Spayed doe - should I get an entire buck?

Hi - I'm new here, and need a little advice please. I got my first rabbit, Buttons, in Feb this year - she is a spayed doe. She seems lonely to me, so I asked the bunny breeder what would be best, another doe or a buck. She recommended a buck, of which she has 2 - I have reserved one, which I said I'd pick up in 5 days time. He's booked in to be castrated the day after I pick him up.

The thing is - how long should I keep them separate? I don't want to buy a separate hutch - I was going to keep him in his travel cage overnight, then hopefully introduce them in the evening after his op. Would this be OK, or should I keep them separated longer? Is he likely to sh*g her senseless? I don't want to put a serial rapist in with her.....

Any advice please? Thanks!

Please do not keep the bunny in the travel carrier overnight He wont be able to move You cannot bond the evening after his op, he will be very sore and will need to go to the vets 3 days after his op to have his stitches checked. He will need to be kept indoors and will need cage rest for a few days. You will be needing another hutch, because i should think he will need at least a week to recover, if not longer! Also, if they do not bond you would need a second hutch anyway.

I agree that a male would be best, i think you would of been best going to a rescue and getting a male that was already neutered to be honest, then at least you could of bonded them straight away, or the rescue may of offered to do this for you. Could you not do this anyway instead of buying from a breeder?

May i ask what you keep your current bunny in?

What area are you from?? Someone on here could maybe let you borrow temp accommodation? Please think about this

Becky86 said:

Please do not keep the bunny in the travel carrier overnight He wont be able to move You cannot bond the evening after his op, he will be very sore and will need to go to the vets 3 days after his op to have his stitches checked. He will need to be kept indoors and will need cage rest for a few days. You will be needing another hutch, because i should think he will need at least a week to recover, if not longer! Also, if they do not bond you would need a second hutch anyway.

I agree that a male would be best, i think you would of been best going to a rescue and getting a male that was already neutered to be honest, then at least you could of bonded them straight away, or the rescue may of offered to do this for you. Could you not do this anyway instead of buying from a breeder?

May i ask what you keep your current bunny in?

What area are you from?? Someone on here could maybe let you borrow temp accommodation? Please think about this

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I agree x

Hope everything goes well, and you find a suitable cage x
Jack

To be honest, i think if you got a neutured buck from a rescue there would be no issue at all
Bucks from rescues are already neutered and vaccinated, and there are thousands across the country in desperate need for homes.
By getting a rescue buck you're giving a pet a second chance and you can start the bonding process straight away. Also there's no need to get him neutured or vaccinated (obviously until next booster )

Thanks for your advice - I had been intending to get a rescue bun, but checking the local rescue centres online, they said they had no rabbits.

I'm in Cambs, between Bedford & Cambridge. Is there a thread on here where I could find a rescue bun? I would prefer to do that anyway, TBH.

Edit - Found the thread, I'll have a browse today.

Glad you are considering a rescue bun now, this will be much better and as i said some rescues will bond the bunnies for you

Here is a link so you can search for all the rescue buns in your area...

http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/adoptadvice.asp

Sometimes it may be worth searching in other areas, because bunny runs on here can always be arranged and im sure a rescue would do all they can to help you xXx Keep us updated!

EDT: Just saw where your from, have you tried Woodgreen Animal Shelter? They always tend to have bunnies there, they have a website but remember not all the rescues can keep their websites up to date as they are so busy caring for buns etc, so it may be worth giving them a call Good luck xXx

:wave: You may have found it from that link but the Rabbit Residence is in Royston and is an excellent rabbit rescue. Caroline will be certain to have a large number of neutered eligible batchelors for your doe to choose from - many more than there are listed on rabbit rehome

Good luck, please do keep us posted

Thanks everyone! I got back to the lady who I was going to buy the bun from, and she has a spare cage which just needs a little patching up - so the buns will be neighbours for a while, chatting through the fence. I'll do 'supervised visiting' in the house too, so they can play together without it getting sexual, while his hormones are settling..... I'm becoming a bunny anorak!

Thanka again for the advice - what a great site this is!

Deb, please listen to the advice you are being given on here - they really do know what they are talking about!!

It's not about being sexual, it's about a sore bunny being in a new environment, being faced with a new owner and a female that'll probably be pretty territorial. He's gonna be scared - You need to let him fully recover from his op, then bond them properly on neutral territory. What if he gets hurt then they end up in a nasty fight cause he's protecting his surgical wounds? You're really gonna struggle to get them together then aren't you?

If you rush things, you'll have big problems. I know you're excited, but bear in mind that your breeder is making money out of this - it's in their best interests to get you to take one of their bucks straight away. The people on here giving you advice have nothing to gain but ensuring your (and your rabbits) welfare - bonding is stressful enough without adding sore plums into the mix!

Good luck, Sarah

Thanks Sarah... wouldn't he be OK in a separate cage though? I was planning to keep him in there for a few weeks, with just the occasional supervised play together indoors - building up their 'together time' gradually.

Deb_Arkle said:

Thanks Sarah... wouldn't he be OK in a separate cage though? I was planning to keep him in there for a few weeks, with just the occasional supervised play together indoors - building up their 'together time' gradually.

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Keeping them in separate hutches is fine. However when putting buns together it is less stressful if buns are bonded in as short period of time. I bond between 100 - 150 pairs of rabbits each year for a rescue and find it less stressful for them if they are bonded on a single occassion rather than doing short periods of time. Using short periods of time the issue of neutral territory can become a problem and end up with territorial issues and injuries.

There is an excelleent thread written by Cheryl about bunny bonding.

Hi there.

Sorry but you can't really do what you are planning with 'supervised play' now and again.

If you intend to bond a bunny that has just had his snip, you will need to wait at least about a month for the hormones to die down. You should not try to bond during this time and shouldn't keep you hormonal male near a female during this time.

Also, you mention that the breeder can lend you a cage. Well I can't imagine what sort of cage would be suitable to keep a bunny in. You must offer the minimum of space for a bunny that will be confined so at least a 6x2x2 hutch or if he's going to be indoors then similar space.

You will also need to ensure totally neutral space if you are going to try and bond the bunnies yourself. So that means somewhere where no buns have been before.

The breeder of course will be as helpful as possible if it means a sale. I can't see that lending you a cage is a viable option to be honest.

I personally would scrap the breeder idea and find a rescue that will do the bonding for you. You then can be sure that the bunnies are happy together before you bring them home. You also won't have the worry or the expense of doing this yourself.

If you go ahead and buy this bunny from the breeder and they won't bond, you will be stuck with two bunnies anyway and will have to buy another accommodation anyway. Plus you will have the expense of the neuter and the vaccinations. If you go to a reputable rescue then this is normally taken care of before the bond and you will only have to make a donation.

I'd really recommend going down the rescue route because then you have a lot of the stress taken out of the whole bonding process for you and your bunnies.

Helen

Thanks jrn, I'll read through it. I will get it right.... somehow!

Thanks Helen, too... I do trust the breeder, as I'd originally asked her for 2 buns and she told me that a single would bond with us as opposed to another bun - so I don't think she's strongly financially motivated, she really is into the buns.

I had thought they'd bond better if they got to know each other first, but it seemd I was wrong, I'll do some bonding research.

Wow! Who'd have thought buns were so complicated?

I'm not the best person to ask, but as far as I understand it the general thought seems to be put them together and keep them together, as long as the are not properly fighting. I know there seems to be some 'softly softly' ways of bonding that can take weeks/months of increasing time together, but doesn't it just confuse them by keep seperating them? I'm sure someone more experienced will be able to clarify that.

One thing I do know is you shouldn't bond a poorly/injured animal, so you'd have to wait until he's completely healed before you let them even have a sniff of each other.

Is the bun you've reserved the one you really want, or is is just that it's the one you prefer of the two available? Just asking, cause I know with all my animals that I looked at loads in rescues and just had a feeling that they were the ones for me. It's like fate - you've got to take that animal home cause it's just right. If you don't get that feeling, keep looking - you'll find him (he's got to be right for your girl as well remember, which is why it can be really useful to go to a rescue - try a bit of rabbit speed dating and they can help you with the bonding!)

sarahlm said:

I'm not the best person to ask, but as far as I understand it the general thought seems to be put them together and keep them together, as long as the are not properly fighting. I know there seems to be some 'softly softly' ways of bonding that can take weeks/months of increasing time together, but doesn't it just confuse them by keep seperating them? I'm sure someone more experienced will be able to clarify that.

One thing I do know is you shouldn't bond a poorly/injured animal, so you'd have to wait until he's completely healed before you let them even have a sniff of each other.

Is the bun you've reserved the one you really want, or is is just that it's the one you prefer of the two available? Just asking, cause I know with all my animals that I looked at loads in rescues and just had a feeling that they were the ones for me. It's like fate - you've got to take that animal home cause it's just right. If you don't get that feeling, keep looking - you'll find him (he's got to be right for your girl as well remember, which is why it can be really useful to go to a rescue - try a bit of rabbit speed dating and they can help you with the bonding!)

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I think that this post hits the nail on the head.

I agree totally.

Putting buns together for a while and then splitting them up is just not really fair. They will be very confused.

Also, you do just know when you fall in love with a bun. They call to you. You have to love them massively to be able to give them all that they need. Some buns won't do that for you, and you have to be sure that the ones you adopt do!

Mind you I have adopted a few, and could keep going as they nearly all seem to call to me.:lol:

I've been reading the bonding thread - looks like I need to keep them completely separate for at least 2 weeks post op, then put them both in a run in the garden (in a different place, so Buttons doesn't see it as hers) and let them sort out dominance between themselves. I can get this, it's quite like dogs, I understand them!

And yes - the breeder's bun has stolen my heart.... he's an english tri-colour, and heartbreakingly gorgeous!

Read through this: http://rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml. It has some good advice!!

Please make sure your new bunny has a big enough hutch. Also remember you need an indoor cage to keep him in after his op, thats really important. Bunnies are hard work and they are complicated, but once you know what your doing you'll be fine. Getting advice on here is a good start.

I would also suggest for bonding using a small area indoors, like a bathroom. As when you put them together in an area you will need to leave them there for a few days so you dont break the bond. Closer to the time you will be able to ask us again Remember to keep buns seperate and dont let them have any 'play time' because serious injuries will result in high vets bills

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate everyone taking time out to help me. :wave: