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introducing tips?

Jens

New Kit
my mum has 2 bunnies and she had hoped they would live togther, its fair to say we dont know anything about how to introduce bunnies we tried to do it slow by just letting them have a run together and keeping an eye on them but it never went well the girl always went for the boy so runs only ever lasted about a minute so since then they live in separate hutches and it just seems like such a shame as they could keep each other company and warm in the winter, they are now both about 5 so is it worth trying to introduce them again and if so is there any tips anyone could give me on how to do it? another drawback is that the girlie had to have her eye removed about 8 months ago, she is all healed and used to it now but her other eye isnt great the vert says she is abit blind in it so will it just be too much for her as she was the one who was aggressive towards the neutered male, any advice would be great thanks :D
 
im too much of a wuss to do it myself... have always used a rescue :oops::oops::oops:

you could see if a rescue close would do it for you for a small donation, otherwise someone will point you in the right direction, lot of brave bunny bonders here :wave::wave:
 
Are the bunnies neutered or at least the boy? You need a small space like a dog pen which must be on neutral ground, then you put the Male in first followed by the female and see how it goes. It sounds like the female was acting territorially but because I don't have any background info I am not sure. If they are happy to be together although there may be fur pulling humping but not fighting, then you must keep them together for as long as you can but not overnight unsupervised.

If they are getting along well you will need to get their home ready by thoroughly cleaning it (better to put them in the boy's hutch, not the female's) and after a few days you can put them in the hutch together.

If you don't have a small cage etc you could try putting the female in the boy's hutch and see how that goes. He will chase her for a bit, maybe for a couple of days. If she attacks him then it doesn't sound good.
 
Have the attempts been made on neutral territory? A place where neither bunny has been?

I don't think age should put you off. We had a single female for several years who we always thought was happy to be on her own. One of our males then lost his 2 friends and we tried them together and she adored him.

If it has been quite some time sine you tried them the female may have calmed however her sight may be an issue in that It could make her jumpy but I do think its worth trying again. Good luck.
 
hey thanks so much everyone for the advise, the male is neutered but not the female the vet said it was abit risky to have her done so we didnt fancy it, we tried to introduce them in an outdoor pen before now they are both used to being in it, do you think the living room might be a good idea?

also the female is abit blind and the male has a 2 level hutch and she has a single level hutch, might she hurt herself in his hutch?
 
hey thanks so much everyone for the advise, the male is neutered but not the female the vet said it was abit risky to have her done so we didnt fancy it, we tried to introduce them in an outdoor pen before now they are both used to being in it, do you think the living room might be a good idea?

also the female is abit blind and the male has a 2 level hutch and she has a single level hutch, might she hurt herself in his hutch?

you do not have a very good vet.......... its more important to get a female neutered as there is a very high risk of uterine cancer if not.... the risk of getting cancer is higher than the risks of surgery...... I would strongly stongly advise getting it done

where in the country are you we can suggest a better vets for you a rabbit savvy vet as vets can be brill with cats dogs etc... but rubbish with rabbits sadly...

a rabbit savvy vet should not put you off neutering...
 
Unless there is another health concern a good bunny vet should fee l confident neutering a female. As with any anesthetic there is a risk.

I have lost 1 female during a spay but have had 2 that by the time we had them spayed it was too late and the cancer had spread. Both were over 4 when we adopted them.

I think the garden pen will not be neutral if that is there play area. The living room may work but I would suggest perhaps a bathroom where there are less wires and its easier to clean up. A larger area just means they can hide from each other for longer and it may take much longer to see if the bond will work.

I would not worry about the hutch issue until you know if they will get on. If they do the hunches will need to be fully cleaned and neutralize (vinegar is good to mask the previous smells). Even if they bond in a nutral area going back to an area one or both think is theirs can be bad.
 
oh i didnt know about the cancer i've only ever had one other female rabbit and she was not neutered either and lived to be 9/10 she must have been lucky! the vets i go to were great with her eye removal kept her under constant watch and she did very well cost a pretty penny 2! they did the male but said it can be complicated doing a female, isnt this true?
 
oh i didnt know about the cancer i've only ever had one other female rabbit and she was not neutered either and lived to be 9/10 she must have been lucky! the vets i go to were great with her eye removal kept her under constant watch and she did very well cost a pretty penny 2! they did the male but said it can be complicated doing a female, isnt this true?

it is more invasive with a female however it more important too they should have stressed the risks or cancer really
 
A female will be more complicated than a male but it should be standard procedure for a reputable vet.

Even though I have lost 1 female I would always have any bun neutered unless there was a health risk that meant it was really unsafe.
 
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