unspayed female pair

[emilylp123]

Hi there,

I have 2 female buns both 4 months old who get along amazingly.

just wondering if anyone keeps 2 females together un spayed as I've heard they can fight if not spayed??

I know mine haven't reached maturity yet but I really don't want them to start fighting

 

[MightyMax]

Hi there,

I have 2 female buns both 4 months old who get along amazingly.

just wondering if anyone keeps 2 females together unsprayed as I've heard they can fight if not spayed??

I know mine haven't reached maturity yet but I really don't want them to start fighting

They may or may not fight. But surely the reason for spaying them is for their health? 80% of unspayed female develop uterine cancer by the age of 5 years.

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/pdfs/neutering28807.pdf

Sexual maturity in does is 4/6 months, so you're not past the 'danger zone' yet with regards to hormonal spats.

 

[emilylp123]

I suppose the question should have been , if they don't fight can I wait a few more months to spay them?

 

[tonibun]

Pretty soon one will most likely become the dominant one and start chasing the other one. With some this is just now and then but other couples can start fighting. It depends on the personalities of the rabbits.

 

[MightyMax]

I suppose the question should have been , if they don't fight can I wait a few more months to spay them?

You can risk it, if you don't feel they are ready to be spayed. Once a pair of rabbits has had a fight, they do tend to remember it, and it makes subsequent bonding that bit more difficult. In my experience.

 

[emilylp123]

will they always fight if there not spayed right away?

reason im not eager to spay right now is because jet is younger then bonny by 2 weeks and I want them to both get spayed together.

 

[Babsie]

I would ask your vet about whether they are ready to be spayed (weight/size). I would advise neutering as soon as possible once they are large enough. It could only take one fight to ruin any chance of future bonding. As MM said, the health implications of not neutering are enormous. Do you have a vet specialising in rabbits/very experienced and knowledgable about them?

 

[emilylp123]

I will do, how long does it take for them to bond as they've been living together for 2 months and are just so loving.

and the vet doesn't specialize in rabbits I go to a vet local to me, when I took them for the vaccinations she seemed to know what she was talking about though.

 

[Babsie]

Well, I prefer to go to a vet who is very knowledgable about them. I am lucky that I have an exotics specialist 40 mins from me. Where are you located? I'm not saying your vet wouldn't be ok, but I would ask a lot of questions.

 

[tonibun]

I like to wait until a doe is about 6 months old before having her spayed but some Vets will spay a bit earlier. Also young bunnies are not the easiest of animals to sex properly, so I would keep checking to make sure one is not a boy as you don't want babies. Years ago I kept 2 sisters together for all of their lives without spaying them and one was the dominant rabbit and used to chase the other now and then, but they got along really well most of the time.

 

[Babsie]

I like to wait until a doe is about 6 months old before having her spayed but some Vets will spay a bit earlier. Also young bunnies are not the easiest of animals to sex properly, so I would keep checking to make sure one is not a boy as you don't want babies. Years ago I kept 2 sisters together for all of their lives without spaying them and one was the dominant rabbit and used to chase the other now and then, but they got along really well most of the time.

I expect that was before we knew of the uterine cancer likelihood in unspayed females.

 

[tonibun]

Yeah! It was 18 years ago and spaying females was a risky business anyway. I also overfed them! Nevertheless they lived until they were 6! Now this is still quite young but then you thought 6 was a good age.

 

[Babsie]

Yeah! It was 18 years ago and spaying females was a risky business anyway. I also overfed them! Nevertheless they lived until they were 6! Now this is still quite young but then you thought 6 was a good age.

I think people thought they were doing well if their rabbits reached 4. Didn't matter, anyway, as they were stuck in a hutch at the bottom of the garden - bought on the whim of a soon bored child.

 

[emilylp123]

thanks for the advice, I am going to spay both of them because of the high risk of cancer, but I just wanted to hear some positive stories on unspayed girls living together in harmony so that I didn't have to keep worrying..

after all the comments im panicking that they're just going to hurt each other any day now...

 

[emilylp123]

p.s I have sexed the buns recently and they appear to be females, the vet also sexed them and advised they were females

 

[tulsi]

The vet sexed my two rabbits and said I had one of each. It turned out to be two bucks, so you never know!

 

[tonibun]

It's doubtful they would actually injure one another, unlike 2 bucks, but looking at it long-term it will be for the better. :thumb:

 

[SarahP]

A few years ago I took on a pair of females that were about 18 months - 2 years old. They got on absolutely fine, and they continued to after they were spayed. So no, it's not a dead cert that they will have to be split up.

 

[tonibun]

I think people thought they were doing well if their rabbits reached 4. Didn't matter, anyway, as they were stuck in a hutch at the bottom of the garden - bought on the whim of a soon bored child.

I don't think much has changed sadly with some folk! Hope you're feeling a little less sore now xx

 

[emilylp123]

thank you I've just been panicking lol.

going to get them both spayed at 6 months regardless because of the large risk of cancer.

theyre so loved up at the moment its a horrible thought that they could fight.

theyre always laid spooning eachother and grooming each other bless them