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a question about two doe's xx

shell1805

shell1805

Mama Doe
hey everyone,

ive been thinking long and hard about getting bella a friend. ive decided if im gonna do it, i would like another doe. is this going to be possible??? bella isnt neutered yet and i was wondering whether you can bond doe's without neutering them. (bella will be neutered as would any new arrivals, but just wondered whether they could be bonded before hand.) also, if i got another girl and say didnt intro them untill they were both neutered, will bella get upset with the smell of a girl around.


just a few worried that have been rattling round that brain of mine.

xx
 
My does (there were 3 together at one point) werent neutered and werent related. For health reasons its usually best to get it done though.




shell1805 said:
hey everyone,

ive been thinking long and hard about getting bella a friend. ive decided if im gonna do it, i would like another doe. is this going to be possible??? bella isnt neutered yet and i was wondering whether you can bond doe's without neutering them. (bella will be neutered as would any new arrivals, but just wondered whether they could be bonded before hand.) also, if i got another girl and say didnt intro them untill they were both neutered, will bella get upset with the smell of a girl around.


just a few worried that have been rattling round that brain of mine.

xx
Click to expand...
 
i've kind of got my heart set on a girl to be honest, unless it cant be done of course. i just want whats best for bella at the end of the day :) xx
 
I personally think that the relationship that you see between two same sex bunnies is way different from that of a mixed pair. With male and female you get proper full on lurve! With all of the groups that I have bonded that aren't mixed, the buns seem to be like flat mates; great friends but not quite the same.

You could bond two females, but I wouldn't do them if they weren't neutered as it's probably going to end in tears. I have found females harder to bond than boys to be honest.
 
hmmmmmm so much to consider and think about. also is size on size the best way to go, or maybe a smaller rabbit so bella doesnt feel threatened.
 
I wouldnt even attempt to try bonding 2 unneutered females :? You could end up with a large vet bill on your hands. It would be much easier to get Bella neutered before you consider getting another bunny, then if you do have want a female, i would neuter her too. Still the bond wouldnt be the same as a female/male IMO :)
 
do males and females get on really that well? ive never seen it 1st hand so i have no idea whats best. all you suggestions are a great help :)
 
OK - I have successfully bonded two un-neutered, un-related females. However, the original female was NOT happy at the prospect of a newbie and I think I was just lucky because the newbie was a baby so she didn't see fit to attack her really badly.

I currently have a male/female bonded pair (brother and sister) and a female/female bonded pair (sisters). I would say that the strongest bond is with the male/female. The two girls get very 'scrappy' in the early spring and we usually have a few minor scuffles.

I've also had small groups of both sexes over the years and I'd definitely say that a male/female bond is the best. However, same sex bonds are achievable but may take longer for a successful outcome. But good luck with whatever you decide.
 
thank you, your personal experiences are all i have to go on. if i was to get another rabbit and keep them seperatley, would the smell of them up set bella or would that help with the bonding as the smell wouldnt be new???
 
Well it's always a good way to start the bonding process. Put them in adjoining cages/runs so that they can see and smell each other but can't hurt themselves in a fight.

Once they've got used to the other bunny, you then take them somewhere completely neutral ie. your kitchen or bathroom and introduce them to each other for a short while (supervised of course). I always recommend a quick car journey with both buns in the same carry case. The stress of the car journey makes them cuddle up to each other for support (you sit in the back with them whilst someone else drives so that you can separate them should they fight - although in my experience this has never happened). I then take them straight to neutral territory for the supervised introductions.
 
i had heard about the car journey theory, and it does kinda make sense. i really wish i had got one of bella's sisters too but i didnt know what i know now :oops:
 
shell1805 said:
i had heard about the car journey theory, and it does kinda make sense. i really wish i had got one of bella's sisters too but i didnt know what i know now :oops:
Click to expand...

Hey, don't worry about it:D I've kept rabbits for 20 years and I'm STILL learning stuff. Stick with RU and you'll always have good advice and help if you need it. At least you're getting all the advice you need BEFORE obtaining another rabbit.

Have you thought about getting another rabbit from a rescue? They'll often do the bonding for you.
 
shell1805 said:
i really wish i had got one of bella's sisters too but i didnt know what i know now :oops:
Click to expand...

You'd probably have been no better off to be honest. The two females would have started fighting when they reached sexual maturity so you would have to have separated them for a while whilst they were neutered. You'd then possibly have to re-bond them after neutering.
 
i have been thinking about re homing a bun, i think thats the route i will go down if i do decide to get bella a friend. so litter mates will still fight?? im glad i hadnt gone down that route, being new to bunny owning i wouldnt of had a clue what to do :(
 
I would never deliberately get a same-sex companion. Fair enough trying it if you've got two single rabbits but otherwise your just adding problems. Odds of them not getting or or fighting at a latter date are higher.

Why do you want a girl? Once neutered you can't sex a rabbit by personality or appearance (without looking underneath) so what's the difference in getting a girl over a boy? :)
 
i don't see any point in making things difficult for yourself, for no reason - a pair of females is much less likely to work out than a pair of males or a male/female pair, especially if they're not related.

I still have horrors abotu when i tried to bond my two females, they seemed ok for all of five seconds then all hell broke loose and I had to use a water spray to separate them :shock::shock:
 
see this is where i get confused. i have 2 rabbit care books and they both say 2 females can live in harmony and its the males that will fight. im so confused :oops:
 
seems odd :? which books are they? males may easily fight, esp. if not neutered...but in general they're a better bet than two females.
 
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