Reintroductions not going so well

[Deleted User]

I tried to put them back together and they are okay for a little while and then seemingly out of nowhere start chasing eachother around the cage and fighting and just generally freaking out. Could the female be pregnant or something??? I am just not sure the male is only like 8 weeks old so I thought he wasn’t old enough, but at the pet store we got her from she was in a cage with all male bunnies, but they were all pretty young i thought. So could she be pregnant from the pet store?? She is bigger than he is and so I am just not sure….OR is it just hormones and crazy male rabbit behavior making her angry.

I just dont know. They are together again now but they are not fighting right now…I am wiating to see how it goes.

[Sarita]

It does sound like hormones. There will be some chasing though, but you don’t want fighting.

Did the pet store say how old they thought she might be? Not know her age it’s hard to know for certain whether she might be pregnant or not especially if she was in the cage with male rabbits.

Do you see his testicles yet? Are they descended? Have you gotten an appointment with the vet to have him look them over and for a neuter appointment.

I’m also wondering if they aren’t both males or both females since you only have the pet store’s say on the sex they are. Pet stores in the US are not very good at sexing rabbits so maybe these people aren’t good at sexing rabbits either.

[Beka27]

another thought… is it harder to sex a long-haired rabbit?  maybe the pet store people know how to sex, but it was difficult with her long hair.  but with their "requirement" of one male and one female, you would think they’d be good at it…

[Deleted User]

I mean I can try and check to see the sex….THey told me when I got them the male was 5 weeks old and the female was like 8 or 9 but they didnt seem sure about the female at all. She is really big compared to the male but she is just so furry.

As for the furry factor. I think they definitely knew the sex since they were so dead set on making me get a male and a female you know. they are still in the cage together and have not fought again. I think and I hope it is hormones as for the vet we are going to be there next week for an initial first visist thing.and hopefully the vet will be able to tell age.

Maybe this is silly but, I mean if his testicles have descended is it obvious or is it something I have to feel for? I am not sure. I dont see any when I hold him on his belly.

 

[Scarlet_Rose]

Usually it is  pretty clear when the testicles have descended (you can just see them) but sometimes they can hold them into their stomach as well.  How are they behaving now? 

[Gravehearted]

oo that’s rough 🙁 were you able to sex them both?
i hadn’t read this post yet – but would seriously consider getting them fixed and then re-bonding them. I don’t want to see either of them getting seriously injured.

[Deleted User]

Well they are together now when I am awake or my husband is home and they have been a lot better today and yesterday no fights … The boy bunny is really energetic and kind of destructive… I noticed today that instead of him doing the grooming on the female today she did the grooming on Levi so I am not sure what is going on with them. they keep destroying their home and moving stuff around. It is crazyness right now. Vet meeting on Friday!!! Yea. 

[Deleted User]

Oh as for the sexing thing I checked Levi…He has the little bald spots on the left and right, but not prominent testicles, does that mean they have dropped? As for Astrid It looks like she is a female but she got kind of squirmy and kicky and i dont want her to hurt herself so I wll try with her again tomorrow, but she is also the lionhead so The fur is kind of in the way as well, so it is a bit harder with her but I think she is a female.

[Deleted User]

Okay well based on the testicle discovery they are separate again.

[MsBinky]

Careful not to confuse bald spots for the scent glands. People often mistake females for males because of this. The best way is to "pop" the parts out and look at the shape. A slit is a female, whereas a circle is a male. I wish I could sex it for you. Hehe.

They could have scuffles for some time as they establish dominancy and do the occasional reminder thing also. Lol. As long as there’s no actual biting or attempt to bite, and neither is terrified, don’t get involved. A little chasing is normal.

 

[Gravehearted]

sexing young bunnies can be very challenging, it’s part of the reason so many pet stores get it wrong!

this article has some photos, which may help you.

http://www.debmark.com/rabbits/sexing.htm

[Sarita]

Let us know how your vet visit goes.

[MooBunnay]

I hope all went well with the vet! I hope you do not have any surprises along the way…The fact that both bunnies are grooming each other sounds like they have made some good progress on bonding, which is very exciting! Let us know if you have any questions post-vet visit.

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