rebonding worries

I've had to separate Belle & Bean as they've reached 12 weeks and had a fight. They are a little young to neuter yet though. My worry is, that because they need to be separated for a few weeks, will they bond again straight away and be able to live together as before ?

Thanks

Jessie21 said:

I've had to separate Belle & Bean as they've reached 12 weeks and had a fight. They are a little young to neuter yet though. My worry is, that because they need to be separated for a few weeks, will they bond again straight away and be able to live together as before ?

Thanks

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Have you placed them in cages/hutches next to each other, so they still have 'contact'? Think that's what I would do.

I am in that exact same position, as one of mine got sick the week before their neuter was planned :roll: still all better now and neuters booked for next week!

I am planning on bonding them when the time comes as if they had never met before, just to be safe. But bear in mind that hormones stay in the body for about 8 weeks after a neuter so you have to wait until their hormones have got fully out of their systems before reintroducing them otherwise they could fight which would make it harder to rebond them again.

Keeping visual and scent contact between them will prob help, but IMO you can never be too careful when bonding!!!

Good luck:wave:

Thanks guys yes they are right next to each other

If you keep them how they are now and about 6 weeks after their neuter when their hormones have calmed down, if you keep them in a small and neutral area when rebonding then hopefully all should be fine then before you put them back in their set up, just make sure it's well disinfected so they can't smell one or the other that might set a fight off It might not happen but it's better to be safe than sorry

It's really impossible to say whether they will bond straight away again or not - hopefully they will, but they might not. I would suggest making the assumption that you will be dealing with a "brand new" bond and accept it as a pleasant surprise if they do go back together straight away without any problems.

If they are able to be neutered while still very young, personally I probably wouldn't wait the full 6 weeks or more before attempting bonding again. If they are both done, there will be no risk of pregnancy due to residual sperm and as they are youngsters, they won't have a long legacy of hormones to be rid of. Personally I would wait maybe 3 weeks until the female's spay wound has healed well and then try once I was happy that there was no risk to the wound and that the bun was back to normal strength. It's very much a case of working out what is best for the individuals though and hopefully you will be able to get a guide from their behaviour in the coming few weeks and after the op as to whether it is better to wait longer or rebond sooner.

Good luck xx