Flemish Giant Spay

[Krissa]

Hi all, I don't post much but I do read the forum often.

Anyway, I finally convinced my hubby to let me get a friend for my Californian, Zander. We are picking up a female Flemish on Saturday. She is 11w old. Zander is neutered, around 2years old, and has a 12X8foot x-pen type cage. Right now he is stuck playing with cats for friends.

I wasn't going to try to bond them until I get my new girl fixed. I am new to giant rabbit breeds - would I have to wait longer than 4 months old to spay her? All of my other past rabbits have been dwarf breeds (dutch and mini lop). I know Flemish get big fast so I don't want to keep her in a small temporary cage any longer than I have to when she has a huge x-pen waiting for her.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Was told with the smaller breeds to wait til at least 4 months and with the larger, six months.

 

[MiniLopHop]

I know that everyone says to wait until both rabbits are fixed before you bond them. I will tell you what I did and you can do with it what you like

Becky is 4 and spayed, a widdow. She was sad so I got her a new husbunny. Gary is 6 months now and currently neutered, but he was not at first. I felt too bad for my sad little girl so I introduced them. They were licking eachother and sleeping in her territory by that evening (it happens to be my bedroom so I would have heard any fights in the night). She went with him a week later to get his snip as moral support. They are totally inseperable and too cute when they take turns grooming.

This is just my experience. Every bun is different.

 

[MiniLopHop]

oh, I have to add that he humped her a lot and sprayed her, but she was so happy to have another bun she tollerated it.

 

[Paddy Ohara]

I had my girl spayed at around 4 months. My vet said he prefered to alter large breed rabbits earlier than the smaller breeds. Make sure your vet is expereinced and comfortable. The incision had to be higher and longer than he usally does because everything was higher than the usual spay for smaller older rabbits. She did have a bad few days afterward and I was scared but once she started eating it didn't take long to get back on track to her lovely self.

I have not bonded her and may not. I have a cute little dwarfrabbit boyat the house but she wants to kill him. They have to have separte play time. He loves to tease her. She is more bonded to the dog and told him not to talk to the other rabbit, of course he listens and follows her directions even when she is no where around.

 

[Krissa]

Paddy Ohara wrote:

  She is more bonded to the dog and told him not to talk to the other rabbit, of course he listens and follows her directions even when she is no where around. 

I can just see a rabbit controlling a dog like that - so funny!

I'll ask the vet then when she is comfortable in spaying a larger rabbit. She did a very good job with my boy's neuter but spays always make me nervous. I like to go in with some foreknowledge though so I can gauge how much the other person knows. I won't trust my babies with just anyone.

I may let them meet after her quarantine is over just to see if I am lucky and its 'love at first sight.'

Oh, and we are going to call her Willow since my boy is named Zander. (From buffy the vampire slayer).

 

[Paddy Ohara]

Great names!

 

[OneTwoThree]

Rabbits should be spayed when they get hormonal, for smaller rabbits its around 5 months, and for larger breeds its closer to 9.