After Spay behavior

[BuckyLuna12]

Hi! I have two rabbits named Bucky Rogers and Luna Lovegood. I got Luna when she was a baby and tryied to bond her with Bucky. They were bonded for a while and then Luna started getting hormonal and started fights with Bucky. Of course I seaperated them, and they have been apart for a couple months. I finally managed to convince my parent to let me spay Luna (I’m paying for it with my report card money) and now I’m a little nervous. Luna is super active and explorative, and she manages to get places where she shouldn’t be. This lead to me having to chase her and pick her up to put her back in her cage. I hate doing this because she’s really timid now, and I’m trying to bond with her. So I’ve now resorted to luring her out of hiding places with food. I was wondering that after I spay her will her behavior change? Will she be less active, and (hopefully) stop getting into bunny trouble?

[BuckyLuna12]

I also would like to know how long to wait after Luna’s spay to introduce them. I’ve been reading and some places say a week, some say a month.

[joea64]

Generally, most people here advise to wait a month before beginning the bonding process with another bunny. How long ago was Luna spayed? Also, has Bucky been neutered? If you haven’t done this, you need to get it done when you can afford it, and then you’ll need to wait an additional month before bonding can begin. That having been said, if Bucky has been previously fixed, you can start the “pre-bonding” process while you’re in the post-op waiting period. You can’t let the two buns interact physically, but you can place their cages within sight and scent distance of one another (6 to 10 inches apart) and swap around their toys and other things to get them used to each other’s smells over the next several weeks. (Because they got into fights with each other, you may need to tack on additional time where they’re completely separated – not allowed in each other’s presence at all – so that the memories can dim before bonding starts. Bunnies are really, really good at holding grudges; the Hatfields and McCoy’s haven’t got anything on them!)

The good news is that spaying or neutering does a LOT to improve rabbits’ behavior. Those unpleasant and unattractive behaviors driven by hormones will go away once the remaining hormones dissipate, and Luna will behave a lot better and be easier for you to bond with.

[BuckyLuna12]

Buckys a year and a half old and I got him spayed as soon as I could (he was very hormonal) and I have an appointment to get Luna spayed this Thursday. There cages have been next to each other since I took them apart, so they have been able to see and smell each other for the last 3 months. After I spay Luna though, will she have to be in her cage until she’s healed? I already have to keep my male in his cage because I’m trying to litter train him, but will I have to do the same for Luna? Will Luna want a lot of attention or will she want to be left alone? I’ve neutered my male, but I heard that spaying has a totally different affect on the rabbit.

[Bam]

Luna should be in her cage for a week. Maybe some supervised playtime on a flat surface after 5 days. It takes 2 weeks for a doe’s surgical wounds to heal completely.

She will need rest but esp right after the surgery you can’t leave her alone. You must see to it that she keeps warm (a hot water bottle or handwarmers are good, buns often get hyperthermic after having been put under). You must make sure she eats before you go to bed if you get to take her home the same day (some vet clinics keep the bun over night).

With girls, the post-spay phase is as a rule longer than it is for boys. She might become extra hormonal for a while after the spay. This has to do with the circulating hormones in the blood, they dissipate slowly and meanwhile the body is “confused”. I think it has to do with the cells of the target organs expressing more receptors for female sex hormones as the levels of these hormones taper down. Anyway, this phase is known as a post-neuter craze. It doesn’t happen to all buns, but many buns will be grumpy, even aggressive, territorial (marking with pee and poop) and some become hyper-sexual. But it’s normal and it goes away.

It’s not possible to say if your bun will want extra attention or normal attention or be left alone. It’s something you’ll have to find out, because it varies between individuals.

[BuckyLuna12]

Thanks so much!

[Author]

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