stinkybunnies
Member
I have two holland lops, a buck and doe. I bought the buck first and a few weeks later, got the doe to keep him company. Obviously, aftera few monthsthey started to mature and get hormonal so separated them and had the buck neutered. I still have them apart to make sure that 1) the doe isn't pregnant, and 2) the buck won't be able to get her pregnant until all his hormones are completely gone (it has been about 4 weeks since his surgery and since they were seperated.) If I still don't have babies in a week or two from the doe, will get her spayed then.
They seem reasonably happy alone right now and I am feeling overwhelmed with pets and kids. I feel like I don't get them out much and although they have large cages and get fresh greens 2x a day, etc., that they aren't getting enough attention. When I have time, I pull out the doe because she'll sit on my lap while I check email etc., or while I sit in my bed watching TV. The buck loves attention but doesn't like to be held as much so he usually gets less attention simply because of my lack of time and because he needs to run around and won't sit with me. I can't let him out when I'm not around because I have indoor cats and an indoor puppy and wouldn't want him to get hurt.
Question is, would they be happy separated permanently if I found a good home for the buck and kept just the doe? I guess I didn't realize HOW much care bunnies need, especially when you have two cages to maintain. They stink so quickly they need to be cleaned out daily, and then of course the fresh food twice a day and the handling and care. Should I just wait a few more weeks until the doe is spayed and try rebonding them and go from there? I know that if they rebond I won't be able to home them seperately which will make it harder to find a good home for both. Any tips to make it easier to maintain both of them? The buck is not as hard to care forsince he's fully litterbox trained, but the doe still poops everywhere and only pees and puts some of her fecals in the litterbox. I don't have bedding in the cages, so that she will want to use the litterbox, but I think maybe her not being fixed is causing her to poop all over the cage nonetheless.
Anyway, just wanted some advice. My husband has been suggesting I find them a new home together because he thinks they'll be lonely apart. He also thinks they don't get enough attention and since they are so people-friendly, I think they really need it.
So my options, 1)keep both, rebond after female is spayed and hope that with one cage the work will be less (and that the doe will start using her litterbox all the time.)
2 ) find a home for just the buck, spay the female and hope she is more reliable with the litterbox.
3) rebond after spay, and then find a home for them where they can stay together.
Please don't make me feel bad about this. I give them great care, and wouldn't place him (them) anywhere but a great home if I decided to rehome. This isn't some emergency situation where I need to find a solution immediately, just something I've been thinking about lately.
Thanks!
Jill
They seem reasonably happy alone right now and I am feeling overwhelmed with pets and kids. I feel like I don't get them out much and although they have large cages and get fresh greens 2x a day, etc., that they aren't getting enough attention. When I have time, I pull out the doe because she'll sit on my lap while I check email etc., or while I sit in my bed watching TV. The buck loves attention but doesn't like to be held as much so he usually gets less attention simply because of my lack of time and because he needs to run around and won't sit with me. I can't let him out when I'm not around because I have indoor cats and an indoor puppy and wouldn't want him to get hurt.
Question is, would they be happy separated permanently if I found a good home for the buck and kept just the doe? I guess I didn't realize HOW much care bunnies need, especially when you have two cages to maintain. They stink so quickly they need to be cleaned out daily, and then of course the fresh food twice a day and the handling and care. Should I just wait a few more weeks until the doe is spayed and try rebonding them and go from there? I know that if they rebond I won't be able to home them seperately which will make it harder to find a good home for both. Any tips to make it easier to maintain both of them? The buck is not as hard to care forsince he's fully litterbox trained, but the doe still poops everywhere and only pees and puts some of her fecals in the litterbox. I don't have bedding in the cages, so that she will want to use the litterbox, but I think maybe her not being fixed is causing her to poop all over the cage nonetheless.
Anyway, just wanted some advice. My husband has been suggesting I find them a new home together because he thinks they'll be lonely apart. He also thinks they don't get enough attention and since they are so people-friendly, I think they really need it.
So my options, 1)keep both, rebond after female is spayed and hope that with one cage the work will be less (and that the doe will start using her litterbox all the time.)
2 ) find a home for just the buck, spay the female and hope she is more reliable with the litterbox.
3) rebond after spay, and then find a home for them where they can stay together.
Please don't make me feel bad about this. I give them great care, and wouldn't place him (them) anywhere but a great home if I decided to rehome. This isn't some emergency situation where I need to find a solution immediately, just something I've been thinking about lately.
Thanks!
Jill