Unspeyed Female in Same Room as Neutered/Spayed Pair?

Hi :wave:

I've been thinking of buying a female rabbit who's been in a cage on her own in our local pet shop for about 5 months so far

We keep seeing this same poor rabbit every time we go for supplies. The lady there said all her siblings were bought, leaving her on her own, and now as she's no longer 'a cute baby bunny' i.e. she's about 7 months old nobody wants her anymore. It's so sad to see her sat there in the corner, and her cage has wooden sides so she can't even see the rabbits in the cages next to hers

We thought about bringing her home and attempting to bond her with Shimmer and Charlie (girl/boy, happily bonded). We have a large spare cage which I would put her in until she settles in, then get her spayed, then attempt the bonding. What I'm not sure about is whether it's ok to have an unspayed female in the same room as a neutered boy and spayed girl pair or would this likely cause problems? I'd have to let them out for their free time separately but would the scent of a new rabbit cause problems with the bond between my existing pair?

I'd really like to know what people think about this before I commit to buying the rabbit.

The pet shop said the rabbit is very placid and friendly (although they would say that I suppose), Charlie is very dominant but a big softee, and Shimmer is very timid and submissive. I think their personalities would go well together, if the new rabbit is indeed laid back like they say, but a new dominant rabbit would probably have a personality clash with Charlie.

Sorry for rambling, I really want what's best for all bunnys concerned and I'm also worried what the pet shop will do with her if she's not bought soon. I heard they give them to snake owners as live food but I can't be sure.

I think you are doing a good thing rescuing this rabbit and it wouldn't matter having an unspayed rabbit in the same room as the other two. The only problem would occur when you let the new rabbit out and she approached the others. This could cause them to chase/fight each other and would be very stressful. Can you keep her away from the others until she is ready to be bonded? Good luck with her

tonibun said:

I think you are doing a good thing rescuing this rabbit and it wouldn't matter having an unspayed rabbit in the same room as the other two. The only problem would occur when you let the new rabbit out and she approached the others. This could cause them to chase/fight each other and would be very stressful. Can you keep her away from the others until she is ready to be bonded? Good luck with her

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Hi tonibun :wave:

I can keep her away from my existing pair, and prevent her from approaching them by putting Shimmer & Charlie back in their cage and blocking it off while the new rabbit has free time. Or I could keep her in a different room altogether if that's better. I was planning on having the new rabbit's cage near (or even next to) my existing rabbits' cage so they can get used to each other's scents etc, is this a bad idea?

When you say they will chase/fight each other if the new rabbit approaches my bonded pair did you mean my existing rabbits will chase/fight the new rabbit or that the bonded pair will chase/fight each other? Sorry for stupid questions, I don't want to risk getting things wrong and jeapardise the bonding by doing something silly.

Thanks for your advice

Personally I would not have any unneutered rabbit in the same room as a bonded pair, and I would tread with caution even after she is spayed.

There is a very common thing called 'referred aggression' which happens when rabbits can see or smell an 'intruder' in their territory, but because they can't get to it, they turn on their partner instead, and it can therefore lead to existing pairs fighting. I remember a few years back a member on here rescued an unneutered male and he caused her existing pair to fight very badly, one of the pair ended up with a ripped eyelid. It can be ok to have two singles 'side by side' to get used to each others smells (although personally I don't bond in this way), but I wouldn't do it where there is an existing pair.

I would advise being very cautious. Personally I wouldn't buy from a pet shop because they will just refill the pen with another poor bunny, but if you do buy her, it is really important to keep her well away from your existing pair until she is neutered and then for several weeks for her hormones to settle down (and also as a 'quarantine' time). Then you can try and introduce them on neutral territory in the same way as any other bonding - but again you will need to be prepared that it may not work. Trios can work very well, but they can also be much trickier bonds to do, so there is a possibility that it won't work out and you're left with your existing pair and the single - or worst case scenario your existing pair also fall out, which can happen...although I think there are normally 'signs' that this might happen and if you separate the bonding early enough, chances are the pair will just fall back into their normal relationship. Good luck with whatever you decide xx

Santa said:

Personally I would not have any unneutered rabbit in the same room as a bonded pair, and I would tread with caution even after she is spayed.

There is a very common thing called 'referred aggression' which happens when rabbits can see or smell an 'intruder' in their territory, but because they can't get to it, they turn on their partner instead, and it can therefore lead to existing pairs fighting. I remember a few years back a member on here rescued an unneutered male and he caused her existing pair to fight very badly, one of the pair ended up with a ripped eyelid. It can be ok to have two singles 'side by side' to get used to each others smells (although personally I don't bond in this way), but I wouldn't do it where there is an existing pair.

I would advise being very cautious. Personally I wouldn't buy from a pet shop because they will just refill the pen with another poor bunny, but if you do buy her, it is really important to keep her well away from your existing pair until she is neutered and then for several weeks for her hormones to settle down (and also as a 'quarantine' time). Then you can try and introduce them on neutral territory in the same way as any other bonding - but again you will need to be prepared that it may not work. Trios can work very well, but they can also be much trickier bonds to do, so there is a possibility that it won't work out and you're left with your existing pair and the single - or worst case scenario your existing pair also fall out, which can happen...although I think there are normally 'signs' that this might happen and if you separate the bonding early enough, chances are the pair will just fall back into their normal relationship. Good luck with whatever you decide xx

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Thanks Santa. The 'referred aggression' must be what tonibun meant about them fighting. Thanks for clarifying.

I can keep the new rabbit in a separate room and still let her have the run of the kitchen and dining room, while my existing rabbits have the living room, hallway and upstairs. This won't be a problem for us, we can manage like this until she's been spayed and let her hormones settle. Worst case scenario I suppose if the bonding didn't work she'd have to stay in the dining room on her own but she'd have plenty of human company and plenty of space. I'd have to do a lot of reading up before attempting to bond a trio, especially on the 'signs' you mentioned about existing pairs falling out in the process.

Thank you both so much for your advice. I can't bear the thought of this beautiful bunny being on her own for so long or used as snake food

Santa said:

Personally I would not have any unneutered rabbit in the same room as a bonded pair, and I would tread with caution even after she is spayed.

There is a very common thing called 'referred aggression' which happens when rabbits can see or smell an 'intruder' in their territory, but because they can't get to it, they turn on their partner instead, and it can therefore lead to existing pairs fighting. I remember a few years back a member on here rescued an unneutered male and he caused her existing pair to fight very badly, one of the pair ended up with a ripped eyelid. It can be ok to have two singles 'side by side' to get used to each others smells (although personally I don't bond in this way), but I wouldn't do it where there is an existing pair.

I would advise being very cautious. Personally I wouldn't buy from a pet shop because they will just refill the pen with another poor bunny, but if you do buy her, it is really important to keep her well away from your existing pair until she is neutered and then for several weeks for her hormones to settle down (and also as a 'quarantine' time). Then you can try and introduce them on neutral territory in the same way as any other bonding - but again you will need to be prepared that it may not work. Trios can work very well, but they can also be much trickier bonds to do, so there is a possibility that it won't work out and you're left with your existing pair and the single - or worst case scenario your existing pair also fall out, which can happen...although I think there are normally 'signs' that this might happen and if you separate the bonding early enough, chances are the pair will just fall back into their normal relationship. Good luck with whatever you decide xx

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Excellent!!!!:thumb: