And he was running around binkying and thumping (happy thumping, I guess?), so it just made everything worse because she could hear that and was just getting more agitated.
  
  I’ll ask the breeder about fostering. Alternatively, the shelter would do it, but of course this is all starting to add up $$$ if I have to do that. I had considered it before but decided it would just be too costly but I may not have a choice.
- 01/07/2019 at 11:36 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  That would be distressing… but I will say that unneutered males are STINKY. I had an unneutered male in my bathroom for less than 12 hours and it nearly drove my female bonkers. She was chasing EVERYONE, including her bonded mate and the cat!
  
  Rabbits also behave very differently when they meet a rabbit in their home turf, vs. in a neutral space (equivalent to a stranger showing up in your home… you might be alarmed as well).
  
  But of course the safest option would be to go with a shelter bun that is already neutered (saves you time and money, even if it doesn’t work out), and maybe you could take your bun on dates to select a good match. Speed dating is a guarantee for an easy bond, but it can definitely rule OUT bad matches (in my experience).
  
  Do YOU like this new little bun? If you’ve already fallen in love with him that might help make your decision.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 01/09/2019 at 2:21 AM
  SugarBinky
  Participant
  6 posts
  DanaNM, you asked just the right question. Within 24 hours, I realized that I really didn’t like the one I brought home – not only was he stinky (LOL), but he had some weird behaviors. I should have listened to my intuition, because something didn’t feel quite right when I picked him up from the breeder. As I was leaving on Sunday, the breeder had shown me another Nethie for a friend who might be interested. I liked him but already had my new bunny in the carrier and had told my kids that he was the one I was bringing home, so I stuck with my commitment. But I barely slept the night I posted due to anxiety about her reaction and serious misgivings about my decision.
  
  I contacted the breeder the yesterday morning, returned the boy I bought for the other one this evening, disinfected the boy habitat (threw out or sterilized everything he had touched), and then put the new little guy in a large cage about 10 feet away from Sugar. He’s getting neutered on Thursday, and once he heals, I’ll move him to a bigger space away from her.
  
  And…so far, so good. She pricked up her ears when I was done settling him in, sniffed me, and then bowed for a nose rub. No thumping, no attack mode, no biting. So, we’ll see, but I feel better and will take things very slowly with these two. Thank you for the advice. Your perspectives really helped!
- 01/09/2019 at 7:13 AM
  Asriel and Bombur
  Participant
  1104 posts
  The stink and weird behaviors were probably because he’s not neutered, and even with the new bunny he could have those for a month after he’s neutered, and even while you’re trying to bond them.
- 01/09/2019 at 10:04 AM
  SugarBinky
  Participant
  6 posts
  Actually, I don’t think his behaviors were hormonal. He would sit in one spot for hours and sway from side to side. He grunted when he was running around. And he kept running into me when he was doing zoomies. It was just too many things in combination to Sugar’s reaction to him.
  
  She seems completely fine with the new one so far. I even cleaned out his litter box this morning and then went to pet her without washing my hands, and she just sniffed my hand and bowed for petting as she usually does. He is about 4.5 mos, so a little younger than the other one. Not sure if that’s making a difference, but I don’t care at this point. I’ll take it.
- 01/09/2019 at 2:16 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  Glad to hear you are happier with your decision. Always good to trust your gut!
  
  He might not have hit puberty yet, so who knows, but I’m glad you like him more and Sugar seems to as well.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
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