I currently only have one young male rabbit (less than a year old). He was recently neutered and has a wonderful temperament, he's playful and very sweet. My friend just asked me if I would be able to take her rabbit since she is moving and won't be able to bring her along. Her rabbit is unspayed and pretty old, nearly 8 years. I know that it is best for both rabbits to be fixed for best results, but I really don't feel comfortable getting her spayed due to her age. I really don't want to see her go to the shelter, but I wouldn't want to put either through unnecessary stress. Is it worth trying to bond or should she go to a different home?
Bonding help!
- Thread starter mtowsley
- Start date
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I would maybe try an initial introduction(with pen bars inbetween them for safety), just to get a sense of their reactions to one another. Though be aware that this could affect your rabbits litter habits and may cause an uptick in marking behavior.
If there's outright aggression, that might not bode well for possible bonding, with her going to remain unspayed. How long since his neuter? It can take several weeks for hormones to fade( up to 6-8 weeks for him to become infertile), so if he's still hormonal, that can affect the interaction, making it not as accurate a representation of what he will be like when the hormones are completely gone.
I would suggest reading up on bonding and rabbit body language, and watch some of the videos so that you have an idea of the type of behavior that is positive and negative when it comes to possible bonding success and failure. There are definite aggressive warning signs, that if either rabbit is showing, I wouldn't be inclined to take the risk in trying to bond them.
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Understanding_your_rabbit
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html
http://cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information/bonding-bunnies/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bonding_rabbits_together
8 is older, but not completely impossible to spay with a very good vet doing it. My oldest was 7, and at risk of uterine cancer at the time. There would be some risk due to the age, but there can also be the risk of uterine cancer developing with an older doe. If you still opt for not spaying, it would probably be a good idea to at least have a health check done with your vet(if an experienced rabbit vet), just to make sure everything with her seems ok.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
If there's outright aggression, that might not bode well for possible bonding, with her going to remain unspayed. How long since his neuter? It can take several weeks for hormones to fade( up to 6-8 weeks for him to become infertile), so if he's still hormonal, that can affect the interaction, making it not as accurate a representation of what he will be like when the hormones are completely gone.
I would suggest reading up on bonding and rabbit body language, and watch some of the videos so that you have an idea of the type of behavior that is positive and negative when it comes to possible bonding success and failure. There are definite aggressive warning signs, that if either rabbit is showing, I wouldn't be inclined to take the risk in trying to bond them.
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Understanding_your_rabbit
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html
http://cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information/bonding-bunnies/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bonding_rabbits_together
8 is older, but not completely impossible to spay with a very good vet doing it. My oldest was 7, and at risk of uterine cancer at the time. There would be some risk due to the age, but there can also be the risk of uterine cancer developing with an older doe. If you still opt for not spaying, it would probably be a good idea to at least have a health check done with your vet(if an experienced rabbit vet), just to make sure everything with her seems ok.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
