Un-Neutered bonding

[MinnieMoo]

Hello everyone,

I have a 6 mth old neutered male house bunny. I sourced him a companion (previous hutch bunny/breeding female) she is 3 yrs old. I have been to the vets and he has recommended that I don’t neuter her due to reoccurring teeth treatment he believes it’s too much stress for her. I have had her for 4 weeks now.

So my 2 lovely bunnies live side by side in my dining room. They have had a few short meetings some positive some not! They are generally curious of each other and sit/sleep side by side mirroring or ignoring each other.

I would like to bond them if it’s possible or they will have to alternate play time which will lead to them getting less freedom overall.

Has anyone successfully bonded rabbits like this? Any additional tips/information I need?

Thank you

[Wick & Fable]

The bond between a fixed and unfixed rabbit is inherently less stable than one between two fixed rabbits — hormones influence not only the female, but also the neutered male, and you cannot see or predict how hormones may influence behaviors.

I do disagree with the vet — the high risk of uterine cancer (and its consequences) is very dangerous for a female rabbit. If they are not comfortable doing a spay, that is a separate issue altogether in terms of vet experience.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Uterine_cancer

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.

[DanaNM]

Hmmm, I agree you may want to get a second opinion on getting her spayed. If she is constantly needing invasive dental procedures she may not be the best candidate for bonding anyway, as it is important that both rabbits are in good health for bonding.

That said, it used to be more common for bonds like this to be attempted, but I agree with Wick&Fable that having a hormonal rabbit in the mix makes the bond less stable. Unspayed (FYI the term for castrating a female rabbit is spaying, neutering refers to males) females often trigger excessive mounting in males, which then can trigger false pregnancies in the female, which are very stressful for the rabbit.

So, proceed with caution. If you take things very slowly it can be done… but you should be constantly monitoring for signs of stress. And yes the risks of reproductive cancers are very high (estimated between 60 -75% by age 4, with rates increasing after that), so unspayed females tend to have a life span of around 6-7 years as opposed to the 9-12 that’s average in spayed females.

. . . 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.  

[Dally]

From what i’ve seen it is possible, but it will be a lot harder. I would say its worth a shot though!

[Bam]

In the olden days, when female castrations were risky and few vets performed them, the constellation intact doe/castrated buck were fairly common.

How well the bonding works will depend a lot on the individual rabbits and their personalities. The bond is likely to be less sturdy than a bond between two de-sexed individuals. Sometimes you dont have a choice though. You could give it a shot, but be prepared that it might not work. If it doesnt work out, your buns will need to be separated permanently.

 

[Author]

Messages