Input on adopting a young F rabbit with my Adult neutered male?

[Bunster.love]

I am interested what others think of my scenario. I have pretty much always recommended keeping ages very close, but for ME it hasn't worked well. I have fostered Dozens of rabbits -Most of the mature rabbits we get, we get in pairs (or else we get litters surrendered.) so we have LOTS of young buns needing homes. So My Magoo (4 yr old neutered male) doesn't take well to other rabbits, and definitely not males,. I have been doing preliminary dates with mature 3yr+ females to see who might be a possible candidate he might accept, but they are both "in their ways already", they are already street smart about the Dood! I haven't had much luck with the 3yr + rabbits and him. I did take a 4 yr old female recently that seemed he seemed to show promise getting along with. I took and had her Spayed, and she ended up having cancer that had already spread. She is in fine health now, but they didn't give her long. I actually am keeping her to provide a warm & loving home for the remainder of the short time she has left, but I am not going to proceed with bonding her of course. Another female I had that showed promise - again around 3 yrs old, died suddenly, no stasis, no odd behavior or observable issues.... I am beginning to think my Goo has a 6th sense. Anyhow, I would like to try a young rabbit (something I avoided for a long time...but I have seen more bonds working starting with young buns) but I think he would accept a younger rabbit easier and hopefully build a relationship living next to each other - without her being quite so territorial being younger, and hopefully she will familiarize with him & after she is fixed she may be more accepting? And statistics will be on my side for her health. I arleady provide homes for LOT of rabbits that needs socializing and have other issues - and they become great pets, but none that my Goo has accepted. I know rabbits can change once the hormones kick in, but I am hoping starting young with them next to Goo, they will both be more accepting.

 

[Blue eyes]

Rabbits don't need to be close to the same age in order to bond. The reason people may try to keep to the same age is simply to try to prevent the scenario of having an older one die many years before the younger and then having to find a bondmate again for the younger.

What is important is that they are both fixed. Having him meet older -- but intact -- females isn't going to really be any indication of whether or not they will get along. In other words, one cannot pre-screen for potential compatibility with an intact rabbit. Everything changes after they are spayed. Heck, even long-time bonded rabbits can lose their bond if one takes a trip to the vet without being accompanied by the other. When one returns from the vet, he/she will smell differently to the one that stayed home and that alone can break the bond.

Once a rabbit is fixed, age has little (if anything) to do with the probability of success in bonding. It is all about the individual personalities of the the individual rabbits.

Your neutered 4 yr old male may do well with a 7 year old female or with a 10 month female-- provided she is spayed. I'd suggest having your boy meet some other spayed females to pre-screen for potential compatibility. (This also saves you the expense of spaying a rabbit yourself, not to mention what was already explained about how even if an intact baby were to get along with your male, that could change with either the onset of hormones or after returning from the vet after surgery.)

 

[Bunster.love]

Thank you. I guess I just needed to be talked off the ledge.... Its so nice to have someone to bounce things off. Thank you for reading my wordy posts and replying. I give a lot of advise myself to adopters and this of course makes sense. Bonding is such an UNEXACT science! I want to give a homeless rabbit a home & we rarely get already already spayed buns....So I think in my case - since my Goo seems to be overly particular, I think I will shoot for a younger bun...of a KNOWN age....and not trust a bond until I know they get along as well AFTER she is spayed. Learning "everything rabbit" I imagine takes a whole life time! It is good to hear that age itself doesn't appear to be any factor (other than not wanting one to end up without their bondmate)

Curious, do you have an thoughts as to whether (in my case) it would likely be the female that may start not to accept my male or the other way around? Or again ....they are rabbits & WHO KNOWS? Don't you wish we could get into their minds and know what they are thinking?

Again, thank you for giving me this to think about. You talked me into a little more patience.