HELP 2 unspayed female rabbits, one 4 m, one 6 yr

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emilybispo

emilybispo

EmilysBunnies
Joined
Mar 1, 2015
Messages
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Location
california
I got my baby paisley a little over a week ago, and have had my snowy for 5 years. I introduced them a day after i brought paisley home in a neutral area and only humping a nipping came from snowy which was expected. Since it went so well that weekend i thought to bring it into my room and this is where it all went downhill. A couple of days go by and the same thing was happening just a little more frequently snowy would be fine then all of sudden go after paisley and mount her constantly which i found very annoying so i used a spray bottle, it helped somewhat but last night paisley started doing the same thing snowy does, making the humming noise and mounting, they end up circling so i have to separate. I'm just so bummed because it worked so well at first. I do plan on getting paisley spayed but snowy is far to old to go under the knife. i need some advice please!:cry1:
 
You'll probably have to take it a bit slower and back it up a few steps. Getting Paisley spayed is certainly one of the most important steps, you can bond intact females, but not always. I would keep them separate but within sight/sound/smell of each other until you can get Paisley spayed, then after 2 weeks (giving her time to recover and some hormones to fade - can take 1 month) then I would re-introduce them in the neutral area. It it goes well, I would repeat it multiple times, extending each session. Once you've had long sessions in that neutral area going well, then I'd move onto the non-neutral space.
 
Azerane said:
You'll probably have to take it a bit slower and back it up a few steps. Getting Paisley spayed is certainly one of the most important steps, you can bond intact females, but not always. I would keep them separate but within sight/sound/smell of each other until you can get Paisley spayed, then after 2 weeks (giving her time to recover and some hormones to fade - can take 1 month) then I would re-introduce them in the neutral area. It it goes well, I would repeat it multiple times, extending each session. Once you've had long sessions in that neutral area going well, then I'd move onto the non-neutral space.
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thank you so much, so you think snowy will stop mounting as well? she's mostly the problem but she's far to old to spay:pray:
 
It's hard to say for sure. When Paisley's hormones leave her system, Snowy might be less inclined to hump because there will be less competition, but she might still do it. If it's frequent you could have troubles. However if she only goes after Paisley once a week and Paisley tolerates it well, you could be ok. You'll just have to wait and see. 6 years isn't too old for a spay, if you wanted to look into getting Snowy done, you could ask the vet to do a blood test to check her vitals etc. But it is up to you, I know there are others on here who have gotten does spayed around that age.
 
realize that
1. Snowy will still have all her hormones and now she has a rabbit she can boss around (cause it's younger than her), and now she has a rabbit to interact with and hormones or not she knows this place is HER place and the rabbit may or may not be welcome now that she knows it's here to stay.
2. humping is not all about hormones.
3. behaviour is not all about hormones.
4. you may be able to get them to coexist side by side in separate cages
5. you may be able to get them to bond.
6. you may never be able to get them to bond.
 
ladysown said:
realize that
1. Snowy will still have all her hormones and now she has a rabbit she can boss around (cause it's younger than her), and now she has a rabbit to interact with and hormones or not she knows this place is HER place and the rabbit may or may not be welcome now that she knows it's here to stay.
2. humping is not all about hormones.
3. behaviour is not all about hormones.
4. you may be able to get them to coexist side by side in separate cages
5. you may be able to get them to bond.
6. you may never be able to get them to bond.
Click to expand...

snowy is very docile she only nips and humps when she is in a bad mood. sorry but this post didn't help!
 
Azerane said:
It's hard to say for sure. When Paisley's hormones leave her system, Snowy might be less inclined to hump because there will be less competition, but she might still do it. If it's frequent you could have troubles. However if she only goes after Paisley once a week and Paisley tolerates it well, you could be ok. You'll just have to wait and see. 6 years isn't too old for a spay, if you wanted to look into getting Snowy done, you could ask the vet to do a blood test to check her vitals etc. But it is up to you, I know there are others on here who have gotten does spayed around that age.
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i just wouldn't want to loose snowy, she's like a first born child to me... what would you do?
 
emilybispo said:
snowy is very docile she only nips and humps when she is in a bad mood. sorry but this post didn't help!
Click to expand...

Actually that post was a helpful post and it was a bit rude of you to say it didn't. I would highly suggest you listen to advice from people who have years of experience around rabbits especially those who do it professionally.
You have only had this new rabbit for a week. What Snowy is doing isn't her in a "Bad mood" that is likely what she will continue to do to this new rabbit.
You stated
" I introduced them a day after i brought paisley home in a neutral area and only humping a nipping came from snowy which was expected."
Click to expand...
and then
I'm just so bummed because it worked so well at first.
Click to expand...
So no the first into didn't go well!
You have to be prepared that they wont ever get along and that you have a potential moody hormonal rabbit that now has another rabbit to unleash their everything on, this new rabbit is in snowy territory and she isn't going to put up with that.
 
Humping is not just hormonal behavior, it is also a dominance behavior. Though spaying will most often decrease humping behavior, it doesn't get rid of it completely because this is how rabbits establish who is in charge. You need to allow a certain amount of humping to occur for rabbits to be able to establish their hierarchy. If it gets to be excessive, such as going on for more than 15 seconds, then you can gently stop the rabbit from humping. Spraying them with water really isn't the best thing to be doing. Just gently slide the bunny off with your hand or pick the bunny up and set to the side. You will likely need to do this many times, as humping can continue until they sort things out between each other. Circling behavior you don't want to continue as it often will lead to fights, so you want to stop it right away. Using gloved hands as you could very well get bitten intervening.

You also should move back the bonding process to the neutral area where you started it. Changing bonding areas can set you back in their progress, as can increasing area size too soon. Also if Snowy has been in your room, she may consider it 'her' territory, and this can further lead to territorial behavior and more aggression.

In a few rare cases, unspayed rabbits may get along and bond alright. But more often the hormones will lead to fighting. Best thing would be to get both does spayed. 6 yr.s isn't too old to spay a rabbit. Being older does make it a bit riskier, but as long as you have a blood test done to ensure good organ function, and have it done by a really good rabbit vet, most likely it will be just fine. Also as a rabbit gets older, they are more at risk of developing uterine cancer, so spaying for that reason is also a good idea. Spaying won't eliminate humping or aggression, but it can help calm it down so it's not as excessive.

If you don't want to get your older doe spayed, you may need to just wait on the bonding process until your younger doe is spayed, then wait 2-4 weeks post spay before trying again. But just be aware that trying with even one unspayed doe does somewhat reduce your chances of success and increase the risk of fighting.

It's also a good idea to read up on bonding techniques so you know what behaviors to expect and how to deal with them appropriately.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-rabbit-crossing/my-guide-to-how-i-bond-rabbits/463430373700695
http://www.wheekwheekthump.com/2013...rs-guide-rabbit-bonding-everything-need-know/
http://cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information/bonding-bunnies/
http://flashsplace.webs.com/bondingbunnies.htm
 
Watermelons said:
Actually that post was a helpful post and it was a bit rude of you to say it didn't. I would highly suggest you listen to advice from people who have years of experience around rabbits especially those who do it professionally.
You have only had this new rabbit for a week. What Snowy is doing isn't her in a "Bad mood" that is likely what she will continue to do to this new rabbit.
You stated

and then

So no the first into didn't go well!
You have to be prepared that they wont ever get along and that you have a potential moody hormonal rabbit that now has another rabbit to unleash their everything on, this new rabbit is in snowy territory and she isn't going to put up with that.
Click to expand...

Well you see i thought she came off rude but maybe that is just me.. sorry.

And actually I'm very experienced with rabbits but just not experience with this situation... just looking for some advice on what to do thats all
 
JBun said:
Humping is not just hormonal behavior, it is also a dominance behavior. Though spaying will most often decrease humping behavior, it doesn't get rid of it completely because this is how rabbits establish who is in charge. You need to allow a certain amount of humping to occur for rabbits to be able to establish their hierarchy. If it gets to be excessive, such as going on for more than 15 seconds, then you can gently stop the rabbit from humping. Spraying them with water really isn't the best thing to be doing. Just gently slide the bunny off with your hand or pick the bunny up and set to the side. You will likely need to do this many times, as humping can continue until they sort things out between each other. Circling behavior you don't want to continue as it often will lead to fights, so you want to stop it right away. Using gloved hands as you could very well get bitten intervening.

You also should move back the bonding process to the neutral area where you started it. Changing bonding areas can set you back in their progress, as can increasing area size too soon. Also if Snowy has been in your room, she may consider it 'her' territory, and this can further lead to territorial behavior and more aggression.

In a few rare cases, unspayed rabbits may get along and bond alright. But more often the hormones will lead to fighting. Best thing would be to get both does spayed. 6 yr.s isn't too old to spay a rabbit. Being older does make it a bit riskier, but as long as you have a blood test done to ensure good organ function, and have it done by a really good rabbit vet, most likely it will be just fine. Also as a rabbit gets older, they are more at risk of developing uterine cancer, so spaying for that reason is also a good idea. Spaying won't eliminate humping or aggression, but it can help calm it down so it's not as excessive.

If you don't want to get your older doe spayed, you may need to just wait on the bonding process until your younger doe is spayed, then wait 2-4 weeks post spay before trying again. But just be aware that trying with even one unspayed doe does somewhat reduce your chances of success and increase the risk of fighting.

It's also a good idea to read up on bonding techniques so you know what behaviors to expect and how to deal with them appropriately.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-rabbit-crossing/my-guide-to-how-i-bond-rabbits/463430373700695
http://www.wheekwheekthump.com/2013...rs-guide-rabbit-bonding-everything-need-know/
http://cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information/bonding-bunnies/
http://flashsplace.webs.com/bondingbunnies.htm
Click to expand...

thank you so much this really did help, snowy is just so persistent on humping paisley and it would just be so much more easier on me if they got along.. i will think about spaying snowy because last time i went to the vet she said she was in good condition but is too old to be spayed I'm thinking of getting a second opinion from a small animal vet who will be doing paisleys spay.
 
If your vet is saying she is too old to be spayed, I would be looking for a better more experienced rabbit vet. A good rabbit vet should be advising you of the risks of uterine cancer for a rabbit that age, not discouraging spaying.

You want to look at exotics vets. They will have the most experience with rabbits. If you want to post your city, I can try to find some recommendations for you. You can also check these lists.
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=21
 
JBun said:
If your vet is saying she is too old to be spayed, I would be looking for a better more experienced rabbit vet. A good rabbit vet should be advising you of the risks of uterine cancer for a rabbit that age, not discouraging spaying.

You want to look at exotics vets. They will have the most experience with rabbits. If you want to post your city, I can try to find some recommendations for you. You can also check these lists.
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=21
Click to expand...

Bakersfield, California
 
I got my 5 year old rabbit spayed about 3 months ago , it took me about 3 years to find a vet that I felt confident in doing the surgery and finally chose one an hour away that has the lowest mortality rate , only sees exotic pets and they kept get over night after the surgery , gave IV fluids and food it all went very well
 
RUDE? Okay.. Thanks. Nice to know my intent was so badly mistaken. I wasn't being rude, I was being straight-forward and point form. But your perception being what it was... It is hard to perceive intent in an on-line forum.

I am generally not expansive in my responses.

Experienced rabbit people know the best bonds are male-female. Both (or at least one) neutered if babies are unwanted.

Current situation.
You have two unneutered female rabbits hoping to bond them.
You have one rabbit who is being nippy with a younger rabbit. It MIGHT settle to that OR it MIGHT escalate. You need to be prepared for that and do some research on bonding.

Snowy "nips" when in a bad mood. hmm.. you moved a rabbit into her territory. I would say this qualifies as bad mood time. Very few rabbits will tolerate that really well without doing nipping, humping (For dominance), and other behaviours.

As each rabbit is unique we can't tell you if that will escalate.

We can advise you to proceed with caution. And that is what we all did. :)

Cheerio. :)
 
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