Oops

[Space_Cavy]

    Ok, so I had a huge bunny owner responsibility fail today. I’ve been planing on getting my 4-month old bunny, Yuki a friend once she got spayed. Well, this afternoon a friend called me saying her neighbor found a stray rabbit, now has too many and wishes to find a home for one. I was told all three were female, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to bring Yuki by for some bunny dating, as long as everyone’s a girl. I get to the lady’s house and set up a pen in her yard. The rabbit she wanted me to take was a red eyed white (or New Zealand White, is there a difference?). My first thought was, “That thing’s creepy, can I take the dutch instead?” However, I decided to let Yuki make the decision and let the lady dump the REW in with Yuki (after I double-checked it was female, of course).

    Now this was my first rabbit intoduction, and I expected things to get tense. It was love at first sight. Withing 2 minutes the REW was grooming Yuki. Within 5 minutes Yuki was humping the REW. Now, this didn’t surprise me; Yuki has always been very dominant. My friend starts giggling like mad, saying, “are you sure they’re both girls?” I assured them that female rabbits sometimes hump; 3 people (one of them a vet’s assistant) had checked Yuki and agreed she was female. Granted, this was when she was about 8 weeks old. I’d just gotten so used to the thought of Yuki being female it didn’t occur to me to double-check her as well as the REW. So, when I was about to pack up and the lady asked if she could take a look at Yuki’s parts I didn’t hesitate. Well, a penis popped out.  I was kinda like  I was planning on taking the REW anyways because they got along so well, but now I knew I had no choice. I mean, I couldn’t leave that lady with a pregnant rabbit! I just feel so guilty; how could I not have re-checked Yuki?! First thing when I got home, I called my vet and scheduled her to get spayed; I’m bringing her in tomorrow morning.

    So, after making that story WAY longer than it needed to be, down to my main question: How should I procede with the bonding? Yuki doesn’t mind having her in his territory. I put them in a large cage seperated down the middle. I left for a couple of hours, and when I came back they were snuggling between the bars, stretched out and looking as relaxed as it’s possible for rabbits to look. Do you think things will change after the spay? How soon can they be together after the opperation? Could Yuki’s humping hurt her right after a spay? Yuki’s only about half her size. I appreciate any advice you have; I’ll understand if anyone wants to chew me out for my poor judgment.

[jerseygirl]

It’s not the first time this mistake has been made and it’s what you’re doing now that counts, in my opinion. Do you know how old the REW is? Is she ok age/health etc to be spayed asap? Have you checked if Yuki’s testicles have descended? Do get a vet to make the final call on Yuki’s sex. Even the females bits can protrude a little. Being that they are both unfixed, keep them side by side and not together for now. You can do things like pen swaps until they’re both fixed, then move onto full bonding. Keep us updated on what can be done for the new bunny.

[Karla]

Molly was not spayed when I introduced her and Karl, and it was love at first sight. And the spaying didn’t change a thing. So do as Jersey suggests – keep them next to each other until both are fixed and you are sure no babies will come out of it.

If the new bunny is spayed quickly, she won’t be having the babies (if she was in fact impregnated). I am not sure if you want to this, but you can.

[Karla]

Oh, and by the way: could you please post a picture of the new bunny? I am not so keen on white bunnies with red eyes as well, but I am sure once you get to know her, you won’t mind

There is a breed called Danish white land, which is white with red eyes. It is a breed primarily bred for slaughtering and can be found anywhere where people keep commercial rabbits. It grows up really quickly and is highly fertile.

It weighs between 8.3 -10 lbs. Could that be the new bunny?

[Lintini]

No one is going to yell at you, and to make you feel a little better, I’ve had my female 2 year old and male..7-9 week old (I think) together ( for litting meetings, luckily no humping, but I was told the baby was a girl, and considered it a girl, until my mom inspected the genitals for me. (The meetings were when I thought he was a she) My 2 year old female – Bun, does not like my baby Indy, and we have a long bonding process to go once everyone’s privates are snip snip’d. A lot of people go through stuff like this but you seem to be a very responsible pet owner and will do what’s necessary even if someone ends up preggers. As a good side note, at least they are getting along and like eachother. My Bun is not excited at all about my new rabbit. Even if you end up having an accidental pregnancy, at least you are here at these forums with ton’s of people to help you, so even if you do have kits, you can find great and loving homes for them.

We would also love to see pictures !!

[Karla]

Yeah, I should add that for 4 months we were convinced Karl was a girl. Although our little girl constantly was humping a stuffed toy and my mum kept saying it was a boy, no one could convince me otherwise. Not even when my mum showed me the stuffed toy was moist on its back – I kept saying it was from all the grooming. I wasn’t convinced until the vet showed me some big balls…and that is how Karla became Karl. I wouldn’t have double checked Yuki either…

[Space_Cavy]

Aw thanks everyone! I feel much better now. When I get to my vet I’m going to talk to them about what they’re going to do before they spay (check-up, blood work?). I mean, if they don’t even plan on giving her an exam I won’t hand her over!
Yuki’s testicles havn’t descended yet, as far as I know; if they had I probably would have noticed she was a he haha. Thank goodness I picked a uni-sex name!
I’ll try to post some pictures tonight, when I can get my father the electronics whisperer to transfer the pics to the computer. Karla, I think you’re right about the breed. I don’t have a scale big enough for her at my house, but 8-10 pounds sounds right. side note: I think she likes it here! The REW just did a zoom through my bedroom. I let her out for some play time because she’s been kept in a REALLY tiny cage for 2 weeks (the lady I got her from didn’t have anything else) and when she goes to the vet in an hour I’m sure the situation will be repeted. She’s such a sweet, mellow thing. I’m starting to change my mind about REWs.
Oh, and I have no idea how old she is. As far as I know, this lady just found her wandering the neighborhood. She kept her for 2 weeks and no one came looking for her, then I took her. The lady said she seemed to grow in those 2 weeks, so maybe she’s young? She seems too calm for a young rabbit. Maybe my vet will have some insite.

[Karla]

How great Yoki chose REW – sounds like it was just what she needed And good thing that you are already starting to enjoy REW – when I first saw Molly, I thought she was a bit…hmm unpretty She had a dewlap and some bulky eyes. I don’t see the dewlap anymore and I think something must have happened to her eyes ’cause they are just beautiful

Keep us posted! And good luck with the vet.

[Pebble and Dante]

Space Cavy – did you name Yuki because he is white? I named my little Japanese Spitz Yuki because it mean snow in japanese.

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

I feel so lucky that both my boys were actually boys! I read all these stories of finding out differently, way later! lol Chubs was already neutered when we got him and we had vet papers to prove it. Comet was CLEARLY a gentleman when we got him. Haha.

I hope everything works out!! How did the lady first react? Was she really mad? Or was she nice and recognize that mistakes happen?

[RachelB]

I wasnt keen on REWs at first either…. but after lots of bunny dates Samson finally found a bunny that he loved and thats how I ended up with my REW Ivy. Even though Samson will always be my baby (and the default favorite in some ways because he was my 1st) but I love love love Ivy. He’s so super sweet, love to snuggle, will actually let me pick him up with no problems, and enjoys jumping up onto the couch when Im watching TV to lay with me.

Glad to hear that your guy found a girl to love. Keep us updated on their progress. {{{Happy vibes for the new bunny couple!! And healing vibes for both of their surgeries!}}}

Oh and pictures are a MUST!

[Space_Cavy]

Yes, Yuki was named because his coat looks like snow. I read it can also mean “lucky” and since he was intended as snake food, I say that translation suites him well, too! As for the REW, I’ve more or less decided to call her “Kisa.” I didn’t name Yuki for this person, but there’s a charactor named Yuki Sohma on “Fruits Basket.” There’s also a little girl with reddish eyes and a shy, quiet personality named Kisa. I thought this suited the new rabbit very well.

I just brought Kisa home from the vet; her spay went well. I was told she could be in the same cage as Yuki in 5 days. For now, I’m watching their tragic romance play out from between the bars haha. The only problem so far is that Kisa won’t keep the cone collar on her neck. I called my vet and they’re like, “well sometimes they don’t bother the sutures, but if she rips them out you’ll have to come back in . . .” Wow. So helpful. Right now she seems fine, just chilling in her cage wile Yuki grooms her between the bars Has anyone else had this problem? Did anybun rip out her sutures? She doesn’t seem interested in chewing herself.

Also, how do you post pictures? Copy and past doesn’t work, and that’s the extent of my technological knowledge. (yeah yeah laugh it up) lol

[Barbie]

Awww pictures please!! And I love their names! Glad to hear her spay went ok. As for aftercare, keep Kisa as quiet as you can for as long as you can… meaning staying in the cage/pen for the most part so she doesn’t do any binkies and zooms (sad, I know, but it’ll keep her from ripping anything) some buns won’t tolerate it for more than a day or so, but… if your vet recommends 5 days recovery, that’s what I would shoot for. Also, you should probably take anything out of her pen that she can jump up onto – again, you don’t want her ripping any stitches out. I don’t know what to tell you about the cone… I’m sure they’re uncomfortable, so I don’t blame her for wanting that thing off! I’ve never had a bunny spayed – only have Leroy and he’s a boy and I got him from the shelter neutered… Anyone else have any more tips?

I LOVE REWs. I know they can look kinda scary with the red eye thing, but my first bun was a REW neatherland dwarf and she was the SWEETEST cutest little thing ever! My friend was convinced she was an albino and told me as much every time she saw me, but I told her that the rest of Little Sugar’s litter (yes, we got her from a breeder – hey, I was only 8 and she was a present from my parents, I didn’t know anything else) was REW too, so she can’t be an albino cus being an albino is a genetic defect and they couldn’t ALL be that way… idk if that’s right or not, i still don’t, lol, but I don’t care.

As for adding pictures…. you have to click on the “Add Reply” button at the bottom or top of the thread, you cant add pix from the Quick Reply box. Once you’re on the reply page, there is a drop down bar that says Attachments. Upload the files (there is a size limit to the pix – if your pix are too large, use Microsoft Photo Editor – assuming you have a PC – in that program, click “Edit Pictures” a tool bar on the right side will pop up, click “Compress Pictures” and select “Web Pages” do a save as and then come back to BB and try to upload again). Don’t for get to insert the image into your post – once the file has been uploaded it’ll show up in a list below the upload box, and then to the right of that there is a green plus sign. Click in the reply box where you want the picture to go (otherwise it’ll insert the picture at the top of your post in front of all your text), then go click the green plus sign to add the image to your post. Hope that helps! If you’re still confused, there are more explanations under the technical stuff of this forum.

[jerseygirl]

She’s already spayed? Kudos to you! I was a little concerned when I read she wandered the streets then was only with this other lady for 2 weeks. I had thought it possible she could have been impreganted anyway before Yuki and her meeting. All sorted now.   I’m surprised the vet said it’s ok to have them together during here recovery though.  I wouldn’t recommend it.  Maybe other members can weigh in on this? Of course, it is up to you if you feel they are acting ok and her recovery is not compromised.

Kisa is a beautiful name. I’m happy to hear she is winning you over. It’s an old adage but looks CAN be deceiving!
 

[Monkeybun]

I’d keep her out of yuki’s cage til they are fully bonded, which you shouldn’t do until after Kisa is fully healed. I got Monkey spayed just over a week ago, she wasn’t given one of those collars, but was a good girl with her stitches. She washed the area, but never once tugged at her stitches that i saw.

[Karla]

Posted By jerseygirl on 11/12/2009 09:30 PM

She’s already spayed? Kudos to you! I was a little concerned when I read she wandered the streets then was only with this other lady for 2 weeks. I had thought it possible she could have been impreganted anyway before Yuki and her meeting. All sorted now.   I’m surprised the vet said it’s ok to have them together during here recovery though.  I wouldn’t recommend it.  Maybe other members can weigh in on this? Of course, it is up to you if you feel they are acting ok and her recovery is not compromised.

 

I did the bonding just a few days after the spay. I know everybody says to wait 2-3 weeks, but there was no aggression at all between Molly and Karl, and they really liked each other, so I went for it. I supervised them, and although Karl still thought Molly smelled great and wanted to mount her, she wouldn’t let him after the spay. And when she said no, he just accepted it. He would only try by getting up close to her back and make some noises, then she would run off and then they would cuddle until he tried again a while later. So there were no problems at all. And after a while – maybe a week – her hormones either dropped or he just realised she wasn’t putting out anymore At least he stopped wanting to mount her. And that’s when I considered them fully bonded and let them share cage and be out together 24-7. So since Yuki and Kisa seem to love each other, I say you can start letting them out together while supervising them. Just make sure he does not try to mount her.

[Beka27]

It is true that she could have been pregnant already (or impregnated by one of the other woman’s buns, unless they are all neutered?) An emergency spay/pregnancy termination (while not necessarily pleasant) is the best possible outcome in a situation like this. Good for you for acting quickly!!!

REW get a bad rap b/c they are not considered as “cute” as other (more colorful) buns, but usually once a person gets to KNOW a REW, they fall head over heels in love… They have the reputation of being smart, gentle, loving, funny and docile.

A REW or two is definitely on my list of “Buns I must Have Someday”!!!

[Space_Cavy]

Yay! Thank you, Barbie! The first pic is Yuki on top of Kisa’s cage right after her spay. It doesn’t seem to bother her when he does that. Right after this he hopped into his own cage and started grooming her through the bars! So cute! The second pic is Yuki eating his cat friend.

Kisa definately can’t jump on anything in her cage, and doesn’t seem to want to. Before her spay even, she did no explorative jumping. I think she finds my hardwood floors weird; you can see it as she hops around. I also think thins spending 2 weeks in a 12″ by 18″ space might have weakened her muscles . I’ve decided to keep Kisa in her cage almost 24/7 for the next 5 days. The vet said “very little movement for 10 days.” It’s been torture not draging her out of her bed for cuddles, though. Every time I look at her I think she gets cuter. I think Yuki realized I’m starting to like her because he’s laying in his bed with a REALLY ticked off look on his face, as though his position as Prime Minister of Cute is in danger .

[jerseygirl]

Oh wow! They are going to make a striking pair! Kisa is a good looking example of the REW rabbits too.

[Beka27]

You know what else I love about the REW buns? In my mind, they are the STEREOTYPICAL RABBIT. When I see one, I just think… rabbit. Big, tall upright ears, snow white fur, very alert. When I see a lop, I think less bunny, and more puppy…

[Space_Cavy]

Thanks jerseygirl!
I can kind of see what you mean about the steryotypical rabbit, Beka. Kisa is more of what I expected in a rabbit than Yuki is. She’s mostly calm, sweet, and demure. Although, I did see her binky for the first time this morning. She’s so cute. She doesn’t mind being held and loves being petted.
One differnce between Kisa and Yuki I don’t like is litter box habits. Yuki has been almost perfect from the day I got him. He drops some territorial pellets, but considering he’s only 4 months and not neutered I think that’s amazing. He’s so good, in fact, that I leave his cage open 24/7. Kisa, on the other hand, is terrible. She leaves pellets everywhere and peed in her bed twice! Yuki won’t even poop where he sleeps. She seems to mostly be peeing in her litterbox now, but the poop bomb is just gross. Do you think she’ll get better once she get’s used to her new home? Or maybe in a few weeks when the pre-spay hormones die down? What do you guys reccomend? (yes, I always put hay in her litterbox )

EDIT: Do you think her poor litterbox habits have something to do with my behavior? Because she can’t jump and run around yet, I clean her cage wile she’s in it and the only way she can get out is when I lift her out. I NEVER do that to Yuki.

[Beka27]

Littertraining sometimes takes time. First off, you do not know her history. For an undetermined length of time she was doing her business outside wherever she pleased. Before that, whoever had her may have had her in a wire-bottom cage where the poop and pee magically disappeared… or in a cage with full bedding so her entire area was a litter box. Plus, she’s freshly spayed, so as those hormones decrease and she acclimates to your home, those habits should get better. You may want to look in the BB info for the littertraining tips and start over from scratch with limited area until her habits improve. Buns sometimes like to pee on softer surfaces, so you may want to remove her bed until she’s using her box consistently.

[Space_Cavy]

OK, so I’ve officially started bonding today! We have a small hallway that can be completely closed off, so I dumped them both in there. So far, so good. They ignored each other for a few minutes, exploring. Yuki started humping Kisa and she’d just run away and binky (little tease!). Eventually she gave in and layed like she was about to go to sleep and just let him have at it. About 15 minutes later Yuki seems less interested in humping (although not completely done). He’s grooming her alot, and they’ve been cuddleing next to a laundry basket for some time. Kisa just got tired of that and ran around a bit . . . but now she’s back there and Yuki’s grooming her, humping her, and running around (in that order). How does this sound to you guys? Do you think I can leave them alone soon? I’m concerned about the amount of reverse mounting I’ve seen. Also, Yuki won’t be neutered until late December/early January; is bonding impossible until then? They’re doing so well I don’t want to have to stop and start all over again in a month!

[Space_Cavy]

Interesting development! When I decided to end the bonding session, I opened my bedroom door to let Yuki in. Well, I was so excited about the rabbits that I forgot about the cat in my room whom is not aloud to leave because my mother’s cat will tear her to shreds. Of course, the cat gets out and I run downstairs to catch her, leaving the rabbits together and my door open. When I come back with the cat, I find both rabbits in my room, hopping around like buddies! My whole room is Yuki’s territory; I leave his cage open 24/7, but his dominent behavior DEMINISHED, not increased! He wasn’t humping her, but gave me the impression he was showing her around his pad! I think Kisa was sick of him, though (or just needed to use the box) because she hopped back into her cage after a few minutes.

[Author]

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