Bonding two rabbits that are not neutered

[Yuki]

Yuki is now 5~6 months and female. I’m planning on spaying her soon. But my problem is, since I can’t spend a lot of time with her, she would be depressed and bored; so I want to bring her another bunny. BUT that means spaying the new bun too, and I’m still living with my family and since I’m too young to be indepent, I don’t work. Spaying is too expensive and my family will not agree to pay for it double. So my question is, can I bond a spayed and an unspayed (either a male or a female) rabbit? Or will it cause problems for them?

[tobyluv]

Both, or all rabbits, need to be spayed or neutered before you attempt bonding. It won’t work if just one is spayed or neutered. The unaltered rabbits will have all the hormones that can cause problems – attitude, aggression, etc. The rabbit that is spayed will also react to the hormones in the unspayed rabbit. Many rabbits are fine being the sole rabbit in the house. If you can spend time with Yuki during her most active times, which would be morning and evening, she will probably be content. Most rabbits sleep a good part of the late morning and afternoon. You also need to be aware that sometimes a bond won’t work, even when both rabbits have been spayed or neutered. In that case, the rabbits would have to be house separately for their whole lives.

Do you have any rescues near you? Most rescues spay and neuter their rabbits, so that would solve one problem for you. You would still have to go through the bonding process with your rabbits. Sometimes that can take weeks or months.

[Yuki]

Re to tobyluv I don’t sleep much so I usually stay awake during night. I let her out & spend time with her from 1 am to 6 am. But other times she’s mostly alone so I don’t know if thats enough. And sadly, we there’s not any rescue here

She doesn’t play with the toys that I got her & she seems so alone always sits still and not move a lot even when she’s not asleep. and whenever I go to her she just looks like she wants attention.whatever I tried for her she doesn’t seem to respond to it and the last solution that comes to my mind is another rabbit. She is sooo sheepish (even scared of me even though she is used to me) so I thought a rabbit would be a better friend than humans. I’m not really sure about this ( I don’t have much experience) but I think another rabbit is necessary to make her happy… If you think the same I’ll consider it more seriously so I would appreciate if you share your experience and opinions with me!

[tobyluv]

Most rabbits do love the companionship of their own kind, but as I said before, some rabbits prefer to be the only rabbit in the house, or are perfectly content to be the only rabbit, and in rare cases, you may have 2 rabbits that don’t get along and have to be kept separately. Not everyone has the space to do that. Since the cost of rabbits is a factor here, you need to remember that you will be having double the food expenses with two rabbits and also double any medical costs that may arise. Are your parents willing to spend the extra money that would be needed for a second rabbit? Unless they are willing to pay for both spays or for a spay and a neuter, you will not be able to get a second rabbit. It is necessary that they are both spayed or neutered, before you can attempt to bond them and let them live together. It is usually easier to bond a spayed female with a neutered male, but you can bond two rabbits of the same gender, with both being either spayed or neutered.

Is there anyone else in the family who can spend time with your rabbit during the times that you are not with her? A lot of rabbits don’t care for toys or only play with them for a little while then lose interest. If your parents are not willing to pay for two surgeries, then you will probably not be able to have a second rabbit.

[Yuki]

Hmm… thank you very much for your advices! I’ll see if I can gain my parents’ agreement. If not, then it will be a no-no & I guess I’ll have to look for another way or something.
Thanks again!❤

[DanaNM]

In the meantime, you could try giving her a stuffie (a toy stuffed rabbit) to snuggle. Some people have found their solo rabbits to love snuggling and grooming them.

. . . 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.  

[Yuki]

Do you mean that it can be enough & she won’t need a bunny?

[DanaNM]

Not necessarily, but it might be comforting to her while you are trying to convince your parents, and/or waiting for her spay and recovery. 

And if it is just not possible for you to get another bunny at this time, then it might be better than nothing! 

Not all bunnies react to stuffies though. I tried giving one to my bunny after she was widowed. She groomed it a bit, but eventually just started chewing on it so I had to take it away. 

. . . 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.  

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Yuki on 6/06/2017 11:25 AM

Do you mean that it can be enough & she won’t need a bunny?

Not really but it would be nice for her to have in the mean time. As Dana said, not all buns react to stuffies anyway (mine didn’t) so it’s not a guarantee but you might as well try it! Just make sure it doesn’t have any buttons/things that can come loose and make sure it’s not filled with beans.

[Yuki]

Alright I’ll try it & hopefully she’ll likes it… Thanks!
Update: She didn’t.

[Author]

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