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2 boy bunnies - thought we were getting a boy and a girl

B

BertieandBessy

New Kit
Bought 2 bunnies last weekend, an eight week old boy and a 9 week old girl. Went for injections today at the vet tells us they are both boys. Have come home and searched online and seen lots of struggles of getting boys to be happy together even when they've been neutered and am now terrified that we are heading for a nightmare. My daughter was really upset at first but has now said she loves her bunny anyway (though she may be putting a brave face on still), but I'm wondering if I should go back to the breeder and ask for a swap? Hard now but potentially easier than having to get rid of one in a few months? I've paid for the injections on him too!

Advice please - what are the chances that if I have them neutered everything will be ok?

New to forum and managed to post this on the wrong thread earlier but don't know how to delete it! Apologies for the duplication!
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. Boys can live together quite happily as long as you get them neutered. Talk to your vet about when's the right time for that. Its really hard to say as it does depend on the character of the bunnies, but 2 brothers should be ok. There are no guarantees for any bunnies though! Sorry can't give you a definitive answer but others on here may be able to comment also.
 
BertieandBessy said:
Bought 2 bunnies last weekend, an eight week old boy and a 9 week old girl. Went for injections today at the vet tells us they are both boys. Have come home and searched online and seen lots of struggles of getting boys to be happy together even when they've been neutered and am now terrified that we are heading for a nightmare. My daughter was really upset at first but has now said she loves her bunny anyway (though she may be putting a brave face on still), but I'm wondering if I should go back to the breeder and ask for a swap? Hard now but potentially easier than having to get rid of one in a few months? I've paid for the injections on him too!

Advice please - what are the chances that if I have them neutered everything will be ok?

New to forum and managed to post this on the wrong thread earlier but don't know how to delete it! Apologies for the duplication!
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Hi there and welcome to the Forum :wave:

You know what? Go change one of the boys for a girl. It will save you a lot of worry, and the potential fall out from two boys who may or may not get on once they become adolescent.

It's totally impossible to say how things will go. If you decide to keep them, I would keep them together, get them neutered as soon as their bits descend, and keep them together always. Some vets advocate splitting up around neutering time and it can be difficult/impossible to get them back together afterwards.

Bonding depends upon personality. I just bonded two boys and it worked within 10 minutes. BUT both boys were rescued and not babies, so I knew their personalities.

Good luck :)
 
Two boys can live very happily together. It may be easier than a boy and girl, as they can be neutered earlier and at the same time. So they don't need to be separated if you get them done as soon as they are ready (around 12 weeks?). Ask your vet when they would be prepared to neuter them both - or find a vet who is experienced in rabbit neutering.

If you swap one for a girl, you will need to neuter the boy early anyway, then wait until the girl is 6 months before neutering her. It's a much simpler operation for boys, with a shorter recovery time - and it's usually a cheaper op. Girls undergo a much more invasive op, with more aftercare (and often worry) involved.

I would always rather have 2 boys as a pair as I have found them much easier to deal with. Girls can get very grumpy when they mature and before they are neutered.

Another thought - apart from choosing which one to swap (if that is what you decide) - can you really trust the breeder not to get it wrong again? You have 2 rabbits that are currently happy together and you are probably now attached to. Personally, I would just go for it, neuter as soon as they are ready, and enjoy them as you originally set out to.
 
Thanks - these are from the same breeder but not the same litter, cousins rather than siblings so they've only been together since we got them, though they are grooming each other, but the eldest is still only 10 weeks so pre-hormonal.
 
MightyMax said:
Hi there and welcome to the Forum :wave:

You know what? Go change one of the boys for a girl. It will save you a lot of worry, and the potential fall out from two boys who may or may not get on once they become adolescent.

It's totally impossible to say how things will go. If you decide to keep them, I would keep them together, get them neutered as soon as their bits descend, and keep them together always. Some vets advocate splitting up around neutering time and it can be difficult/impossible to get them back together afterwards.

Bonding depends upon personality. I just bonded two boys and it worked within 10 minutes. BUT both boys were rescued and not babies, so I knew their personalities.

Good luck :)
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I have to say, this is where my head is at. The consensus seems to be that it might work, but it might not and as hard as it will be for one of them to go back, it will be much harder to deal with later on. I talked to my little girl about the options yesterday and explained that whilst they are friends now, there may come a time that they fight and hurt each other. Whilst she was upset and had a cry, she said she had to do the right thing for the bunnies and she didn't want them to be injured. She also suggested we got 2 girls to go with them! That's another future scenario I'm looking to avoid. We are going back to the breeder today to look at the girls and if she likes one she'll do a swap, if not he'll come back with us and we'll keep our fingers crossed!
 
Shimmer said:
Two boys can live very happily together. It may be easier than a boy and girl, as they can be neutered earlier and at the same time. So they don't need to be separated if you get them done as soon as they are ready (around 12 weeks?). Ask your vet when they would be prepared to neuter them both - or find a vet who is experienced in rabbit neutering.

If you swap one for a girl, you will need to neuter the boy early anyway, then wait until the girl is 6 months before neutering her. It's a much simpler operation for boys, with a shorter recovery time - and it's usually a cheaper op. Girls undergo a much more invasive op, with more aftercare (and often worry) involved.

I would always rather have 2 boys as a pair as I have found them much easier to deal with. Girls can get very grumpy when they mature and before they are neutered.

Another thought - apart from choosing which one to swap (if that is what you decide) - can you really trust the breeder not to get it wrong again? You have 2 rabbits that are currently happy together and you are probably now attached to. Personally, I would just go for it, neuter as soon as they are ready, and enjoy them as you originally set out to.
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Thanks - it's nice to hear of boys being kept together happily. The vet said they would neuter once they reached 1kg, but when I asked about them being kept together I got a less than confident reassurance! If I'm honest, I think I'm a bit scared of dealing with it if it all goes wrong. I set out to get a boy and girl as the easiest option, accepting the higher cost of spaying. They are still so young (10 weeks and 9 weeks) so it feels like anything could happen. We have a plan per above post so we'll see how that goes. At the end of the day though, if she can't face giving him up I'm not going to force her.
 
BertieandBessy said:
I have to say, this is where my head is at. The consensus seems to be that it might work, but it might not and as hard as it will be for one of them to go back, it will be much harder to deal with later on. I talked to my little girl about the options yesterday and explained that whilst they are friends now, there may come a time that they fight and hurt each other. Whilst she was upset and had a cry, she said she had to do the right thing for the bunnies and she didn't want them to be injured. She also suggested we got 2 girls to go with them! That's another future scenario I'm looking to avoid. We are going back to the breeder today to look at the girls and if she likes one she'll do a swap, if not he'll come back with us and we'll keep our fingers crossed!
Click to expand...


When you think potentially how long bunnies could live, having four rabbits is a long term commitment. And with the best will in the world, a child may not sustain interest for all the rabbits' lifetimes - you will obviously be the main carer. You should have a say here!

Good luck with the breeder. Make sure he/she double and triple checks the sex, and get it double checked at the vet too before you vaccinate etc this time.

Good luck xx
 
MightyMax said:
When you think potentially how long bunnies could live, having four rabbits is a long term commitment. And with the best will in the world, a child may not sustain interest for all the rabbits' lifetimes - you will obviously be the main carer. You should have a say here!

Good luck with the breeder. Make sure he/she double and triple checks the sex, and get it double checked at the vet too before you vaccinate etc this time.

Good luck xx
Click to expand...



So, we did the deed yesterday and now have a 9 week old little girl bunny called Bella who is absolutely beautiful. My daughter was fine at the time but we did have a few further tears at bedtime because she thinks she loved the other bunny more. She's fine again today and has had lots of cuddles with Bella. I do feel bad for putting her through it, but I think it's the safer option in the long term. At least she keeps telling me she knows it's not my fault and it was the right thing to do for the bunnies. Cardboard bunny play castle arrives today - part distraction and part reward, I reckon we'll be fine in a couple of days.

Breeder checked and had someone else check but we'll be going to the vet to confirm!

Thanks for the advice and support.
 
Good luck with Bella, I hope she and your boy bun have a long and happy relationship together. I hope you keep popping into the forum, there's always loads of info and helpful people on here, if you should ever need it. Oh and I'm sure we'd all like to see pics of your bunnies :thumb: :lol:
 
BertieandBessy said:
So, we did the deed yesterday and now have a 9 week old little girl bunny called Bella who is absolutely beautiful. My daughter was fine at the time but we did have a few further tears at bedtime because she thinks she loved the other bunny more. She's fine again today and has had lots of cuddles with Bella. I do feel bad for putting her through it, but I think it's the safer option in the long term. At least she keeps telling me she knows it's not my fault and it was the right thing to do for the bunnies. Cardboard bunny play castle arrives today - part distraction and part reward, I reckon we'll be fine in a couple of days.

Breeder checked and had someone else check but we'll be going to the vet to confirm!

Thanks for the advice and support.
Click to expand...


I think you've done the right thing! You may be able to sleep easier knowing that bonding male/female is usually a strong bond. In the hundreds I've done I've not had a single one fail :)
 
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