I just posted here the other day about considering a companion bun for my 6 month old female Flemish Giant, Sylvia. When I posted, I was planning to wait a few months until she is recuperated from her spaying, and then checking out rabbit rescues.
Oddly enough, we were at the vet for one of our hedgehogs and our vet (knowing about our Flemish) mentioned that she had just seen a Flemish giant that needed a home immediately. Being a sucker for rescuing animals, we said we’d be glad to meet her even though we weren’t looking for another so soon. She was found outdoors wandering (likely someone’s pet who was set free when she got too large) and the family that found her couldn’t keep her as they were moving. I was iffy about letting Sylvia meet this bunny before she was fixed (I’ve heard bad things about unspayed does interacting). Weirdly enough, they got along great. Ignored each other for a bit then began to play. The other bunny even started to lick Sylvia and was grooming her for a while. It all seemed great until this rabbit began humping Sylvia like crazy. No fighting at all, but a couple humping attempts went on before we left.
I was worried by it because I didn’t want it to become a fight and i don’t want my Sylvia harassed all the time. Since Sylvia free-roams most the time, a situation where bunnies have to be separated would be quite difficult. Especially with Flemish Giants.
I’m not sure how to play this. This rabbit is lovely; litter trained, friendly, and everyone loved her. I would love to be able to rescue her and give her a great home, I’d hate to pass up such a sweet little bunny. But I’m nervous about the attempts to establish dominance becoming a physical fight. Has anyone had experience with this? Does it generally stop after the first few days once her dominance is established or will it be a constant thing? Should it end after they are both spayed?
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