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Sukichan

Sukichan

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Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
:tears2: So my bunnies are about 6 months old now maybe 7, They are two unneutered males. I know I should have them fixed but its SO EXPENSIVE.... SO EXPENSIVE. Anyways, things have been fine, except for this new marking thing that they started like a few weeks ago, its a pain for me to clean up but I can deal with that. Then yesterday I saw d'arcy humping bailey and I was like uh... thats not good. Nothing happened, bailey ignored him and then jumped away. So I was relieved. I told my bf that I was worried they might start to fight because thats the first sign of dominance. So today im sitting here reading and I hear this strange noise and im like whats that? I figured its prolly something downstairs or something, but then all of a sudden theres crashing and stuff in the bunny cage, not like normal playing and I go over and they are fighting and ripping fur off each other. I quickly opened the door and d'arcy ran out and i caught him and put him in another cage.
(BTW SORRY THIS IS SO LONG)
Anyways, now im worried and I dont want to put them back together... and I dont want to have to separate them forever and i dont know if I can really afford to get them both neutered right now... I'm really not sure what to do... any advice?
 
Separate them forever or get them neutered. Those are actually you're only two choices, seeing as they will fight otherwise. Or get rid of one.

Neutering is NOT that expensive if you really cared for them. You also should have budgeted for it before you got rabbits.
 
Putting them together is a bad thing right now. It is possible for them to rebond but neutering would really help. You can also see how they do in a bigger space. Sometimes in a bigger space the bunnies have room to get away. You still run the risk of them fighting and seriously hurting each other.

One thing you could do is call around and see if you find somewhere cheaper. You can also put aside a little each week till you have the full amount. Do one than the other.


 
Separation is the only choice that you have now. Even if you got them neutered, they still might fight. But if you don't get them neutered they will have to stay separated. If you don't keep them separated, you could end up spending more in vet bills to treat wounds and infections than to get them fixed. You should probably give them each a real good looking at to make sure that they are OK.

Assuming that you get them fixed - after a couple of months - you can try to re-bond them, after the hormones get out of their system.

Sorry, but this is pretty common when rabbits reach sexual maturity.
 
I did budget for it but situations in life change unfortunately and I have a lot of expenses on my plate right now. And I'm sure anyone can understand that. I have called around and got some prices, it really varies. And I really dont want to separate them forever. They already look lonely being apart. My current goal is to seperate them for now, and work on trying to get them neutered.
Also I did give them a good look over to make sure there was no injuries. As far as I can tell they are both fine. There was just a lot of fur flying....
 
I agree with snap..
You shouldnt have 2 unneutered males in a cage-that is certainly asking for trouble..

You should have really thought about the cost of having rabbits..
Yeah and if you put them back in the same cage, that could a cost one of them or even both of them-their life.

Take them apart, get rid of one, or both-but keep them SEPERATE!
 
Trust me, don't put them back together, I have two males, a Dad and a son, and when they manage to get together they try and kill eachother like seriously. They look like a flying ball of fur and it's so hard to separate them in a way that you don't get bitten and that you don't hurt the buns. It's only happened once, but it was bad.

They really don't want to be together, so there is no need to do it. Plus, you run the risk of one of them getting an ear ripped off, a big chunk of flesh being bitten off, a nose being bitten off, an eye being permantely damaged, one being killed etc. Bucks will fight to the death if they are in a small space.
 
snap wrote:
Separate them forever or get them neutered. Those are actually you're only two choices, seeing as they will fight otherwise. Or get rid of one.
Click to expand...
Getting rid of one doesn't solve anything but create other issues.
Click to expand...
Neutering is NOT that expensive if you really cared for them. You also should have budgeted for it before you got rabbits.
Click to expand...

Neutering can be very expensive. We don't know the prices that they are being told. We have to keep in mind that things come up that we don't expect in life. I myself have had to hold off on a neuter or spay because things have happened that change the order that things needed to be done. Thank God I finally have all my bunnies done but took longer than expected.

We are no one to say they don't care. While neutering is a good thing it isn't a must atleast not as needed as a spay. That is a optional procedure. We are here to vogive advice andbe helpful. Telling someonethat if they cared they would do something is not a nice way of helping.
 
I agree

None of my buns are spayed/neuteured either. I just don't have the money right now, as long as Sukichan can keep them separate then she is doing great. Neuteuring/spaying can be quite expensive and I definitely can't see how it makes her a bad owner not to be able to have them done right now. Plus, she said she has them separate now. Sounds to me like she cares a lot ;)


Oh and just wanted to add, neuteuring might not solve the problem either. Two neuteured boys can be hard to bond too :)
 
irishbunny wrote:
Trust me, don't put them back together, I have two males, a Dad and a son, and when they manage to get together they try and kill eachother like seriously. They look like a flying ball of fur and it's so hard to separate them in a way that you don't get bitten and that you don't hurt the buns. It's only happened once, but it was bad.

They really don't want to be together, so there is no need to do it. Plus, you run the risk of one of them getting an ear ripped off, a big chunk of flesh being bitten off, a nose being bitten off, an eye being permantely damaged, one being killed etc. Bucks will fight to the death if they are in a small space.
Click to expand...

I agree with this post and others as well! :yeahthat:

I have a male and female and they have only fought once and that was outside in a playpen. I separated them until they were calm, then put them back together.

Since you have two males and they are unneutered, please do not put them back together. Maybe after you get them neutered you could let them have supervised playtime and see how they do together. If they go into the same cage and are showing that they are getting along then I would put them together.

By showing that they are getting along, I mean more than once. Maybe over a period of 2 weeks or months of getting along with no fighting.
 
JadeIcing: I agree with your post. There is one thing though: I found out reading online about rabbits and diseases and cancer. I found out that if a rabbit is neutered/spayed before the age of 2 years the owner can prevent most diseases and cancer in their rabbits.

It took me about a year to get Sweetie spayed, I am so glad I did. She is still the sweetest little bunny! I was going to get her and Prince fixed at the same time, had the money but things came up and I was only able to do one. Now both of my rabbits are fixed!
 
Sweetie wrote:
JadeIcing: I agree with your post. There is one thing though: I found out reading online about rabbits and diseases and cancer. I found out that if a rabbit is neutered/spayed before the age of 2 years the owner can prevent most diseases and cancer in their rabbits.
Click to expand...

Cancer in males is a LOT smaller risk. Which is why I said a neuter not a needed as a spay. I have also done my research. ;)My Ringo is not neutered because the chance is far smaller of him getting cancer than a female.


ETA: Ringo is not neutered because of his other health issues.
 
I have to say, I thought I had enough money for my rabbit but the first place wanted to charge me $300 for spay. I am sorry, nobody can afford that for a rabbit. There would be way more rabbits in the shelter if people HAD to pay that. Thankfully, I found a place that does it for $100.

But it is the only choices, even though nuetering may not solve the problem.

I hope you can keep them seperate and happy.
 
Hey everyone, thank you to all of you who understand my situation. I am still working towards a solution. I am really torn. I think they seem lonely without each other. Bailey was trying to get out of the cage after I took D'arcy away (he never tries to get out unless I have closed the door while I fill the food dish, and even its uncommon) Previously to this they really liked being together, they laid together and played together. I don't think they want to be apart, but I will keep them apart, at least until I figure out what to do. I don't want to separate them forever either. I will keep you updated on what happens! :) Thanks again for all the advice and support. I am doing my best here, I really love and care about my bunnies, and as I said, I've had some unexpected financial difficulties, and some places are charging up to 390$ plus tax and I have TWO bunnies... thats over 800$. I am going to continue making some calls to vets to try and find a reasonable quote. Over all I will do my best to do whatever is best for them.
 
Just to echo what others have said... definitely keep them separated for now and neuter them when you can afford it. You should be able to find a somewhat better price than $390 ... keep looking. Then try to rebond them once they are fixed, but don't expect them to immediately get along once they are fixed, it takes time and effort. You may have already done this, but read about bonding at http://www.rabbit.org/behavior. I also wanted to say don't listen to people putting you down for being unable to neuter them right away. Neutering males is more of a convenience for the owner than for any major health reason, unlike in females.
 
When you do rebond your male rabbits after their neuter, make sure to wait 2 months or so to make sure that their hormones are way down.

When I got Prince neutered, I waited 2 months before putting Sweetie(female) and Prince(male) back together. Now I am going to do the same thing now that Sweetie is fixed.
 
Keep on hunting for a better price, my friend.
I got my boys neutered for about $120 up here in North Bay (the boonies!!:D).
Considering that you're down there in Ottawa, there should be a lot more vet options. You may have to drive a little ways, but it would be worth it.

RO Vet Listings: Rabbit-Savvy Vets in Ontario

Remember, there is a possibility that you may not be able to bond these two boys, based on how their personalities will mesh in the future. Neutering is key to having success in a male-male bonding.

I would strongly encourage you to keep them completely separate until both are neutered and recovered... 6-8 weeks for hormones to die down completely.

If they seem to really want to be together, you can build an NIC cage that allows them to lay beside eachother, but still have wire between. I know they look sad, but unless you are right there on the floor with them from now on during all interactions, you can't possibly prevent a fight.

I had had a plan to bond two bucks. One was neutered at the time, and met the un-neutered buck. Terrible fight ensued (which was my fault for not supervising properly). There's been bad blood between my boys ever since... though both are now neutered, they can't stand being near eachother.

Go over each bun with a fine-toothed comb... you'd be surprised what you've missed re. gouges and bites. I sure was!
Clean with regular polysporin and betadine, and keep an eye out for pus. Don't bother with bandages... they'll get them off fairly quickly.
 
You sound like at great bunny guardian. :)

Good information in this thread. I had to separate my two Flemish when they both turned out to be boys (after being handed over to me as girls), found out when they had they first big fight.

Examine them well after the fight, too, cuts and bites are easier to spot once they scab over. Very hard to see under the fur right after the injury.

Unneutered boys don't have health issues like unspayed females, cancer isn't a problem. It does nip annoying male behavioural issues in the bud like spraying, mounting and fighting.

Definitely ask around re: pricing, including the SPCA, Humane Society, rescues, etc..


sas :bunnydance:
 
So just a little update. Today was sad, first when I opened D'arcy's temporary cage, he and Bailiey were reaching for each other, trying to be close. I felt bad but kept them separated. Today my fiance and I built them a new cage. Now its like two identical cages of the first cage, only attached together with a separation between them. It turned out really good, but it is heart wrenching at the same time because they keep trying to be together. They tried to find a way into each other's cage and they keep poking their noses through at each other.... it seems very desperate and non malicious and it makes me sad but I know they have to be apart for now until I can afford to neuter them. I have found some more reasonable prices fortunately, but I cannot proceed immediately. Hopefully soon. Do you think they can have supervised play time together in their pen? I hope so because I want them to be able to play together at least a little.
 
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