Bonding preneuter/timing dilema

[Breakie]

I have a neutered 7 month old male and an un-neutered 4 month old male (who was supposedly a girl, haha) who have not yet met each other. I have not yet done cage/litter box swapping and they are in separate rooms.

My problem is I am moving overseas in 4 weeks (second week of September/date not flexible) and wanted to bond them before moving because the country I am moving to has no rabbit rescues (if they hate each other) and therefore also no in-person no bonding help available.  I tried bonding two neutered girls overseas once before on my own and it did not go well despite doing neutral space, cages side by side, etc. So I really want these boys bonded before I go.

I planned to have the second rabbit neutered toward the end of July, but lo and behold, his testicles have not dropped and the vet said to wait a month. He’s now scheduled for neutering August 18 (provided his testicle have dropped by then).  This means there will be almost no time to for him to heal and bond before we go.

Should I try to bond them now, before the younger boy is neutered, to get this started?  Alternative is to neuter on the 18th and then try to bond that last week before I leave after two weeks of healing and hope it goes well. I am really unsure of what to do.  From what I can can tell, the testicles have not dropped since we were at the vet on July 22.

[HipHopBunny]

Hi @Breakie

I am so sorry that you are going through this tough situation. Alas, I think the only option you have would be to bond them when you reach your new home. If you try to bond the young male before he is neutered, chances are, that you will have to start all over again, for once he is neutered, his scent will change, and behavior will become a bit more mellow. So the other bun would not recognize him, so you would have to go back to start.

If his testicles do drop-in time of his scheduled neuter,  bonding in two weeks could be doable, but extremely difficult. It depends on the buns. Some can take a few weeks, others can take a few months. If your duo is a difficult bond and is one of the ones that take a few months, then it is best to wait to arrive at your new home. For once you reach there, they will need time to settle in, and all bonding could potentially be forgotten.

I wish you the very best of luck, and hope that you have an easy bond! 🙂

[tobyluv]

I also think that you should wait until your rabbit has been neutered before attempting bonding.  An unneutered rabbit is dealing with hormones and those can cause aggression.  Your other rabbit can also react to your younger ones hormones and become aggressive.  Bonding should wait until a month after your rabbit’s surgery, to give the hormones time to be flushed out.  I hope that you will have a quick and easy bond with your bunnies.

[Moonlightbunny66]

I agree with the above posts. You should wait 4-6 weeks after the neuter before trying to bond them. The one being neutered should also be resting in his cage for 10-14 days to heal. Why do you want them bonded before you go?

[DanaNM]

Agree with everything so far. Planning an overseas move is stressful enough, let alone with the stress of trying to bond bunnies before you go. Worst case you get them seemingly bonded, but then his hormones kick in and fights break out.

When you move, you will have the benefit of LOTS of neutral space to work with in your new home, so it will probably work to your advantage.

So yes, just focus on getting him neutered before you go, and then you can bond them when you get settled in your new home.

. . . 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.  

[Breakie]

Thank you so much, everyone.  I am taking your good advice to heart and am going to wait.  It seems the risk is too high that hormones will get everything off on the wrong foot and/or that any bonding work will be for naught once the second bun gets neutered.

I wanted them bonded before I go because I can get help here from an experienced rabbit-bonding friend.  Also, if it doesn’t work out at all (which happened to me once before–two girls- the one regarded the other as a mortal enemy until she died a few years later), I know I can re-home one responsibility with the help of a rabbit rescue. But I do not think they exist where I am going, and I won’t have space to give each his own kingdom.  Thus, it feels risky to take them unbonded.  But, I think the bottom line is the timeline is not on my side.  So, I agree it’s best to wait to give this the best chance. But please keep your fingers crossed that this works out in the end! And thanks again for the input.

[HipHopBunny]

@Breakie

I am so very sorry for your situation. 🙁 I have wished more than one time that rabbits would just get along and not have to do the bonding process, but alas it must be. One positive effect of bonding though is your not just bonding the bunnies to each other, you are also bonding them to you too, so you and them can develop a very good bond altogether. 🙂

Maybe when you are doing the bonding you could call your friend and ask for help? If not, you always have BinkyBunny on your side. We will help you step-by-step along the way, so you have nothing to fear. It will be difficult moving to another country with two un-bonded bunnies, but it is for the best. And I am sure it will be worth it in the long-run, having two bonded boys, whether that is quick, or long, it should work. 🙂

I wish you the very best of luck and hope that you have an easy journey, and an easy bond!

[DanaNM]

Just to give some encouragement, it’s rare for bunnies to be truly un-bondable. Two females is thought to be the hardest combo due to females being more territorial, and being new to bonding I can see how it would be very hard. I’m guessing things will go a little more easily with your next two, especially with abundant neutral territory to work with. 🙂

We are happy to help you with the bonding process here, so when you are ready you can ask questions and get help along the way. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[Moonlightbunny66]

I agree with the above! Don’t give up too soon! It may seem like it’ll never work but things can change for the better. 🙂

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