Help! We don't know what to do :'(

Hi all,

I hope you're doing well. I'm posted previously on here regarding our two boy bunnies, Bunny and Beanie. The saga continues and we are at our wits end at what to do. Bunny was successfully neutered however, Beanie did not respond well to the GA and was unable to proceed with the op. When we went back for Bunny to be assessed to ensure all was fine with recovery, they discovered an abscess. I discussed the situation with Beanie where the vet advised all would be fine for Beanie to be operated on. We booked for both bunnies for their ops, Bunny to have his abscess removed and Beanie to be neutered. (At this point, the boys are still completely separate, in completely different rooms)

Bunny successfully had his operation which the healing process was absolutely one of the most difficult things we encountered. However, the nurse spoke to us about Beanie and advised us of all the reasons why we should not put Beanie through this operation again due to the complications before and advised we would be FINE to put them together despite Beanie not being neutered. We pushed back on this and explained everything we've researched and in a nutshell she disagreed and advised we should only neuter Beanie if there is any aggressive behaviour between them both. She then went to say it's our decision but how she wouldn't do it, and how she wouldn't want to be the one to call us with bad news. This understandably made us feel uncomfortable and we decided not to go with the op.

Fast forward to 4 weeks later, Bunny is now healed from his op (abscess removal), Beanie is still not neutered and the boys are still living separately. Bunny is free roam of our downstairs hallway and living room, Beanie sadly is in a separate room (enough room to run around but definitely not ideal and not what we expect we'd be doing nearly 2 months later) we decided to try and put them together given our VETS recommendations and as expected Bunny fought with Beanie and it ended up in tears, literally. Safe to say we have not put them together since.

We are honestly so stressed and upset now about what to do, we've looked at taking Beanie to another vets, researched places to bond them should the neutering be successful and also decided we'd like to give them a Bunny home in our garden (convert our shed and purchase a custom made rabbit run (all completely safe and big enough)) as we no longer can cope with having them inside as they're destroying our home, but to do all of this will cost us a fortune, which we can't afford and at the moment we do not even know if they will get on. Bunny is now acting up massively, I think because he is likely bored and would like a companion.

We thought we'd look at rehoming Beanie but this is difficult in general as we love Beanie and do not want to part with him plus feel absolutely terrified about whom he may end up with (you hear horror stories!) but then even so, we'd still be in the predicament with Bunny, finding him a friend, setting up the garden etc.

I love Bunny and Beanie more than life it's self but I am so tired and so lost at what to do - any advise would be truly appreciated.

Thank you.

What a sad situation for your bunnies Did you try bonding them in a completely neutral space?

I think I would either have a discussion about neutering Beanie with the vet at your usual practice (definitely not a vet nurse) or I would take him to a rabbit savvy vet and ask for their opinion on neutering. It would also be useful to obtain operation notes from the attempted neuter of Beanie as to what happened and why it was considered wise not to proceed.

Personally I would not try to bond 2 bunnies if either wasn’t neutered. I would speak to a rabbit savvy vet about neutering if I was in your position. I think there is a temporary injection they can have instead but I don’t have any experience of it.

I lost a boy under anaesthetic during a routine neutering. It's still rare, and you were lucky with him this time. Did they give any indication as to what the problem was? Was he on IV fluids at the time?

Has your vet discussed chemical castration? It may be an option - worth asking about. Also ask for a referal to a rabbit specialist vet. They may offer some different options as they will have more experience in these things. Your vet could also ring them for advice.

I wouldn't even try to bond an entire buck with a neutered one, particularly young ones and at this time of year. Spring fever can make bonding more difficult at the best of times. Beanie may have to be kept as single bunny, and get another friend for Bunny. Solo rabbits should be kept as house rabbits so that they get the company and interaction they need. Entire rabbits may well spray and be more destructive. A good rescue may be able to help with rehoming, if needed.

Not much to add to the above unfortunately other than to say I agree bonding may be too difficult if one is not neutered.

You could consider approaching a bunny rescue who could try to match Beanie with a more appropriate bun potentially if he can't be neutered, and then they may be able to do the same for you and Bunny. I know it's difficult to consider giving one of them up but it may end up being best for them both if neutering isn't going to be an option.