Doe HATES Buck after her spay

[Lily Dohwa]

Hello all,

My Doe Roo has just come back from her spay two days ago. Her bonded companion, a neutered male buck, came with her. After we all came home, everything seemed fine, my buck was grooming her and making sure she was ok, but by the night, Roo began to run from him as if he is a rabbit-eating fiend. And my buck, all confused, will follow her which makes her dart away again.
I have separated them for now in different enclosures but side by side. Still, it makes me really worried that they will never bond again.
Before Roo's spay, she was absolutely head over heals for our little guy, always grooming him and snuggling. And now I just look at these earlier pictures of them flopping together and feel a lot of despair.
She also has become a completely different rabbit, much more destructive and on edge. She didn't have any behavior issues before her spay, we just spayed her to prevent cancer, but now I'm wondering if that was the right decision since it seems to have taken away all of her happiness and cheer...

If someone has gone through a similar thing, PLEASE let me know!!!!!!!!!

Just to add more detail, they have no issues meeting behind cages, Roo would even actively seek him out just to touch noses. But once I let them back together, she avoids him like he's the plague. Safe to say, the other bunny is very sad and confused.

 

[Shimmer]

I would just leave her on her own for at least a couple of weeks so she can heal in peace. It's obviously causing her stress, which really isn't good for her right now. She's had a pretty major operation, is sore, has changing hormones, etc. Just give her time.

Is the buck neutered? If not, he may be pestering her more than she can deal with right now.

If they are both fine with a divider, just leave them like that so they maintain some contact. That will make re-bonding a bit easier later on.

 

[a reader of books]

I agree with Shimmer and would just give her some more time. It's really, really early days, way too early to worry about this being a permanent change in her and her bond with your boy. She's been through a lot, so it's only natural that she's not feeling her best, and many bunnies isolate themselves from their partner(s) when they're not feeling well. They often just want to be left alone. Give her some time to recover and they'll very likely will get along just fine again. Your saying she's much more destructive and on edge than usual makes me think she might be in pain, though. Is she on any pain medication? You might want to ask the vet if they think it's a good idea to try a higher dose for her. Sending lots of vibes for Roo and her recovery.

 

[bunny momma]

Sending lots of vibes for your bunnies. She will take time to recover from her op.

 

[InspectorMorse]

Hello all,

My Doe Roo has just come back from her spay two days ago. Her bonded companion, a neutered male buck, came with her. After we all came home, everything seemed fine, my buck was grooming her and making sure she was ok, but by the night, Roo began to run from him as if he is a rabbit-eating fiend. And my buck, all confused, will follow her which makes her dart away again.
I have separated them for now in different enclosures but side by side. Still, it makes me really worried that they will never bond again.
Before Roo's spay, she was absolutely head over heals for our little guy, always grooming him and snuggling. And now I just look at these earlier pictures of them flopping together and feel a lot of despair.
She also has become a completely different rabbit, much more destructive and on edge. She didn't have any behavior issues before her spay, we just spayed her to prevent cancer, but now I'm wondering if that was the right decision since it seems to have taken away all of her happiness and cheer...

If someone has gone through a similar thing, PLEASE let me know!!!!!!!!!

Just to add more detail, they have no issues meeting behind cages, Roo would even actively seek him out just to touch noses. But once I let them back together, she avoids him like he's the plague. Safe to say, the other bunny is very sad and confused.

A spay is major abdominal surgery so she will be feeling off for a few days at least. Most previously bonded pairs can remain together, but occasionally it can be necessary to separate them but to keep them side by side at first. Sometimes this will mean that it is necessary to rebond then from scratch ie as if they were not bonded in the first place. If a total rebond is needed it’s best to wait about 6 weeks after the surgery before doing it.

After a spay there will be feelings of hormone surges as the hypothalamus of the brain stimulates the pituitary gland to generate the production luteinizing hormone. This travels throughout the body to stimulate the sex organs (in a Doe the uterus and ovaries) to produce steroid hormones (progesterone and oestrogen in Does) . When the sex hormones are high enough, it tells the hypothalamus and pituitary to stop releasing LH, creating a negative feedback loop. The problem with LH occurs after spay and neuter, which removes the sex organs and the steroid hormones they produce. There is no longer a message to the brain to stop releasing LH. In spayed and neutered Rabbits (or any species) LH levels can be quite high.

This process subsides over about 6 weeks and the surges stop.

During the ‘false’ hormone surges your Doe might be more destructive, dig, be territorial and generally more like an entire Doe wanting to mate. But this really will calm down. Even if you do have to keep them living side by side for a few weeks there is a very good chance that you will be able to get them back together again.

 

[bunniemum]

As others have said, just give her a little more time, she's probably still quite sore. I think I would be very grumpy coming back from a major op and would want to recuperate quietly on my own for a week and few days. I had this with one of my couples once, she whimpered if he got too close, so I separated them but kept them in sight of each other. Once she was feeling better she was keen to get back with him.

 

[Lily Dohwa]

Hi all, thank you so much for your feedback!

Roo is on pain meds right now, we had to force feed her them for the first day but after that she takes them like a champ on some pellets or in mashed bananas : ).

Our little guy is neutered, and has been neutered for a month before we initially began to bond them before Roo's spay!

He was the one being pestered by Roo before her op, with her constantly trying to hump him and cuddling up to him, he was always super chill about it. Now probably a bit confused as to why Roo is avoiding him haha...

I will using your advice and continue to keep them separate for a few weeks!

Cheers!!!