Newly neutered rabbit is behaving odd?

BunBun1195 · Sep 22, 2015

I didn't know if this should be in the health or behavior category but since he just got fixed, I guess I'll put it here. I have two boy rabbits and this morning I took one of them (Mufasa) to get him fixed. We picked him up about two and a half hours ago. He didn't seem to groggy, he was hopping around and stuff. When I got him home, I put him in the pen with the other rabbit (Asiago). However, when Asiago hopped over to Mufasa and started sniffing and licking his head, Mufasa seemed terrified of him. He started running around the pen and hiding from him. Asiago then was scared because of the way Mufasa was acting. I knew he shouldn't be running around like that after his operation. So, I took him out of the pen and put him in this other pen we have in the garage. I know that when I got my cats fixed they told me to keep them separate for a couple days because they wouldn't recognize each other as friends for a couple days. And they did hiss at each other and run from one another for about 2-3 days and I had to separate them. So I was wondering if the same thing applies to rabbits? And how long should I keep them apart? I've never had a neutered rabbit before so I'm not really sure what to do with this situation.

Jack's-Jane · Sep 22, 2015

BunBun1195 said:
I didn't know if this should be in the health or behavior category but since he just got fixed, I guess I'll put it here. I have two boy rabbits and this morning I took one of them (Mufasa) to get him fixed. We picked him up about two and a half hours ago. He didn't seem to groggy, he was hopping around and stuff. When I got him home, I put him in the pen with the other rabbit (Asiago). However, when Asiago hopped over to Mufasa and started sniffing and licking his head, Mufasa seemed terrified of him. He started running around the pen and hiding from him. Asiago then was scared because of the way Mufasa was acting. I knew he shouldn't be running around like that after his operation. So, I took him out of the pen and put him in this other pen we have in the garage. I know that when I got my cats fixed they told me to keep them separate for a couple days because they wouldn't recognize each other as friends for a couple days. And they did hiss at each other and run from one another for about 2-3 days and I had to separate them. So I was wondering if the same thing applies to rabbits? And how long should I keep them apart? I've never had a neutered rabbit before so I'm not really sure what to do with this situation.

Is the other Buck neutered ? If not you will have to keep them apart until he has been done too. Otherwise a fight is inevitable.

If they are both now 'fixed' then Mufasa just needs time to recover from the GA. He would have been feeling very vulnerable so soon after Surgery hence his 'odd' behaviour- which in the circumstances is not really 'odd' at all. I'd see how he is 24-36 hours after the op' and then try introducing the boys again but in a small neutral place-ie somewhere neither are familiar with. Then you will need to see how the dynamics of their relationship goes. Mufasa will still be effected by his testosterone levels for a few weeks post castration, the levels drop off gradually. So the boys may need to remain apart for longer This could result in you having to embark on a full rebonding process. If you need help with that then do ask, you could post a separate thread in the 'Behaviour' section.

As previously mentioned, the boys cannot go back together at all unless both have been neutered.

MightyMax · Sep 22, 2015

BunBun1195 said:
I didn't know if this should be in the health or behavior category but since he just got fixed, I guess I'll put it here. I have two boy rabbits and this morning I took one of them (Mufasa) to get him fixed. We picked him up about two and a half hours ago. He didn't seem to groggy, he was hopping around and stuff. When I got him home, I put him in the pen with the other rabbit (Asiago). However, when Asiago hopped over to Mufasa and started sniffing and licking his head, Mufasa seemed terrified of him. He started running around the pen and hiding from him. Asiago then was scared because of the way Mufasa was acting. I knew he shouldn't be running around like that after his operation. So, I took him out of the pen and put him in this other pen we have in the garage. I know that when I got my cats fixed they told me to keep them separate for a couple days because they wouldn't recognize each other as friends for a couple days. And they did hiss at each other and run from one another for about 2-3 days and I had to separate them. So I was wondering if the same thing applies to rabbits? And how long should I keep them apart? I've never had a neutered rabbit before so I'm not really sure what to do with this situation.

Having separated them once, you will now have to keep them separated until both are neutered and healed up. Then you can attempt to rebond the boys.

The dynamics between the two of them probably changed because Mufasa came back smelling completely different from the vets, having had his operation. This often upsets rabbits and can cause a bit of a break up, which you've experienced.

I hope all goes well with Asiago's neutering, and welcome to RU :wave:

Newly neutered rabbit is behaving odd?

BunBun1195

New Kit

Jack's-Jane

Wise Old Thumper

MightyMax

Banned

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