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Taken in a stray female; advice needed!

J

jfitz

New Kit
Hi everyone,
Three months ago I took in a domestic rabbit that has been a stray in our area for at least eight months (or so the neighbours tell me). A vet has confirmed she is not a wild rabbit (she does look a lot like one which is why no one picked her up sooner) and that it is female but cannot confirm if she is spayed.

The rabbit seems very happy; she lives loose in my garden as it is all wired in and safe, and has an open hutch she goes in when it rains. She is very friendly, loves being petted but not held, and follows me around the house and garden when I am in.

I had been considering bonding her with a rabbit from the local rescue, the guy who runs it and he says he can take her for a week and get her bonded with a suitable partner. However there are a few questions I have:

1) I don't want to bond her without knowing if she is spayed as unspayed females are unpredictable; are there any behavioural signs of whether she is spayed or not that I can look for?

2) She has a very large territory; my whole back garden and then my kitchen and sometimes living room on an evening. I have heard this can cause problems with bonded rabbits and make them start fighting.

3) If she does need to be spayed I'm not sure I want to risk it as I don't know how old she is. She seems content, flopping on her side, munching teeth when I stroke her, binkying around.. could she be happy alone?
 
Hiya,

As far as I am aware there are no real signs to whether she is spayed or not, I'm finding it very difficult to understand how a vet wouldn't be able to tell?
I would take her to a different vet personally.

Bonding doesn't always work out and some rabbits live long and happy lives as single bunnies, however I do think that if the two rabbits can have that week together it will be fairly telling to see how she copes with another rabbit.

If it goes well and you bring them both home, you need to make sure there are plenty of hiding speces to alow both bunnies to get away from each other if need be.

Best of luck xx
 
One of my girls was rescued as a stray by the RSPCA & I asked them how do they know if previously spayed & they said they couldn't until they operated / opened her up. That same bunny was spayed 2 years ago & is still crazy mad about digging. I really don't think interpreting behaviours will give you any kind of reliable answer. Your bunny will benefit from spaying (protection against the very high incidence of uterine cancer found in domestics) & it will make bonding easier.

Space is only really an issue for 2 rabbits as they are undergoing the bonding process & have a more fragile union. A lot of people choose to bond in a small space & increase it gradually. Introductions should be on neutral territory (for you that might be a room upstairs when they get back from rescue)

She sounds nicely bonded to you, that's lovely to hear. I do think rabbits prefer the company of their own kind, they are highly sociable & seek comfort & guidance from each other.

If she looks like a wild rabbit she must be gorgeous - I love agoutis
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I feel generally quite anxious about her because I didn't realise she was a stray when I took her in, I thought I had found someone's pet and wouldn't have her long. When I realised there was no owner, I didn't want to hand her over to the rabbit rescue either as she has had so much freedom I didn't want her going in a hutch or cage.

I have attached a picture of her napping under the kitchen table :) https://imageshack.com/i/pm90ZNxVj

Yes the vet said you can't tell if females have been spayed until you do surgery, and that surgery scars are hard to find. She does have the occasional dig, and she pulls fur out sometimes and clumps it up which apparently is a sign of not being spayed. Also judging by the fact that she was allowed to escape and never retrieved I imagine the previous owners did not bother getting her spayed...
 
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Aww she's gorgeous and like Tonibun says looking in really great condition! Can't believe she might have been stray for 8 months.. You're obviously doing a great job as she looks so happy and content there :love:
 
She is stunning!

Please be aware of urban foxes, they are everywhere in the UK and can easily climb up extremely high fences and get onto the roofs of garages.

The video shows how foxes climb.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t6YQdi5gbFg

Once a fox knows there is food he will stop at nothing to get to it.
 
Thanks she is just adorable :) I am struggling for a name as had previously guessed at her being a boy then found out she's a girl this week! any suggestions?

The rabbit rescue wants to pair her up unspayed with a neutered male. This sounds like a recipe for disaster to me! I will look into getting her spayed but its expensive and I worry about her health :( I really don't want fighting rabbits on my hands!
 
Hoppla said:
She is stunning!

Please be aware of urban foxes, they are everywhere in the UK and can easily climb up extremely high fences and get onto the roofs of garages.

The video shows how foxes climb.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t6YQdi5gbFg

Once a fox knows there is food he will stop at nothing to get to it.
Click to expand...

gosh they are sneaky! yes I am quite worried about foxes, I have never seen one (I live up on a hill on a moor) but know they can smell rabbits mile off!
 
They are and very intelligent ;-) They also have no fear of humans. Do you remember when several yrs ago a fox went into a house and attacked a baby in the first floor bedroom? I think it was in London.

Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they are not there....

She is sooo super gorgeous and you are very lucky to have her :)
 
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