How soon to bond after spay surgery?

[KamOlaf]

Flower is six and a half months old holland lop, and I recently got her spayed. Her surgery was on November 20th, however she chewed at the string and skin glue Thankfully, It has healed on its own and she doesn’t pay too much attention to it, (THANKFULLY, I was SO worried when I came home and saw that she had chewed out her string that held it together.) Anyhow, the area of her surgery looks completely healed, almost as though it had never even happened. I am wanting to bond Flower with my other holland lop, Bear. Bear is five months old. He is also neutered. I got him neutered in the middle of September so it has been a while, he is all healed up, etc. I am hearing different things from people as far as how long to wait before bonding them. The vet told me I could start bonding them 2 weeks after her surgery. Now it is about three and a half weeks after her surgery. I also heard from others that I should wait a month after Flowers surgery. Is this true? I am anxious to bond them, as I have little hours at work right now, so I have PLENTY of time to be with them, and let them be buddy-buddy. Their cages are close to eachothers, since I put flower in her old small cage, so she can rest from surgery and what not. I didn’t want her to be in her “mansion,” of a cage, where she can jump, and risk ripping something. I wanted her to be completey healed. So, again, my question, Sorry, getting off track. How long should I wait to start bonding Flower and Bear? ^^ And how long should the first couple sessions be?

[RabbitPam]

Hi, it’s almost a month by now, so if her incision site looks healed, I would say it’s safe to start. If her site is still red, swollen, or in any way giving her discomfort (or just doesn’t look right), you should take her to the vet to be checked because that would be an issue of its own and has nothing to do with bonding.

That said, if you begin bonding slowly and supervised, I think it’s safe to start. If Bear’s neuter had been sooner, it might be more risky, but he is well over the first month after his neuter, which is when his hormones can still be active, so even if she has residual hormones, she cannot get pregnant by him now.

You can read up on Bonding advice in the Bunny Info. section (see the drop down menu above) if you want some help starting. Also, the Bonding section here has loads of advice from folks with experience. What to watch for is preventing any new injuries to either of them if it doesn’t go well. Just remember, humping is their way of exploring dominance, it’s not necessarily harmful. What you need to prevent at all times is either one of them humping a face instead of a rear end, because she/he could be bitten in the sensitive area if that happens. That may be the only risk to her incision site in a bonding attempt. If you want to, keep them both from humping for a few more weeks and just have very limited time together to see how they behave. Indifference is a good sign. But if growling and biting occurs, be ready to separate, have something like a handled food strainer to drop between their faces to stop biting, and be gentle when you handle her because of her healing area.

[KamOlaf]

Alright, Thankyou so much, c: I will try maybe putting them together tonight when I get off work, c: I will have a food strainer ready, you can bet on that, c: I just wanted to get a second opinion on the matter, so Thankyou very much! :3 will definitely post about how it goes.

[KamOlaf]

Could a tennis racket be used for the same purpose as the food strainer?

[tanlover14]

I have found that there are MUCH easier ways of breaking up fights than interjecting yourself. I would suggest creating a VERY loud racket. I typically use a vacuum cleaner (turn it on right next to them) OR banging on a metal pot with a spoon. The loud noise startles them which puts them on instant alert. I have never had it NOT work with my bonding (and I have a bonded quintet). So I have been through the ringer a time or two! LOLOL. I suggest this way because I’ve found a lot of times when I interject myself (it works short-term) but as soon as I’m done they go right back at each other. So I have to continue constantly pulling them apart when they’re not getting along. Whereas with the loud noise, they go on alert and stay on alert for a few minutes after. You’re also allowing them to seem like THEY stopped the fighting, not you.

f they chase, I squirt them with a squirt bottle filled with water. It typically sends them away foot-flicking. Or again, I make the startling noises again.

[KamOlaf]

Those are great tips! Thanks!

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