Blossom & Belle, two young females back together again....

I have two young females who I bought together, unfortunately one got ill with bloat so had to go back, she is now healthy again but just a little underweight. I have got her home again today and have put her with the other one in the run in the garden which is neutral to both of them, there was a bit of chasing and mounting and possibly a little nipping.......I did intervene and Blossom who was clearly frightened the experience parked herself up in the corner trying to keep out of the way of Belle.

Because I couldn't stay there all the time I have left them in the run but I have put a divider in so that they can sniff at each other and get near to each other should they wish to but obviously she won't come to any harm.

She is hopping about in her section, binkying and running in and out of the little house which is attached to her side, so she seems happy enough. They are both about 12 weeks old, the shop weren't sure if they were sisters or not, so I am just wondering what is the likelyhood of them getting on again before having them spayed is? Ideally I want to house them together (particularly as I only have one hutch!) and obviously so that they have company and warmth from each other through the cold weather. I am aware that soon they will be reaching maturity and may get hormonal and grumpy before neutering.....but I am hoping that I have got them back together in time before they reach this stage.

Also, I have put Blossom outside in the run on the lawn as it was really the only neutral space. I am a bit worried that she is stuffing herself with grass now, she has never been outside on grass before so will this be a problem and should I be limiting her at the moment? I have covered her run and also put some windbreaks around the edge and she has a little house attached which is full of fresh bouncy straw so she can get in out of the wind if she wants to.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Many thanks.

I am afraid that there is little chance they will get on before you have them spayed. The time when gets agree to do this op is either when they reach a certain weight or are around six months old. Till then, their hormones will make them fight the other female in their territory and these fights will eventually result in serious injury to one or both of them.

You will need to find a way to house them both in suitable accomodation until they can be spayed. After the op it takes a few weeks for the hormones to settle as well as their wounds to heal so don't try bonding straight after.

Have a look on eBay in your area and see if there are any hutches second hand. It would need to be cleaned and disinfected thoroughly but is cheaper than starting with a new hutch.

Blossom & bell, back together again.....

Thanks for the advice, for the last couple of days I have put them in runs next to each other and to be honest they don't seem overly bothered by each others presence other than the odd sniff and they they carry on doing their own thing.

I will hold off the full on bonding as you suggest until after they are both spayed. I have already started looking for another hutch, just missed out on one locally on preloved but am continuing with my search.

Thanks for your help.