A different approach to bonding

I have two rabbits I intend to bond , one is a neutered male , the female is not done , 1st question does anyone have a happy outcome with this scenario, or is it better to have the girl done too.
They live in a large floor run that I split down the middle and have been next to each other for several months now, just wondering if instead of finding neutral ground etc etc, if i was to swap them over to adopt the other scent, might that work possibly even better?

Th doe is currently having a phantom pregnancy, I presume this would NOT be a good time to try to bond them?

Phantom pregnancies can be very stressful. Is there a health reason she is not spayed?

You will need to get the doe spayed in my opinion. She will be healthier as it reduces the immediate risk of ovarian cancer. It’ll also balance the relationship and it will make bonding easier as her hormones will reduce following the spay. I would ask your vet for how best to proceed with this as she is presently experiencing the phantom pregnancy and you don’t want to make things worse for her right now.
Hope this helps but I’m sure the more experienced ru friends will also add their advice for you.
Good luck and if you can, keep the thread updated.
Craig x

its certainly recommended to have both rabbits fixed before attempting bonding. hormones of the unfixed rabbit can make bonding difficult, as they are often more aggressive & territorial.

not to mention there's a lot of health benefits too - phantom pregnancies as mentioned above are quite stressful and hard on the rabbit to go through. not only that, but its suggested that by 3, 50% of does may present with urine cancer. by 6, that number becomes 80%. this could cut a rabbits lifespan in half, which is another reason to spay her!! :]

ofc when uterine cancer presents you can remove the uterus .. but cancer can easily spread, and the rabbit may not make it if they're already sick due to the cancer being detected late.

some rabbits are unable to be fixed due to health concerns - but for the large majority there is no downside!

I would also add that phantom pregnancy can be quite hard on the boys too.

Rodney used to find Primrose's phantom pregnancy every spring even though she was spayed really upsetting and would be absolutely desperate to stay away from her until it was over.

He just didnt understand why she was so frantic about it and often why he wasn't allowed in the nest area.

If she can't be spayed for medical reasons, during any phantom pregnancy she should be disturbed as little as possible until she hasn't shown any interest in the nest for a day or so.

Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk

Personally I don't see any sense in swapping them over as they can smell one another where they are. She sounds too hormonal to have a successful bond with your boy while she is unneutered. How old is she? I wonder why you have left the bonding for so long?

I was put off neutering for a while after the first Guinea pig I ever had done died 5 hrs later with a rupture stomache and intestine, not the 'usual' complications and tbh, I dont trust the vets locally, as I have had some years of chaos and bad treatment with them. This girl had a litter several months ago, which is why I hadnt even thought about neutering , however as the buck seemed to havegot thro his op beautifully , I will more than likely go ahead and get the girly fixed she is a monster for digging and throwing her bed and hay etc around and suffers from sore eyes which I thin is due to the dust she gets in them, will need to get them sorted asap and get her booked in.

Once a Rabbit has had a litter they want another one so she really needs spaying and she will be much happier. Sorry you lost a Guinea Pig but I have had many female Rabbits spayed with no losses.

Yes, Your female definitely needs spaying prior to bonding - and also for her health and overall well-being. Just find a rabbit savvy vet & I'm sure you’ll have no issues whatsoever. It’s a very common op nowadays and there are rarely any complications.

Floppylop said:

I was put off neutering for a while after the first Guinea pig I ever had done died 5 hrs later with a rupture stomache and intestine, not the 'usual' complications and tbh, I dont trust the vets locally, as I have had some years of chaos and bad treatment with them. This girl had a litter several months ago, which is why I hadnt even thought about neutering , however as the buck seemed to havegot thro his op beautifully , I will more than likely go ahead and get the girly fixed she is a monster for digging and throwing her bed and hay etc around and suffers from sore eyes which I thin is due to the dust she gets in them, will need to get them sorted asap and get her booked in.

Click to expand...

Do you use wood shavings as this is not recommended. The RWA have a list of Rabbit savvy vets. There may be one in your area.

Floppylop said:

I was put off neutering for a while after the first Guinea pig I ever had done died 5 hrs later with a rupture stomache and intestine, not the 'usual' complications and tbh, I dont trust the vets locally, as I have had some years of chaos and bad treatment with them. This girl had a litter several months ago, which is why I hadnt even thought about neutering , however as the buck seemed to havegot thro his op beautifully , I will more than likely go ahead and get the girly fixed she is a monster for digging and throwing her bed and hay etc around and suffers from sore eyes which I thin is due to the dust she gets in them, will need to get them sorted asap and get her booked in.

Click to expand...

I am also in Lancashire and highly recommend my vet Sheryl from Oakmount Vets but they are in Burnley - would you travel?