Think I may have made an enormous mistake :(

my husband has built me a lovely 6'*8' shed with an attached run and I thought it the perfect time to sort out getting a friend for my harlequin dwarf lop Harley (due to neutral territory).

We adopted Maisie from a rescue (I immediately fell in love with her, she's so much like Harley). I set up the large dog crate inside the shed and put Maisie in that, Harley was free ranging. I swapped them round a couple of times a day so they could get used to each other's smells and have excercise. They have both been happy from the start to sit next to each other and present to me for nose rubs.

I let them have dates on neutral territory and have now let them together in their home. They have been great apart from a tiny bit of chasing, that was easily distracted by food or when I was cleaning they both came up and he stole the dustpan as normal and she stole the bag of brushed up hay! He humped her a couple of times, but she let him and he soon lost interest and snuggled next to her instead.

It seems to be love at first sight, but this leads me what I now think could be a MONUMENTAL error. The rescue I spoke to for advice before I got Harley neutered suggested bonding them 10 days after his neuter as this is what they do. I left it for 2 weeks, but now reading through some posts on here it seems he could still be fertile? I'm guessing it's far too late to separate them now as any damage would be done? I'm just so angry with myself. I really thought I was doing the best for them. I can't believe I got duff advice from a rescue .

Sorry for the length of this post!

Yes, he could have easily still have been fertile i'm afraid.
You are now on pregnancy watch for 31 days - watch for nesting, extra territorial behaviour and fighting/scrapping between the two of them, be ready to separate them completely if she does.

You were only working on the advice you were given, at the very least they have been apart for a couple of weeks after the neuter so its really just a waiting game to see if anything develops.

If not great, but if girl bun is pregnant then there will likely be fighting and nesting behavior as Graham says. Try not to beat yourself up about it. These things do happen and it can be stressful, but you are doing all you can at the moment. x

How disappointing that you've been given bad advice by the rescue. It is very beneficial to have females spayed due to the very high chance of getting uterine cancer if unspayed, so I would advise booking her in asap and that way any pregnancies can be terminated at the same time. Unless you have the facilities to house all the rabbits I would advise not continuing with any pregnancy, as rescues are full to overflowing and I would be hesitant to give any offspring back to that rescue.

Of course this depends on whether you feel this is ethically or morally okay, but I wanted to mention it as an option for you.

Please don't worry. You would have to be really unlucky for him to get her pregnant 2 weeks post neuter. It does make for a better relationship if both are neutered as the female doesn't get broody and pester the boy.

I don't think there is much actual evidence on how long sperm lasts, if at all, after neuter. The testicles are removed so the only possibility is a bit left over in the tubes. The time you are meant to leave it seems to have gone up and down between 2 weeks to 6 weeks. To be honest, I'd be very surprised if it was possible to be fertile after neuter by more than a couple of days, it's more that a couple of weeks allows him to heal before any humping during bonding.

Why is your doe not spayed? If she isn't this is much more likely to cause a problem with their bond further down the line. If I were you, I'd wait a few months and then book her in to be spayed. If they live outdoor, it may be best to leave it until the Summer so she can be brought inside to recover. Leaving her unspayed will mean she has got a huge chance of developing uterine cancer. Her smell may also make the male hump her a lot or vise versa. Females can get very hormonal and grumpy and this may cause a fight. It can work, but for the sake of your doe, I'd get her spayed at some point.

I am sorry you have been given bad advice. I am surprised a rescue let you take home a rabbit when you have an unspayed doe. It doesn't sound like they are very good with bunnies but I personally wouldn't worry too much about him being fertile. People say to wait 6 weeks after neutering so that the hormones calm down because the bond is much more likely to work. If you are worried about her being pregnant you can book her in for an emergency spay.