Change in original bunny after bringing home new bunny

Just under 2 weeks ago I brought home a female bunny to bond with my current bunny Finn. My original bun is neutered however the female is in a separate crate (with cardboard around the bottom) awaiting a spay before the process begins.

Both appeared to be very interested in one another.

However Since bringing home Myrtle, Finn has changed gradually over the passed week. He either doesn't want to come out of his cage or when he does he will sit in the far corner all night and just groom himself. Whereas before Myrtle he would lay in the middle of the lounge and venture around. Now he runs away from me, and when I lay near him to stroke him he nudges me away. He is eating and pooping ok and doesn't appear to be in any pain. He was at the vet a week ago for his Myxi and VHD1 Vacs but that's about it. He does have a small peg tooth re growing (his had his incisors removed in Dec), but I don't think it's that as he is eating well.

Finn at one point was very interested in Myrtle, now he appears to have retreated back. However, Myrtle is very interested in seeing him!

Is a change in your original rabbit normal? If so is this temporary? Can he scent that Myrtle is un spayed, would that be the issue? I just ask as its bugging me a little. Myrtle is still very shy of me as to be expected so i feel like the big bad wolf. Almost like there is tension between the 3 of us.

This was Finn at the begining

It could be the vacs he got. If they make buns feel unwell at all, then it could take a bit more time for him to forget the effects of what happened before he feels happy again.

It could also be the new bun. She's invaded his territory, and if he is more submissive and this new rabbit more dominant, maybe he's feeling like he has to stay out of her way. Best way to get past this is finish the bonding so that he can settle in with his new friend and feel more comfortable with her.

If you are waiting for her spay to bond, it's not usually recommended here in the US to bond before spaying(though doesn't seem to be as big an issue in the UK) and really up to you, but just me I have bonded neutered males with unspayed females before I was able to get the spay done. It can be a risk as she'll still have hormones that could cause issues, but to me bonding at all has it's risks. I would just say that if you try it, make sure you thoroughly understand bonding, keep a close eye to make sure no aggression or fighting occurs, and once bonded make sure she doesn't bother him too much with excess humping. I know plenty of people discourage prespay bonding, but it's never been an issue for me and the rabbits have always got on fine. But you definitely should go into it knowing it can be a risk.

If you are going to wait til she's spayed before bonding, the only other thing I can think of would be to have her in a completely different room so he doesn't have contact until you are ready to do the bonding. This way he can feel that he has his territory back and doesn't have to give it up to her.

JBun said:

If you are going to wait til she's spayed before bonding, the only other thing I can think of would be to have her in a completely different room so he doesn't have contact until you are ready to do the bonding. This way he can feel that he has his territory back and doesn't have to give it up to her.

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Definitely agree! Territory issues can make or break a bond.

Also, be sure to have some place set aside that is neutral (neither bun has been before) for when it comes time to bond.

I think your bunny went through quite a lot in a small amount of time. Even if everything will be good for him in the end, I don't think him acting weird with a new bunny (especially an intact one!) in the house and after two unpleasant experiences at the vet is abnormal. Some bunnies are more sensitive than others to new things and 'bad experiences' (some of the bunnies I've had could take a while to get over a vet visit and I've noticed some visits will leave more of an impact even if I don't know why... my bunnies both took a while to recover from their last vaccines even though it was the 8th time for Aki and the 4th for Tybalt). Also, if your female was too young to be spayed when you got her, she might be more hormonal now than when she first came in and your rabbit might be agitated by this. With rabbits who are not bonded and not both neutered / spayed it's not unusual for the bunnies to feel threatened and to feel like the other is out to get their territory. I'm pretty sure that your rabbit will calm down and go back to normal after the new bunny is spayed and bonded to him.

Thank you for your replies

Myrtle (my new bunny) is 8 months. However she had just had a litter that where 8 weeks when I collected her. So I have to wait for her milk to dry up before spaying (which should be now). She isn't hormonal surprising for an unspayed bunny. I think the breeder that had her originally said that she was reluctant to breed.

It could be his vaccinations. Its hard to tell as Myrle arrived the same day he had his Vacs. But he is defiantly not as active as Myrtle yet he is younger. He doesn't seem stressed, more that he doesn't care. They don't mind seeing one another and while she is binkying or trying to reach him he will just be grooming himself. So its more avoidance from his side.

I don't have another room to put her due to the size of her crate, so i have been using cardboard around the bottom of her crate. However when I am at work and Finn isn't out I take the front panel off so she can see her environment. So they can see one another from the other side of the room all day. Again, it doesn't appear to bother them. However I was going to use a bonding servise once she had been spayed.

Finns VH2 Vacs is due this Saturday. Do you think i should hold off on that until a later date and instead take Myrtle in to see if she is ok for a spay instead? Might be best to get those wheels turning.

He seems to have perked up a little bit. So it could have been the vaccination. But we shall see. I think i may delay the next lot until the end of the month since it took him over a week to settle from the last 2.

No advice, but Finn is adorable!