Introducing Young Male Un-altered Bunnies.. Safe?

[Boomer]

Hey there :wave:

Im new here, and have a (what Im guessing) is a 10 week old male bunny! He is prince charming, such a handsome and gentle little boy. His name is Boomerang, AKA Boomer or Boomie for short, is a dutch x dwarf, with two blue eyes, he is fawn in colour, has 4 white socks, irregular white patches on his body, and one of his ears has a white patch on the tip! He's also litter trained already, and LOVES to lick me Such a little cutie pie, that's for sure!

Anyways, he seems to be pretty lonely and I was wondering if I could get him a friend?

I bought him from a pet shop, who has a bunch of younger male bunnies together, in one big cage. When they get new shipments, they jus 'throw in' the new male bunnies into the cage (that Boomer was in) and they all are safe/fine.
I bought Boomer (and he was kept singly since) on October 6th of this year, and Im guessing his age is about 10 weeks old. He is just started to get darker hairs in (moulting?) and has a funn line of different colour hair on his back. However his body is still mostly his young baby cream coloured fawm coat, and the new stuff has only just begun and is slightly darker and more agouti looking. It's gotten freezing here lately (approaching winter) so is that why he's changing colour? Or is it becuase he's a certain age where he gets his adult fur in???

So, do you think it could work out well for all of us if I bought another young male bunny and tried an introduction?

ps- I plan on neutering Boomer (and any friend) that I get once they are old enough

Thanks so much,

Boomer!

 

[Carol and Gregory]

He sounds lovely!

I would wait until he has been neutered! Mistakes sexing bunnies are easy to make and it would be awful if you ended up with an unexpected litter!

Just make sure you give him lots of love and attention in the meantime!

 

[*Spider*]

Welcome :wave:
As you've just got Boomer, it might be an idea to let him settle first before getting a friend for him
Rabbits tend to get on better with opposite sex, so when he is neutured why not pop to a local rescue and adopt and already vaccinated and sterilised female? There are tons of bunnies in rescues that desperately need rehoming
Boomer sounds like a cutie pie

 

[Boomer]

Thanks He is just perfect in my eyes!

I know for sure that Boomer is a male (his sacs have decended about 1-2 weeks ago)... and I would be sure the new friend was a male. I work at another pet store, and we have a beautiful young black dutch in the back room (had a respiratory infection)... who has gotten better and I want to bring him home! I just have not yet checked his sex.

If he is a male, do you think it would be ok? The black dutch is the same size (and im assuming near the same age) as Boomer, and he too has been kept on his own for a few weeks now recooperating.

Boomer

 

[Boomer]

Oh we posted at the same time Spider! :lol:

Yes, I have heard that rule aswell (opposite sex) regarding pairing(s). I just feel bad making him wait this long being alone. I spend time with him, and he is super spoiled! But when he's in his cage, and I watch him he just sits there and seems pretty bored I think a friend would give him company and if that dutch is a boy, I'd be giving him a home too! (as he was a rescue we took in and treated)...

Boomer

 

[LionheadLuver]

It's better to get a rescue rabbit and a female than a male. Neuter Boomer first, then take him along to a rescue so he can choose who he wants. If you buy this new bunny, they might not get on, and you may have to keep them separate, and then you'll end up with more bunnies on your hands.

Males can be neutered from 12 weeks onwards, so it's only a little wait.

 

[*Spider*]

Ahh okay i see.
Do you have a local rescue near you?
If you do i'm sure they have plenty of already sterilised and vaccinated young males needing homes, (it's cheaper too ) (also females)
Then when he's old enough you can get him neutured.
I did this with my two.
I already had Toffee and a rescue bun came my way, so i housed them together (Toffee was already neutured) and then when Ghostie was strong enough she could be spayed

 

[*Spider*]

EDIT - two un neutured males will probably fight due to hormones.

 

[Boomer]

Ok thanks guys!

I never knew they could be neutered so soon, thats good! I was thinking that I'd have to wait many months to get Boomie fixed.

Yes I have local humane societies, and visited one a few weeks ago. I fell in love with a black holland lop, I wish I could have taken her home on the spot! I will look into them, and see if they all come neutered/spayed.

So you guys think I should wait, neuter Boomer, give him time to heal, then get him a neutered/spayed friend? What if I can only get a non-neutered/spayed one? Should I get a young female then?

Boomer

 

[LionheadLuver]

So you guys think I should wait, neuter Boomer, give him time to heal, then get him a neutered/spayed friend? What if I can only get a non-neutered/spayed one? Should I get a young female then?

Boomer

Yes, neuter Boomer, wait for him to heal and get a neutered/spayed friend. A female is better and more likely to work than another male, but they can. A non-neutered bunny is more likely to be more difficult as they have hormones. Why not get a rescue to bond for you, so that you know that they are bonded, and you haven't bought a bunny and it hasn't worked out.

 

[Sky-O]

I would suggest waiting for him to heal (and a few weeks for his hormones to wane) and getting him a spayed female friend.

When a bunny is unspayed you would have to wait longer to put him with her because he can still make babies for 6-7 weeks after a neuter. Also, in an unfixed rabbit you have the hormones to contend with, which include territory issues and they are FAR more likely to fight, and then you would end up with two single bunnies, which is not what you want (this risk is even higher with unneutered bucks with another buck).

You need to find a rabbit savvy vet to do the neuter for you. You will also need to anure he gets pain medication after his neuter too, for three days or so.

 

[*Spider*]

Ok thanks guys!

I never knew they could be neutered so soon, thats good! I was thinking that I'd have to wait many months to get Boomie fixed.

Yes I have local humane societies, and visited one a few weeks ago. I fell in love with a black holland lop, I wish I could have taken her home on the spot! I will look into them, and see if they all come neutered/spayed.

So you guys think I should wait, neuter Boomer, give him time to heal, then get him a neutered/spayed friend? What if I can only get a non-neutered/spayed one? Should I get a young female then?

Boomer

I assume you live in USA as you said Humane Society ?
I love watching Animal Cops!
Yes, even when neutured it will still take 8 weeks for the buck to be unable to reproduce. Also he may still have some hormones in him
Yes, i do suggest a young female as he's only young himself, but Toffee is 6 and Ghostie is 1, so that doesn't really matter, but i suppose you'd rather live with someone your own age
Also by getting a rabbit from a rescue that enabled more rabbits to be helped and the rabbits with also be vaccinated and sterilised so that means it's cheaper!

 

[*Spider*]

Why not get a rescue to bond for you, so that you know that they are bonded, and you haven't bought a bunny and it hasn't worked out.

This is a good idea. Bonding can sometimes be a risky and difficult process.

 

[areia]

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee blue dutch piccie picces picces i loveeeeeeeeee dutchies im now banned from fostering them as i keep them not like i have that many just 3 possiably four soon


*gonna milk that bit for all its worth :lol:*

in terms of bonding some find it easy some find it very hard there is more of a risk with to two boys if you had brothers and they were neutered as soon as possiable 13/14 weeks if you know a rabbit savy vet, 9 times out of ten they get on really well, two totaly differant boys can be hard deffiantly wouldnt reckonmend uneutered, if left to long for neutering say older then bonded it can be hard too as the hormones are there, saying that its not immpossiable deffinaly has to be done on netural ground even better get some else in another house to do it as a car journey can help the bonding due the fear of travel so they stick together, there are lots of people here who have successfully bonded two boys,

good luck in what you decide to do

and again PICCIESSSSSSSSSSS

 

[Sky-O]

I've not come across rescues or shelters over in the US bonding for people, although you may be able to find someone rabbit knowledgable to help if you felt you needed it.

 

[Boomer]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.

I guess I will just wait, and neuter Boomer when the time comes, then get him a friend down the road. Not the answer I was hoping for, but things will be safer and run smoother, so I will have to be patient lol

I am located in Canada, and have found 2 very good small animal vets in my town that would neauter Boomer for me, I just have to check prices. What is the usual cost of most male neuters?

Here are your pics of Boomer guys

Resting

1st day home!

Looking handsome!

Boomer

 

[Sky-O]

He's beautiful. For me a neuter costs £65, not sure what that is in Canadian money nowadays. You need to make sure it's a rabbiot savvy vet, and make sure they will give you pain meds after (I think I said that before, but feel very strongly about it because not all vets do).

 

[Boomer]

Here are 3 pictures of Boomie from lastnight, when I was trying to show his new (darker) fur coming in... can you see his new darker areas compared to those earlier pics?

on the laptop

on the bed

his cute white ear!

Boomer

 

[areia]

awwwwwwwwwwwwwww hes adorable, yes the wait is worth it for it to run smoothly im afraid a neauter price varies from place to place but it is important to find a rabbit savy vet, prices here can vary from 45 pounds to 100 pounds so would need to convert into dollors, but look at it this way if you neuter him you wont have hormone probs like mounting and spraying everything in sight :lol: 6 to 8 weeks is the reconmended wait for before neutering a bun if hes done as soon as he able and you get a neutered female and shes had a chance to recover you could MAYBE bond sooner

 

[Sky-O]

He's gorgeous. Often having a moult can change the colouring slightly, and often make it darker. He looks like a vienna marked tort, and that might account for the darkening. He is gorgeous. I've not seen one like him before.