do buns have to be spayed to be caged together

[Desdemona Militia]

i have a 5 month old black and white dwarf  female “Stella” that ive had for about 3-4 weeks. were not completely bonded but she is friendly and not aggressive at all and not scared of me unless i make a loud noise. ive been reading that its good for buns to have a pal. so a friend of a friend has a female adult rex that needs a forever home. the rex is not spayed neither is my dwarf. is this a problem? do i need to wait until Stella and i are bonded or until she/they is/are spayed?

[DanaNM]

Short answer, yes they both must be spayed, and then allowed some time for their hormones to drain (several weeks, I’ve heard anywhere from 6-12, depending on who you ask). 

I don’t think you need to be fully bonded with your bun for bonding with another rabbit, but yes, both must be spayed/neutered, otherwise they will be territorial and unable to bond properly. 

Females should be spayed anyway, to prevent uterine cancer, so hopefully you can spay them both, whether or not you end up trying to bond them. 

It’s great that you are wanting to give your bun a friend and help out your friend. Hopefully you can get them both spayed and bond them!

. . . 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.  

[sarahthegemini]

It’s best to spay before trying bonding because otherwise their crazy hormones can make them unpredictable. One minute they are okay and the next they could be fighting. I do think it’s best if you are bonded yourself to your rabbits prior to bonding because they’ll at least be able to trust and feel safe when in a potentially scary scenario. That’s just my opinion tho, there is no right or wrong

[Deleted User]

As Sarah said, it’s not a rule that you should be bonded first, but I do think it can help. Introducing a bunny that is unfamiliar with you AND unfamiliar with the other rabbit is no doubt extremely stressful for the new bun. They’re outnumbered! Strangers everywhere! Ah! But, if you have bonded then bun would be familiar with you and perhaps a little less “high strung” by the stress of all this change. Everything Dana said is spot on!

[Desdemona Militia]

I was hoping to help out a friend but you guys helped me realize it’s just too soon lol I still need to wait a month or 2 before getting Stella spayed because I couldn’t get a straight answer on how old Stella was when I got her. Ya know, just to be safe.

[Deleted User]

It may be best to wait. If she could hold on to the bun while you get your girl spayed that would be great, but ideally, you would want to wait until she is spayed and get a rabbit that is already spayed/neutered. Ideally. Otherwise you just have two singles until you go through the process of both!

[DanaNM]

Posted By Desdemona Militia on 8/15/2017 8:33 AM

I was hoping to help out a friend but you guys helped me realize it’s just too soon lol I still need to wait a month or 2 before getting Stella spayed because I couldn’t get a straight answer on how old Stella was when I got her. Ya know, just to be safe.

Sounds like a good plan…. I can relate to wanting to save all the bunnies though… it’s tough! 

. . . 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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