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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

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    • joseph & czarna
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        Hi – We got Joseph and Czarna yesterday, 10 and 12 weeks, both neutered. At the pet store, we held them separately, not aggressive at all. On the way home, they seemed to like each other, while in the transport cage. We built and arranged their home cage, which is 1.5×0.8 meters. At the store, they said this would be sufficient.

        Once in, both of them explored curiously, but Czarna, the female, chased Joseph until he stayed in a corner. He cannot move freely without being chased and driven back to his corner. He does not fight back, but he kicks the floor as a sign of disapproval. Sometimes she goes to his corner and eats his food, drinks his water, although she has her own.

        We set up a wooden house for each. The thing is that Czarna, although she has her own, goes into Joseph’s house, and he runs out of it. He goes to the top of his house and stays there. After a while, when she is not there, he goes around, usually for very few minutes until he is chased and goes back to the top of his house (not inside). She also likes going to top of his house every now and then and stay with him.

        We don’t know whether this is normal or an acceptable behaviour during the first days of whether there is a problem. Should we do something about it?

        Thank you.


      • tobyluv
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          That is a young age for a rabbit to be spayed or neutered. Maybe they are older than you were told. Are you sure that the surgeries have been performed? Were they part of a rescue’s adoption program at the pet store? Otherwise, I’ve never heard of pet stores spaying and neutering any rabbits that they sell.

          If they were just spayed and neutered recently, there should be a waiting period of at least 2 weeks, and a month might be better, before you put them together and start the bonding process. The first few weeks after their surgeries, they have fluctuating hormone levels and that’s not a good time to begin bonding. Plus, you need to make sure that they have physically recovered from the surgery.

          It might be best to keep them separated, but near each other, until they have settled into their new house, and they are completely recovered from spay and neuter surgery. Then you can start the bonding process.


        • Gina.Jenny
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            10 and 12 weeks is far too young for neutering or spaying, are you sure the pet shop has been honest with you? If they were recently altered, the bare patch underneath should be quite clear, especially for a girl. As TobyLuv says, its unheard of for pet shops alter their animals prior to sale. Pet shops that rehome rescues do sometimes alter them, but then the buns would be older, adult buns. If they aren’t altered, and the shop has correctly sexed your two buns, then they could both already be old enough to become parents, and they need to be separated immediately.You need to establish whether they are both altered asap.

            Pet shops are well known for selling rabbit cages that are far too small, and the cage you have isn’t big enough for two buns, unless it has a permanent larger run attached that the buns have access to 24/7.

            You talk about her eating his food, going in his house, but she will not see it like you do, its hers if she can claim it, bunnies are highly territorial, and it sounds like she is establishing herself as top bunny.


          • sarahthegemini
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              Posted By joseph & czarna on 2/12/2017 3:23 AM

              Hi – We got Joseph and Czarna yesterday, 10 and 12 weeks, both neutered. At the pet store, we held them separately, not aggressive at all. On the way home, they seemed to like each other, while in the transport cage. We built and arranged their home cage, which is 1.5×0.8 meters. At the store, they said this would be sufficient.

              Once in, both of them explored curiously, but Czarna, the female, chased Joseph until he stayed in a corner. He cannot move freely without being chased and driven back to his corner. He does not fight back, but he kicks the floor as a sign of disapproval. Sometimes she goes to his corner and eats his food, drinks his water, although she has her own.

              We set up a wooden house for each. The thing is that Czarna, although she has her own, goes into Joseph’s house, and he runs out of it. He goes to the top of his house and stays there. After a while, when she is not there, he goes around, usually for very few minutes until he is chased and goes back to the top of his house (not inside). She also likes going to top of his house every now and then and stay with him.

              We don’t know whether this is normal or an acceptable behaviour during the first days of whether there is a problem. Should we do something about it?

              Thank you.

              Neutering and spaying at such a young age seems odd, and that cage sounds tiny.

              If she’s chasing him, that is not acceptable behaviour. I think you should separate them.


            • joseph & czarna
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                Thank you all very much for your answers.

                Indeed I read that males can be neutered at around 3.5 months of life, and that females are spayed between 4 and 6 months of life. If you agree with this then I think I will mention this to the pet store on Monday. I will ask for confirmation of age and date of neutering/spaying, and clarifications on living space quality.

                In the meantime, I would like to clarify that as long as he stays in his corner, they eat, drink and smell each other face to face. When this happens I don’t notice an aggressive behaviour. The issue that I see in separating them is that at the moment we do not have any other cage rather than the travel cage. What would you recommend?

                They also eat together pieces of carrots from our hands. We are discussing on taking them out of the cage, either on the carpet/floor or on our laps. For now, even their cage door is open and they don’t try to get out. It’s been two days. I read that the earliest they have contact with humans the more social they will be, but also that they should come to you and not you to them. This is a bit contradictory. What do we do?

                Thanks again, we really appreciate it.


              • sarahthegemini
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                  Posted By joseph & czarna on 2/12/2017 10:42 AM

                  Thank you all very much for your answers.

                  Indeed I read that males can be neutered at around 3.5 months of life, and that females are spayed between 4 and 6 months of life. If you agree with this then I think I will mention this to the pet store on Monday. I will ask for confirmation of age and date of neutering/spaying, and clarifications on living space quality.

                  In the meantime, I would like to clarify that as long as he stays in his corner, they eat, drink and smell each other face to face. When this happens I don’t notice an aggressive behaviour. The issue that I see in separating them is that at the moment we do not have any other cage rather than the travel cage. What would you recommend?

                  They also eat together pieces of carrots from our hands. We are discussing on taking them out of the cage, either on the carpet/floor or on our laps. For now, even their cage door is open and they don’t try to get out. It’s been two days. I read that the earliest they have contact with humans the more social they will be, but also that they should come to you and not you to them. This is a bit contradictory. What do we do?

                  Thanks again, we really appreciate it.

                  Pet stores aren’t going to tell you the actual space that buns need because the cages they sell are way too small. So they’ll tell you that the cages they sell are adequate. Which isn’t the case at all.

                  It doesn’t matter if they are somewhat civil to one another sometimes (eating and drinking together) because chasing is still occuring. Which is aggressive. 

                  As for the bit bolded – I’ve never heard that :-/ It is best to let them come to you when they’re ready. 


                • joseph & czarna
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                    Thank you but, as of today, should I put one in the travel cage then?


                  • joseph & czarna
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                      Also, which size of cage would you recommend?


                    • sarahthegemini
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                        Posted By joseph & czarna on 2/12/2017 12:07 PM

                        Thank you but, as of today, should I put one in the travel cage then?

                        You could have one free roam and one caged and then swap them. If your place is bunny proof obviously. Or you could have one in a pen?


                      • tobyluv
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                          They should be kept separately, however you can manage to do so, but you can’t keep a bunny in a small cage or carrier all the time. You really should get confirmation of their spay and neuter surgeries – see the paperwork for yourself. If you aren’t seeing any surgical sites, where their fur was shaved, it doesn’t sound like they were spayed or neutered. And, if they just neutered the male and didn’t spay the female, a male can still get a female pregnant for a month or so after his surgery. To be entirely safe, and not take any risks, they should be housed separately.  You want to prevent any litters if it turns out that they haven’t been altered, and you also want to prevent any fighting and injuries that could occur if they are unaltered.

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