Hello, I am new to rabbits but not to dogs. I have been learning the very hard way that rabbits are often mis-sexed even at a breeder. I rescued a female from a young girl who didn’t want her female lionhead anymore and so I took it in. This girl had bought her rabbit from a breeder. The girl had kept the lionhead thinking it was a male and named it a boy’s name for the whole 6 months or so that she had it because the breeder told her it was a male. I had taken it to the vet to get it neutered when they broke the news to me and said it was a female instead. It was all right and I had a good chuckle with the staff at the clinic, bundled my little joy home and a month passed before I decided it would be nice for her to have a companion.
In previous visits to a local pet store getting food and litter, I noticed one particular lop bunny that didn’t seem to sell or budge. Its head hung down, it seemed a little too big for its cage and I felt so sorry for it. I don’t support pet store animals but this animal looked so much in need of love and a home that I sat with it for awhile. It immediately began coming up to me and the store clerk asked me if I’d like to hold it. I said ok. I spent some time…maybe an hour playing with the lop and chatting with the staff. She said to me to take him home with me and she’d try and get the manager to work the price down to less than half what he was originally. I wasn’t expecting to take home a rabbit that day but I did have the materials and all the xpens at home and tons of blankets, loads of hay, food and toys as the female had lots of attention. I agreed anyway, the clerk said she named it Suzie Q and ”she” was a such a friendly creature. Great, I thought, another female for a companion for my first one. Took it home, let them relax, next day I carefully introduced them in a separate pen, neutral area. Well they got on well…a little TOO well. The new one Suzie Q whom I hadn’t named yet kept humping the first female I had NON-STOP, dropping and rolling in a ball in a behaviour that I was not familiar with. I panicked and immediately separated them. There was no fight, nothing from either one. They were calm as anything. I picked up the new rabbit and was shocked and horrified to find two big balls and an erect penis that had obviously just had some excitement. I was so upset I called my partner and after that immediately booked a neuter for the following weekend. I kept thinking ‘how could I be so stupid and naive believing anyone after the first rabbit turned out to be female??’ I felt like such an idiot. It’s been 2 weeks now since it happened (they are separated in different pens still and the boy is neutered as of yesterday and healing nicely). I’m absolutely terrified. I have never had a litter of anything before and always had my animals spayed and neutered (dogs).
I’m sorry for the long post. To cut the story short, does anyone have advice or has been in a similar situation? I certainly have enough pens and panels and accommodations. I also have the space, all the feed and hay in the world (I know someone in animal feed business for horses and other farm animals so hay and such are never expensive for me). I just keep kicking myself how stupid and naive I was to believe the clerk OR the young girl and twice I was misled. I love both bunnies very much and they’re well-taken care of. I am just very nervous about a possible litter. What can I do to prepare myself for this?