'fixed'/'unfixed' bonded pairs

[Flashy]

Ok, I'm looking WAY in advance here.

Currently we have seven babies (as some of you will know) that will eventually need splitting up from mum.

Now I have a rabbit savvy vet (courtesy of the list on here, thank you kindly) I am going to be getting various rabbits spayed/neutered.

I currently have several single rabbits, and I was just wondering whether anyone out there had any bonded pairs where on bun was fixed and one wasn't (for whatever reason), and how the pairs worked.

I know all the things about unspayed females are territorial, unneutered males could annoy the females with humping, etc, and the rest that comes with unfixed bunnies, but I just wondered if anyone had any pairs that had worked like this?

Thanks in advance for any replies

 

[polly]

I do, Saffy is fixed and Dennis isn't when he gets out he chases her for a few laps round the living room then gets bored and lies down and she grooms him to death he loves it lol, i don't keep them in the same cage but they are in the indoor ferplast cages right beside each other and spend a lot of time talking and kissing, i just keep them apart for her sanity really plus we still breed with him sometimes. He has a toy duck that he tends to take his frustration out on lol but they go into each others hutches. they get on really well

 

[tamsin]

Spaying females isn't essential to pairing them up (though it does help) but I wouldn't put an unneutered male in with a neutered female.

Tam

 

[Agustina]

I have 3 bonded rabbits living in the same cage: a neueterd boy and 2 unfixed girls.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

polly wrote:

he chases her for a few laps round the living room then gets bored and lies down and she grooms him to death he loves it lol,

That is the same thing we experienced when Bunny (unfixed) spent time with Pebbles (fixed). However Bunny would start spraying (pee?) when he chased Pebbles, so we had to put them outside when they are together. Once the excitement is over, Pebbles would start grooming him.

Is this what other people notice when they have a unfixed Buck with a fixed Doe?

Would fixed Bucks still spray when a doe is nearby? Just trying to find out if I want to get a buck for Pebbles, and not get pee all over the walls.

Rainbows!

 

[pamnock]

My brother had a bonded pair of intact bucks.

Intact bucks are far more likely to bond if there is no competition for a female. This is common in many species of animals.

However, in many cases, an Alpha animal will bully their subordinates.

Pam

 

[Bunnicula]

Before we had a rabbit-savvy vet, our "cat vet" took care of our bunnies...and because of inexperience she did not care to spay females. So we had an in-tact female bonded to a neutered male. They were a match made in heaven. But I think it worked out much more because their personalities blended so well rather than whether or not they were altered.

Gingivere is a confident, bold, dominant bunny. Stewart was one of the most gentle, docile, submissive animals I have ever known. He was never a threat to her bossiness and loved that she doted on him. She got to be queen, and he got all the baths and attention he could stand.

Obviously, you don't want to put to in-tact bunnies of the opposite sex together. But, other than that, I think bonding success is based more on compatibility than anything else...much like humans!

Wishing you success in finding the right "mates" for each bun!

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I tried to bond an unspayed doe to a neutered buck but was unsuccessful. The buck was fine, but the doe was constantly mouting the buck and he did not like that and would chase her and bite her which would turn into scuffles. It didn't get better with time, it only got worse so I caved and spayed the doe and she hasn't been a problem since.