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My new doe is very nervous

joemorris86

Young Bun
Hello. About 5 months ago me and my girlfriend got ourselves a mini lop buck (Loki). He's a happy little guy who has settled in well.

2 weeks ago we picked up a mini lop doe (Poppy) so he can have some company while we are at work. They are currently on different floors of the house and haven't seen each other yet.

Poppy is very very nervous. We have been trying to spend as much time in the smaller room she is in, just letting her get used to us. We aren't really trying to stroke her or pick her up as she is so nervous I thought that may just make it worse.

So I guess my question is, do I just keep doing what I'm doing? Just sitting and talking with her and hope she eventually gains a little confidence.

She hasn't been spayed yet as I thought trying to bring her to the vet while she is still so unsure of us could be a little traumatic and I wanted her to really settle in first. Would there be any problem letting Loki up to her room while she is in her hutch so start getting used to each other? Or should I wait until she has been spayed before introductions?

Thanks for any tips :)
 
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Hello there. I am assuming your Buck is neutered? It might help your Doe to become more confident if she has company and she can be spayed at a later date, but if you keep her in the cage while Loki is free this could result in some aggression through the bars. I would perhaps try them together as I said this may help her confidence. Otherwise you are doing the right thing by just spending time with her and not forcing her to interact with you.
 
Before Rice died, Curry was very nervous but Rice gave her the encouragement to come and play and say hi because Rice was a very confident bunny, I agree with JoeMorris86, bonding them together might allow her to feel less nervous.
 
Thank you both. I will do a little research tonight into bonding.

You are correct Tonibun, Loki is neutered.
So you don't think it will be a problem introducing them to each other while she is un-spayed?
 
I would get her spayed first. Leave the introductions until she has recovered from the op. and her hormones have had time to reduce (ie a few weeks at least), then introduce them on neutral ground (where neither have been).

Meanwhile, continue to spend time with her. Maybe have food in your hand so she gets treats from you, but there is no stress on her to have more contact than she is comfortable with. Rabbits are usually quite curious and many are food orientated. Both also need to be vaccinated for myxo / RHD1 and RHD1&2, so she should need a visit to the vet and they will be able to advise on neutering.
 
Poppy will need to be around 6 months old before she can be spayed. Some Vets will do it earlier but I have always waited until a Doe is at least 5.5 months old. The RHD1 vaccine is usually combined with the Myxi vaccine so she should be covered unless there is just a RHD1 vaccine on its own but I don't think so. I have kept unneutered Does with Bucks quite happily.
 
Poppy will need to be around 6 months old before she can be spayed. Some Vets will do it earlier but I have always waited until a Doe is at least 5.5 months old. The RHD1 vaccine is usually combined with the Myxi vaccine so she should be covered unless there is just a RHD1 vaccine on its own but I don't think so. I have kept unneutered Does with Bucks quite happily.

Have you sorted this vaccine issue out as it's very important? The RHD1 is combined with the Myxo normally then the RHD2 is separate. Please try to ascertain if she has had the Myxo as you don't want to over-vaccinate her do you.
 
This doesn't make sense to me. So it's possible to be vaccinated against RHD1 and 2 but not Myxo?

Yes.

This is one of the issues with Filivac, that it covers RHD1 and RHD2. So if your rabbit has both Nobivac and Filivac, it actually gets covered for RHD1 twice. This is more of an issue if your vet considers that you live in a high risk area for RHD2 and so recommends that you have Filivac every 6 months.
 
Sorry for such a late reply to this. We contacted the breeder and found out the exact brands and injections Poppy was given and got it sorted with the vet. Thank you for all the help.
 
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